Look at Ray Ray Run

Yeah, but if the White Sox win the World Series and Jose Abreu plays a big part, that will be far more enjoyable for me - that he got to experience and contribute to something he dedicated time and effort into - than a revolving door of players that fans gain zero connection with over an extended period of time. You also evaded my question. Would you have enjoyed that moment and memory as much had it been achieved by a revolving door of first baseman over the previous decade?

4 WAR at one position, is far more valuable than 4-5 WAR between two positions. I'll also take the over on Moncada's STEAMER projection assuming health.

So your White Sox memories pertain to the team and not the players? Interesting take. If you replaced Paul Konerko every year with a player of similar production but a different name, you don't think that would have made the 2005 World Series less enjoyable? I absolutely think that it would have. Part of the enjoyment of fanhood is seeing a guy like Konerko dedicate his career to the city and organization, and come up big on the biggest stage in the biggest moment. Would the grand slam have felt as awesome had it been hit by a rotating 1st base piece? I would say no. Part of the joy came from seeing a guy I followed for a decade - a guy whose loyalty, community interaction, and class were second to none - succeed in the biggest moment for a team he did so much for. My memories of the game revolve around player accomplishments, not ownership moves.

And furthermore; If Yoan Mocada, Giolito, Kopech, Anderson, and Luis Robert are 200-300+ million dollar players - with Vaughn and Mad at 100-200+ - then the White Sox are fielding a historically great team.

No, I wouldn't entertain any trade for the 24 year old franchise cornerstone entering the contention window. You realize prospects aren't guaranteed successes, right? The fact that the Sox hit homeruns on all their big trades was as much luck as it was skill/evaluation. That doesn't typically happen. There have been countless stars traded for complete crap over the last 2 decades of baseball.

Yes, the Sox very clearly signed these FA's to deals that were 3-4 years in length knowing that some of the core will be set to be paid at that point. They have a plan to retain. Odds that every player the Sox have becomes a 200+ million dollar star really isn't all that high. If that does happen, then this team won multiple WS or made multiple trips, generating plenty of revenue for the organization to retain those guys.

Robert and Eloy aren't even something you need to worry about for 7 years. Yoan is due to get paid in 3-4 years. Those windows really don't effect each other much, as some other big salaries are coming off the books at that 4 year point. The key for the White Sox is continued development on the farm - replacing some higher end FA's with cost effective youth - which will allow them to retain anyone of their core.

Jerry has given me zero reason to think he would not retain a star player. He hasn't kept every single one of them, but he has rewarded his own more than he has not.

I mean, he has been a guess hitter his whole life. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a guess hitter; some of the best hitters in MLB history were guess hitters. Thomas was a classic guess hitter - which is why he was off-balance so often on those ass out, flip to right field knocks. Thomas was so good that he could adjust when he was off and keep his hands back, but he's one of the best hitters in MLB history and he was a guess hitter. Abreu is another guess hitter, although his hands aren't as good as Thomas' so he can look even worse on things he's wrong on. There are only two types of hitters in MLB baseball; guess hitters and reaction hitters. There are successes and failures for each. Edit: I also don't love the term "guess hitter." Theyir guesses are based on trends and tendencies that they study. They're technically "guessing" but they're educated guesses. Also, you can be a guess hitter who is better at identifying balls and strikes - like Thomas - so you don't see as many dreadful swings on balls way out of the zone like Jose.

I'm going to get really aggressive with this projections, but I see: 305/355/605

White Sox haven't even made the playoffs yet, and fans are having in-depth discussions about trading a 24 year old budding Superstar to get younger unproven players. Someone please make it stop.

Yeah, I'd say it might even end up being 60 million. With the way the luxury tax number has escalated YOY, by the time the Sox have to pay them they'd still have a payroll 30-40 million under the tax figure. If the team is winning, the tax figure should mean nothing as the team should still generate revenue to offset that cost. If they lose a few million for a few years, who gives a shit? They just netted 80+ million dollars last year on a shit roster and a shit product. They have made endless amounts of money for decades.

SMH

The Sox absolutely can afford every single young player they have if they want to. The Sox payroll today is still well below the average and median league payroll. The Sox could extend Giolito and Moncada at market rates and still have a payroll well below the luxury tax line. I'm not being unrealistic. The game has record revenues, and you're concerned about the owners checkbook more than the fans enjoyment and desires. What a sad way to be a fan. Jerry Reinsdorf could lose 30 million dollars a year over the next 10 years and he still would have made over 1.2 billion dollars on the White Sox.

Yeah, the Cubs shouldn't be trading Bryant. The fact that you think they should, while generating elite revenue levels, in the name of saving a couple tax dollars over the next three years is absolutely hilarious. If you don't want to invest in the best in the business, then you shouldn't be in the business.

I'd take it a step further and ask, why the heck are we comparing the White Sox to the Indians, and why do we want White Sox ownership to act like the cheap ass Indians? Indians likely could have won a World Series if they stopped sitting on their damn wallet, and actually invested in the on the field product. Some Sox fans are envious of teams like the Indians and Rays. Who the hell wants to be a fan of a team that has a revolving door of players and talent. Part of being a fan is gaining a connection to players and people. Excusing ownership for being cheap has always baffled me.

It's truly amazing. Some fans will carry water for Reinsdorf as if it's their money, and as if Reinsdorf is dumpster diving on the weekends. If Moncada becomes a Superstar, and the White Sox lose him because they don't want to pay him I will be the first person lighting up ownership. They just spent 6 years not spending money or trying to win. The point was to gain flexibility and retain pieces that matter in the future. If they're not going to reinvest into their assets they acquired by not spending money, then the fans were simply fleeced by the organization and misled with complete garbage.

Because the Cubs are complete morons?

1. No, it's not the new reality at all. It's only the new reality if you want to accept billionaires crying poor with unprecedented revenue gains year over year going on a decade! 2. The Red Sox and Cubs should be flat out EMBARRASSED that they are crying poor and potentially moving on from two HOF caliber players. Absolutely embarrassed. 3. Please stop with your nonsense. This is nauseating to read. Absolutely amazing to watch fans carry weight for ownership groups and their propagandist bullshit pertaining to player salaries and paying your guys what they're worth. If you can't afford to keep one of the best employees in your market, then you should get out of the game. Period.

You literally say right here that if they havent extended him by year 4, they need to trade him. What the hell has happened to baseball fanhood? The White Sox aren't poor and if they become more successful, they'll be one of baseballs most profitable franchises. There is zero excuse for the White Sox to lose their best player due to financial limitations and any fans promoting that as OK, or good strategy, has absolutely lost their mind and way ad a fan. I love data. I love analytics. I love the implementation of it in baseball. I absolutely hate the fans that view every single thing transacationally and excuse front offices and ownership groups for not ponying up when the time comes. I'm a white sox fan. I love watching Yoan Moncada play. I dont excuse or accept the team I am rooting for trading a star in the name of maximizing return under the guise that we "can't afford him." Its a joke and I'll never ever accept ownership telling me I can only have nice things for 6 years. This conversation is laughable. Theres no excuse for it.

Why are you dopes talking about trading Moncada? What is wrong with you people?

This has nothing to do with paying a player more in an arbitration type process because he brings intangibles. You said the problem with a value being set with metrics is players wont be paid for things you cant measure. Players already aren't paid for those things in an arbitration process, so it's irrelevant.

This is not perceived value.

Not sure what this means, but perceived value has nothing to do with how people are paid.

It cracks me up, because I do care about personalities and I like to fill my department with people who I value tangibly and intangibly, but my personal opinion of them doesn't make them "more valuable" on the open market nor does it make them more valuable to my CEO. I'm not anti-intangible, I just think people attach these absurd monetary values on them when value is driven by skills and production and not opinion or thought.