Sarava

I remember hearing that the Sox wanted Devers in that trade and Dombowski put his foot down and said no. I thught it was to be a third player after Moncada/Benintendi & Kopech.

Moncada is younger than Zack, yet he is 2-2.5 years ahead of him in his development. Moncada also had a taste of the show before the Sox acquired him, which may or may not of pushed them to move faster with him. Ultimately it only matters if the Sox give Zack a chance or not. A lot of baseball people say he sucks at catching and needs a position change. So does that leave him as a man without a position? Where does he go and how does that fit in the White Sox plans? Or do they think he can stick at catcher? A lot of questions. Lastly - trading a guy does not automatically mean you are giving up on him. The Sox have a great need for a right fielder and a starting pitcher. Some of these might be better filled via trade than free agency. You have to give to get.

I think all of this is tbd. He never tore up the minor leagues like our other big prospects all did at one point or another. If the Sox go out and get crazy and sign Gerrit Cole for example - I would understand if they felt they didn't have enough to trust Zack and traded him. If you make a big splash in free agency, it's go time. His track record during his time with the Sox organization doesn't really lead anyone to think he will be a regular positive contributor to a potential World Series team. That doesn't mean it won't change, but I would understand if the Sox move him in a deal towards improving at RF or SP.

They better not send a core prospect like Madigral out unless Betts comes signed (which wont happen). I have this nightmare thing in my head where we send Madigral to them. He becomes a star. Then Betts signs back with Boston next year.

Moncada seems to get a lot of little injuries. I'd be concerned that would get worse if he's in RF diving for balls and running in to outfield walls. IMO if the Sox want to spend 250 mil, spend it on Cole.

This is the guy to sign if the Sox really want to win a World Series. Nobody else available will be even close to as valuable as Cole.

If Hahn and JR do their jobs this winter, I would pick the Sox to win the division as well. This team is stacked with raw talent.

I can't imagine the Marlins wanting to do that trade.

I was more getting at acquiring a has-been after his prime (Shields) as KW did over and over during his tenure as GM.

If you miss the good free agent pitchers, you don't just settle for garbage. You go to plan B and explore the trade market.

I've been saying for a while that Wheeler will be the most sought after free agent this winter. They're going to be competing with teams like the Yankees and Astros. The Sox need to bring a big offer early.

Well there's only 2 guys in free agency that really are TOR. So, if you can't sign Cole or Strasburg, Wheeler is probably the next best get. If the Sox signed Wheeler, I'd probably look at him as our #2 behind Giolito, until proven otherwise.

It's hard to know what is his fault or not his fault. It felt before the rebuild started that Hahn was restricted, or like his hands were tied. For instance, the Tatis Jr. trade smells like a KW move now, just like it did then. Ultimately we're not in the front office and who knows what the truth is. I will say I've liked the trades that launched the rebuild, so I'm willing to let this rebuild play out and see how Hahn does. This winter is incredibly important. The free agent market has it's limitations, but that doesn't mean he can't swing some trades if things aren't there to sign. I'm expecting the Sox to look like a playoff caliber team by February/March, and if they aren't, that will largely be on Rick Hahn.

I would be incredibly disappointed if Keuchel is the best SP they landed this off-season. They need to not screw this winter up (again).

Right. Giving 4th outs to the other team is usually a good idea *rolls eyes*

Personally I'd leave Moncada alone. He is blossoming in to an elite player - there's no need to mess with him. The idea of moving TA was just as much to get away from his errors at shortstop as it was to fill the hole in the Sox lineup.

Yeah Tim did say that. And the he went on to lead MLB in errors, despite missing almost 40 games. To me it should be an easy decision to move him. You can't keep allowing that many errors to come from your shortstop.

Nothing would improve this team as much as signing Gerrit Cole, but I'll do this assuming the Sox wont spend the cash needed for Cole or Strasburg: * Sign Zack Wheeler (or Madbum as 2nd choice after Wheeler) - 5 years 100 mil * Sign Didi Gregorius to play SS - 2 years 18 mil * Move Tim Anderson to RF * Sign Nick Castellanos to DH - 4 year - 65 mil * Sign any backend risk/reward type of starter you can get for a one year prove-it deal. You mostly only need this guy until Kopech comes back. Rotation would be full with Wheeler, Giolito, Cease, Kopech and Lopez. And Dunning could be coming soon as well. * Fill out pen with an arm or two Obviously Tim would have to be ok with moving to RF. You'd have spring training to get him used to it. He has the arm and athleticism to excel out there, and it could allow Robert to cheat slightly towards LF to cover more ground for Eloy. It's a double win, because you get rid of the crazy amount of errors he makes at SS. Tim's WAR could go through the roof with this move, and he would probably be a far better solution in RF than any free agent the Sox could sign to play out there. For DH - Castellanos might refuse to sign as a DH. Potentially trading for JDM could work just as well. I don't think the Sox would have to give up much of anything to get JDM, given Boston's need to move him and the likelihood they would have few suitors for him.

Not that I expect them to sign Cole. But if they did, they absolutely could win this division. Because they're not going to spend a fortune to sign sign Cole and then leave all the other holes wide open. This team has the potential to get ridiculous and fast.

Gross. Madigral is going to be a good one. If they ever made a stupid trade like that, I'd immediately and forever be on the fire Rick Hahn bandwagon.

I'm not totally against moving Vaughn. I think he's our one big prospect that isn't essential to the rebuild succeeding. That said, I would not move him for Benintendi. That would be a major overpayment IMO.

Wheeler will be the tough one. If I had to bet, I'd say he will be the free agent with the most teams interested in him. Everyone needs pitching and most cant afford Cole or Strasburg. He's the next prize.

Probably a similar need, given the Sox had the worst DH numbers in the AL.

Something along the lines or Lopez for Schwarber might interest me. Especially if it means the Sox would unload the money truck on starting pitching.

I'd love that. I'd just be shocked if Strasburg actually leaves the Nats. I don't think we should look at that as anything but highly unlikely (like less than a 1% chance).