On 1/3/2024 at 3:35 PM, Greg_Walker said:

I assume they are waiting to see what they get back from Cease before they sign any veteran for RF but given they need a 4th outfielder as well in 2024 I would think picking up Aaron Hicks would be a safe play.  Yankees are paying his salary so costs the league minimum.  He had OPS over 800 when he played late in 2023 for Baltimore.  If don't get MLB ready RF in Cease trade then he could be at least be serviceable defensively in RF if don't want to splurge on Duvall type and see if he can carry over his work with the bat from last year.  Otherwise he can be still very cost effective 4th OF.  

I'm actually surprised this hasn't happened yet. High walk rate, switch hitter, great arm, backup CF and cheap cheap cheap. What are the Sox waiting for ? He'd get the most playing time here if he's cool with playing mostly RF. I know Hicks might be able to pick and choose among several teams but why wait ?

Gives Colas plenty of time in AAA to show he can handle that level and make the necessary improvements.

18 minutes ago, South Side Hit Men said:

If he doesn't want to play anymore, or only want to play for a contender, I can see him passing on playing for the White Sox, unless they made it worth his while (picking up his 2025 option or gave him some other incentive).

I doubt he plans to try a 2025 comeback, so beyond a contender or place he actually wants to play, he can join Kenny and Rick and get paid to stay at home in 2024 and prepare for what he wants to do next in life.

Play little for a contender unless there is an injury or get a lot of PT with the Sox . He can retire right now if he wants to but I'd imagine if he was considering that he'd have announced it by now.

He could get a lot of PT with the Sox probably batting in the top 6 in the lineup with his  great walk rate in the 1st half with plenty of time to go to a contender in the 2nd half of the season when contending is more of a sure thing than it is at the beginning of the season.

 

14 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

I'm actually surprised this hasn't happened yet. High walk rate, switch hitter, great arm, backup CF and cheap cheap cheap. What are the Sox waiting for ? He'd get the most playing time here if he's cool with playing mostly RF. I know Hicks might be able to pick and choose among several teams but why wait ?

Gives Colas plenty of time in AAA to show he can handle that level and make the necessary improvements.

Top two reasons IMO are either Sox want Whit for RF or trying to trade for a RF from Orioles

Just now, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

Play little for a contender unless there is an injury or get a lot of PT with the Sox . He can retire right now if he wants to but I'd imagine if he was considering that he'd have announced it by now.

He could get a lot of PT with the Sox probably batting in the top 6 in the lineup with his  great walk rate in the 1st half with plenty of time to go to a contender in the 2nd half of the season when contending is more of a sure thing than it is at the beginning of the season.

If he formally files for retirement, I believe he loses his guarantee, similar when Adam La Roche selected retirement to escape having to be with the White Sox for another minute.

There is also the ongoing Nationals Stephen Strasburg retirement debacle.

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/nationals/2023/09/07/stephen-strasburg-retirement-washington-nationals/70788914007/

Not sure if Aaron passed the 10 year service time mark for a full MLB pension, but that would be one mitigating factor on choosing to play this season. He may have clinched it with Baltimore last year.

1 hour ago, fathom said:

Top two reasons IMO are either Sox want Whit for RF or trying to trade for a RF from Orioles

Really surprised this hasn't happened yet honestly.

30 minutes ago, Tnetennba said:

Really surprised this hasn't happened yet honestly.

Agreed, especially because Whit is a righty bat and can play both 2B and RF, while we currently have lefty bats in Lopez for 2B and Colas for RF.  At the very least, we could potentially have a mediocre platoon situation at both positions, rather than utter garbage.  ?

Edited January 26, 20242 yr by WhiteSox2023

9 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Agreed, especially because Whit is a righty bat and can play both 2B and RF, while we currently have lefty bats in Lopez for 2B and Colas for RF.  At the very least, we could potentially have a mediocre platoon situation at both positions, rather than utter garbage.  ?

Washed up vet KC connection that will do Pedro's job for him >>

This didn’t age well last year…

 

Sixty three games into his career with the Blue Jays, his OPS in Toronto (.774) is actually higher than it was in Kansas City (.758).

"He's doing what he's done his whole career," manager John Schneider said earlier this week. "Before we (acquired him) last year was a little bit of a rough stretch, but I think what we're seeing is just an all-star player hitting his stride."

With a 15.6 per cent strikeout rate, Merrifield's making lots of contact. And while his sprint speed has dropped off slightly over the years, he's still faster than the likes of Ronald Acuna Jr., Brandon Nimmo and Anthony Volpe, allowing him to turn borderline plays into hits.

Now granted, this current level of production may not last. Merrifield is 34, and his current batting average and on-base percentage would be career highs. But as long as he’s playing this well, he belongs in the starting lineup most days.

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/blue-jays-notebook-whit-merrifield-quietly-becoming-everyday-option/

Edited January 26, 20242 yr by caulfield12

3 hours ago, fathom said:

Top two reasons IMO are either Sox want Whit for RF or trying to trade for a RF from Orioles

No reason to pay for Merrifield and pay him w/ e it's going to cost when you can get Hicks for the minimum. I know Merrield brings some versatility but at this point of his career I don't think he's worth it. Use the money for Whit ( if that's the case) somewhere else.

I don't think there's a reason to wait on a RF from the Cease trade when that may not happen until the trade deadline. There's no reason to wait on a minimum wage upgrade other than Hicks is holding it up for some reason.

3 hours ago, South Side Hit Men said:

If he formally files for retirement, I believe he loses his guarantee, similar when Adam La Roche selected retirement to escape having to be with the White Sox for another minute.

There is also the ongoing Nationals Stephen Strasburg retirement debacle.

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/nationals/2023/09/07/stephen-strasburg-retirement-washington-nationals/70788914007/

Not sure if Aaron passed the 10 year service time mark for a full MLB pension, but that would be one mitigating factor on choosing to play this season. He may have clinched it with Baltimore last year.

Ok that's why I assumed he'd be playing this year because he is getting paid and he may want to continue his career as long as he's productive and his time with the O's showed he can still be productive.

He might not ever be worth picking up the option for 2025 but with a decent 2024 he can put himself in a good position for another couple million in 2025. It's just hard to imagine anyone giving up multiple millions in his mid 30's. You're not going to make close to that amount of money doing anything else.

Unless you read something about him contemplating staying at home for a year because he's already getting $9.5M I assume he'll play this year and beyond.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/yankees-supposedly-asked-ex-outfielder-give-up-golf-injuries-former-mlb-player-says

Just let Hicks play all the golf he wants in Chicago.

Interesting that AJ Perzynski was somehow involved in breaking this story, but he’s an avid golfer as well.

 

“According to former MLB catcher A.J. Pierzynski, the Yankees may have had a problem with Hicks competing in the offseason Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, where he placed eighth on the celebrity leaderboard after his performance last weekend.

“I don’t know if this is true or not, but Aaron Hicks used to play in this event a few years ago, and the Yankees told him he had to stop because they thought that’s why he was getting injured,” Pierzynski said on the “Foul Territory” show Thursday. “I don’t know if that’s true or not, but there was a rumor about that they told him he had to stop playing golf.”

nypost.com

Edited January 27, 20242 yr by caulfield12

Getz, please claim this guy and see what he can do in Spring Training.  A 26 year old lefty bat that can play RF, 1B, and some 3B.  Monster numbers in the minors last year.  He hit 30 HR and stole 32 bases.  His strikeout rate is awful but he would basically cost nothing so it’s worth a shot.  He also has a sweet ass name, haha.  I’d cut Sheets for this guy.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/angels-designate-trey-cabbage-for-assignment.html

 

Edited January 27, 20242 yr by WhiteSox2023

1 hour ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Getz, please claim this guy and see what he can do in Spring Training.  A 26 year old lefty bat that can play RF, 1B, and some 3B.  Monster numbers in the minors last year.  He hit 30 HR and stole 32 bases.  His strikeout rate is awful but he would basically cost nothing so it’s worth a shot.  He also has a sweet ass name, haha.  I’d cut Sheets for this guy.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/angels-designate-trey-cabbage-for-assignment.html

 

For the name alone!

25 minutes ago, Tnetennba said:

For the name alone!

I'd love to see the sandwich they came up with if Cabbage went on a Yerminator-like run.....doubt I'd try it though.

12 minutes ago, wegner said:

I'd love to see the sandwich they came up with if Cabbage went on a Yerminator-like run.....doubt I'd try it though.

Did Mike Cubbage ever have a sandwich?   Did we actually sign the guy now?

1 hour ago, caulfield12 said:

Did Mike Cubbage ever have a sandwich?   Did we actually sign the guy now?

Cubbage sounds like a cabbage that has gone bad, so no sandwich please

15 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Getz, please claim this guy and see what he can do in Spring Training.  A 26 year old lefty bat that can play RF, 1B, and some 3B.  Monster numbers in the minors last year.  He hit 30 HR and stole 32 bases.  His strikeout rate is awful but he would basically cost nothing so it’s worth a shot.  He also has a sweet ass name, haha.  I’d cut Sheets for this guy.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/angels-designate-trey-cabbage-for-assignment.html

 

Why not. 

14 hours ago, wegner said:

I'd love to see the sandwich they came up with if Cabbage went on a Yerminator-like run.....doubt I'd try it though.

Corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese on a burger?

4 hours ago, Tnetennba said:

Corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese on a burger?

Ok, I might try that

On 1/26/2024 at 2:10 PM, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

I'm actually surprised this hasn't happened yet. High walk rate, switch hitter, great arm, backup CF and cheap cheap cheap. What are the Sox waiting for ? He'd get the most playing time here if he's cool with playing mostly RF. I know Hicks might be able to pick and choose among several teams but why wait ?

Gives Colas plenty of time in AAA to show he can handle that level and make the necessary improvements.

Just signed with the Angels. Damn. 

Assuming they are working with a tight budget my new list based on who's left on the board: 

Grichuk

Kyle Lewis

Brian Anderson 

2 hours ago, Greg_Walker said:

Assuming they are working with a tight budget my new list based on who's left on the board: 

Grichuk

Kyle Lewis

Brian Anderson 

Isn't Anderson a former infielder?

Almost NU basketball coach and Ozzie's nemesis?  Then there was a Brewers' pitcher with that name as well.

3 hours ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Just signed with the Angels. Damn. 

Like I said White Sox fans will get nothing (OK...Sheets LOL) and like it. 

Anderson has a fair amount of RF on his fielding stats but does give you flexibility if Colas pushes his way back up or get RF back from Cease now or during season and/or Moncada gets hurt early in season before Ramos ready.  221 games played in RF vs. 402 played at third.

Brian Anderson Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

 

Eddie Rosario and David Peralta (left-handed veteran bats), Jesse Winker,  Jurickson Profar, Michael A. Taylor, Kevin Pillar, Kyle Lewis, Tommy Pham.