ChiSoxFanMike

I think the only reason why some Sox fans (myself included) have started to panic is because Upton just went to a division rival. If he would've went to an NL team or a team outside the division, I don't think the demand for Cespedes would be as high as it is right now.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Jan 19, 2016 -> 01:18 PM) Bold prediction: this thread gets to 300 pages before Cespedes signs anywhere. How is that bold? lol

QUOTE (Dunt @ Jan 19, 2016 -> 10:58 AM) If they lose out on Cespedes, give me Jackson and Pearce and call it an offseason. That's 3.3 fWAR you're adding, better D in CF, and a good platoon option with LaRoche and bat off the bench. Add Fister and Lincecum to that package and I'd be ok with it. But if the Sox got both Jackson and Pearce, what would happen to Shuck? What about Avi?

Hypothetically, if Cespedes' camp told the White Sox FO that they would accept a deal exactly like Upton's, would the Sox do it? Would you guys as fans be ok with it if they did?

They should just sign him to a 6 year/$125 million deal with payments of $10 million in 2016, $15 million a year in 2017-2021, and $5 million a year in deferred payments from 2022-2026.

SoxFest will be very interesting this year if the Sox don't acquire a big name outfielder.

Yep. I'm nervous now. If Hahn doesn't fork over the dough for Yo, we're f***ed.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 18, 2016 -> 04:33 PM) He has my vote as pick to click for leader of the "Sox lost out on Cespedes" meltdown I'm not going to meltdown if the Sox lose out on him. I'll be disappointed, but I won't blow a gasket.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jan 18, 2016 -> 03:46 PM) People got the hashtag #cesPAYdes trending on twitter. Fans have been calling and tweeting the White Sox all day telling them to sign him. It's pretty funny actually. The constant pestering probably means nothing to Jerry/KW/Hahn, but it's worth a shot.

Someone actually created this account on Twitter lol

Dan Hayes is SO full of s***. So full of it.

We are all at level 5 in the stages of grief lol.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 16, 2016 -> 10:24 PM) I'm going into my 2nd season in a keeper league with some good friends that are really dedicated. We did an auction draft with a salary cap at 275. Once you draft a player for that given amount of money, you can choose to release him at the end of the year or sign him to an extension. Example, I drafted Harper for $24, so I'm extending him 10 years which will be 28 in year 1, 31 in year 2, 34 in year 3, 36 in year 4, 37 in year 5 and a dollar increments after that. We also have a a draft at the beginning of June (3 players). However, you don't get to keep these players. You do get their rights for the next draft. Say someone drafts someone for $5, you could steal him from that team. I'm currently keeping Freddie Freeman, Bryce Harper, Giancarlo Stanton, Starling Marte, Carlos Carrasco, Carlos Martinez, and Danny Salazar. I have the rights to Maikel Franco, Fransico Lindor, Eduardo Rodriguez, Steven Matz, Lance McCullers and Stephen Vogt. Thanks for the post! I've never been in an auction league myself, but it sounds like a lot of fun. Just from a keeper standpoint, I'd definitely try to hold onto Freeman, Harper, Stanton, Martinez, Carrasco, Lindor, Rodriguez, Matz, and McCullers. If you can keep all those guys, that's a hell of a core.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 16, 2016 -> 10:48 PM) Can't spend what you don't have. I'm sure 2016 season ticket sales look bleak right now. We aren't talking about an extra 5 million or so. 100-125 million is a huge amount for a team that might already be at their budget. It's a double edged sword in my opinion. While 2016 season ticket sales could look bleak now, signing Cespedes could cause more people to buy tickets to watch more games at the stadium (I know I'd buy more tickets if he was on the team) as the team would appear to be much improved over recent years. That paired with a potentially hot start to the season could cause more people to become interested in the team, hence making the Sox more money.

In my opinion, Cespedes is a very low risk move for the Sox. Yes, it's a lot of money to commit to one player, but that's all he'd require. Sacrificing a draft pick/minor leaguers wouldn't be necessary to get him, and it's important for the Sox to build up their farm system. Furthermore, I believe that this is the Sox time to compete if they intend on doing so. It isn't every day that a team has multiple stars like Sale, Quintana, Abreu, Eaton, Rodon, and potentially Anderson and Fulmer all on EXTREMELY team friendly contacts for the next 4-5 years. As it stands now, the Sox have a solid team, but not a playoff worthy one in my opinion. Cespedes would change that. Like I said, it's an awful lot of money to give to one player, but I believe that Cespedes is worth it. It isn't a coincidence that just about every team Cespedes is on has been competitive for the most part and they fall apart once he leaves (i.e., the A's and Tigers). Cespedes is a game changer no matter how you put it and he would completely change the lineup and team that the Sox have as a whole. The argument could be made that the Sox would be in trouble if he busts, but if he does, so what? The Sox would be in a great position to have a major selloff in 2018 or 2019 if they aren't competitive anyway, and Cespedes could just be added to the trade list. If necessary, trading Sale, Quintana, Rodon, Abreu, Cespedes, etc could rebuild the farm system and rejuvenate the franchise in a blink of an eye. In other words, while the possibility exists that the could bust if they sign Cespedes (well, they could bust without him too), I 100% believe that it is worth whatever the Sox would have to pay him to bring him on board. The division is wide open and the Sox would have as good of a chance as anyone if they can land Cespedes. Detroit is a wreck and have no farm system, Kansas City has just about a 2 year window left before their stars go elsewhere, Cleveland is decent but who knows how they'll be in the future, and Minnesota has good young prospects but not enough pitching to do anything significant. This is the Sox chance to become relevant in Chicago again and I think they'd be foolish to pass up that chance just because of money.

Here's my daily obligatory "I have a feeling that something will happen soon" post for today.

Is this the biggest thread in the history of this forum?

This contract makes literally no f***ing sense. Why not use that $70 million to try to lock up one of their stars (Hosmer, Moustakas, Cain, etc) rather than signing an aging NL pitcher? I don't get it, but more power to them.

I am going to be genuinely upset if Cespedes is not on the Sox come Opening Day. I felt like the Orioles were their biggest competition for him, and now they're out. And Upton is still around too. I feel more confident than ever about the Sox landing one of the big two because I honestly don't see anyone else paying them more than the Sox would.

I just woke up and Davis going back to Baltimore is great news for the Sox! We can just about assume that they're out on Cespedes now. So who's left? The Sox, Mets, and Tigers? Anyone else?

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Jan 15, 2016 -> 10:47 PM) Sadly, nobody's floor is "elite" anything. What exactly do you mean by this? I'm not following.

I feel as if Fulmer's floor is an elite closer and his ceiling is a solid ace or a great #2 starter.

QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Jan 15, 2016 -> 09:17 PM) Your pitching is elite, but your offense can be better. Other than EE and Posey, it's a lot of "meh" guys. I would try to get a high-upside outfielder. That seems like the easiest place to make a big difference. It's also a potential sore spot since Kemp is a wildcard and Eaton may not put up the same caliber of fantasy stats. I wouldn't invest too much in pitching going forward. You already have 3 studs and a couple other solid guys. Eventually, you run into diminishing returns. It's also generally a good idea to invest heavily in hitting because it's harder to find impact bats in FA and you don't get as many crippling arm injuries. It's hard to say what to do in the draft without knowing what players are eligible. Even if it's just players that have never been in the majors, there should be better options to contribute this season. Thank you so much for the reply! I appreciate it. I should've been more clear about who is still available to be drafted. Here are the best remaining outfielders that I'd be able to draft. It's a pretty picked over list (as this is a 12 team league), but Khris Davis is kind of intriguing to me. He's still fairly young and has some decent pop. Do you see any potential in him? A lot of my outfielders are solid hitters for average, but none of them have a ton of pop. Davis could bring some balance I suppose.

Jo's body is shot to hell at this point. He should just retire now.

First off, I apologize if there's already a thread about this, but I didn't see one, so I decided to make another. With that being said, fantasy baseball is very enjoyable to me. I didn't start playing it until last season, but I got hooked on it immediately. I joined 2 leagues and I won the championship in both of them. Since baseball is coming up relatively soon (woo!!! ), I figured that it could be a cool idea to make a discussion thread for anyone else that plays. I am currently in the 2nd year of a dynasty league, and here is my roster. Does anyone want to take a minute to critique my team? Any feedback is welcome. Thanks. C - Buster Posey 1B - Edwin Encarnacion and Greg Bird 2B - Dustin Pedroia SS - Addison Russell and Yunel Escobar 3B - Kyle Seager and Stephen Piscotty OF - Matt Kemp, Adam Eaton, Christian Yelich, and Ender Inciarte SP - Chris Sale, David Price, Madison Bumgarner, Cole Hamels, Jose Quintana, Wei-Yin Chen, Daniel Norris, and Brandon Finnegan RP - Jonathan Papelbon, Huston Street, A.J. Ramos, and Glen Perkins I think pitching is my strong suit, as well as catcher and first base. I have the 5th pick in the draft and I'm thinking of taking Carson Fulmer. Is that a smart idea? I'm looking forward to seeing if anyone else enjoys this and hopefully we can create a nice discussion thread here. Thanks.