2 hours ago, Sarava said:

Phew...you scared me there. It's funny you mentioned Jack Parkman. I thought it was a very Parkman-esque post. Good job there.

And I agree.  I bag on Reinsdorf for being cheap as much as anyone, but I'm going to believe until shown otherwise. He broke his mold with Luis Robert, and I think it's time to break some other molds this winter. At least one particular mold that has been idle for the last 23 years.

And I'm going to be skeptical until shown otherwise. I think the Sox have a comfort zone with player contracts and they proved last year that they're not willing to step outside it, even if it means losing the player. 

I don't think that Robert was as risky as Abreu tbh but JR has always been ok with guys from Cuba for some odd reason. 

I'm going into this offseason with zero expectations again, and hopefully they prove me wrong. 

@Chicago White Sox

You have to realize that there are a lot of Sox fans that are classically conditioned to expect the worst. It's just a part of the fanbase's psyche. If you don't accept that, you probably don't want to continue posting here. 

Edited October 19, 20196 yr by Jack Parkman

10 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

I think you’re aiming too high TBH.  I think we sign a couple of Nova type pitchers (say Roark & Wacha) and then add Puig & Adam Jones to plug our RF & DH holes.  Just too much competition to expect much more than that.  Puig will be sold as the big offseason addition because someone has to be the guy and he theoretically has some star appeal.  Maybe if we’re lucky we add a backup catcher to allow Collins to DH some, but I’m not even holding my breath there.

What did you do with the real Chicago White Sox ? Was this post completely facetious ?

Edit: Just read the rest of the thread. I knew  you had you be screwing around.

Edited October 19, 20196 yr by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

The whole thing I'm doing(again) is managing my expectations. Do I hope they can pull off top tier FA? Always. Do I expect them to actually do it? No. I'd argue that anyone who expects it is going to be disappointed, where those who don't would be ecstatic if they pulled it off. 

It is a protective shell. If you never expect anything, then when you get something it's a pleasant surprise. 

Jack, stop telling us you are conditioned for the worst.  We all know.  For the love of fucking god, stop 

1 hour ago, Jack Parkman said:

The whole thing I'm doing(again) is managing my expectations. Do I hope they can pull off top tier FA? Always. Do I expect them to actually do it? No. I'd argue that anyone who expects it is going to be disappointed, where those who don't would be ecstatic if they pulled it off. 

 It is a protective shell. If you never expect anything, then when you get something it's a pleasant surprise. 

They ripped my heart out last winter. And you know what? I lived. I'll gladly over-psyche myself up again and hope the outcome is different again. It's more fun to live and think that way.

What kind of deal do you think Grandal gets? He signed last year for 1 year $18.3M with the Brewers. I'd give him 3-4 years up and $20M+ easily. 

3 hours ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

What did you do with the real Chicago White Sox ? Was this post completely facetious ?

Edit: Just read the rest of the thread. I knew  you had you be screwing around.

Sorry, was just trying to have some fun.

1 hour ago, wsox05 said:

What kind of deal do you think Grandal gets? He signed last year for 1 year $18.3M with the Brewers. I'd give him 3-4 years up and $20M+ easily. 

That’s dangerous for a catcher at his age...three, sure.   The fact that he settled on a one year deal for near a qualifying offer salary shows the willingness for clubs to make a long-term commitment wasn’t there.

9 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

That’s dangerous for a catcher at his age...three, sure.   The fact that he settled on a one year deal for near a qualifying offer salary shows the willingness for clubs to make a long-term commitment wasn’t there.

I'm afraid of Grandal because his average and plate discipline  were real suspect. If we really want him I'd rather front load his deal so it doesn't hurt to bad in years 3 and 4. 

3 hours ago, Jack Parkman said:

The whole thing I'm doing(again) is managing my expectations. Do I hope they can pull off top tier FA? Always. Do I expect them to actually do it? No. I'd argue that anyone who expects it is going to be disappointed, where those who don't would be ecstatic if they pulled it off. 

It is a protective shell. If you never expect anything, then when you get something it's a pleasant surprise. 

The difference is this year the players and front office are talking big. Hahn believes it will get done for sure. I doubt after last year they speak a big game and fail again. We all are cautiously optimistic but I'd encourage you to have faith until FA is over. If they fail again, there will be plenty of time to crucify them. 

Yeah his average I don't care about. His plate discipline though? He walked over 17% of the time. Struck out 22%. Plus the defense is LEGIT. He's got a 25 fWAR total over the last 5 years, 5.2 fWAR last year. 

Plus he's a switch hitter better as a righty, but still had over an .800 OPS last year as a lefty. I'd sign him, he'd be starting 110 games at catcher, 20 at 1B, 20 at DH. Then you have McCann to catch some and Collins to catch some. But Grandal is a big improvement. 

 

McCann scares me. He had a wRC+ of 83 in the second half. His career wRC+ is 83. The first half of last year could just be a huge outlier. 

Edited October 19, 20196 yr by wsox05

10 hours ago, Jack Parkman said:

The whole thing I'm doing(again) is managing my expectations. Do I hope they can pull off top tier FA? Always. Do I expect them to actually do it? No. I'd argue that anyone who expects it is going to be disappointed, where those who don't would be ecstatic if they pulled it off. 

It is a protective shell. If you never expect anything, then when you get something it's a pleasant surprise. 

 I don't see it for next year with big money on a SP.   I think they are a year away from serious contention. 

Just read this thread. Well played @Chicago White Sox, well played. 

Edited October 20, 20196 yr by ChiSox59

16 hours ago, Sarava said:

His WAR was 2.2 and trending downwards. I mean, Cardinal fans don't seem to want him back all that much. Whatever they do, this guy is risky. Because he's going to get paid somewhat based on his potential to return to his Marlins form from from 3 seasons ago. Seems like a risky bad contract some team might be diving in to.

And for the love of God, can we please stop using our bad production in RF as justification for bringing in some guys.

I don't think you are following the conversation correctly. I said we are already trained to expect to settle for consolation prizes like Wheeler and Ozuna, even though both of them would be instant upgrades.

You disagreed, apparently, that Ozuna is a better player than....*checks notes*....Ryan Cordell.

Cole and Strasburg and even potentially Wheeler and Bumgardner all are priced out potentially because the playoffs...

Dodgers fans will call for a starter. Yankees once again fall short and will HAVE to overpay for an ace or #2. If Astros win WS....extra cash could resign Cole. If Nats win WS...extra cash could resign Strasburg. It's gonna be a tough competitive december-february.

Edited October 20, 20196 yr by EloyJenkins

5 hours ago, ChiliIrishHammock24 said:

I don't think you are following the conversation correctly. I said we are already trained to expect to settle for consolation prizes like Wheeler and Ozuna, even though both of them would be instant upgrades.

You disagreed, apparently, that Ozuna is a better player than....*checks notes*....Ryan Cordell.

My original reply was based on your comment that 'despite them being instant upgrades'. Well here's some news for you, pretty much everybody is an instant upgrade over the garbage we had in RF (and DH) last year. People need to stop using that as an excuse to pump the tires on mediocre players (as you did in your first reply to me). And don't put words in my mouth again.

20 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

That’s dangerous for a catcher at his age...three, sure.   The fact that he settled on a one year deal for near a qualifying offer salary shows the willingness for clubs to make a long-term commitment wasn’t there.

He turned down 4/$60 from the Mets so I have to think he will at least get 3/55 from someone, possibly the Brewers.  

2 hours ago, SCCWS said:

He turned down 4/$60 from the Mets so I have to think he will at least get 3/55 from someone, possibly the Brewers.  

The Mets’ future looked like a huge mess this time last year.

The Brewers aren’t the type of franchise to take that risk too often...they’re already getting diminishing returns from Cain, which is preventing them from solidifying their starting pitching.

17 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

The Mets’ future looked like a huge mess this time last year.

The Brewers aren’t the type of franchise to take that risk too often...they’re already getting diminishing returns from Cain, which is preventing them from solidifying their starting pitching.

I think the difference is he has been there a year so they should have good info on the risk. They also know his clubhouse influence, how the staff feels etc.  But maybe he hates Milwaukee and the Brewers don't end up w an advantage. 

New Math:  Grandal won't cost $18 MM/year.  If we keep Castillo, we have to pay him $8 MM.  The difference is just $10 MM.  Sign him.

2 hours ago, oldsox said:

New Math:  Grandal won't cost $18 MM/year.  If we keep Castillo, we have to pay him $8 MM.  The difference is just $10 MM.  Sign him.

God help the White Sox if they are remotely considering Castillo for 2020...

3 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

God help the White Sox if they are remotely considering Castillo for 2020...

When I said "Sign him" I meant Grandal, not Castillo.

On 10/20/2019 at 6:19 AM, EloyJenkins said:

Cole and Strasburg and even potentially Wheeler and Bumgardner all are priced out potentially because the playoffs...

Dodgers fans will call for a starter. Yankees once again fall short and will HAVE to overpay for an ace or #2. If Astros win WS....extra cash could resign Cole. If Nats win WS...extra cash could resign Strasburg. It's gonna be a tough competitive december-february.

Don’t count on the Astros re-signing Cole. They don’t even know if they’ll be able to re-sign Will Harris. They have a big extension to give George Springer. They’re going to be close to or over $200M after that extension or final year of arbitration. The owner has said he won’t go into the luxury tax pretty much every year. 

On 10/20/2019 at 7:12 AM, Sarava said:

My original reply was based on your comment that 'despite them being instant upgrades'. Well here's some news for you, pretty much everybody is an instant upgrade over the garbage we had in RF (and DH) last year. People need to stop using that as an excuse to pump the tires on mediocre players (as you did in your first reply to me). And don't put words in my mouth again.

Cool it on the tough talk, big guy.

 

You aren't following the conversation correctly, and apparently clarification still doesn't help. Nothing I can do about that at this point. Sorry.

Have a nice day, Sarava.