CB2.0

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 12:59 AM) Outside of Quentin, Alexei, Abreu and Eaton...that's not a great stretch of eight years considering none of them were your drafts or under 21 signings. Anderson could be the first to hold down a regular job since Beckham. Beckham held down his job - the problem was he sucked at it after year 1 and yet kept playing. What do you mean...under 21 signings? The Sox love college grads. Their top picks are almost always 21 or close to it so...is this a gotcha attempt or something?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 12:44 AM) CarGo was basically MVP the second half. Coming into last year, they were looking at eating salary. Same with LA and Ethier. Situations change. I never loved CarGo, but the preservation of Anderson/Fulmer has to be a big part of the equation. In reality, it's Blackmon or Dickerson anyway... But YOU put up a lineup featuring CarGo in it, right? I'm not crazy? I realize I'm new, but you are all over the place. That guy costs almost $40M unless you get cash and from what I've seen...people on this site are talking about GIVING THEM something (i.e. - Adams) to get him... lol. That's patently crazy.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 12:38 AM) I'm kind of warming up to the idea of Desmond. Say they sign him and Jackson. Eaton Melky Abreu Frazier Desmond LaRoche Lawrie Jackson Avila/Navarro That isn't perfect, but it's not terrible either. Not terrible at all, but need to see what Desmond costs. I can see LaRoche coming out of that lineup so fast....

QUOTE (spiderman @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 12:30 AM) Is this being suggested or rumored? There was when the Rox signed Parra.... I hope that's dead. I was talking to Caufield12, though. He apparently thinks he's good (which...no).

CarGo.... What a joke. *Edit - Ok, for Cargo the deal should be this: Sox give: Some B spec minor Sox get: $15M Cash Sox get: Cargo Anything else is a hangup. We're doing THEM a favor, even paying for more than half the $38M he's owed. I've seen guys on here talking about Adams...what???? They want to dump their garbage, pay the toll and you can get something back to save face, but let's not pretend CarGo is anything but DeAza against LHP. In fact, he's worse by -2 wRC+/

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 12:16 AM) For a $150 million payroll, which would be about $5 million above KC and well behind Detroit. No doubt that's the most fearsome line-up if you can keep Cargo healthy. That team sucks. Cargo? He can't hit own weight, literally, against LHP. And he's from Colorado and costs $19M for the next TWO years! You got $13M on the bench already and you're ready to bring in another replacement...just a little younger and even more expensive.

What is Desmond going to cost? Realistically? He turned DOWN a $107M offer already... But let's here the thoughts. This oughtta be interesting.

I don't want Desmond.... God, here we go again. Same with ideas for CarGo.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 23, 2016 -> 12:04 AM) I wanted Cespedes, and want nothing to do with that 1 year 27.5 million contract (that's what it essentially is) With you, here. That has to be the dumbest deal in baseball history.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 11:54 PM) What is with all the fascination with Ian Desmond on here? He is the type of player that the Sox should be avoiding. Until last year...his numbers were really sick. If he could be had with a cheap, incentive laden deal with just a one year club commitment...that'd be a very worthwhile signing.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 11:49 PM) It's 25 million a year if he does not opt out. If he opt outs after year 1, his salary that first year will be 27.5 million. Heyman and Rosenthal tweeted it I believe. So this is some kind of opt-out with a club self imposed penalty???? That would be the dumbest contract ever. The Mets will have him 1 year. No wonder he took it.... Play this out: You get $25M with the Mets in the 1st year...you suck, dog it, whatever.... You opt out and what do you get for that lack of effort? AN EXTRA $2.5M! If that's the deal, I'm glad he's not here now, more than ever. Move on, Rick.

QUOTE (reiks12 @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 11:47 PM) Does Austin Jackson cost a pick? No.

Where is this $27.5M first year that I keep seeing? Anyone have a link to contract details? Makes no sense to pay him A-ROD $, with a 1-year opt out, and an NTC....all over 3 years and $75M. That first year $ has to be BS.

I think OP is asking about a difference in WINS though, not defensive runs. Tough question to answer because you have to not only have faith in WAR stats, but predictive WAR stats too. Anyway, the difference with just replacing Thomson with Cespedes is +2.7 (per Steamer) if you do. Here's the math: 2015 OF fWAR Eaton - 3.6 Thomson - 1.5 L. Garcia - (0.2) Schuck - (0.3) Cabrera - (0.3) A. Garcia - (1.1) Total: 3.2 2016 Steamer fWAR Eaton - 2.1 Cespedes - 2.9 L. Garcia - (0.1) Schuck - (0.2) Cabrera - 1.0 A. Garcia - 0.2 Total: 5.9 Delta: + 2.7 If these are to believed, the answer to the question: ..is obviously no but it's moving in the right direction. This also obviously says nothing about gains at 2B, 3B, and C or what gains might also be realized at DH as a result of the change in roster as well.

More of the same, but this part was interesting: I know Chen is gone, but they've got to pushing toward $120M territory with Davis, Jones, and Wieters all getting $15M+, right? That would be something if they signed Davis AND Cespedes. http://nypost.com/2016/01/22/cespedes-pote...ecedented-risk/

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 03:05 PM) If that same article had some from Chicago media, we'd be talking about how much fluff it was, and mocking it. If Joe McEwing was saying that Semien was no good at SS "because he didn't know how to play it....but NOW he does" - yes, I'd definitely mock it. With all of McEwing's minor league mgr. experience, I'd hope he'd know Semien started 70% of his 364 minor leagues games at that position. Well, that and....we don't teach anybody anything once they come up.

QUOTE (Lillian @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 02:57 PM) That is what I've been advocating, except I would go 5 years, heavily front loaded. What numbers would you suggest? Do you think that the 1ST two years at $25 million, and the last 3 years at $20 million would be enough to entice him? That's only $5 million more than the 5 year, $105 million, rumored to be on the table from the Nationals. I think it all depends upon how that offer is structured. If it's the same annual salary every year, with no opt out, then the deal I'm advocating could be enticing. I don't think the Sox should do that. Unless....there is a club option after year 2 and a really low buyout. Then they can escape the last $60M when Cespedes isn't motivated to perform/tanks. Besides, there's only 3 OFers in baseball that are worth $25M/yr. and 2 (of the 3) aren't being paid anywhere near that.

I'd rather give Latos a try. We have enough lefties and this guy was a 4.0 fWAR pitcher 2010-2014 until he started getting bounced around.... Big durable guy too which Coop loves...and he's only 28. Big potential upside, I think.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 10:33 AM) If it's a Scherzer-type deal with a lot of deferred money as rumored, then it's actually not that close to it. That offer would have to be to defer $50M (1/2 the contract value) through 2028, interest free, if it's like the Sherzer deal. I really don't think they offered him 5 years at $10M AAV and deferred the rest.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 10:29 AM) Why is NO team apparently offering him that contract? Do you know something no one else knows? The Nats offer is supposedly pretty close to it.

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 10:14 AM) Well, that's all well and good, but the one thing you left out is the fact that "our" terms don't seem to be in line with the terms other teams are operating under in the open market at the moment. "Our" terms comprising the three year contract approach don't align with the five+ year contracts that the other similar talents are currently receiving in this free agent season. So we can stick to our guns and try to operate under "our" terms, but I'm afraid by doing so we'll be left out in the cold with no addition of the available premium talent that we definitely have a need for. +1 on this.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 10:01 AM) It seems like the White Sox were offering a short term deal of 3-4 years because that's what everyone else interested was doing as well. Cespedes probably figures that if there isn't big $$ to be had, then he'd rather just go back to the Mets. I don't think the Sox played this wrong. They just set a limit to as far as they'd go to sign Cespedes. He's a good player. He's not a great player. They were interested if the market came to them and I think it did. However, Cespedes would rather be in New York. If you think the White Sox should have offered him a $100 million contract and that they are cheap because they didn't, that's your prerogative. Whether cheap or not, I think you're dead on with the assessment it would've taken big $ to get him to choose the South Side. And that's fine. But move on! Lawrie/Frazier/Avila/Navarro were good moves, but they're only 1 & 2 year deals and there's still holes, so get on it Rick!

QUOTE (WhiteSoxLifer @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 09:53 AM) This is what I'm thinking. Hahn said that they were going to look at upgrading the outfield. They haven't don't anything up to now and supposedly are in for Cespedes but if they weren't fully going to go in why didn't do something else before hand. There were alot of second tier guys they could've gotten without picks attached and they didn't do anything and still don't seem to he moving on at this point. It's been way to quite on their part Right! That's what I'm trying to say. If there was any interest at even a short contract, it would've HAD to be around $20M+ AAV. That could still be used to fill other holes (OF for sure), and maybe even shore up the SP with a low risk/high reward flier type signing (Latos/Lincecum) in case Danks/Johnson get hurt or tank.

So if the Sox are really not serious or out on Cespedes, why not any offers or rumors of offers on Jackson/Fowler or an OF trade? I'm sure Hahn has put out feelers and possibly some talks, but it would seem that Cespedes is their #1 target. If it weren't, you would think something else would've been done by now or at least, the makings of something getting done. Right? This whole Cespedes saga is just weird!