tray

Madrigal is a career .317 BA in 303 AB Vaughn hit .235 with 15 HR in 417 AB. Sheets had 11 HR in only 160 AB. Vaughn regressed in the last few months of the season even as Tony tried to protect him by not starting him against RH pitching. Sox don't really have a spot for him in the 2022 line-up as we saw in the play-offs. He is kind of surplusage.

Are you on here stalking me 24/7? LOL.

How about Vaughn and Burger to the Cubs for Madrigal and Ed Howard ?

and throw in Collins or Seby to sweeten the deal.

LOL.

The Sox won the Division handily. They missed getting Home field advantage narrowly to Houston, a team that proved that they had a demonstrably superior pitching staff. McCullers started two of the four games and had little trouble with the Sox line-up. Meanwhile, the Sox starters looked like they were worn down or worn out. That was something that LaRussa, Katz, Cairo and McEwing and no doubt, the Sox training staff had concerns about. So did the fans after seeing some of their final starts which foretold their poor performance in the playoffs. Meanwhile, some fans wanted the Sox to go all out for home field advantage. That was simply not possible given a pitching staff with several pitchers with marginalized arm strength/ and health/durability issues. . Kopech seemed like he was always a question mark as was Rodon . Giolito and Cease had less than stellar outings leading to the play-offs. Keuchel did not even make it to the finish line. Not enough bullets in the holster at the end and a glaring lack of the one big gun that could do what McCullers did to us. Scapegoating on management is baseball fan's version of Monday morning quarterbacking. Some blame LaRussa for ignoring his coaches, scouting data, and positioning algorithms but we don't know exactly what Tony knew, what data he was given, or what advice his managers provided him with. Defensive positioning is never set in stone. All teams have access to spray charts for hitters but defensive positioning can easily be foiled by hitters or by pitchers who miss location. Anyway, I hope Tony retires or takes a position in the Front Office, but I do not blame him for the Sox losing to the Astros. They are just better than the Sox as are the Dodgers. The biggest discrepancy is starting pitching. The White Sox need to make at least one trade to obtain a true Ace or they may have the same results next season.

A good discussion here with the exception of a ridiculous suggestion that Eloy has lost his power. Valid points made otherwise, but I think there is a larger issue revealed by the DH conundrum . I question the collective judgment of those who decided to Draft Vaughn and Burger, players that did not and do not fill any need that the Sox have or will have in the near future. There was no need for another 3B/1B/DH RH hitter at the time they were Drafted. Then the Sox follow up by Drafting Madrigal who actually did profile as a player who could fill a needed role. Then trade Madrigal based on some ill-conceived notion that Kimbrel would make the bullpen invincible and almost assure success in the playoffs. Then award Hahn with Exec of the year and blame LaRussa for every on-field decision that did not work out. Now no second basement, no RF, but a boatload of one tool RH hitters. The Sox are lucky to have Gavin Sheets or they would have lost 10-0. If Sheets excels in Spring Training, perhaps he starts the season as the full-time DH. Who starts in LF and RF in 2022? IMO, Eloy in LF and Vaughn in RF, unless a trade is made that changes the mix. Second base - possibly Romy Gonzalez or trade for someone. All of this may not make a difference if the rotation ends up being as weak and unreliable as it was at the end of this season.

Altuve and Correa with key bombs in that game. Looked like maybe they both knew what pitch was coming.

That would be even worse.

RE Jeff McNeill - Sox don't have much young prospect capital unless they are willing to let Vaughn go, just like they did with Madrigal. Have to something though to plug the holes at second base and RF.

Vaughn hit .235 and LaRussa kept him out of the lineup against good RH pitching. Neither Sheets nor Vaughn are fast enough to be an everyday outfielder. They could form a DH platoon, if the team could afford a roster spot for two DH's. Sox need a RF, preferably one who hits RH pitching in order to balance the line-up. They also need a backup catcher, a second basemen, and a couple of starting pitchers. That is too big of a list for Rick Hahn.

A lot of fans would have started Vaughn instead of Leury in Game 3, and the Sox would have been swept. Astros have been dominant under different managers. 10 - 1 loss is not the Manager's fault. I do not want Hahn OR LaRussa to return, but scapegoating on them does not seem to be impressing the people that matter. Cubs won once in 100+ years. What about their organization and Manager? Where are they at now? When is the last WS that the Rays won? Look, the Sox lost to a better team, primarily because of their pitching staff. Sox got taught. It is what it is. OK, let's hear a few more LaRussa drinking jokes if that makes you feel better.

Vaughn did not prove that he can hit RH pitchers. He is too slow to be an everyday outfielder. That is why he wasn't used much in the playoffs. He got a hit against Raley who is a garbage pitcher for the Astros. Sheets is probably a better hitter and a candidate to become the Sox DH.

Yea "man"

Kopech would be as effective as Liam Hendriks as a Closer. Get rid of Kimbrel and Hendriks and Close by committee until Kopech takes the throne. Then you pay him handsomely and he forgets about being stretched out as a partial season starter. Trade Vaughn for a starting pitcher.

I understand why Kopech wants to start and that a starter generally makes more money than most bullpen pitchers. I also understand that Sox fans want a stud in the rotation . However, Kopech also profiles as an all-out 100 mph max effort pitcher that could be even more effective at the end of games rather than at the beginning. . He could easily develop into a premier Closer and there are several advantages to that, the most important being potential career longevity ( recall the career of Goose Gossage) . I have always thought that the best path for Kopech was in the bullpen with the ultimate goal of being a lock-down Closer. That would pretty much resolve virtually all the issues about his innings usage. It would also have made it more clear that he should have been the 8th inning guy moving forward and thus, no need to give up another top reliever prospect plus Madrigal....to get an 8th inning guy. Now Hahn has an 8th ninning guy (Kimbrel) plus a guy who they want to start games in 2022, but not sure how many or for how long.

Probably right but I hope not.

I think LaRussa will be offered the GM job. I doubt he wants that and I doubt he wants to Manage next year. Assuming that is the case, will Hahn be brought back as GM? I sincerely hope not. I have grown tired of Hahn promising "multiple champioships. Talent evaluation prior to Drafts has been horrible. The Sox could have had Trea Turner and players other than Madrigal and Vaughn, who may not end up being all he was cracked up to be. I know that is heresy among Vaughn fans but time will tell. I think the Madrigal and Heuer to the Cubs for Kimbrel debacle probably sealed Hahn's fate. Not sure about potential GM candidates but there are several , maybe even including Theo. So no LaRussa and no Hahn. Make them scapegoats (deservedly or not) and move forward.

Short stodgy players like Vaughn usually do not develop speed and quickness with age. Instead they develop strength and bulk.

Blackstrosd cheated with impunity. That is reason enough to suspect they continue to do it now. Guys like Correa or Altuve could get very comfortable with a system that alerts them before a fastball is thrown. Altuve never produced the buzzer and relay he allegedly had so he may still be using the same stuff.

Kopech and Vaughn are no longer untouchable, especially if the Sox get an Ace starting pitcher in return for a package that includes them.

There is a difference between "top-of-rotation" starting pitchers and elite starting pitchers - guys that are capable of winning a Playoff game when it is needed. Lynn and Gio are TOR starters but they are not good enough to beat a team like the Astros in the play-offs. Keuchel is going to be hard to unload.

and Hinch was not banned from baseball for life like Pete Rose was.

I think Leury Leyenda also got a tack on xBH off Brooks Raley. I wish Dusty used Raley in every game. He was awful.

Can an admin be banned for being verbose, cruel and ridiculous every single day here? Who owns this site?