Lip Man 1 Posted Wednesday at 11:34 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 11:34 PM 4 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said: We signed a 27 year old, international 1B coming off a 99 loss season back in 2013 despite concerns over his “slider bat speed”. With a solid young core starting to form, some bigger prospects on the cusp, and the 1.01 pick in place next year with a rare elite college SS at the top, now is the time to take a swing on a 26 year old, international 1B with “contact issues” despite coming off a 102 loss season. Makes sense but remember who is running the show here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiSoxFanMike Posted Wednesday at 11:45 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 11:45 PM 13 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said: We signed a 27 year old, international 1B coming off a 99 loss season back in 2013 despite concerns over his “slider bat speed”. With a solid young core starting to form, some bigger prospects on the cusp, and the 1.01 pick in place next year with a rare elite college SS at the top, now is the time to take a swing on a 26 year old, international 1B with “contact issues” despite coming off a 102 loss season. While I don’t disagree and hope you’re right, I think the White Sox legacy with Cuban players was a factor in the Abreu signing. The Sox don’t have the same history with Japanese players. Though it is worth mentioning that Shingo Takatsu was Murakami’s manager in Japan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted Wednesday at 11:49 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 11:49 PM 19 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said: We signed a 27 year old, international 1B coming off a 99 loss season back in 2013 despite concerns over his “slider bat speed”. With a solid young core starting to form, some bigger prospects on the cusp, and the 1.01 pick in place next year with a rare elite college SS at the top, now is the time to take a swing on a 26 year old, international 1B with “contact issues” despite coming off a 102 loss season. The financial situations are night and day though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago White Sox Posted Wednesday at 11:51 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 11:51 PM 2 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said: The financial situations are night and day though. What financial situations are you referring to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted Wednesday at 11:52 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 11:52 PM Just now, Chicago White Sox said: What financial situations are you referring to? The White Sox. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiSoxFanMike Posted Wednesday at 11:56 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 11:56 PM 4 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said: The White Sox. Did Jerry Reinsdorf not own the team when they signed Abreu? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted Wednesday at 11:58 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 11:58 PM 1 minute ago, ChiSoxFanMike said: Did Jerry Reinsdorf not own the team when they signed Abreu? They hadn't lost money five years in a row and racked up 9 figures of debt when they signed Abreu. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago White Sox Posted Thursday at 12:07 AM Share Posted Thursday at 12:07 AM 15 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said: The White Sox. What’s radically different between now and the 2013 season? I’m really not following here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted Thursday at 12:08 AM Author Share Posted Thursday at 12:08 AM 6 hours ago, WestEddy said: Japanese Free Agents’ Decision Dates: 3B/1B Munetaka Murakami: 12/22/25, 5:00 PM RHP Tatsuya Imai: 1/2/26, 5:00 PM 1B/3B Kazuma Okamoto: 1/4/26, 5:00 PM RHP Kona Takahashi: 1/4/26, 5:00 PM — Dan Bartels (@DanBartels2) December 17, 2025 Sox can only afford Takahashi. Maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago White Sox Posted Thursday at 12:08 AM Share Posted Thursday at 12:08 AM 9 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said: They hadn't lost money five years in a row and racked up 9 figures of debt when they signed Abreu. You have their financials back to 2009? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago White Sox Posted Thursday at 12:09 AM Share Posted Thursday at 12:09 AM Just now, caulfield12 said: Sox can only afford Takahashi. Maybe. The idea the Sox couldn’t afford any of these guys is absolutely absurd. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted Thursday at 12:11 AM Author Share Posted Thursday at 12:11 AM (edited) 7 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said: The idea the Sox couldn’t afford any of these guys is absolutely absurd. Can afford not equal to will spend. Otherwise, Cincy would have Schwarber and the Pirates would actually have a legit middle of the order bat to go with that pitching. "Cincy GM Nick Krall refuted that narrative. Deferred money was part of the effort to get Schwarber. “I never said we were going to extend [payroll]," Krall said. "I’ve always told you guys that where our payroll was … we were trying to figure out how to be creative to get him to fit in. We were trying to be creative in year one to figure out how to continue to get him.” mlb.com The problem here is that the main strategy behind Schwarber was a theoretical attendance bump for the hometown hero. The only player in this market Cincy believed could have that type of impact. And still short $25-30 million in the end. Edited Thursday at 12:19 AM by caulfield12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lukakke Appling Posted Thursday at 12:12 AM Share Posted Thursday at 12:12 AM 1 minute ago, caulfield12 said: Can afford not equal to will spend. Otherwise, Cincy would have Schwarber and the Pirates would actually have a legit middle of the order bat to go with that pitching. Cool. You said can’t afford. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted Thursday at 12:27 AM Author Share Posted Thursday at 12:27 AM December 17th: The Cards officially announced May’s signing today. May will make $12.5MM in 2026 and the mutual option is worth $20MM, per Passan. It’s a $12MM salary and a $500K buyout on the option, per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat. mlbtraderumors.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autumn Dreamin Posted Thursday at 12:37 AM Share Posted Thursday at 12:37 AM 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fathom Posted Thursday at 12:38 AM Share Posted Thursday at 12:38 AM 29 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said: You have their financials back to 2009? Covid, attendance and TV deals have killed their budget Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lip Man 1 Posted Thursday at 12:49 AM Share Posted Thursday at 12:49 AM 9 minutes ago, fathom said: Covid, attendance and TV deals have killed their budget Given those circumstances you wonder what they could possibly be thinking regarding the TV move and starting their new network. That was foolish given the environment, capital outlay and resistance from carriers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiSoxFanMike Posted Thursday at 12:50 AM Share Posted Thursday at 12:50 AM 11 minutes ago, fathom said: Covid, attendance and TV deals have killed their budget Maybe if they actually put a good team on the field more than once every 15 years, people would show up. Maybe they should think of that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyyle23 Posted Thursday at 12:57 AM Share Posted Thursday at 12:57 AM If the Sox snag Murakami they better credit WBWSF and Chisoxfanmike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted Thursday at 01:07 AM Author Share Posted Thursday at 01:07 AM (edited) https://risingapple.com/ny-mets-kazuma-okamoto-contract-prediction-aligns-one-exception 4/$64 million for Okamoto? He can actually play 3B well. Big differentiator. Higher offensive floor than Murakami. Biggest problem is he will be turning 32-33 in 2028/29 competitive window years. Seems a number of teams are hesitating on that fourth year. Basically Murakami the sizzle, Okamoto the steak. "FanGraphs' international scouting page lists Okamoto as having an average hit tool (50-grade) and above-average raw and in-game power. Murakami, by comparison, has a well-below-average hit tool (30-grade), but elite raw power (80) and high-end in-game power (70). Given that Okamoto is more than three years older than Murakami, he is unlikely to command a significant investment in terms of the length of his contract. It's an appealing package for teams that might be concerned about the long-term viability of free agents like Pete Alonso or Kyle Schwarber, who could reasonably expect to receive deals worth at least $100 million." https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25305984-who-will-sign-kazuma-okamoto-latest-top-mlb-landing-spots-and-contract-projections Edited Thursday at 01:11 AM by caulfield12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted Thursday at 01:12 AM Author Share Posted Thursday at 01:12 AM 21 minutes ago, ChiSoxFanMike said: Maybe if they actually put a good team on the field more than once every 15 years, people would show up. Maybe they should think of that. You're going to draw the Ire of He Who Shall Not be Named. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nokona Posted Thursday at 01:13 AM Share Posted Thursday at 01:13 AM Big Christmas DFA'd. I'd take a flier 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted Thursday at 01:18 AM Author Share Posted Thursday at 01:18 AM (edited) "Teams that are willing to take on more risk and bet on the big upside may wind up having more interest in Murakami, while scouts view Okamoto as a more polished hitter who has a little bit more defensive versatility than Murakami. Okamoto could be targeted more by win-now teams that are looking for a higher-floor player. One evaluator believes Okamoto may out-hit Murakami during their first two or three years in the Majors, but assuming he signs a long-term deal, Murakami will have time to work out the kinks in his swing and become a very productive player." mlb.com Conclusion: Sox pretty much have to roll the dice on players that can be stars versus just very good/solid pros. Wasting first two years of Okamoto doesn't make sense at age 30-31. Murakami Robert, Jr. Braden Montgomery Schultz H.Smith Cholowsky 2026 #2 pick (CF/SS) To hopefully go along with Teel/Colson...Carlson has way too many unknowns at this point. Edited Thursday at 01:25 AM by caulfield12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxjusttyped Posted Thursday at 01:19 AM Share Posted Thursday at 01:19 AM 41 minutes ago, Autumn Dreamin said: This data is why I think his contract is going to be much, much smaller than people have been anticipating. Why is why I think there's a non 0 chance the Sox do actually sign him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted Thursday at 01:35 AM Author Share Posted Thursday at 01:35 AM (edited) https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DiiRRNlzXYuM&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwihkIjI_sWRAxU_kmoFHZvhBsgQFnoECBEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw13w_67O5GSLvRqS0HvQV_g It's all about scouting and making adjustments coming over from NPB. Do you trust your people or not? We can compare offensive profiles...but still apples and oranges when you look at the mostly offspeed/high spin rate diets over in Japan vs. the US. "Murakami's walk-off double His hardest-hit ball tracked in the tournament was a 115.1 mph home run off Merrill Kelly in Japan's win over the U.S. in the championship game. This year in MLB, only 19 players hit a home run 115 mph or harder." Edited Thursday at 01:40 AM by caulfield12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.jpg.2b5d9338fbaecb392889b9f85a94ba84.jpg)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.