On 5/16/2024 at 4:20 PM, WestEddy said:

Brad Keller is on the roster. He's starting games. If they can return him to the 3-4 WAR pitcher he used to be, and trade him for a prospect, that would be a key part of the future of this team. So, let's see, let Jon Cannon get lit up 6 more times, or showcase a guy who will bring back an outfielder? 

I truly hope that Getz calls up Cannon to see how you spin this.

25 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

I truly hope that Getz calls up Cannon to see how you spin this.

I would take a .... wait for it ..... "wait and see" approach, and watch to see how he does. Keller's gone, so it's a moot point, but I don't usually have a preferred move that I will rail against when they don't make it. They put Keller (who I really don't like) in the rotation, so, great, let's see how well he does. I would love to read the headline "Clevinger attacked by rats, ends career". But he's on the team. I won't "root" for him, but trade him after 8 starts, and move on. 

I'm not sure why I have to cement my opinions in place, then be furious when the team goes different. There's a good half dozen guys I would like to not be on this team, this instant. Me fuming about it won't make it happen, so I'll practice my meditation when those guys start. 

9 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

I truly hope that Getz calls up Cannon to see how you spin this.

I hope those actually believing Keller was a key piece and would possibly end up with a 3-4 fWAR might number one hand's worth of fingers or less at SoxTalk.

I think my big gripe with our era of "give our entire bonus pool to a single Cuban player" is how little thought went into what may happen in development when we have these guys spend 2 years in their late teens/early 20s missing out on any real baseball so that we could stash them and help them with their tax burden.

It worked out with Robert, thank goodness, who also had the most to gain.

But Colas/Cespedes/Norge Vera...I think we even gave the DR treatment to Yolbert. They were inactive for years. Do we really think that set us up better than signing 10-12 players that were younger? 

One thing that saving some of their tax burden would do is allow more of their signing bonus to flow thru to some handlers. I'm sure everything was above board with the sox main international scout.

9 minutes ago, bmags said:

I think my big gripe with our era of "give our entire bonus pool to a single Cuban player" is how little thought went into what may happen in development when we have these guys spend 2 years in their late teens/early 20s missing out on any real baseball so that we could stash them and help them with their tax burden.

It worked out with Robert, thank goodness, who also had the most to gain.

But Colas/Cespedes/Norge Vera...I think we even gave the DR treatment to Yolbert. They were inactive for years. Do we really think that set us up better than signing 10-12 players that were younger? 

One thing that saving some of their tax burden would do is allow more of their signing bonus to flow thru to some handlers. I'm sure everything was above board with the sox main international scout.

I have to think that in some of those cases that the tax savings could have been the difference in being the highest bidder, or not.  Obviously I don't know all of the bids, but just thinking of us tax structure, keeping an extra 30/40/50% of that signing bonus by not paying taxes on it is a defacto bonus of that many dollars higher than if they brought them to the US right away.  Take a 3 million bonus, and say a million dollars would have gone to taxes in the US, but doesn't in the DR.  An extra million dollars is a LOT of money.

I felt better about this, once informed that the young pitcher we dispatched was a reliever; loss of relievers really isn't lamentable  (unless traded for a wife-beater).

Julks had a solid minor league career and wasn't terrible with the Astros last season - a lot of good players start off with a year like he had.  With the Sox, so far, so good.

But for sure we should pick up any Astro named K/Corey.  

 

Edited May 20, 20241 yr by GreenSox

52 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

I have to think that in some of those cases that the tax savings could have been the difference in being the highest bidder, or not.  Obviously I don't know all of the bids, but just thinking of us tax structure, keeping an extra 30/40/50% of that signing bonus by not paying taxes on it is a defacto bonus of that many dollars higher than if they brought them to the US right away.  Take a 3 million bonus, and say a million dollars would have gone to taxes in the US, but doesn't in the DR.  An extra million dollars is a LOT of money.

I totally get it's how we may have won the bid, but at some point sox should have recalibrated to "is this a good deal for us when we are getting one player, and then agreeing to not let him play in organized baseball (DSL) for 2 years (1 year waiting to sign, 1 year in DSL), rather than a different strategy?"

But they kept doing it, and would end up with these 23 year old dudes in single A, absolutely ripped from only lifting weights for two years, and oft injured, way behind, and few that caught up.

8 minutes ago, bmags said:

I totally get it's how we may have won the bid, but at some point sox should have recalibrated to "is this a good deal for us when we are getting one player, and then agreeing to not let him play in organized baseball (DSL) for 2 years (1 year waiting to sign, 1 year in DSL), rather than a different strategy?"

But they kept doing it, and would end up with these 23 year old dudes in single A, absolutely ripped from only lifting weights for two years, and oft injured, way behind, and few that caught up.

The stategy makes sense, it was the player selection that didn't.

Just now, southsider2k5 said:

The stategy makes sense, it was the player selection that didn't.

It led to us having extremely sparse international scouting classes for 3-4 years, and wow, we have a pretty shallow farm. I'd say in fact the strategy was bad.

16 minutes ago, bmags said:

It led to us having extremely sparse international scouting classes for 3-4 years, and wow, we have a pretty shallow farm. I'd say in fact the strategy was bad.

Ah, I didn't get that parse.  How we paid people wasn't the problem, it was selecting one guy and who that guy was.  The tax implication part was fine IMO.

30 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Ah, I didn't get that parse.  How we paid people wasn't the problem, it was selecting one guy and who that guy was.  The tax implication part was fine IMO.

Right, my quibble isn't the tax avoidance, it was the time that lapsed from when they were able to leave Cuba, enter the signing period, and then finally get stateside. Those were crucial development years, and the putting the whole class on just a few guys that then couldn't play for 2 years...It sucked imo.

 

There is a high likelihood that Julks is JAG, but for all the outrage this move received here, he at least looks like a mildly interesting short side platoon option with a boatload of cheap control. Obvious SSS etc, but you can’t deny he has put a jolt into the lineup in a few facets. 

And with Eloy now hurt again, hopefully he gets a few more looks. 

Just now, ChiSox59 said:

There is a high likelihood that Julks is JAG, but for all the outrage this move received here, he at least looks like a mildly interesting short side platoon option with a boatload of cheap control. Obvious SSS etc, but you can’t deny he has put a jolt into the lineup in a few facets. 

And with Eloy now hurt again, hopefully he gets a few more looks. 

I didn't mind this one as much.  He's a dude who will have 5 plus years of control after this year.  Better this than another scrub 37 year old

*assuming we don't release him if he slumps for a couple of days.

https://www.mlb.com/news/garrett-crochet-s-scoreless-streak-continues-in-white-sox-win?partnerId=it-20240522-9211956-mlb-1-A&utm_id=it-20240522-9211956-mlb-1-A&lctg=4007428904

Nice comments on Crochet and especially Julks (end of article).

Korey Lee also starting to get more attention.

2 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

https://www.mlb.com/news/garrett-crochet-s-scoreless-streak-continues-in-white-sox-win?partnerId=it-20240522-9211956-mlb-1-A&utm_id=it-20240522-9211956-mlb-1-A&lctg=4007428904

Nice comments on Crochet and especially Julks (end of article).

Korey Lee also starting to get more attention.

It even generated a hat tip.