Your 2023 Off-Season Plan

[SonofaRoache]

I've completed my offseason plan by coming to terms that we are stuck in mediocrity, like the Bulls. We are playing for fun. 

[Jack Parkman]

15 minutes ago, SonofaRoache said:

I've completed my offseason plan by coming to terms that we are stuck in mediocrity, like the Bulls. We are playing for fun. 

Truer words have never been spoken. 

[Jack Parkman]

The Sox have devolved so much as an organization that SoxTalk is now a giant group therapy board. 

#jadedsoxfan

Edited November 6, 2022 by Jack Parkman

[Jerksticks]

2 hours ago, SonofaRoache said:

I've completed my offseason plan by coming to terms that we are stuck in mediocrity, like the Bulls. We are playing for fun. 

We are playing for fun really hits home.  
 

One doesn’t get the impression we are  trying to beat the living s%*# outa 29 other teams.  

[Leonard Zelig]

Not sure if it was mentioned here, but on the White Sox Talk podcast, Garfien & McGuffey interviewed Grifol and they asked him which players he had spoken with.  He listed TA, Liam, Lynn, & Grandal.  They perceived the omission of Jose as an indication that he will not be back, though obviously some (Heyman, others?) think he will be.

[ChiSox59]

15 minutes ago, Leonard Zelig said:

Not sure if it was mentioned here, but on the White Sox Talk podcast, Garfien & McGuffey interviewed Grifol and they asked him which players he had spoken with.  He listed TA, Liam, Lynn, & Grandal.  They perceived the omission of Jose as an indication that he will not be back, though obviously some (Heyman, others?) think he will be.

I think the Sox have made themselves pretty clear on the Jose front. 

[Leonard Zelig]

33 minutes ago, ChiSox59 said:

I think the Sox have made themselves pretty clear on the Jose front. 

Yeah, I thought so too, but how does someone like Heyman say that he thinks Jose will be back?

[Sleepy Harold]

1 hour ago, Leonard Zelig said:

Yeah, I thought so too, but how does someone like Heyman say that he thinks Jose will be back?

Heyman also thinks he's getting 3/75, which seems incredibly incorrect. 

[greg775]

2 hours ago, Leonard Zelig said:

Not sure if it was mentioned here, but on the White Sox Talk podcast, Garfien & McGuffey interviewed Grifol and they asked him which players he had spoken with.  He listed TA, Liam, Lynn, & Grandal.  They perceived the omission of Jose as an indication that he will not be back, though obviously some (Heyman, others?) think he will be.

What did Heyman say? Have the Sox said for sure they are letting Jose walk? Amazes me when a fan base accepts and in some cases wants their best player to take a hike when that means some other teams will bid for the same guy. Considering the Sox track record, if they find five or more other teams thinking about offering Jose or offering Jose, I hope they reverse course and realize it'd be smart to sign the guy. If other teams want Jose ... it's not like Sox scouts have distinguished themselves at all in judging talent. ... It's amazing how Jose's age is a factor. We act like he's ready for social security. He's about to enter his age 36 season. I'd sign him to a two-year deal with a third year club option. At 12 mill a year. ... I know, we have too many DH/1B types. We need Jose to walk so Eloy is DH with Sheets and Vaughn is 1B. I tell u I'd rank the guys in this order of who I want: 1. Eloy. 2. Jose. 3. Vaughn. 4. Sheets. Grandal is the guy u get rid of folks.

Edited November 7, 2022 by greg775

[Sarava]

6 hours ago, greg775 said:

What did Heyman say? Have the Sox said for sure they are letting Jose walk? Amazes me when a fan base accepts and in some cases wants their best player to take a hike when that means some other teams will bid for the same guy. Considering the Sox track record, if they find five or more other teams thinking about offering Jose or offering Jose, I hope they reverse course and realize it'd be smart to sign the guy. If other teams want Jose ... it's not like Sox scouts have distinguished themselves at all in judging talent. ... It's amazing how Jose's age is a factor. We act like he's ready for social security. He's about to enter his age 36 season. I'd sign him to a two-year deal with a third year club option. At 12 mill a year. ... I know, we have too many DH/1B types. We need Jose to walk so Eloy is DH with Sheets and Vaughn is 1B. I tell u I'd rank the guys in this order of who I want: 1. Eloy. 2. Jose. 3. Vaughn. 4. Sheets. Grandal is the guy u get rid of folks.

There's nowhere for Jose to play. Vaughn needs to play 1B. And Eloy should be the fulltime DH.

See the following quote from Rick Hahn, which is from an article on whitesox.com. That to me indicates things like Sheets or Vaughn in the outfield will no longer happen. And with Vaughn's value probably at a point of being pennies on the dollar compared to previously, he's not really tradable. There isn't much choice here for making the best possible roster in 2023 and beyond.

 

“We had a few guys playing out of position last year just out of the way the roster fit together and then driven more significantly due to the injuries.

“We want to avoid that going forward. We want to get to the point where we have guys playing in a role they’re more suited for. If that means we have to make some alterations from the roster from the outside, then that’s the route we’ll have to go.”

Edited November 7, 2022 by Sarava

[Bob Sacamano]

7 hours ago, greg775 said:

What did Heyman say? Have the Sox said for sure they are letting Jose walk? Amazes me when a fan base accepts and in some cases wants their best player to take a hike when that means some other teams will bid for the same guy. Considering the Sox track record, if they find five or more other teams thinking about offering Jose or offering Jose, I hope they reverse course and realize it'd be smart to sign the guy. If other teams want Jose ... it's not like Sox scouts have distinguished themselves at all in judging talent. ... It's amazing how Jose's age is a factor. We act like he's ready for social security. He's about to enter his age 36 season. I'd sign him to a two-year deal with a third year club option. At 12 mill a year. ... I know, we have too many DH/1B types. We need Jose to walk so Eloy is DH with Sheets and Vaughn is 1B. I tell u I'd rank the guys in this order of who I want: 1. Eloy. 2. Jose. 3. Vaughn. 4. Sheets. Grandal is the guy u get rid of folks.

If we didn’t have as many 1B/DH options as we have, I think people would want him to return.

Edited November 7, 2022 by Bob Sacamano

[pcq]

44 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

If we didn’t have as many 1B/DH options as we have, I think people would want him to return.

The hilarity is having a weak offense with all the DH's and little LH pop. They get an F in roster construction.

[Bob Sacamano]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/11/orix-buffaloes-may-post-masataka-yoshida-for-mlb-teams.html

Tossed this in here since we will all be talking about the team adding another left-handed hitting OF all off-season until they do.

Edited November 7, 2022 by Bob Sacamano

[chw42]

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2023-top-50-free-agents/

Notable crowdsource projections:
7. Carlos Rodon - 4.87 years/$27.2 M AAV - Rodon's market will probably yield higher than the crowdsource projections. There is no way JR is ever willing to go that high for a pitcher.
9. Brandon Nimmo - 4.82 years/$20.7 M AAV - Nimmo at 5 years and about $100 million seems like a very fair deal. But I don't know if the Sox would be willing to commit that much money to a guy with a history of being on the IL. If the Sox do choose to go with a budget around $195 million, they can probably afford Nimmo. It's very likely his market is higher than that as well.
10. Willson Contreras - 3.84 years/$17.4 M AAV - I'm surprised that Contreras is only projected for a deal similar to what Grandal got. But then again, he will have a QO attached. 
12. Jose Abreu - 2.23 years/$17 M AAV - This seems much more realistic than Heyman's 3 years and $75 million projection. 
17. Andrew Benintendi - 3.67 years/$14.1 M AAV - Not a bad backup plan to Nimmo. But for half the price you get more or less half the player. 
26. Jose Quintana - 2.07 years/$11.6 M AAV - Sox were interested at the deadline. They could be again at a fair price point. 
28. Sean Manaea - 2.16 years/$11 M AAV - If I had to choose between Manaea and Quintana, I'd probably go Quintana. Manaea's stuff faded hard during the season and that seems to have been an issue with him for a while now. 
29. Corey Kluber - 1.26 years/$11.3 M AAV - Would be a nice 5th starter on a 1 year deal. 
30. Michael Conforto - 1.66 years/$12 M AAV - Who knows what's going on with him coming off the injury. I doubt Boras would do a club option, so I'm not sure how interested the Sox will be. 
32. Johnny Cueto - 1.17 years/$8.8 M AAV - He was great for us, but you have to wonder just how long he can skate by on his tiny margins between success and failure.
39. Michael Wacha - 1.99 years/$9.9 M AAV - Similar tier to Cueto, but would require maybe an extra year of commitment. 
42. Mike Clevinger - 1.57 years/$9.1 M AAV - There's upside, but he was so damn bad in the playoffs. Plus he doesn't sound like a guy that contributes to a good clubhouse. 
45. Omar Narvaez - 1.98 years/$7.6 M AAV - I doubt they actually address catcher if they address the OF and the 5th starter, but Narvaez wouldn't be a bad guy to have in case Grandal continues his slide.
47. Mitch Haniger - 2.26 years/$12.6 M AAV - Injury issues scare me. His defense isn't great, but the guy will hit you 30 home runs if he's healthy. Him being right handed isn't a good fit for the team though. 
48. Joc Pederson - $2.08 years/$11 M AAV - Maybe Rick will finally get his guy when he whiffs on Nimmo and Benintendi. 

 

[Leonard Zelig]

10 hours ago, greg775 said:

What did Heyman say? Have the Sox said for sure they are letting Jose walk? Amazes me when a fan base accepts and in some cases wants their best player to take a hike when that means some other teams will bid for the same guy. Considering the Sox track record, if they find five or more other teams thinking about offering Jose or offering Jose, I hope they reverse course and realize it'd be smart to sign the guy. If other teams want Jose ... it's not like Sox scouts have distinguished themselves at all in judging talent. ... It's amazing how Jose's age is a factor. We act like he's ready for social security. He's about to enter his age 36 season. I'd sign him to a two-year deal with a third year club option. At 12 mill a year. ... I know, we have too many DH/1B types. We need Jose to walk so Eloy is DH with Sheets and Vaughn is 1B. I tell u I'd rank the guys in this order of who I want: 1. Eloy. 2. Jose. 3. Vaughn. 4. Sheets. Grandal is the guy u get rid of folks.

I didn’t hear it, but someone tweeted that Heyman said he thought Jose would return on the Score a few days ago. 
 

I don’t believe the Sox have commented on Jose’s situation as of yet.  

Edited November 7, 2022 by Leonard Zelig

[GREEDY]

39 minutes ago, chw42 said:

17. Andrew Benintendi - 3.67 years/$14.1 M AAV - Not a bad backup plan to Nimmo. But for half the price you get 

 

I feel like a 3 or 4 year deal for a 28 year old player with no comp attached is a unique opportunity.

The other way to look at it though is if he had a slightly worse 2022 he might not even get a multi year deal...  Very interesting situation. 

[bmags]

I dont' want anymore low power guys and we already have pollock for LF. 

[Jack Parkman]

Gallo vs Benintendi......who do you choose? I'd probably choose Gallo. 

[Quin]

Jim Bowden, who we all know is 100% nails when it comes to forecasting things:

Top Free Agents

1. Aaron Judge

Best fits: Yankees, Dodgers, Giants, Mets, White Sox
Contract prediction: 8 years, $330 million

7. Carlos Rodon

Best fits: Giants, Cardinals, Braves, Mets, Orioles, Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Blue Jays
Contract prediction: 5 years, $144 million

16. Brandon Nimmo

Best fits: Mets, Blue Jays, Yankees, Padres, Rangers, Royals, Tigers
Contract prediction: 5 years, $100 million

18. Jose Abreu

Best fits: Padres, Cubs, Rays, Rangers, White Sox
Contract prediction: 2 years, $34 million

21. Michael Conforto

Best fits: Mets, Marlins, White Sox, Rays, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Padres, Braves
Contract prediction: 2 years, $34 million with an opt out after Year 1

[almagest]

Benintendi feels like Melky to me. He only hit 2 homers with that tiny RF in Yankee Stadium and his SLG was about the same as it was in KC (~.400). With their presumed budget issues I don't think he's worth it.

[pcq]

1 hour ago, Leonard Zelig said:

I didn’t hear it, but someone tweeted that Heyman said he thought Jose would return on the Score a few days ago. 
 

I don’t believe the Sox have commented on Jose’s situation as of yet.  

Replacing Jose with Vaughn is a bit of a downgrade but I can see clearing the old vet with the young cost-controlled guy.  Grifol talking to Grandal leaves me wondering. It seems clear Grandal does not have much left in the tank.

[Quin]

@Bob Sacamano, I see your laugh react, but it's clear that Jim Bowden read my Cocaine Elmo post.

It's happening.

[bmags]

32 minutes ago, almagest said:

Benintendi feels like Melky to me. He only hit 2 homers with that tiny RF in Yankee Stadium and his SLG was about the same as it was in KC (~.400). With their presumed budget issues I don't think he's worth it.

absolutely

[chw42]

36 minutes ago, almagest said:

Benintendi feels like Melky to me. He only hit 2 homers with that tiny RF in Yankee Stadium and his SLG was about the same as it was in KC (~.400). With their presumed budget issues I don't think he's worth it.

Benitendi is a way better defender. But yeah, he really didn't take advantage of the short porch in Yankee stadium. Even though his slugging was similar to what it was in KC, his ISO was 2x what it was in KC. His BABIP dropped 60 points after he got traded. Whether that was the smaller stadium, change in approach, small sample size, IDK. 

[ChiSox59]

57 minutes ago, Jack Parkman said:

Gallo vs Benintendi......who do you choose? I'd probably choose Gallo. 

Gallo.