speaking of cease will they stay the course or will they rush hi, if we get machado

8 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Except you’ve got six outfielders for just two spots...not to mention the possibility of Moncada or Anderson.

Even if you pencil in Lopez, Cease and Kopech for 2020... and Rodon just for this exercise’s sake, you’re short at least 1-2 starters due to injuries and non-performance.  Dunning is still iffy until proven otherwise, and Hansen has seriously regressed.  (And Rodon’s gone after 2021, so needs to be replaced regardless.)

If another Casey Mizes rises to the top, AND we get either Machado or Harper, they’re likely to go college pitching unless Adley’s somehow available.

You may have misunderstood me. I agree with you, that the greater need is pitching.

25 minutes ago, ptatc said:

This will not happen this year. There are goo many prospects un the pipeline for the next couple of years, kopech, cease and dunning to name a few. The Machado move would be the only significant move with eye on the next couple of years being the competitive ones. Maybe one on a 1 or 2 year deal but that would be it.

Yeah no long term stuff.  But adding Gio, maybe even finding a way to add Greinke, that'd put them in a lot of games.  If the 4-5 starters are Nova-Lopez, that'd put us in a decent spot.

10 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Tell him he can have 8/$280M (the AAV record) or 9/$300M (the sexy number) and get this thing done tomorrow.

So, it looks like I turned this off just a little too early last night. I missed a lot so could someone please tell me actually how close we are? Thanks!

1 minute ago, Saufley said:

So, it looks like I turned this off just a little too early last night. I missed a lot so could someone please tell me actually how close we are? Thanks!

Bottom line: Lots of optimism,  but no real idea or timeline. 

15 minutes ago, Lillian said:

If the argument against acquiring more starting pitching now, is that there are too many good pitching prospects, who will arrive in the next couple of years, then applying the same argument, would assert that there are too many good outfield prospects coming, to merit acquiring another one now.

Agree...if we land Machado, I think you'll see the focus shift to pitching.  The lineup--although not the best, should be better than enough teams to contend and we will keep tweaking that.  But I think we're still relying on too many guys who either haven't thrown a MLB pitch or are not sure things.  Rodon/Kopech/Lopez/Cease/Dunning/Giolitto?--That looks great from a talent/potential standpoint, but Rodon has a RICH injury history, Kopech is down to his non-pitching arm, Lopez is solid--this year will be a huge year for him to establish himself, Cease/Dunning--never thrown a MLB pitch--and likely won't for a large chunk of that time between now and the estimated 2020 season where we will supposedly be counting on them.  Giolitto??  He's been more bust than boom in my opinion.  

Fortunately, I think if this year is the year that we start to add more long-term pieces to our team, the pressure is off to land an Ace--save those bullets until we are surefire contenders.  Looks like the plan is to add through free agency--and if that continues to be the case, the increase in payroll will push the starting pitching acquisition method to the trade route.  

Bottom line--this 2019 team will have numerous holes.  That's no secret.  No one is trying to fix EVERYTHING NOW.  Even if we land the whale!  That's not to say they won't contend, but there's no way they can solve EVERY gap in their roster for this year.  I don't think we see the polished product for another year or 2.  

1 hour ago, Ross Gload Fan said:

He who will remain nameless is still being the judge, jury, and executioner when it comes to having sources lol

Wait, so he doesn't have a source or he doesn't have the right q score? 

12 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Except you’ve got six outfielders for just two spots...not to mention the possibility of Moncada or Anderson.

Even if you pencil in Lopez, Cease and Kopech for 2020... and Rodon just for this exercise’s sake, you’re short at least 1-2 starters due to injuries and non-performance.  Dunning is still iffy until proven otherwise, and Hansen has seriously regressed.  (And Rodon’s gone after 2021, so needs to be replaced regardless.)

If another Casey Mizes rises to the top, AND we get either Machado or Harper, they’re likely to go college pitching unless Adley’s somehow available.

I see 2 OF’ers you have to worry about potentially needing a spot for in 2019 and 2020. Eloy and Rutherford...maybe 3 if you want to add in Madrigal. Anything more and I would call that counting your chickens before they hatch. 

Rosenthal on Hot Stove trying to put water on reports but also acknowledging they exist.  Won't confirm anything.

13 minutes ago, timbo8 said:

speaking of cease will they stay the course or will they rush hi, if we get machado

Assuming he starts the season in Charlotte, I think we see him in Chicago by a August regardless.

14 minutes ago, timbo8 said:

speaking of cease will they stay the course or will they rush hi, if we get machado

I think he was going to show up sometime this year on an innings limit anyway if he performed. I don't think Machado changes that much.

1 minute ago, KnightsOnMintSt said:

Assuming he starts the season in Charlotte, I think we see him in Chicago by a August regardless.

Yeah, Hahn said earlier this offseason that Cease is on the same path Kopech was last year. So assuming things go well, he could be up in August, just like Kopech was last year.

1 hour ago, Real said:

If I'm Colorado I laugh at that offer

Like...because you can't believe a team would be that asinine to offer up Eloy/Cease AND Abreu for an expiring player who doesn't have otherworldly road splits?

Machado got 4 prospects, but only one was a Top 100 and he was #84. Not #3 and #25

Edit: Also, Eloy Jimenez becomes Death, Destroyer of Baseballs if he's in Coors Field.

6 minutes ago, Quin said:

Like...because you can't believe a team would be the asinine to offer up Eloy/Cease AND Abreu for an expiring player who doesn't have otherworldly road splits?

Machado got 4 prospects, but only one was a Top 100 and he was #84. Not #3 and #25

Agree...I think they would pull the trigger--THEN laugh.  

9 minutes ago, TheFutureIsNear said:

I see 2 OF’ers you have to worry about potentially needing a spot for in 2019 and 2020. Eloy and Rutherford...maybe 3 if you want to add in Madrigal. Anything more and I would call that counting your chickens before they hatch. 

Robert, if he’s half the prospect all of MLB projected, should be second half of 2020.  He already possesses all the physical tools.  It’s the mental part of the game and staying injury free.  

But Basabe will get the first shot at CF or RF.

Edited January 14, 20197 yr by caulfield12

9 minutes ago, bschmaranz said:

Rosenthal on Hot Stove trying to put water on reports but also acknowledging they exist.  Won't confirm anything.

One thing seems sure,  all the hope it may reach its end today seens to be fading fast.

7 minutes ago, SoxBlanco said:

Yeah, Hahn said earlier this offseason that Cease is on the same path Kopech was last year. So assuming things go well, he could be up in August, just like Kopech was last year.

Given what happened to Kopech, not sure if that's a good idea 

14 minutes ago, TheFutureIsNear said:

I see 2 OF’ers you have to worry about potentially needing a spot for in 2019 and 2020. Eloy and Rutherford...maybe 3 if you want to add in Madrigal. Anything more and I would call that counting your chickens before they hatch. 

Only those two? I wouldn’t count out Luis Gonzalez. I think he could quietly become the best out of that group (outside of Eloy). Basabe theoretically should be the next OF on deck after Eloy comes up, but I’ve always considered him more of a 4th OF once the Sox are contending. 

2 minutes ago, toasty said:

Given what happened to Kopech, not sure if that's a good idea 

Cease doesn’t try to throw every FB at 98-101.

He’s much more comfortable at 95-97.

4 minutes ago, toasty said:

Given what happened to Kopech, not sure if that's a good idea 

That’s not a reason to not call him up if he’s banging on the door. I’d rather he learn to pitch at the MLB level before the Sox are in contention.

5 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

One thing seems sure,  all the hope it may reach its end today seens to be fading fast.

Sure seemed like a leak to Passan to get other teams to raise their bids.

48 minutes ago, Lillian said:

If the argument against acquiring more starting pitching now, is that there are too many good pitching prospects, who will arrive in the next couple of years, then applying the same argument, would assert that there are too many good outfield prospects coming, to merit acquiring another one now.

That's not necessarily what I meant. I meant that they are still in the rebuild. A signing of either of them just speeds up the rebuild but they should continue the process and not sign some mediocre pitcher. If there was a 26 year old top of the rotation pitcher to sign like the current FA, they should look at it. Otherwise, they will continue with the rebuild.

1 minute ago, ptatc said:

That's not necessarily what I meant. I meant that they are still in the rebuild. A signing of either of them just speeds up the rebuild but they should continue the process and not sign some mediocre pitcher. If there was a 26 year old top of the rotation pitcher to sign like the current FA, they should look at it. Otherwise, they will continue with the rebuild.

Agreed 100%. I just don't see them signing Pollock or Keuchel. Nor do I even want them.

32 minutes ago, Saufley said:

So, it looks like I turned this off just a little too early last night. I missed a lot so could someone please tell me actually how close we are? Thanks!

Same as it ever was.

26 minutes ago, TheFutureIsNear said:

I see 2 OF’ers you have to worry about potentially needing a spot for in 2019 and 2020. Eloy and Rutherford...maybe 3 if you want to add in Madrigal. Anything more and I would call that counting your chickens before they hatch. 

I think Basabe, Robert, Adolfo and Gonzalez are all ahead and closer to majors than Rutherford. I think Rutherford debuts for another org personally