Look at Ray Ray Run

Nonsense. When you have a player like Bryant you should not be outspent to retain him.

Yup; routine benefits starters hell more than the increased inning work load hurts it. Starters arms dont get warm and cold frequently and starters dont need to push through fatigue and discomfort nearly as frequently as a reliever on b2b and 3 in 4 day type cycles. I certainly dont speak for every arm, but this is my understanding based on the pitchers I have played with and feedback from others.

Advanced numbers have always like Anderson, due to his remarkable range, more than traditional defensive metrics. His still needs to cut down on the errors but if he does he's in the 90th+ percentile. His talent is inarguable.

If his arm cant bounce back as a starter theres no guarantee it can bounce back as a reliever.

He did. He was 10th. No gleybar or Tatis. Olney was showing ta some love. Room for further growth and improvement/potential too.

I imagine major = player expected to contribute in a "starting player" type role.

1. Why would donaldson care about divisional pitching? Its likely his final deal. 2. Nats staff is getting old - Mets staff is good but losing Wheeler hurts. That said, the Indians staff isn't far behind (if at all) those teams, and the White Sox could be every bit as good as the Nats over the next 4 years (SP wise) and they should be better than the Phillies. Marlins are brutal as are the Royals. Detroit sucks - NL east doesnt have two bad teams atm. American league in general is, as always, the stronger and more difficult league to succeed in.

Probably AAA, with a few call ups throughout the year if Edwin, Jose, McCann or Grandal get hurt.

That would be a dreadful return for Collins. If you're not finding a team who trusts him as a catcher, might as well wait it out. Stock cant get much worse.

I am starting to think the Sox will hold onto Collins as insurance; it sucks for Collins, but with Edwin and McCann only signed through next year, an opportunity could open up next year for him.

True but I think his current negotiations are driven by that 110 hitter teams remember more than the 3 month surge. He's already being "punished" for it so why not gamble one more year to prove yourself.

I actually think a lot can change. He really only has 2 months as an elite hitter - his time with the cubs. His defensive metrics also "improved" with the cubs. I am skeptical on the defense moreso than the offense. If he goes out and has a 950 ops with adequate defense he's looking at a big payday that could contend with what JD Martinez got. It's a gamble, but it certainly could pay off if the big long term commitments arent there this off season.

Yeah, seems like a net loss for the cubs here and if their payroll situation is so dire that they couldn't add a single dollar, I'm not sure how I shedding some salary opens up the door for a large long term commitment.

I imagine this means it's the last, expected, bigger move. The sox shouldnt be done exploring improvements for the team - I imagine the others just feel more far fetched and less likely.

This cant be real though. The cubs have spent $0 so it's not like they have any real wiggle room. What's the point of moving an expensive piece to acquire another one with deficiencies.

The Rangers never made sense so I believe this. They had too many outfielders. It looks like Castellanos and Ozuna are screwed and should have taken their original multi year deals if they were offered

This doesn't make much sense. I think ricky tends to overuse his good arms if anything.

Yeah, this is why I didnt want to give longer deals to the other guys who signed. Too much volatility in that market and the sox have very high end talent in the RP world in their minor leagues.

I also think if Ozuna or Castellanos market really tanks like I believe is possible, the White Sox may circle back on a shorter deal.

I imagine the only additional moves this team would make would be large, marquee moves, for the future. Likely nothing happens but I imagine rick is still working on that young and controllable front.

This feels like the Astros throwing the red sox under the bus to save face a bit.

Not a bad deal - I didnt love any of the relievers this offseason so I'd rather be committed to one for a shorter period of time. Smith worries me with his age, stammen is just another guy who has ups and downs and is really old. Cishek still has + stuff but his age and injury are of concern... which makes the 1 year pack a good deal. I would have preferred spending the extra money to get an elite arm like Betances.

I honestly don't get your anti-defense bench position. I'd actually be fine with Engel as the 4th outfielder. He could be fine vs lefties with a little positive variance (see last year) and he's a fantastic defender and baserunner. Engel the starter makes me irrationally upset, but Engel as a 4th OF'er is such a perfect fit. This isnt the NL; I've never been a buyer of the power bench bat in the AL. If your regular lineup is talented enough (the Sox is) you don't need some PH masher or hit first player. You need versatile and athletic players who excel defensively and on the bases imo. That's an ideal bench in the modern game.

Which better points to the importance of Bailey here. Reinsdorf likes to see proof in the pudding when it comes to investments. He's comfortable shattering records to non-proven players because he got proven bargains out of Sale and Eaton already; and now Anderson. He's comfortable beating the pack at the tip top of the international market because players like Jose Abreu panned out after he benefited from someone like Alexei. The Sox have been bad in the IFA market and Jerry strikes me as the kind of investor who feels more comfortable once he sees the value of it working. If Bailey can become an MLB regular, or maybe even a star, maybe he starts the transition into more investment in that market.

Bailey needs to be a real prize to get any momentum going in that market, imo. Exciting thing is he has a real shot of being one of the fastest risers in baseball in 2020.