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That's the dumbest thing I've ever read. a) MLB is not saying they are cutting everyone's pay to $0 (to "starve"). Players are still going to make a ton of money when this is all done. b) There are other leagues around the world (Japan, Korea, Mexico) which will pay you a decent wage for you not to " starve." c) If baseball were to go away for good (which isn't happening), these guys are plenty healthy and some have college education to go find jobs elsewhere to not "starve."

This is a lie and you know it. Damn near any amount? Seriously? Ok, make a living playing baseball for a dollar a day, work tirelessly at your craft at your own expense, and also work all of the side hustles required to keep a roof over your head and food on the table. Would you still sing the owners praises over such an "apprenticeship"? You sir, are full of shit.

Or really has no respect for himself, seeing as he has said he would basically work for free to play baseball, and someone like Leury Garcia is incredibly lucky to be making what he is making, like the owners are doing him this gigantic favor, yet doesn’t mention the years spent by a player to work on his craft, be able to play multiple positions at the highest level in the sport, etc. To PoppySox, these asshole players should be thanking their lucky stars anyone will pay them! Because after all, when I pay money to go to the ballpark, I’m paying to see Jerry Reinsdorf play against Tom Ricketts, why would I want to see the players?!?

The proof is probably on Bleacher Report, Passan just didn't scroll far enough.

I also have a very large party with some v famous friends attending, ta ta everyone

It's why I asked the question. Sounds like you have a pretty large group of boot-lickers there. You guys sound like a hoot!

So, is this all hyperbole or are you and like 8 other 65-year-olds sitting in a basement somewhere, rallying around the owners and calling yourself a group? You're also incredibly mis-infomred about how the general public views players vs. owners.

Good Luck with attaining whichever of those is your goal. I would have been happy to play baseball for a living for damn near any amount of pay the owner wanted to give me. That is why Jose is the popular player he is. He wants to play for the WS whatever the cost might be in dollars.

You know what's unimaginable? If you earned a dollar every second, you'd be a millionaire in 11 days, 13 hours 46 minutes and 40 seconds. You'd be a billionaire in 31 and one-half years. Most of those MLB players don't get the "unimaginable" salaries you're citing.

I disagree with your premise that the public favors the players. Most of us tend to hang around with people who think like ourselves. We tend to read the articles and watch/listen to media that supports our point of view. You hang with a crowd that thinks the players are being unfairly treated. The primary reasoning of your crowd is the owners are making tons and therefore should part with a bigger piece of the pie. I hang with a crowd that thinks the players are unbelievably greedy. My group thinks that when a player has shown himself to be really good the individual owners have rewarded their players with unimaginable salaries of 20 and 30 million dollars (hardly miserly). It is true that after serving an apprenticeship...the player is free to go to work for the highest bidder. I realize that I am just hitting on a couple of talking points for both sides and some will want to amplify their side's points of view. I would agree that the demographics of this forum favor the players. The public at large is a different matter.

I predict Bryant to Mariners, Suzuki to Boston, Schwarber to Padres, Castellanos to Giants and Conforto to Sox

????

They are the best parties. Extremely exclusive. Everyone wants to get in.

His first contract was also 6 years/ $68 mill. Most of these players won’t even see a fraction of that.

Come on man, we provide all the links for all the stuff we talk about that you are against, without fail. I ask for just a few links and you tell me to go read bleacher report. That sucks

Scroll through Bleacher Report. Plenty of articles that might interest you.

Please, provide some links to the owners side of this. Would like to read some of it

I’m starting to look at this season as 1981 that won’t be a split season. If they start around Memorial Day (which means settling by the end of April), I’ll hate it, but I’ll watch. As soon as this season becomes fewer than 100 games, I’m out. Won’t watch, won’t care if the Sox win the World Series. It’ll be a non-season for me. Hopefully they (owners and players) start hearing the fans and they figure it out soon. I’d be very pleased to see some good news this weekend, or Monday.

This dude was a comedian in 2019, now with an unfathomable weight on his shoulders. And god bless every Russian standing against this. They're probably the best hope to end this in a "best case" scenario.

I'm going to create duck duck sox talk. Only real news allowed.

There are exact 13 people who made a $30 million salary last season. There are 42 total who made $20 million or more. At 30 teams of at least 28 major leaguers 798 who didn't fit into your "unimaginable salaries" standard. The players main argument consists of their share of the pie keeps shrinking and they would like some of what they used to have, back again. They don't even want a historically bigger piece of the pie. They are literally still asking for less than they have received in the past. They just want the shrinking to stop, which is exactly what the owners have been offering.

One side made proposals. One never bothered even countering. One side decided to go into a lockout. It’s pretty obvious which side is at fault here.

Here is my top 20 White Sox prospects. I did leave a few off that others have as their age to me drops them down a lot. 1. Norge Vera: the much anticipated stateside debut of Vera will come this summer. While in the DSL Vera showed improved fastball velocity (touching 101 mph) and command while also working on a splitter with Jose Contreras. The improved pitch arsenal and fastball velocity gives Vera easy Ace upside with a floor of an elite closer. However, if he can command the fastball while keeping the velocity late into games and show enough from the secondary pitches then buckle up because he will take off like a rocket. 2. Colson Montgomery: the White Sox's most recent 1st round draft pick will now focus solely on baseball. Much like Tim Anderson, Montgomery's upside will continue to grow as he moves through the system as a pro. His hit tool should improve with more centralized focus on baseball and allow for his power to develop from raw power potential to in game power. The risk the Sox took on a high schooler should pay off down the road for them. 3. Oscar Colas: don't sleep on Colas as many of the experts seem to be doing. Colas has had a long journey to just make it to the Sox. He began in Cuba, then minor league ball in Japan before finally getting a taste of the big leagues there while playing for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. His hit tool and power were on display as he hit 11 HR and batted .302 in the minors in 66 games and had 1 HR while hitting .278 through 7 games for the bug league club. What stands out between his time in Japan and now, is his dedication and work ethic to transform his body from an overweight-esque physique to a much more toned and muscular build. If he can stay that driven about improving his game stateside, he could quickly move up this list and through the minors. The rust that has surely built up from not having played a games in 2+ years is really the only thing that is holding him back from stardom. 4. Jake Burger: there is no one who deserves to be here more. Either by sheer perseverance or skill, Burger missed 3+ seasons because of a couple torn achilles and the pandemic but he still managed to prove there is a legit mlb caliber player ready to star. Burger hit .274 with 18 HR at AAA and looked comfortable hitting .263 with 1 HR over 15 games in the bigs. He is only going to get better with further health and time to actually hone his skills. I fully believe if the Sox ever trade him or man up and give him a playing time, he is a .275 hitter with 25+ HR potential. 5. Jose Rodriguez: the White Sox were pretty aggressive with Rodriguez this past season and he answered the challenge with ease. Rodriguez showed a nice power/speed combo early at low A, then he proved it was no fluke at A+. The Sox then quickly promoted him to AA at the end of the season for a handful of games. Over the entire season he hit .301 with 14 HR and 30 SB's. Depending on how the Sox's 2B situation looks like in September, Rodriguez could be pushing for a call up to the bigs if he hits similar to 2021. 6. Wes Kath: there is a lot to like about Kath and he will have to start showing it this season to stay this high on the list. Big power potential with a potential above average hit tool are in the cards for him of he can tap into his raw power. He didn't show much from his time at rookie ball but the tools are there for this high school product that the Sox took a chance on in the 2nd round of the 2021 MLB draft. His bat flip game is already off the charts 7. Yoelqui Cespedes: many sites and podcasts have stated that his calling card was his power, but that didn't show up in his stateside debut as he clubbed 8 HR's in 72 games, which isn't bad but definitely not "calling card" worthy. What was squarely on display was his base stealing acumen (18 SB's) and his bat (.288 average over A+ and AA). Maybe the power will show more in 2022, but with his smaller stature I'd bank on his power being capped some and his ceiling being a Michael Taylor type player. 8. Matthew Thompson: Thompson comes in at number 8 because of his potential upside. His era in 2021 looks bad, but it was much better when looking deeper. His numbers after his months-long IL stint were much better than before the injury. He posted 9 games of 3 runs or fewer after the injury with five 0-1 run games. What stands out to me is his ability and willingness to use/command the breaking ball. 9. Romy Gonzalez: I think the organization was blindsided by how good Romy was last season. Romy hit a meager .244 with 4 HR's and 11 SB's at A ball in 2019 before missing a full developmental year because of the pandemic. In 2021 he burst onto the scene as a legit power/speed guy, between AA and AAA Romy hit 24 HR's while batting .283 and stealing 24 bases. Barring another 2B signing or trade by the White Sox, Romy could be in contention with Jake Burger and Leury Garcia for playing time on opening day. If he does manage to stand out, it will most likely come from his power and approach to the opposite field driving his numbers. 10. Luis Mieses: what does easy power and good contact get you, 15 HR, a .270 average over low A and A+, and a top 10 spot on this list. As his plate discipline and pitch recognition get better he should get to even more of that effortless power. 20-25 homeruns in a season or two seem to be the correct power progression. 11. Bryan Ramos: at only 19, Ramos was one of the younger players to start at Low A in 2021. His youth was not a detriment as he held his own over the entirety of the season by hitting .244 with 13 HR and 13 SB. The stolen bases most likely will fade down to 0 as he exits low A and their baserunner friendly rules, but the power could develop nicely with the bat. 12. Tanner McDougal: drafted out of high school in the 5th round of the 2021 MLB draft, McDougal only appeared in 5 games before needing Tommy John surgery. During his brief time in rookie ball, McDougal was showing a real knack for striking batters out with 17 K's in 9.2 innings. Look to 2023 for McDougal to show off the high spin rate slurve and mid 90's fastball. 13. Andrew Dalquist: command, command command. If Dalquist can increase his command with a higher strike % (58% in 2021) and a lower walk rate (6.1 BB/9), then there might be some real potential here. Dalquist was drafted out of highschool in 2019 so this past season was his first real taste of pro baseball, if this past season was mostly rust then watch for him to start making waves. 14. Wilfred Veras: stepping into rookie ball in Arizona without having ever played in the DSL because of COVID, Veras held his own and then some by hitting. 322 with 4 HR. At 6'2", 180 pounds and only 19 years old, there is plenty of growth and power projection still to come for Veras. The big factor that may be the make or break point for him is the strikeout numbers (~23%). If he can manage to drop the K rate to below 20% then his power and bat could be shining bright on the south side in a few years. 15. Jared Kelley: Kelley had a rough 2021 season marred by trips to the IL in the middle of summer. Very raw still with a potential plus fastball and plus change-up. A move to the bullpen might be a possibility if he cannot develop a breaking pitch to throw hitters off the straight stuff. He would land higher on this list if not for the lack of a strong breaking breaking ball. 16. Yolbert Sanchez: one of the few older prospects to make the list. Yolbert has his age knocking him down as he played at A+ being 24. He will be 25 once the season begins with only 39 games above A+ to his record. A good hit tool against much younger competition is fine but doesn't really do much to show the true skill that is or is not there. Yolbert will really have to come out on fire once the season begins to stay as a relevant prospect. 17. Victor Quezada: keep this name on your radar as he could start getting noticed on industry prospect lists as this next season progresses. Quezada is said to have big power and was one of the more recent signings that illustrated the White Sox's plan of going after power bats. Marco Paddy said of Quezada "Big-time power, very impressive to find in a young guy." This next season should provide the chance for Quezada to show the power and bat when he gets stateside at rookie ball. 18. Erick Hernandez: don't fall for the Juan Soto comparisons, the real takeaway from that is his ability to control the bat through the zone like Soto and hit the ball to all fields. Hernandez is still very raw as a 16 year old and has much to work on. If he can show progression with the bat over the next few seasons then the Sox would have done well with this signing. (No video) 19. Dario Borrero: Marco Paddy had this to say about Borrero, “He’s going to have a lot of power. The intriguing thing about him is he can hit line-to-line. He handles pitchers, goes the other way when he has to, reads the breaking ball very well. He’s a very impressive kid. You normally don’t see Venezuelan players that tall with that kind of swing, being left-handed.” Unfortunately, Borrero missed the majority of the DSL after a hot start due to an undisclosed injury. I am most excited about seeing what he can do once healthy and stateside. (No Video) 20. Benyamin Bailey: Bailey is a few seasons ahead of the younger guys on this list, but went through the same path. The reason Bailey winds up below the others though is the lack of production stateside. Bailey hit .193 with 4 HR's over 61 games between rookie ball and low A. He will need to drastically cut down his K rate (30%) in order to tap into his raw power and boost his batting average.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/zips-2022-top-100-prospects/ I think we'd all prefer to be on a scout top 100 but interesting nonetheless. ZiPs:" To make a long story short, ZiPS is a computer system that attempts to turn an avalanche of data into a player projection. (The Z stands for Szymborski, because I didn’t realize in 2003 that this project would be useful enough that I’d need to think of a good name.) I like to think that I’ve developed a pretty useful tool over the years, but don’t get me wrong: a projection system is not even remotely a substitute for proper scouting. While ZiPS and other systems like it can see patterns in the data that can be hard for humans to extract, humans have their own unique tricks." the system likes Jose Rodriguez (80s) and Bryan Ramos (the first unranked player, at 20). It, as it says above, is interesting. I think for all of us we've been frustrated with the idea that these guys could be so productive, at levels more advanced than their age, consistently - but rarely get any mentions. This at least lets us know that yes, their production is noteworthy for those reasons. But its a lot of work left to do.

I mean, yeah. I've passed up two separate jobs where I'd have been paid probably $20K-$50K more than what I'm currently making so I can stay in my industry, so I get it. You also said "any amount", so either you're moving the goal posts now or you were lying earlier.

I think it's time we look at these companies and start forcing all of them to pay better. We're worried about guys getting only $600,000. How about we start there but look at the Walmarts, Amazons, and other companies paying shit wages? We need a surge of unions to start rebuilding a middle class.

How many of us work in a field where you have one option for employment or starve?

I am "rooting" for this thing to get settled and don't care who is perceived to be the winner. If you would actually read my postings I have said repeatedly that I hope the minimum is increased substantially so I have no ax to grind with the newbie. I don't favor a fast track for free agency and I want my management to spend money prudently. By prudently I mean that money wasted today will not be available tomorrow. I have also expressed a preference for creating a team minimum payroll (my example was $70M) as I think it would improve parity as opposed to raising the current CBT which will IMO further disparity between teams. Lastly, I think higher pay for minor leaguers is very justified but is not part of this contract negotiation. It is just brought into the discussion to make the millionaire/billionaire argument seem more out of balance.

I guess its not the worst sign ever that we haven't gotten a tweet that they've stopped talking for the day

Poppysox opinion that he would have played for a living wage back in the day, is not a lie. Actually that was the rule rather than the exception until perhaps the 1970's. Pete Ward lived in Bridgeport and walked to the ballpark to play for the WSox. Generally speaking, for most players it was more about the game than the money back in the day. Perhaps the pendulum has swung a bit too far now where , for some players, it is all about fame and fortune.

What would be the point? Can you read?

This remark is so incredibly stupid I'll let it go and just consider the source.

Does Bleacher Report still post fan articles, or do they have reputable writers posting content now?

I didn’t threaten to move to Nashville…I actually fucking did it. And trust me, going to a Sounds games is not anywhere near as rewarding as going to a Sox game.

Lauren Witzke, the Delaware GOP's candidate for Senate in 2020, has nothing but praise for Putin and "his Christian nationalist nation": "I identify more with Putin's Christian values than I do with Joe Biden."

Jimbo having a rough time on the twitters last few days lol. Probably trying to make people forget about his flip flop from November to yesterday

That said, there is a reason why these businesses keep appreciating at incredible rates, and it isn't because they bleed cash.

I think RF and SP should be the priority. I think a 2B should be added, but we don’t need to blow a huge chunk of resources on the position.

Jose Abreu is making almost $17 million this year, and is set to push his career earnings to $100 million next year. He also opted out of his earlier contract because it didn't pay him as much as he could potentially make through arbitration. I don't think he is the guy you want to hold up as someone playing for any amount of money.

I'm not gonna lie, the Braves financial report isn't as impressive to me as I expected.

Scab may have not been the right word. Shill perhaps is more apt.

The MLBPA must really love the owners going out to the press and accusing them (dishonestly) of bad faith. I'm sure that really helps when they sit down.

I can deal with anything but Kars for Kids.

The lack of SP depth in our AA/AAA levels is just absolutely disturbing. For all the warrented excitement over the stars our INTL program have found, and finally progress in position player depth out of that area, it is astounding that 9 years in - with all the random variability that happens with pitchers suddenly finding velo or stuff - that we have zero, zip, nada in terms of a decent pitching prospect from intl that has made it past single-A. I think Greensox is exactly right above. This system will likely do better than we thought in different ways than we thought. But the problem with the early 00s was those guys being on completely different timelines than the major league team. Burger to me is still nice depth, he hit the shit out of the ball, and based on his history he maybe can cut down on Ks with experience. But otherwise, what this system currently lacks: - Dominant defender - fortunately we have Engel for 40 games. No outfielder or infielder that we could point to with excellent MLB ready defensive skills that maybe could find a bat. - Viable Control-based college pitchers - cleveland has roughly 600 of these guys, with confidence their system will gain them velo and voila biebers. Be wary of Pilkington - Contact-approach hitters - just a ton of players trying to find enough power to justify their k-rates - Athleticism - thank goodness for Colson. But part of this is I can't remember the last college player drafted by the sox with anything other than gritty pitchability and corner outfield profiles. With this system I'd definitely have maxed out my INTL budget with volume, and I'd move off of the draft strategy of 2 top 50 targets and 18 250-1000 guys, personally