SoxBlanco

The trade really can’t be evaluated for a few years. If Rutherford pans out, it was a solid trade.

Absolutely. I know this is far fetched, but if we woke up tomorrow to the headline, "White Sox sign Harper to record breaking 10 year, $480 million deal", I would be instantly excited. No part of me would be upset that we spent too much.

Good post. I'm sold. Let's offer that to him tomorrow.

In your scenario, why would Harper leave when we are just starting to get good and will probably be even better as our young guys get more experience? Especially when there is so much money potentially left on the table in those middle years of the 10 year deal.

They wouldn't. How about an offer of 10/400 that looks something like this... 45, 40, 40, 55, 50, 40, 50, 30, 25, 25 ...with opt outs after years 3 and 6?

Or you could do 10/400 and structure it in a way where the last 4 or 5 years have a low per year salary. Front load the hell out of it so that you are not completely overpaying for declining years, but still give 400 million so that the player is taking the most overall amount (assuming 400 would be the highest bid).

Have they? I assumed they were batting him lead-off to maximize the amount of at-bats he would get in a rebuilding year. Then when they have an idea of what kind of hitter he is, they will slot him in the proper spot.

It’s also insane how much money Harper would bring back to the Sox in terms of season tickets, jerseys, etc. If I could guarantee we get him for $410 right now, I’d take it in a heartbeat.

So will it take 75 million more or 100/125 million more?

I’m sure this has been discussed before, but remind me how Machado’s position factors into all of this. Is he only willing to play SS? Would we want to sign him with the understanding that he’d be playing 3B? Or is all of that still up in the air?

Ding ding ding. We have a winner.

How does the AFL compare to A+ ball in terms of quality of pitching?

Where does he start this year?

I’m saying 15% for Harper and 28% for Machado. That would mean we have a 38.8% chance of landing at least one of them.

This is the best post of the entire thread. Well done.

Agreed. Cheers!

I'm not trying to spin anything, and I agree with what you are saying, but I'm just stating what I think the tweet meant. I wouldn't have worded it like that myself, but that's what I think he meant. Do you really think Corbin is a higher priority than Machado/Harper?

The original post is saying he is the top priority "so far". It does not mean we are not going after Machado/Harper.

Agreed. But some people are saying they won't choose to play here even if we offer the most money because they don't want to play for a losing team. So how about we offer the most money AND show them we are ready to start competing? You have to try everything in your power to lure them here, even if it only slightly improves your chances.

Except now we have a good farm system with players that can come up and supplement the roster. If Corbin is only a #3/#4 type pitcher, I have no problem with him being in the middle of a rotation with guys like Rodon, Kopech, Lopez, Cease, Dunning, Giolito, etc. (even if he is getting ace money). Then you try for another big name guy next year and the year after through free agency or trade.

I look at it like this: The number one priority is obviously signing Machado/Harper. Therefore, you do everything in your power to improve your chances. If it doesn't work and those two big fish sign elsewhere, is Corbin's contract really going to hurt us? We will still have a low payroll.

How about signing Corbin in order to improve your chances of landing Machado/Harper?

Key phrase is "so far". Right now, he is the top priority. Sign him, and then it becomes easier to get Machado because you have shown you aren't messing around.

If everyone stays injury free moving forward, could Kopech, Cease, and Dunning all be in the rotation at the start of the 2020 season? Or did Dunning's timeline move back a little with his injury? I can't remember how many innings he has put up the past couple of seasons. (obviously they would have to stay healthy AND be pitching well, but I'm just asking about their timelines more than anything)

If they spend 100+ million on Corbin, I think the odds of getting Harper or Machado stay the same. Actually, the odds might even slightly increase.