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Yup, I’m angry at armchair GMs like yourself who use hindsight to suggest they are smarter than Andrew Friedman & Erik Neander. But then I see you’re using a video from a year ago about Kimbrel’s “sudden & bizarre decline” with the Cubs as proof that he would go from best reliever in baseball pre-deadline to a complete gas can post-deadline and I realize this is just another one of your loud, baseless arguments.

Have a great holiday and remember to not overeat. We need to stay lean and mean for all our work over the next few days.

Am I the only one who doesn’t really want Gausman at that price point? He wasn’t that good at all in the 2nd half this past season.

versatility is one way to describe it.

Posters who always predict the worse will sometimes be right.

Yup, Hahn gambled that the guy who put up a 1.64 FIP in the 52.2 innings prior (including all but the first IP in that “rocky” 2020 season) to the trade and with a HoF track record would somehow remain good. What a fucking idiot. Too bad one of those other morons Friedman or Neander didn’t acquire Kimbrel first so Hahn couldn’t land such a ticking time bomb. My god the amount of revisionist theory here is truly astounding.

Ohmigod...let it go. The White Sox took a calculated gamble on creating a post season relief core that would be legendary. That IS a path to World Series victory...you get 9 innings to score and the other team only gets 6. And you know what? It didn't frigging work. Kimbrell for whatever reason was other worldly until July and then was bad. It happens. Sad they didn't fix RF...you know who was the PERFECT RF fix? 27 year old lefty power hitter, strong defense, reasonable contract for 2021/2022...strong career and had put up a 4.2 WAR up to the trade deadline? Go ask the Yankees how Joey Gallo worked for them. Of course Gallo would have cost us Madrigal and Crochett...but I know you'd be on the board bitching about it if we had made that trade too. It's so fun to follow a sport and then look in retrospect at what went wrong and scream to the heavens how stupid we are for everything that didn't go right. .

Despite how heated it can get on this board at times, I love all you weirdos.

Screw you!

Not only would I like it, but it's pretty close to what I have been thinking. I would prefer Sheets, over Vaughn, vs. RHP and Anderson hitting 2ND, but otherwise the lineup looks good to me. Alvarado has serious control issues which have caused his WHIP to be north of 1.60 in each of the last 3 seasons, averaging well over 7 BB's per 9 innings. I don't think he can be counted on, so I agree that the Sox would still need another arm for the pen.

Buying at the market high for Schwarber without considering all the reasons the Cubs basically gave up on him...will end up with the White Sox following the same ultimate descent as the Northsiders. With Sheets and Grandal on the roster, we're just not going to spend that much money on the DH position...especially if they add a legit veteran catcher to really share the load with Yasmani. Including Collins, we already have 5-6 DH types on this team, as is. Why would would we keep spending FA money instead of addressing RF, 2B and the starting rotation?

Moniak is like getting soap for christmas

We take everything so seriously here, how do you not know this already

Yes. I miss Madrigal.

Apparently the front office acquired Kimbrel to be at least a part time closer with Hendriks, but TLR big timed the front office and refused to use him as a closer. None of the local or national reporters have reported this, but internet poster Harold's Leg Lift has implied it.

Essentially yes. A loss to a winless team in the national spotlight might hasten the front office changes that need to happen. Is there a big difference between now and the end of the season? Probably not. But I’d rather see the changes sooner than later. As for draft picks, they don’t have their first rounder but high second round guys are still worth something. It is in their best interest as an organization to lose.

Unless TLR was the one who'd pushed the most for Kimbrel, then reversed himself to do the whole CYA thing in the media at the end of the Astros' series (TLR "Basically, I never really would have wanted him, had I known he would only be used in high leverage and not in the only role he'd ever known previously as a closer, I would have nixed it and said RF should have been prioritized instead.") Knowing that Hahn wouldn't dare to come out and call him out publicly... Of course, TLR had something to do with how he was being utilized...notwithstanding his disastrous early showing, they certainly could have turned to him in late August/September to let him get his feet back under him in a familiar role. Because they had to have known (already) that they would exercise the QO and/or attempt to trade him in the offseason, so why not try to rebuild some of that lost value in SEPT? They certainly were NOT prioritizing tracking down the Astros until the last 7-10 days of the entire season. CONSPIRACY THEORY/TINFOIL HAT TERRITORY

Yeah, unless Tony basically went completely rogue, I’m not following here.

Has Hahn confirmed that he was brought in to be a closer? Where is that idea coming from? Because he obviously wasn't used as a closer.

So La Russsa went against what was decided within the organization when they traded for him? From everything I understand, La Russa is essentially the second GM, and he wasn’t involved in the talks about acquiring him and what the game plan would be when they did?

So he was brought in to be the closer or co-closer? His usage tells otherwise.

I enjoy the White Sox acquiring good players. I enjoy the White Sox improving their team.

Well he was, wasn't he? That he is a proven elite closer, when he is pitching well, is what adds a premium to his value: when the Sox bought him, and hopefully when they sell him.

I think they’ll be in the 180-190 range at least. But guess what everybody? We’ll know for sure…like, really soon. Chill and watch.

There is no truth to the rumor that bmags is being fired after his next thread closing.

I feel threatened

From the most recent MLBTR Chat: ” Matt 1:08 Are the White Sox actually going to spend $190 mil in payroll? I don’t see it White Sox 1:08 Why do people think Reinsdorf will be cheap when he is so close to a winner and he is getting pretty old? He wants to win and has the money, prove to me he won't be going after the top class free agents, especially at RF and 2nd. Mark P 1:09 Both sides of this debate have merit. Reinsdorf has never been one to spend big on his team, though that doesn't mean he couldn't or wouldn't given this special circumstance. The Sox obviously think they're on the verge of winning another title, so I could see Reinsdorf okaying a splurge for the next year or two. 1:10 Also, Abreu/Kimbrel/Keuchel all come off the books after 2022, so it's not like the Sox couldn't drop payroll back a bit next winter if they wanted. < p> ” I think “Mark P” would be a good Soxtalk Moderator.

After signing Kendall Graveman to bolster the bullpen, the White Sox are aiming high and looking to now add a second baseman and “a front line starter,” according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via Twitter). Semien and Robbie Ray are mentioned by name, yet this could indicate that the Sox are just prepared to look at the top of the market to fill their needs, rather than necessarily a specific interest in either of those players. This is itself notable given that the White Sox payroll is already projected for a new record-high for the team, and spending big on a player like Semien or Ray would take Chicago into luxury tax range for the first time ever. Semien, of course, is already a familiar figure on the South Side, as spent his first two MLB seasons with the White Sox before being dealt to the Athletics in December 2014. -MLBTrade Rumors commenting on the tweet from Bob. Yea, we’re going to rock a ~170M payroll, gang. Thanks Pal. Cool Bud. What say you, Man?

It can work but I don’t think Fitzgerald is special and he isn’t an offensive guy.

Happy Turkey day to all .

Marcel Ozuna got 4/$67 in the middle of the COVID mess. AJ Pollock got 4/$55 with a player option at the end at age 33 with a terrible injury history. Both of those happened with a broken free agent market. If you aren’t prepared to go 4/$76 on Conforto in a year where the market seems to have corrected partially back to normal, your going to end up with “your team is on the field” as soon as you see someone offering Scherzer a 4th year or whatever other seemingly ridiculous contract it takes to get him.

Happy Thanksgiving Soxtalk family!

Well I’m going to overeat. What are you going to do to stop me? Hahaha Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Amen!

I think he just thinks your poop stinks and hasn’t had enough sense to add you to the Hall of Fame List. Escuse me, back to second grade art class I go… ( It’s going to be a LONG off-season everyone. ) ?

I never said "they blew that evaluation on Lynn" but they did blow it on Kimbrel champ. " I mean, it’s pretty obvious Kimbrel was going to collapse well before we acquired him. " LOL. Actually some predicted his decline. The Story Behind Craig Kimbrel's Sudden and Bizarre Decline You sound angry. Amirite? Are you angry?

Or maybe they actually have a chance to let Crochet go down to the minors and see if he can start.

Tim is probably a better catcher than Schwarber.

And also he needed a change of scenery.

Cubs gave up on Schwarber because there was no DH in the NL

Yeah, they really blew that evaluation on Lynn too. And pursuing Wheeler & Burnes was also super dumb cause those guys suck. Probably taking too much advice from Steve Stone? Amirite tray? I mean, it’s pretty obvious Kimbrel was going to collapse well before we acquired him. We should have known the second those stupid Dodgers & Rays’ organizations joined the mix that the dude was a ticking time bomb.

Names I’ve heard mentioned in regards to Phillies talks with White Sox: Jean Segura obviously. Rafael Marchan, Moniak, Kingery and Jose Alverado. I’d be good with Segura, Alverado and Marchan. Moniak is pointless

Pat Fizgerald's offense makes the Bears current offense appear modern. You know the Bears would be interested.

You don't trade Vaughn. Hard stop.

Andrew Vaughn won the Golden Spikes award for the best college player. Here are the past winners before him: 2016: Kyle Lewis (ROY) 2015: Benintendi (eh) 2014: AJ Reed (Ouch) 2013-2001: Kris Bryant (great), Zunino (fine), Bauer (great), Harper (great), Strasburg (great), Posey (great), Price (great), Lincecum (great), Gordon (great), Weaver (great), Weeks (good), Prior (great) All in all, the vast majortity of the people who won that award went on to be very very good/great MLB players. Not sure why so many here have practically given up on Vaughn (yes trading him for Bassit/Gray is giving up on him).

I agree. I've been saying 3 years in the 12-15 range. Lack of accepting the qualifying offer doesn't mean a lack of interest IMO.

Following the tea leaves on this it seems like a multi-year offer to Rodon is my bet. His market is depressed...no one knows his arm strength more than the White Sox...they were kind to him and his agent by not attaching the QO...and man when he was good last year he was Corbin Burnes good...and what do we need more than a TOR lefty? Sure he wore out at the end but it seems like CaliSoxfan was predicting that all year. You just don't ramp up from 0 to 190 innings in a year. He got up to 120 last year and could be 180 this year. 3 years $50 million with injury clauses? That's Kimbrell's money...so you trade him and still have money for Semien...Vaughn in RF. Let's go get a World Series.

What strikes me most watching games from the 1980s is the relatively normal size of the players (and let's be frank, also many of the fans) compared to today. Watching the Mets Red Sox WS, Sox games from this era or other games with players were on average a 3-6 inches taller than the average person (most in the 6 foot to 6 foot 3 inch range) but at an average build (175-200 lbs). Today, players are close height wise, perhaps an inch or two taller, but the weight is on average 20-30 lbs + heavier. The smallest players last year (Danny Mendick or Cesar Hernandez (listed as 5 10 195 lbs), would be in the top half in terms of weight on the 1988 team. Ozzie was listed at 5 11 150, Lance Johnson 5 10 160. Billy Hamilton was the only White Sox under 185 lbs last season (160), and he looked like a twig compared to everyone else.

Scottie trippin lol.