tray

TA, Eloy or Robert should be off the table unless an All Star level player plus a pitching prospect is coming back in return...and even that would seem foolish. Eloy has the potential to hit 40+ HR and hit for average. Robert is an absolute stud. TA is at the height of his career. Hendriks plus a prospect should be enough to land a player at a position of need...like catcher or second base. Screw the Met fans trade proposals. Hahn is not going to disassemble the core of this team.

Replace Stone with a younger guy like Ryan McGuffey.

"Yasmani said doctors recommended surgery after discs in his back bulged and went completely out but Grandal said no and kept playing." ------------------------ Grandal had no business playing with multiple bulging discs according to his and/or team physicians. Yaz chose to ignore their advice and chance it. No matter how that decision works out for him, he expects to collect on the balance of his contract.

I think both these guys will be back, but I don't really care. They don't really add or diminish much to the broadcasts and by now, their shtick has gotten old.

Several bulging discs would seem to mark the end of Grandal's career. Perhaps someone with medical education can offer their opinion.

Agreed. I am not sure what Grandal's motives may have been in making that disclosure to Garfein. Now Grandal essentially has zero or negative trade value. Given that, why don't the Sox DFA him now and open the roster spot.? I'm asking.

While I like Benintendi, I may have preferred signing Bellinger to a one year deal like the Cubs did. He has been injured but he has a much greater upside, is an elite defender with more raw LH power than the diminutive Benny. My other thought was that a one year contract with Bellinger may have given the Sox a bit more flexibility to make a long term commitment to another player. That is probably my only gripe about signing Benintendi long term.

We don't really know any of these pro athletes on a personal level and we don't need to. Feel free to project failure but I'd say you are way off base with your snippy comments about Eloy and predictions on IP by Kopech and Clevinger. I think Eloy will continue to hit like he did after he came back from surgery and I suspect that Kopech comes back a lot stronger after having his leg repaired. There is no reason to mess with those guys.

fixed that Vaughn will probably lead the league in errors at 1B though.

No, just no.

No question. Benny is a pretty good no. 2 hitter on this team. TA + Benny+ Robert is a great top of the order....Benny and the Jets. Eloy could have a lot of RBI as clean-up hitter behind them.

Sign a second basemen next and shut the whiners here up.

I sense a lot of frustration and even some anger. Maybe try to be grateful for what we have in Chicago...and what you have in life. And try to place things in perspective if you can.

So, are the Cubs a "successful franchise" ? Yes of No? Great trade of Cease and Eloy to the Sox...Great trade to get Madrigal. Any Cub fans pining for Rickettes to sell? As much as Cub fans whine, it seems like nothing compared to this. But maybe it is a generational thing. My guess is that most posters here weren't even born when JR bought the W Sox and cannot fully understand the state of the franchise before he acquired it. Old Comiskey was a dilapidated, filthy , dump. Extremely limited parking around the stadium and given its condition and the probable move of the Sox out of town, no incentive for real estate investment in the surrounding area. Saving the Sox for Chicago was critical to the neighborhood and it meant everything for Sox fans. Unfortunately, JR and the late Einhorn made some serious mistakes by firing Harry Carey, moving off channel 9, and selecting an incompetent relative to select the location, the architectural firm and the design for the new stadium. It was and arguably is one of the worst in baseball. JR made some efforts to correct things by cutting rows off the upper deck, changing every seat from the original blue color, adding parking , etc, , and it is now just OK. JR has stayed within a budget not because he is cheap but because it is a business. He feels that spending on player contracts like the LA Angels does not guarantee "multiple championships" That is a promise that Hahn made and one that he has to live with.

"The measure of a successful franchise is winning" Cubs 1900 - 2022 ?

Dude, don't put words in my mouth. Winning at any and all costs is not what it is all about, and it is not sustainable.

The Sox franchise is stronger now...much stronger than when Reinsdorf took over. And it is not even close. That's just a fact. There are 30MLB teams to compete with on the field and many of them are either major market teams, or teams that have over-performed with respect to their market size, like the Rays , KC, or the Cardinals - teams you cannot count on beating in certain years or out-bidding for FA. Did anyone really expect Judge, Correa, Trea Turner to sign here? The measure of a successful franchise over time is stability. That is why the Cubs have many fans even though they barely won one WS in well over 100 years. Any calls from cub fans or Ricketts to sell? Any signs outside of Wrigley? What is with this circular firing squad on the South side about ? Cry babies wanting to win by having an owner who throw money at player contracts every year like a drunken sailor? And what is the true value of winning when the championship has to be bought and paid for? That is a larger question for mlb to address.

The Reinsdorf group have be good stewards of the White Sox franchise for 4 decades. I prefer that stability over a get rich quick billionaire who wants to throw money around and then probably bail like Musk is probably going to do with Twitter. Young people are often consumed by myopic views. The last popular fanboy choice to purchase the White Sox was Mark Cuban. No thanks.

I don't mind having a stable and strong franchise albeit with a team that is mired in mediocrity. The alternative could have long lasting negative impacts on stadium upkeep and improvements, spring training facilities, scouting, advertising, and forcing more and more money out of fans for tickets and cable subscriptions. It isn't worth the crap shoot to go all in with a few mega player contracts. It just isn't.

How about a few more rhetorical questions ?

When the Sox brought Katz back I assumed that part of their intention was to also stick with Gio.

ugh

I still think Sheets has more upside than some others here do. I would like to see him platoon at 1B against RH pitchers and in RF on occasion. This kid could end up being a 30+ HR hitter. He offers the upside of big LH power that has been lacking for years on the Southside. If Vaughn is the other player in a 1B platoon, he becomes less valuable to the Sox and more likely to be traded.

Are you assuming the Sox get nothing in return for these players ?

Gio lost velocity and started hanging his high change-up at times. However, he is an extremely smart player and a guy who has dedicated himself to getting into condition, so it is likely he returns to his earlier level of excellence on the mound. Si I would tend to want Gio back, but not player is un-tradeabl for the right return. Moncada and Vaughn are players that, if traded, might be less of a blow to the offense. Burger could hold down third base until a better option is available. AV's defense at first base is limited by his height/reach and he has not been a big home run threat. Gavin Sheets is a LH hitter that can hold down first base and his hitting has improved. So, given the right return, launch Moncada to an East coast team (Yankees?) and Vaughn to a West Coast team (Dodgers?).