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Mariners are making a deal but it’s not with White Sox. I’m guessing for a bat. Maybe Minnesota

Seattle is still going to sign whit and trade him in a cease deal lol

what a pud

If Manfred likes it, I'm not sure what to think.

Nor will Soros at Davos.

Except you don't speak for all Southsiders. I, a Bridgeport resident, rarely partake in tailgating. If there were more options at the park, I would probably partake of those even on non game days while those parking lots sit empty, contributing absolutely nothing to the surrounding neighborhood.

Having seas of parking lots, it's quite reminiscent of Kauffman and Arrowhead together right off two interstates. Great for tailgating, but terrible from an "entertainment" standpoint of having any other activities, bars/pubs/restaurants, shopping and office complexes, parks, etc. Just miles of concrete/asphalt. Not exactly visually or aesthetically appealing in any sense.

Why not have some parking lots where you can still do that, but not an entire sea of parking lots? You CAN have both. I think that’s the idea here….

Also, is Cease really that much of an upgrade on Woo that you give up 4 more years of control and prospects when you’re lacking on offense?

Can confirm that 40 degree games in april, typically raining, are miserable. That said, baseball in a dome doesn't feel right.

I think any additional addition via FA will come with Cease being traded with his salary going towards whoever is added. This year seems twofold to me: 1) Getz is clearly trying to reshape this team to be something different. Will his vision be successful? Not this year, but once you jettison Eloy and Moncada’s deals, you are looking at a super low payroll for 2025 that should give him flexibility to add actual impact FA. 2) Obviously payroll is slashed from the last few years, so they probably have it at a point that they can recoup their financial losses with the massive drop in attendance. We all know how Jerry operates, so it is what it is. Im not expecting much for this upcoming season. With the way the draft pick falls outside of the top 10, it’s kind of pointless to root for losses. I just want to see better fundamental play and see some success from anyone who will be around 2025 and beyond.

Little game Lamar Jackson shows up once again in the playoffs. KC and Mahomes didn't score a single point in the scond half and this dude and Baltimore couldn't take advantadge. Bears gotta take Caleb Williams and hope he is 95% as good as Mahomes. These mobile qbs without pocket presence like Fields and Lamar are not how you win super bowls.

Let's go Brandon!

not that I could find, but some snippets There's obviously more in the article, but didn't want to post too much of a paywalled piece.

I wouldn’t like this much if I was a mariners fan

Getz's Whit dreams stay alive...

Yea. That's the understanding I'm lacking from a Mariner's perspective.

Cmon. You mean from Woo’s perspective

I feel like the Mariners it doesn’t unless they deal other prospects instead of arms for Cease and move some of the pitching for cost-controlled hitting.

I enjoy seeing that their fanbase is similarly unenthused about Merrifield. Kindred spirits.

No, I think many people feel the same way.

Woo seems likely to be more valuable over the years than Kjerstad

That's not how that works.

Outdoor baseball can only work in warmer climates like Wrigleyville, Boston, Minneapolis, and Detroit.

What a fast winter. Has a season started with lower expectations? But I can't wait to see some MLB baseball. There is a great opportunity for guys to earn the MLB check. I suspect this will be an interesting spring training.

This is a shocker...glad he's your favorite NASCAR driver.

Chicago mayor

Pay walled articles are easily viewable with a brief Google search, that's how I pulled those quotes out.

Using the hotel tax to cover the facilities doesn’t strike me as the most controversial part of the previous deal - not compared with Reinsdorf taking all of the parking revenue or the taxpayer backstop if his team doesn’t draw enough fans

If he likes it, it probably means it’s a good deal for ownership. What it means for taxpayers or fans is another story.

Not sure I get the hate for the Chiefs. Not caught up in any scandals, and their run is reaching Patriot-type levels in terms of playoff success. I saw Kelce's playoff stats today: 21 games, 156 receptions for 1,810 yards and 19 TD's. Incredible. Unless it's a situation like the Astro's, I have a hard time rooting against historic greatness.

There are late bloomers who have turned into quality players . It actually happens fairly frequently. You need scouting and development people to sometimes reach a player to unlock their potential. Sometimes it's just a matter of paying close enough attention to grab a guy who is finally healthy. Getz in one of his latest interviews talked about how important it is to have "diversity of thought" among his new staff members. I'm not sure what the Sox are going to end up with for Cease. It better not be nothing or significantly less than could be had uptil opening day. They need a strong return not a great return. I'll take the best 3 guys you can get . If those are 2 guys from the Orioles top 5-10 and 1 from their 10-15 so be it. I don't want it thinned out by the last 2 guys being 40 FV guys. I'd prefer 3 position players including at least one LH OF. I figure 3 position players has better odds of one of them being good. I 100 % expect 1 pitcher though when/ if it goes down.

I think, given the public transit availability at Roosevelt and Clark (along with the additional entertainment options in the area), you could get away FAR less parking, but you can still have a good portion of that parking be available to tailgaters.

Yep, especially since they had to salary dump Suarez a few months ago

That seems more confusing to me I will grant.

He was ticketed for long relief on Seattle.

At this point I hope they keep Cease. There's pride involved. I want to have a chance at 55 victories.

I was going to come back and say something similar: wouldn't hate a Varsho trade, just not in a deal for Cease.

The thing that some cub fans do not get is that South Siders like the large parking lots adjacent to the park to meet friends and to tailgate with their own grill, food and beverages. We don't need to jam into bars outside the park before games. Most fans probably choose to head home after long night games. For others there are countless restaurants from Bridgeport to Little Italy to Greektown or out in the suburbs to catch dinner or have a drink later. Wrigley provides a different fan experience which is also fine. They don't have to be the same and they never will be. Enjoy them for what they are.

Plus, if it’s part of a multi-use entertainment district, there’s stuff to do before / after, or in the event it’s too cold / rainy / etc. during the game. Right now, the ballgame is the only thing for most people. Sure, some people (like me) would find stuff to do before / after the game, but for the most part, the way the ballpark is set up in a sea of parking lots, the game is a standalone activity. I suspect that if you turn the ballgame into a centerpiece of a broader outing, it would help draw way more casual fans, as you suggest.

I've been twice with the roof open. Everyone around me was complaining that it was open. Lol

Possibly going into the 1970 season after the disasters on and off the field in 1968 and 1969.

Different, of course - but that's part of what I'm saying; if we concede that Opening Day draws more people and therefore offsets lower attendance during an April timespan, it's irrelevant if that's on 4/1 or 4/16. You have to have an Opening Day; you have to have play other home games in April; attendance is lower in April; why not just try to make the weather potential better wherever possible. Kick the southern teams an extra % or two of the split, etc.

Yeah but my point is the team wasn't opening the rooftop even when it cooled down. It became an issue in the playoffs where the League had to force them to open it up, because otherwise they never would have. It was not 100 degrees by then. Somebody ran the numbers and they only played with the roof open a handful of times the entire summer despite the heat often being well below scorching. The exact circumstances won't be the same in Chicago but my point is retractable roofs are often closed too often when its unnecessary. I think thats bad for baseball.

You're talking about Texas though where you can be playing in 100+ degree weather for a good period of time. Just like in Arizona.

So seems like Mike MacDonald is going to Seattle and Ben Johnson will go to Washington. You never know, but those seem like the best hires of the cycle to me. Which, yes I am the "Harbaugh to bears must happen" guy. I think the "jump the hire" stuff is overrated. Overall though, I'll put a prediction down to paper. Before that, I'll say that 2 years ago I thought the Seahawks would be the worst team in football, and they made the playoffs. Then I thought the bucs this year would be the worst team in football, and they made the 2nd round of playoffs. In both cases, they had strong executive teams who were vouching for players and coaches that I thought were past their prime/were propped up by other players. Licht/Schneider are the goods. Who I think will succeed: Harbaugh - while it may not be in year 1, I can see a situation where he "gets the band back together" and finds they don't work well in modern nfl. But I trust harbaugh's desire to win first and foremost - he will find a set of coaches and schemes that get that team going. (Assumed HC) Mike Macdonald - This guy was an incredible this year vs specifically the NFC west. He helped turn around Harbaugh's career at Umich. Him paired with Schneider and the Seattle FO seems like a strong match. Ben Johnson - the pairing of him + GM seems strong. They have a clean slate to work with and a consistently mid-division. I COULD see him torpedoed by their first round QB maybe busting but overall I think he should be strong. Raheem Morris - I think he's a good coach, and I am going against my own hunch that the Falcons FO is bad. They did a good job in FA last year shoring up the D. They have drafted some good players and put together a good oline. THey had a coach that kept saying "no this QB will work" and it not working. I think they are bad, but I also thought it was crazy Tampa wasn't firing Jason LIcht after so many coaching mess-ups. SO this is me going against myself. WHo I think is more likely to fail: Canales - If a strong FO can get more out of the staff, this is me saying I don't believe that they have one, even with a business guy from KC. The owner seems like a problem. I like Canales though, but boy that seems like a lot to manage for a younger HC. Callahan - It MAY have been Vrabel pushing to keep going for it that made the first year look so meh, but I just don't like a lot of what was done last year with the team. I think this is going to be a really strong coaching class though. If I'm wrong, I'd guess I'm wrong with Morris and Callahan, where the titans like make the playoffs behind Callahan's brilliant work with Levis. And that Carthon starts stacking talent a la his time in SF. You definitely starting to see the Dan Campbell effect in coaching hires, where more ARE looking for big leaders rather than the hot QB coach.

So we're nearing Feb. 1. After that it's just hours before pitchers and catchers report. OK a few days. But my point is, quietly the offseason is about over. The Sox did absolutely nothing to improve the team. So my question to you is, "What's going on?" This is almost unprecedented. The Sox usually do something in the offseason. All of a sudden it's assumed Sox are flat out of cash and have no room to acquire anybody. Weird way to sell tix if they care at all about that. Good luck to the TV contract people. Who is going to watch this product this year? Not me.

This is a sad sad place some times. Caulfield is a great Sox fan. He wants to help and has ideas and is brave enough to share his ideas with us jerks he knows will scorn him and laugh at his ideas because we can't express ourselves in any other way than short chaotic bursts of sarcastic derision like cavemen grunting. Caulfield I think the mistake you are making is thinking the Sox actually want to compete quickly like Jerry told us. I, too, at first thought trying to get younger established high floor guys with control was more of a sure thing and the Sox could use more tradable assets. So early on in the Cease trade talks I suggested getting a controllable younger player who had already had a good year or 2. After all the Sox are so bad every avenue we turn seems like a dead end. So I figured try to get mix of a tradable controlled player and a prospect for Cease. I forgot the young controllable guy I wanted in return but it wasn't seen by the vocal majority as a good idea. We saw first hand how even the best prospects are extremely inconsistent in this organization or get injured. We think it's JRs fault for not hiring good scouts and development people and we probably are right . It also could be true that the Sox could be experiencing what other teams do with injuries and inconsistencies of many prospects. But what other choice do we have than to cling to the idea that Cease is a rare commodity worthy of the high asking price as recently described in a fangraphs article ? Getting top prospects is still viewed as the only way of actually getting in a strong position to be truly competitive again at least in recent competent organizations like the Astros, Tampa Bay, Orioles, Cubs Diamondbacks. Despite the way the rebuild crashed and burned, a bad organization like the Sox managed to get to the playoffs for 2 consecutive years for the 1st time in the franchise history. Those were exciting times and the glitter of top prospects is so very shiny until the corrosion sets in. The currently deceased rebuild showed us how destructive that corrosion can be when those prospects don't pan out. The corrosion is the nature of prospects, bad development, a bad organization , bad luck. Right now it could be all of those things combined. That makes for a very angry, divided, and confused fan base. Getz isn't calling it a rebuild because his boss says we want to compete as fast as we can . That's the excuse JR made for hiring Getz. Hit the ground running. A new guy from outside the organization will take time to learn everything Getz already knows. The scary thing is we can't yet get a handle on what Getz is doing for the future of the franchise. Everything he's done so far seems to be based on improving the current rosters defense and pitching at the expense of hitting . The only thing is it's all very temporary based on creating tradable pitching pieces out of the cheapest arms he could find. How could that go wrong ? It has very little chance of succeeding but that's how desperately the Sox need more guys who can brings in prospects . Getz knows it's a rebuild and he has to start from a terrible roster while Hahn got to start with a mediocre roster. Getz and the Sox are fucked if Cease or Robert start showing that same Sox corrosion that tarnished Giolito, Moncada , Eloy, Vaughn, Kopech and others. He's also fucked if he can't magically create some tradable pitching assets using defense and his staff to create something out of mostly nothing's. This is one high level SNAFU where nobody has the right answers and all ideas are inherently bad because the Sox haven't shown us that they are capable of running a Tampa Bay like organization that stresses low cost high level development of prospects , or do much of anything else right. This is everything we are getting from the fan base now. 1. We actually are expecting too much for Cease. 2. Cease is worth the high asking price but settle and trade him because something is better than nothing. 3. Start the season with Cease . Hold out for the best trade you can make by counting on a healthy and very good Cease. No further corrosion allowed . Cease will be shiny again. 4. Trade Robert ASAP before he turns into a pumpkin . Sell high before his shiny season gets Sox corrosion. 5. Robert, Jr. is too good to get what he is now truly worth based on his 1 healthy breakout season. Hold him for another year when he'll the model of health and a glorious vision of a shiny nice thing . 6. Getz is doing great. We might be able to win this crappy division if a few things fall our way. I like this new idea of speed, pitching and defense. f*** the HR , give me more Go Go Sox/ Royals championship baseball ! 7. We are going to be really bad in 2024. What the f*** is Getz doing ? He hasn't done one thing yet, as far as player transactions , go to improve the future. 8. Hope the Sox are just good enough in the 1st half of 2024 to actually trade half the pitching staff ,Moncada, Robert and Eloy for more prospects. We are a really traumatized fan base who finally realized that rebuilding with JR in charge is doomed to fail but now have to rebuild with JR still in charge hoping for more shiny happy prospects that can make us shiny, happy fans again... until the corrosion...