58 minutes ago, CWSpalehoseCWS said:

I honestly couldn't care less about Boston Smith. He's a nice story, but I don't envision him being anything more than a role player. He was no loss - your farm system should be developing these types of players (and trading them) all the time. I'm only looking at it from each of their level of production for the Sox.

Sure, but Tatis Jr. turned out to be better than everyone Hahn acquired for stripping down the entire team. That turned out to be a Top Ten bad trade of all time.

3 hours ago, CWSpalehoseCWS said:

I just don't see any value to keeping him around. I can't see the Sox eating both him and Benny's contract. How the Sox didn't see his clear cut warning signs he is cooked is beyond me. Talk about falling in love with the back of the baseball card when all the metrics out there state the obvious.

I mean, there is zero reason not to give him an offseason to work on changes and hope he can provide some value next year. While he has been god awful, his pure stuff is much better than what James Shields had when we acquired him. Not suggesting he isn’t cooked, but if you eat the contract you might as well do so next year.

14 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

I mean, there is zero reason not to give him an offseason to work on changes and hope he can provide some value next year. While he has been god awful, his pure stuff is much better than what James Shields had when we acquired him. Not suggesting he isn’t cooked, but if you eat the contract you might as well do so next year.

What stuff? He has nothing. Have you watched him pitch? Movement is down. Velocity is down. Control is bad. He just sucks and is likely cooked. He's going to be 34 next season. Believing you can "fix" a 34 year old pitcher who has been declining the last couple seasons is the ultimate in stupidity. He's old. How many pitchers improve in their mid 30's?

https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/leaders_40_pitch_career-after.shtml

Jamie Moyer Tommy John

knuckleballers

there was another lhp who made it to 42-43 recently

pitched for about half the teams in baseball

MLB Players Who Defied Father Time into Their 40s

In baseball, age isn't just a number. It's the thing that catches up to every player, including the great ones. Sometimes, though, guys manage to defy Father Time longer than most...

Edited Saturday at 01:56 PM2 days by caulfield12

2 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/leaders_40_pitch_career-after.shtml

Jamie Moyer

knuckleballers

Now how many of those guys improved remarkably after age 34?

2 minutes ago, JoeC said:

Now how many of those guys improved remarkably after age 34?

Blyleven? Wilhelm?

maybe the majority were players who had major injuries and had to totally reinvent their approaches away from fb dominance

glavine smoltz maddux

Chris Sale stands out here at present

7 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Jamie Moyer

knuckleballers

there was another lhp who made it to 42-43 recently

pitched for about half the teams in baseball

MLB Players Who Defied Father Time into Their 40s

In baseball, age isn't just a number. It's the thing that catches up to every player, including the great ones. Sometimes, though, guys manage to defy Father Time longer than most...

This guy

Edited Saturday at 02:00 PM2 days by ron883

1 minute ago, ron883 said:

Castillo is likely toast.

Unless he blows out his elbow completely and comes back in 2028 throwing 97-99 at the age of 36

On 9/18/2026 at 3:52 PM, Timmy U said:

Sure, but Tatis Jr. turned out to be better than everyone Hahn acquired for stripping down the entire team. That turned out to be a Top Ten bad trade of all time.

At the time of the trade literally no one knew who he was. It was a bad trade with hindsight, but more often than not those type of prospects never escape the A ball. Hell, the Dodgers traded Yordan Alvarez for Josh Fields. It happens. But no way does Boston Smith sniff Tatis in MLB impact. I just wish they would have sold high on him for a better SP option and not an albatross contract for 2027. The metrics are putrid. The Sox are lucky next season will likely be shortened and prevent his vesting option from kicking in for 2028.

On 9/19/2026 at 6:25 AM, Paulie4Pres said:

What stuff? He has nothing. Have you watched him pitch? Movement is down. Velocity is down. Control is bad. He just sucks and is likely cooked. He's going to be 34 next season. Believing you can "fix" a 34 year old pitcher who has been declining the last couple seasons is the ultimate in stupidity. He's old. How many pitchers improve in their mid 30's?

He’s a sunk cost at this point. May as well see what he does next season. I would definitely see how he does in ST as a starter again. They can always move him back to the bullpen if he sucks again as a starter. If he sucks in both spots, they can look into giving him the old Keuchel goodbye.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by WhiteSox2023

10 minutes ago, CWSpalehoseCWS said:

At the time of the trade literally no one knew who he was. It was a bad trade with hindsight, but more often than not those type of prospects never escape the A ball. Hell, the Dodgers traded Yordan Alvarez for Josh Fields. It happens. But no way does Boston Smith sniff Tatis in MLB impact. I just wish they would have sold high on him for a better SP option and not an albatross contract for 2027. The metrics are putrid. The Sox are lucky next season will likely be shortened and prevent his vesting option from kicking in for 2028.

That's just not true. No one know what he would become, but he was a player with a lot of tools and potential. The international guys knew that and warned Rick Hahn not to trade him....Preller knew talent and, in particular international talent.
The point is that you never ever trade high potential for low upside. Even had Shields pitched like Shields, you are just getting an average innings-eater.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by GreenSox

On 9/19/2026 at 6:25 AM, Paulie4Pres said:

What stuff? He has nothing. Have you watched him pitch? Movement is down. Velocity is down. Control is bad. He just sucks and is likely cooked. He's going to be 34 next season. Believing you can "fix" a 34 year old pitcher who has been declining the last couple seasons is the ultimate in stupidity. He's old. How many pitchers improve in their mid 30's?

He's not being asked to "improve", just be something close to what he was last year, which was a serviceable, average major league pitcher. There's probably an underlying injury that's throwing off his season.

1 minute ago, WestEddy said:

He's not being asked to "improve", just be something close to what he was last year, which was a serviceable, average major league pitcher. There's probably an underlying injury that's throwing off his season.

I mean he was tolerable in Seattle this year, not like great, but decent enough to trot out there with the "piggyback". If he sucks next year just cut him around the deadline. He certainly isn't going to trigger his option as the mop up guy prior.

4 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

He's not being asked to "improve", just be something close to what he was last year, which was a serviceable, average major league pitcher. There's probably an underlying injury that's throwing off his season.

Not sure why you would assume that. Age probably has more to do with his decline.

1 minute ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Not sure why you would assume that. Age probably has more to do with his decline.

Age exacerbates injuries and makes recuperation take longer. I wouldn't think that senility has made him forget how to pitch, or he's gotten noticeably weaker over 12 months. Just last September, he finished the season with 4 strong, 6+ inning outings.

12 minutes ago, chitownsportsfan said:

I mean he was tolerable in Seattle this year, not like great, but decent enough to trot out there with the "piggyback". If he sucks next year just cut him around the deadline. He certainly isn't going to trigger his option as the mop up guy prior.

Pretty sure if he is topping out at almost 97, he isn't hurt.

27 minutes ago, chitownsportsfan said:

I mean he was tolerable in Seattle this year, not like great, but decent enough to trot out there with the "piggyback". If he sucks next year just cut him around the deadline. He certainly isn't going to trigger his option as the mop up guy prior.

Earlier than that I would hope. Unless our rotation is banged up or on fumes again and we need him to pitch

17 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Pretty sure if he is topping out at almost 97, he isn't hurt.

Luis was trying to play tic tac toe. Almost had the diagonal.

22 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

Age exacerbates injuries and makes recuperation take longer. I wouldn't think that senility has made him forget how to pitch, or he's gotten noticeably weaker over 12 months. Just last September, he finished the season with 4 strong, 6+ inning outings.

There’s been no word on a potential injury though.

1 minute ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

There’s been no word on a potential injury though.

While the Sox sending injured pitchers out to play is par for the course, he sure had his best stuff of the year, which makes that doubtful.

2 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

There’s been no word on a potential injury though.

Every ache and pain isn't reported. I'd imagine every ballplayer in the game is playing through pain or some injury by September 21. I'm not declaring that he's injured, but he was an average major league pitcher (2+ bWAR) just last season. I wouldn't think he just fell off the table like that. Seattle changed up his usage, his leg mechanics have changed since his heyday.

8 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

Every ache and pain isn't reported. I'd imagine every ballplayer in the game is playing through pain or some injury by September 21. I'm not declaring that he's injured, but he was an average major league pitcher (2+ bWAR) just last season. I wouldn't think he just fell off the table like that. Seattle changed up his usage, his leg mechanics have changed since his heyday.

You've been watching sports for a long time I assume? Guys fall off a cliff suddenly all the time. Father Time is undefeated.

6 minutes ago, Paulie4Pres said:

You've been watching sports for a long time I assume? Guys fall off a cliff suddenly all the time. Father Time is undefeated.

I mean all you need to do is look at his numbers YoY over the last few years. His velocities are down, his hard hit and line drive percentages are up. He's throwing less ground balls. His K rate has dropped significantly. The red flags have been there when combined with his age and historic work load.

54 minutes ago, Paulie4Pres said:

You've been watching sports for a long time I assume? Guys fall off a cliff suddenly all the time. Father Time is undefeated.

46 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

I mean all you need to do is look at his numbers YoY over the last few years. His velocities are down, his hard hit and line drive percentages are up. He's throwing less ground balls. His K rate has dropped significantly. The red flags have been there when combined with his age and historic work load.

Just like James Shields when Hahn acquired him at age 34. Castillo turns 34 in December.

13 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Just like James Shields when Hahn acquired him at age 34. Castillo turns 34 in December.

Like, there is no grand conspiracy here to hide an injury or something else. Dude is just falling off of a cliff. Hell if they could have IL'd him for a roster slot the team damned well would have with as bad as the rest of the staff have been toasted covering for his bad starts.