tray

You mean Moncada's "natural position" is at second base where he led the league in errors? Madrigal is going to be great at second and now Moncada is no longer in his way. Machado is a POS who could quickly have become a cancer in the clubhouse and a pariah across the league as a dirty player. Let's not pretend that this guy was going to be a model citizen in Chicago and a team leader.

On the glass half full score, I look at the Machado transaction this way - Ok we didn't get Machado, but we have Moncada at third... plus a couple of hundred million dollars of headroom to sign other players moving forward.

If Harper doesn't want to play for the Phils and LA does not want to go 8 plus yrs on a contract, the Sox might be back in this juego.

If Bryce never intended to play Philly, then Philly just got used for leverage...just like Hahn did with Machado....well not quite that bad. IF LA signs Harper, I would guess that the Sox could get Joc Pederson without giving up too much.

"Remember, this team has been garbage for 118 years. As once again evident below. It sucks to be us. " Speak for yourself. I have been happy and proud to be a Sox fan all my life and always will be. I am very excited for Spring Training and the baseball season ahead. If you can't enjoy watching baseball unless you root for the team that wins the World Series, find a new pastime.

Cubs got lucky when Houston picked Mark Appel at no. 1 and Kris Bryant fell to them at no. 2. They got lucky when they got Rizzo. Luck plays a huge role in sports. Cubs were purchased by mega billionaire Joe Ricketts and they threw hundreds of millions at free agents. Money plays a huge role in sports. I'm not going to let a few downers who for years keep throwing the Cubs in our faces impact how I feel about my team.

southsider2k5 You're such a self-righteous downer..

I grew up on the South side of the city and took CTA buses to go to Sox games as a high school kid. My family and most friends still live in the suburban Chicago area. I love them and love the White Sox and would never think of moving South . Nashville? LOL. Play that country music white boy..

Moncada does not want to play third base. I would make him play there and if doesn't work out, then trade him. Aside from the fact that he could block Madrigal at second, the Sox have to solve the perennial question mark at third base. Now that Machado is gone, Moncada has to step up at the hot corner.

Interesting question to ponder.. I think if Machado signs with the WSox AND agrees to play third (which i doubt) I still think Moncada could be blocking Madrigal at second if, as it turns out, Moncada strikes out 200+ times this season, flubs too many routine plays, and Madrigal looks like he can be a tremendous on base hitter with plus defensive skills.

I agree. It looks incredibly effortless when he is going 1st to 3rd in a flash. Re Moncada : He did not want to play third for the Red Sox . Now he continues to express a strong preference to play second. Whether Machado signs with the WSox or not, I think Moncada should be tried at third base. Otherwise, he could be blocking Madrigal.

Trade

If we get Manny, I could see a starting infield with Moncada 3rd, Manny at SS, and Madrigal at Second by the end of the year.

For the Sox, a starting infield with Manny would obviously change planning for 2019 and beyond, and impact the future of players and prospects we have.That is what makes waiting for his decision unbearable for the franchise, its players and Sox fans. Hindsight is 20/20, but if the Sox had shifted Moncada to third base last year and he proved that he could field the hot corner and would be comfortable there, perhaps the Sox would not be offering as much for Machado.

You missed the point. *IF* the Sox have offers on the table for both players there absolutely is some chance that both decide to deal with the Sox or even to accept their Offer. If the Sox have Offers on the table for both, they must at least be considering the possibility of signing both. So no, there is not a zero chance. Machado, Harper and the White Sox may want to do deals that would amount a shot heard 'round the world. Shock and Awe. For Jerry, this would be remindful of his signing of Fisk/Luzinski Money wise, the Michael Jordan contract with Pippen and supporting players indicate that Jerry will pay

The rumors indicate that the Sox may have Offers on the table for Machado and forHarper. What if they both say yes to the White Sox ?

What do you make of the reported Hahn quote that Machado's agent has "not responded in kind." ? I think the White Sox are at least entitled to a counter-proposal from Lozano given all of the effort that the organization has gone to in order to attract Manny and his family to Chicago. If Lozano is just using the White Sox to leverage a higher offer, we will all be pissed off along with the White Sox ownership and management. I understand the competitive bidding process, but at some point it can get abusive. Lozano can just ask the teams still interested in Manny and that Manny would like to play for to submit their highest and best offer in x amount of time, then let him decide. This isn't rocket science as they say. Come on Manny for Chrissakes make a decision. We will all but kiss your ass to play here.

I would have preferred that the Sox sign Avi for a year than to trade any decent prospect(s) for an OF that is going to be a placeholder for Luis Robert, et.al. No problem with getting Pederson other than it signals that the Sox may have given up on Harper. Pederson could hit 25-30 HR with a decent amount of ABs. We could end up having a team with loads of power. Sox fans love HRs , fireworks, and walk-off wins. Now like the rest of us, I am just crossing my fingers and hoping we get Machado. He is a game changer, especially for the Sox where he would fit like a glove, Hope he gets announced as our dude at SoxFest..

Jay is placeholder for Luis Robert and a replacement for Engel who should be DFAed. Avi's replacement is yet to be determined. Once we know , then the comparisons to Avi can be ddiscussed' Palka is a tank - strictly a DH and pinch hitter.

Hey Avi only hit .330 over the course of an entire season once. Lots of major league players do that at least once during their career, right? Oh yea, he is prone to injury because of an accident fielding a line drive when he was playing at a much higher weight, but you know, he was injured last season so you put those injuries together and it is obvious, , he is a ticking time bomb, just waiting to be injured again. And he is slow....well at least he was before he lost weight and got in top shape. Low power numbers too which is absolutely unacceptable when you hit .330. No sense trying to master the strike zone a bit before starting to wail away.

Passan has always been partial to the cubs so I do not give any credence whateoever to his reporting about the White Sox.

If the Sox somehow land Harper, I would try to trade for Kris Bryant. Not sure with what,,,,Perhaps Moncada plus Cease but not Eloy or Luis Robert.

If JR lands one or both Manny and/or Bryce they should make arrangements to have SoxFest at a larger venue. Go crazy as Farmio says.

One reality inherent in the rebuild is the short shelf life that players have in the majors. Most of us consider that prospects, say under under 21 or 22 yrs. old, aren't "ready" to even start their careers on a major league team. Then once they reach 30, they are considered over-the -hill or perhaps not part of any rebuild process. Given that, it is understandable how difficult it is for each of the 30 teams to find that magical combination where all of the talent on the roster reaches a crescendo in the same season. We are not the only team that is having a hard time putting it together, even for some future season where you project talent, payroll, possible injury and varying performance from season to season. I'm glad I am not Rick Hahn.

Do the Sox project Eloy to be a corner outfielder in the long term (e.g. over the next 3-6 years) ? If Eloy is projected as another Big Frank at first base, then I see how trading Abreu might make sense.