zisk

Thoughts, comments and ideas. I've had the feeling for a while that the team could contend as early as 2019 with some small tweaks and a little luck. With Rodon looking like himself again, and Lopez, Kopech and Hansen dominating in the minors it's not inconceivable. If it happens we would probably need quick development from Eloy Jimenez as well. If he tears through AA next spring and early summer he might get his feet wet next year and be ready to contribute in 2019. One thing that could speed up the process might be a possible trade for Cardinals catcher Carson Kelly who is blocked by Molina. The Cards might want a competent back up catcher[smith?] a long term catcher {Collins ,Zav- ala} and a young starting pitcher in return but it might be worth it. A starting outfield of Eloy, Avi and Leury Garcia along with Anderson, Moncada Abreu, Davidson and Kelly might be enough to compete for a wild card and Get the fans excited sooner rather than later. The fact that Burger,Robert,Sheets Adolpho and Rutherford would be close behind for reinforcements makes it a chance worth taking. We also have a couple of high first round picks in 2018-19 alond with Jordan Stephens,Spencer Adams and Guerrero for added pitching depth in case of injuries. Tell us your plans for the future. Zisk

When Saladino is healthy ,he's a better player than Escobar. Holland stinks but Migo doesn't.

Royals need a bat and a better hitting shortstop. Melky and Saladino would fit nicely. Have read they might want a starter as well. If Migo or Holland were included and we ate the salaries, the Sox could get a very solid prospect or two. Jorge Soler is raking at AAA.

QUOTE (harkness @ Jul 24, 2017 -> 09:50 PM) there is no intelligent method for any of this madness.... I don't care how you want to explain it. Bunting is a skill that is mildly useful... the frequency of the bunting and focus of it is not justifiable. I watched a few innings against the royals and some moron announcer was saying that wasting an out with a bunt when the Sox were ahead by 2 runs was solid strategy. Please stop Ricky before he signals bunt again.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jul 25, 2017 -> 07:05 AM) Yeah, no way Melky gets anything close to his previous contract with us. My guess is he gets a one year deal for $7M to $10M. The free agent market is changing. 5 -10 years ago Melky probably would have gotten a 3 year deal. Now guys like him get the Adam Lind treatment{1 year 5-6 million}, and guys with an attitude get a minor league deal.

Melky,Swarzak and Saladino for Jorge Soler. Royals need a bat a reliever and a shortstop. Alcides is really bad at the plate. If Soler does OK in left for the Sox he could help a bit. I'd hate to lose Tyler but his back probably will get worse with age.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 14, 2017 -> 10:34 PM) It's tricky when you are trading stars (or guys just below the 'star' rung on the ladder) like Q and what you are looking for are young prospects not guys who are close to the bigs or ready for the bigs. Considering the plan is to acquire prospects, not guys ready for prime time, I don't understand your angst about the deal. We got the No. 1 and 2 prospects (I realize rankings mean squat but still they are 1 and 2) from a team that is known for its prospects. So really I don't see the problem if we accept our current situation (only wanting prospects). This Eloy guy on paper is the real deal. And Cease is a legitimate pitching prospect. Frankly I'd rather get the outfield situation addressed for the future and that has happened with Robert, Eloy and Avi (or another of the prospects we have). I have a gut feeling our defense will forevermore be a problem, but we'll see. I'm surprised you are so down on the Eloy/Cease return for a pitcher who frankly is good to very good, definitely not lockdown great. Before people think I'm softening, I'm still in theory against this type of rebuild. But as a Sox fan I finally came to accept it after the one poster said I was ruining the board and after accepting it, I can accept that this trade IN THEORY makes sense. I'd rather get a stud outfielder right now than the stud Braves shortstop. Anderson still has time to be a star. We'll know by the end of next season probably whether he's Jeter-like or just another Luis Alvarado. I did read Epstein said the Cubs have a five-year window where they want to win as many WS as possible. Q is so likeable it would be less painful to watch the postseason with him pitching. And if Epstein is true, perhaps the Sox will take over in 5 years when the Cubs are about done and Chicago could account for eight of the next 10 WS titles between the Sox and Cubs. (Not that I want the Cubs to win). Luis Alvarado? Hey Greg775, You're showing your age with that comment. What do you think Bee Bee Richards is doing right now? LOL

QUOTE (Quin @ Jul 10, 2017 -> 04:15 PM) Man, it's strange that the Sox could be the team that decides the World Series, like the Yankees last year. Just for laughs, who do the Yankees want or need most. Jose Quintana or Jose Abreu?

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jul 10, 2017 -> 02:10 PM) You and me both, man. I loved Britt burns. I remember him blowing a 9-2 lead in the fifth inning giving up six runs. Fregosi left him in and he wound up pitching a complete game, winning 9-8. Could you imagine that happening today?

QUOTE (daggins @ Jul 9, 2017 -> 01:37 PM) After Moncada graduates, the Sox farm system is pretty middling. The pitching side is ok, but the positional talent is thin. They definitely need to make more trades so they have multiple legit prospects at each position, and Q is the best piece they have to get high upside talent. He must be traded. Most outlets have Sox farm rated 3-4. Pitching side is best in baseball by far. We do need more position prospects The best way to do it is with Q, but with Rodon just back from injury it might make sense to keep Q until July 31. This will give the Sox time to make sure Rodon is good for the long haul. The toughest thing is that Abreu is going so well and would bring back a nice haul but with so many young Cubans in the system the Sox seem reluctant to trade him. By 2020 JA will be headed toward the twilight right when we could use his big bat.

QUOTE (NCsoxfan @ Jul 6, 2017 -> 12:27 PM) I say good for Tyler Flowers. There's guys who haven't panned out elsewhere who have done so with the Sox, and vice versa. Hopefully for his sake he'll get a decent contract and make some nice $ for when he's done playing. Agreed. Just a so-so player having his career year. He always seemed to be a genuinely good person so I'm happy for him and his family.

QUOTE (SCCWS @ Jul 6, 2017 -> 07:47 AM) There are posters who think Hahn is going to gut this team by the end of July. I really doubt that. I think he will make a big splash with either Q and/or Roberston as well as 1 reliever and Melky and/or Frazier. If he unloaded numerous players from the roster, he would have to turn to Charlotte which is a very mediocre AAA team. That in turn would require backfilling from AA etc. In essence, by wholesale dumping as the ML level, you promote young players at all levels who are not ready. I think Hahn will make a few deals this month to add young prospects from teams that are desperate. But he will wait until the offseason to unload the rest of the deadwood. Charlotte really is a crap team. I really think they are gonna trade Melky,Todd and Robertson anyway. All 3 guys are going good right now and with the inclusion of a minor league pitcher[Guerrero,Stephens] the Sox could make a deal for a high end prospect[Devers]. No time like the present.

QUOTE (The Mighty Mite @ Jul 5, 2017 -> 03:41 PM) Actually 17 straight years of winning baseball, growing up that's all I knew, that the Sox were always going to be contenders. One of the big problems from the beginning days of the franchise has been bad ownership, from the Comiskey family to Veeck to the Allyns to Veeck again and to JR. A close second has been the location of the ballpark, not a big issue in the early years but from the mid 20th century the ballpark's neighborhood has gotten a bad rap. I retired to Florida in 1993 but in the years I lived up there I atended hundred of games at old Comiskey and a few more at the new park, never once did I have any issue or witness any kind of crime in arriving or leaving the park, saw many fights in the park especially in the 50s and 60s when the damn Yankees came to town. Went to a Sox-Brewers game on a hot Saturday night in 91 or 92. I must have seen 10-15 fistfights at that 1 game alone. People were tail- gating for 3-4 hours in County stadium parking lot before hand and it was actually kind of scary by the 7th inning or so.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 4, 2017 -> 02:20 PM) Why would anybody want Melky or Frazier? Seriously. The relievers everybody's high on will not bring back much. Relievers who are not closers don't bring back much. Who is the Sox projected closer anyway once we deal David? We have to keep somebody so we'll keep Swarzik and Kahnle since they won't bring back anything of note. I don't think Jerry has bought into the losing every game thing has he? Todd and Melky are both playing well right now . If some one needs a left handed bat, they could do a lot worse. The added benefit for the WS is a boost in the "Tank for Beer" sweep stakes. I

It looks like Todd and Melky are getting heated up at the right time. Odds of either being moved soon? What type of return to expect and will their departure help the "tank for Beer" quest?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 30, 2017 -> 10:02 AM) I think a guy like Robertson's value being adding to a guy like Q might mean that instead of getting a teams #2 guy, maybe it gets you there #1 guy, plus a little more at the end of the deal. In a Yankees deal, maybe it moves the needle enough that the top prospect is Torres, instead of Frazier. If the Sox make a deal with the Yankees, it would be nice if they ask for a ss named Thairo Estrada as A finishing piece. 21 yrs. old really good glove. Looks like he can hit for average and runs pretty well. It might light a fire under TA as an extra incentive.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jun 29, 2017 -> 12:45 PM) Can't throw. Framing is getting bad, and clubhouse cancer. I don't know what value he brings to a rebuilding team other than pointing a finger away from him. The Cubs and Maddon especially, were very worried what his attitude might do to their young players. Agreed. MLB career is on life support.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jun 29, 2017 -> 12:11 PM) I'm more excited about these three than I am about Giolito, Lopez and Fulmer. I know I keep mentioning him, but don't forget Bernardo Flores. He's having a great year, was promoted to WS, is left handed and a year younger Than hansen and dunning.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 27, 2017 -> 09:42 AM) At this stage you are looking for progress and improvement. I think an argument can be made that he is the most improved minor leaguer in the entire Sox system this year. While there is still plenty of room for improvement, seeing Micker start to push towards his potential thrills me to no end, especially in a system that still lacks a lot of top end positional potential. I couldn't agree more. Micker is only 20 and it finally looks like he's a real boy. Pinoccio lives!

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ Jun 27, 2017 -> 08:18 AM) I'll only add that Alexei was criminally underrated by Sox fans. We'll be extremely lucky if Anderson is as good. Alexei was a really good player who wouldn't take a walk. His base stealing improved with time and his power was pretty good for a shortstop. I really hope Anderson improves enough to be as good as him. When TA was in the minors and first up with the WS I had hope for an improving eye with more walks. Now I don't think he will be better than AR and would gladly settle for a similar player. P.S. I hope like hell I am wrong.

QUOTE (GermanSock @ Jun 27, 2017 -> 04:21 AM) A lot of talk is about position players and rightfully so but don't the white Sox also need another SP prospect? They have giolito, kopech and lopez but each of them has a risk because of the command. If one of them has to move to the pen who will become the rest of the rotation? They can certainly sign a free agent when it is time but I still think they need at least one more high level prospect because a lot of the other pitching prespects are relievers. Keep an eye on Bernardo Flores. As excited as everyone is about Alec Hanson, Flores is having nearly as good a year and is 1 year younger. Lots of exciting prospects in the next wave 2019-2020.

QUOTE (steveno89 @ Jun 21, 2017 -> 04:51 PM) He's an interesting lefty reliever in our system, something we are really thin on outside of him and Clark. I certainly could see Bummer getting a look in the pen at some point. Add Jordan Guerrero to the list. So many starters in the system, that might be his path forward. He might be a multiple inning kind of guy having pitched to so many right hand hitters.

Collins has more walks than hits. Will his average go up at higher levels where pitchers are around the plate more.

QUOTE (yesterday333 @ Jun 26, 2017 -> 10:50 AM) Exactly. If Tucker, and probably Fisher as well, isn't included another team will easily beat their offer. Agreed. If Q has 1-2 more good starts in a row, his value should be about back to his off season level. Don't be surprised if the Yankees decide to pull the trigger. They really are almost as good as the Red Sox and Q could help them for a long time.

QUOTE (maxjusttyped @ Jun 26, 2017 -> 12:46 PM) He was productive his entire way up the ladder in the minors and was an above average SS last year despite only playing 99 games. Pretty impressive for someone that isn't a baseball player. Small sample size,league has figured him out. Whatever you do just don't throw him a strike . He was productive in a sense in the minors in that he improved but his obp was always Mediocre even with a good ba.that 3 months of Defense last year is the best you will ever see from him. Bring back alexi.