OmarComing25

QUOTE (flavum @ Oct 4, 2015 -> 05:40 PM) Because they had a rainout with the Tigers a couple of weeks ago and they were only going to play tomorrow if they had to. Tigers and Indians end at 161. Kind of similar to us vs. Detroit back in 2008, except we actually made up the game.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Oct 4, 2015 -> 05:40 PM) Who says no? A. Garcia, Fulmer, M. Johnson, Montas, Beck, and Montas for Arenado and Jairo Diaz Garcia almost feels like he has negative value at this point, and including him in the deal makes things worse. Think the Rockies still say no though.

Pirates have seen Arrieta a bunch lately, hopefully they can figure him out this time.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Oct 4, 2015 -> 05:28 PM) Damn, I didn't even realize had the Pirates lost today that the game would be in Chicago. Anyway, should be a really good game. Arrieta makes the Cubs the slight favorite, imo. Don't think anyone is going to disagree there. QUOTE (flavum @ Oct 4, 2015 -> 05:33 PM) Cardinals didn't score a run in Atlanta this weekend, and now don't play until Friday. I know they're the one seed, but if I had to rank the NL playoff teams, they'd be at the bottom for me right now. They have the worst offense, and though their rotation is deep, their top guys don't match up with the other teams' top guys. Then again, they always seem to have a scrub or two that lights it up in the playoffs.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Oct 4, 2015 -> 08:08 AM) For the love of God, please tell me we haven't been eliminated from protected pick status!? If we lose today and Seattle wins we can still get the 10th pick.

Please no.

EJ gives up way too many homers, that needs to stop.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 3, 2015 -> 06:19 PM) Another point I forgot - the ballpark effect also plays in. The Rockies have the worst ERA in the league and their xFIP is 0.73 better than their ERA. The White Sox's xFIP is 0.18 better than their ERA, which is their defense playing a role probably. Other teams with a bad defense over the year, like the A's, don't have large differences - their ERA almost matches their xFIP, so other things not in either formula like defensive positioning are playing a role as well. Also, our ERA-FIP gap used to be much larger. The difference is now only 0.16, less than the Phillies, Rockies, Tigers, Nationals, and Padres. We're far from having the biggest gap, it's largely closed over the past couple of months.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 3, 2015 -> 06:12 PM) FIP is supposed to express what a pitcher can control based on their strikeout and home run rates. In other words, it's supposed to be "what the ERA might look like with an average defense". However, it isn't perfect; if a pitcher falls apart when he's pitching from the stretch or a pitcher gives up lots of hits to areas where the defense isn't ready for, it will give him more credit than he actually deserves (the white sox this year have a huge difference between their ERA and FIP, the biggest in the league, suggesting something really systematic). If you have the worst defense in the league, you should have the biggest ERA-FIP gap, that makes perfect sense considering FIP completely ignores defense.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 3, 2015 -> 04:14 PM) That team was supposed to be competitive. They had a $115 million+ opening day payroll. They increased their payroll significantly from 2012. Saying the 2013 white sox were a laughable roster is the same hindsight as saying the 2015 roster was. We were supposed to compete those years and talked like it during the offseason. Yeah I don't think anyone expected a team that almost won the division in 2012 to tank so badly. We definitely wanted to compete in 2013. The only true rebuilding year was 2014.

QUOTE (fathom @ Oct 3, 2015 -> 03:35 PM) Red Sox would absolutely trade Betts for Sale, IMO On second thought you're right, but he certainly isn't going to be headlining a huge haul. Maybe him and one decent prospect.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Oct 3, 2015 -> 03:49 PM) He has a 2.74 FIP. 3.35 in the second half though, and 4.32 in September/October. However, a large part of that is giving up HR on over 20% of his flyballs, which probably won't happen again. That said, he really needs to cut down on HRs next year.

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Oct 3, 2015 -> 03:42 PM) The market for Sale would be an all time high. Ya you could go spend the fortune on someone like Price but Sale is a great young LHP under reasonable control and hitting his prime. Maybe if the free agent SP was thin I could see that, but it's the best it's been since I can remember, so I don't see how that doesn't affect the market for Sale.

QUOTE (VAfan @ Oct 3, 2015 -> 03:39 PM) In-game decisions is, to me, an important part, but not the crucial part. Are they fundamentally sound? Do they execute well? Do they run the bases smartly? Do they hit the cut off man? Do they hit the other way? Do they know how to move runners over? Do they play as a team? How does the club carry itself? Does it have confidence? Does it know how to win, and find ways to win? Are players put in the best position to succeed? Or used in ways that make that harder? And are players held accountable when they screw up, so as to be brought back to playing the right way? I don't get the feeling Robin Ventura does ANY of this well. And certainly the Sox don't do any of it well. These guys have played professional baseball for years and years, they shouldn't need to be taught this stuff by the manager. Especially the veterans that we brought in. If Melky Cabrera suddenly forgets how to hit the cut-off man after he puts on a White Sox uniform, I don't see how that's on Ventura.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Oct 3, 2015 -> 03:25 PM) Who were the runner-ups when Verlander/Kershaw won? I'm too high to look for myself. Stanton finished 2nd last year, and Ellsbury finished 2nd in 2011. Neither were anywhere close to Harper this year. He's having a very, very special year. The Nationals have actually scored more runs than last year and that's with everyone in their lineup except Harper regressing pretty bad from last season.

QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Oct 3, 2015 -> 03:24 PM) Believe it or note, but market for sale is actually quite small. Teams like the Dodgers and Yankees have money to blow and will usually just get a guy in free agency. Teams with impact players/ can't miss prospects like the Cubs won't want to part with their own cost controlled talent. The sox aren't "screwed" in this situation, but they really can't explore every option. Better to build around sale( which they did in the rotation, even if it's lefty heavy), and bank on his loyalty paying off in the next contract. Have to agree with you there. I doubt we'll be able to get the haul we're seeking. The Cubs wouldn't do a Bryant-Sale trade straight-up, and I probably wouldn't do it if I were them either. Same with the Red Sox and Betts.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Oct 3, 2015 -> 02:26 PM) He probably won't get it. But he's the MVP, imo. Take him away from the Cubs and they're (gross) the White Sox. Arrieta was not worth 20+ wins by himself, that's absurd. If Harper doesn't win the MVP then the award is a joke.

I'll honestly be shocked if Arrieta doesn't win it at this point. Lowest 2nd half ERA in history, the ERA difference between him and Greinke is pretty small now, and he has the no-hitter. He also has a much better FIP and SIERA. We all know wins suck as a stat but he also has that working for him as well.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 3, 2015 -> 07:56 AM) Even using my preferred "we're not competitive in 2016 and we need to act like it" model, there's no reason why this team can't be back to the top of the division in 2017 or 2018. We've got at least 1 more shot before the pressure really starts to rise to move him. When the White Sox do their "all in" thing again next year, trade Quintana for some career NL hitter close to free agency and come back totally surprised that the 2016 roster flopped just like the 2015 roster, then suddenly we'll have Sale for only 3 years and we'll be staring another year that should be a developmental year in the face. That's when the pressure starts rising. The time when I'd guess the price for Sale would line up with the price teams would pay for Sale will come sometime around 2017-2018. Moving everything for a guy with 2-2.5 years remaining is a gamble teams will take and one that would make sense for the White Sox. Of course, they'll still be insisting that their 15 games under .500 team is right there, so we won't even do that. Thanks, now I'm going to have nightmares about us trading Quintana for Frazier, who proceeds to put up a sub-.700 OPS here. Really really hope they're planning for 2017, if we catch some breaks (LaRoche bouncing back, Sale pitching like 2014, two of Thompson/Saladino/Sanchez hitting well enough to stick with their defense, Johnson pitching much better than Samardzija this year), we could still contend next year, but don't expect it and don't sacrifice any pieces for 2017 or tie yourself down with more big contracts. That really is the best move at this point.

Boston is going to finish just under .500, and that's with Porcello and Sandoval being far worse than anyone could reasonably expect. They sign a top SP and even if they do nothing else, I could easily see them winning 90+ games next year if those two guys bounce back a little.

QUOTE (fathom @ Oct 3, 2015 -> 02:28 PM) Around the time the Cubs were looking to hire Maddon, all the sports radio guys would talk to experts from Baseball Prospectus, etc. They all believe that managers matter very little over the course of the season with regards to in-game decisions. Maybe a 3-5 game difference at best. The big impact is on preparation and scouting (ie...Pirates over the last few years). All you have to is look at the salaries. If managers mattered much more than that, they'd be getting big-time money. A player who can add 5 wins to your team could command $25 million a year. Meanwhile, the top managers in the game are getting paid less than some bench players. That should be pretty telling.

QUOTE (VAfan @ Oct 2, 2015 -> 09:21 PM) Disgusted. As I wrote elsewhere, managers should be assigned WAR. If they were, I'd give Ventura a -5 to -8 range. Just pulling that out of a hat. But I think there is no question managers make a difference. And it starts with whether the team plays good fundamental baseball. Do they field well, or as well as they could give their talent? Do they run the bases well? Do they move runners over? Bunt if called upon? If they dont, this is a managerial problem. Anyone think the Giants win the World Series without Bochy? Any of the 3 they just won? Managers also make in game decisions that win and lose games. Ventura is not good here either. They set lineups, decide who sits, etc. Ultimately, how can Ventura hold any player accountable when he hasn't been held accountable himself?? Another wasted year coming up. Sox could be better, but there is no way they will overcome the anchor that Ventura is for the team. I don't live in Chicago, but I'm not going to see them when they come to DC or Baltimore. And it's hard for me because I have a 12 year old son who loves baseball. If you think managers have enough of an impact to have -5 or -8 WAR then they are vastly underpaid. No way. Also, Bochy is a good manager but to me the Giants are the poster-child for why baseball playoffs are a crap shoot. They won because Cody Ross randomly became Mike Trout for a few series and Bumgarner became Superman.

After the last off-season, I think questioning JR's desire to make the White Sox better doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The moves may have mostly backfired, but you don't spend all that money on free agents just due to shareholders. He's too loyal and slow to make changes in the front office, but that's a different conversation.

QUOTE (SCCWS @ Oct 2, 2015 -> 06:26 PM) I am a White Sox fan living on the east coast. I also agree that managers get too much blame and credit. But I did see a good number of Tampa bay games in person the last few years and always thought Maddon got a lot out of a roster with limitations. I have not seen a single Cub game. But they had one hell of a reversal this season. I would think Maddon is a manager that has an impact. Maddon is a good manager but the impact even a good manager can have on overall wins is pretty minimal. The Rays have won more games in 2015 than they did last year, and they made few changes in the off-season and were ravaged by injuries this year.

QUOTE (flavum @ Oct 2, 2015 -> 05:58 PM) Simon vs Sale Sox lineup Eaton CF Ramirez SS Cabrera DH Thompson LF Shuck RF LaRoche 1B Flowers C Sanchez 2B Saladino 3B Tigers lineup Davis LF Romine 1B J.D. Martinez RF Castellanos 3B Marte DH McCann C Machado SS J. Wilson 2B Gose CF Team that loses 2 out of 3 gets the higher draft pick. And people said we weren't playing meaningful baseball in October this year!