WhiteSox2023

Another fourth outfielder option, if Getz is interested. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/yankees-designate-bubba-thompson-for-assignment.html

Some team is going to have to bite on Cease at $20 million or so for 2 years if a closer can cost 5-years and $95 million.

Greatest analysis ever here — “Mateo (they need a SS)” Apparently the Marlins need an absolutely horrible shortstop. Quick Getz, call the Marlins and see what they will give you for Nicky Lopez! He also thinks the Orioles have a shot at signing Bellinger to a 2-year, $50 million dollar deal.

Yes, I like how almost every proposal is like something out of Madden or The Show. Let me give you the players I don’t need that are either blocked or old and expensive for exactly what my team needs. Maybe throw in Joey Ortiz with Santander and the Marlins will accept! ?

I’m not even going to bother to look at that site but I truly hope their fans aren’t this clueless. A 29 year old Santander making $11.7 million in 2024 is about the last player the Marlins would want included in the return for Luzardo, or any of their players.

Which is worse because Jerry would have even less of a reason to build a competitive team than he does now.

Dirt cheap nostalgia.

I could buy this. Cease is a Boras client as well, but unlike Snell and Montgomery, he’s going to get paid the same over the next two years regardless of what team he’s playing for.

I really doubt the Sox will be including any prospect in any sort of Cease trade.

If we had ownership that knew when to spend money, like the Cubs prior to 2016, I would prefer the long rebuild. But obviously we don’t have that kind of ownership and the draft changes have also hurt that strategy anyways. Either way, quick retool is the way JR and Getz want to do it. We can only watch the likely failure.

I’ve been a Sox fan since the late 80’s. To me, 6 playoff appearances and 1 World Series in 35 years is more prolonged years of losing than years of success. Regardless, we all know what happened with Hahn’s rebuild. Our owner refused to take the next step and sign the big time free agents needed and then decided to bring back the corpse of his best friend and favorite all time manager.

Dealing with “prolonged crappiness” is a trait of every true White Sox fan.

Eloy’s worst year was 2021, but the fact that he has only played in 120 games in 2 out of the 5 total seasons of his career is the biggest issue. I have no idea why Moncada is such a disappointment. He has shown he can play at a high level. Nagging injuries, too much partying, just doesn’t care? No idea what his deal is.

Did the Sox screw up Moncada and Eloy? The only way I think they impacted them was by giving them contract extensions immediately, which may have made them not so worried about performing? Otherwise, neither guy could ever stay healthy from the very beginning. They have to be two of the most injury-prone players in baseball. This is what brought upon most of their downfall. You have to actually play to put up good numbers. When he actually does play, Moncada is supposedly always playing with some sort of malady (bad back, shin splints, etc.) and Eloy could probably manage to tear his ACL while walking his dog.

Wouldn’t this also be an argument for acquiring 24 year old positional prospects from other teams that are ready or near-ready for the majors, since the Sox farm system can’t develop hitters? Ultimately, the Sox will need both pitching and hitting to be competitive again.

Sure, and maybe Getz is targeting guys like this as third or fourth pieces. But I guess it doesn’t matter what we think. Maybe Getz thinks the team can be competitive in faster than 3-4 years, which is why he may target the more finished 24 year old prospects.

Yeah, it had to do with them being injured every other month. What good is a productive player if they can’t stay healthy? And when one of those guys is a DH and still can’t stay healthy… I seem to remember that Cease was considered less risky from an injury perspective than Kopech because he already had TJ surgery before the draft. Kopech had the monster arm but it was obvious he was going to pay for it eventually.

I wouldn’t want Westburg as the headliner in a Cease trade but I’d take him as a second piece. Sure, I wish he was a bit younger and his service time wasn’t already started but if he started at 2B for the Sox in 2024 and tears it up, you could always deal him for prospects as well. We also wouldn’t have to watch 500 wretched at bats by Nicky Lopez.

Sure, but that’s partly because our ownership is cheap so our GM immediately gave them both “cheap” contract extensions knowing that would be the only way he would retain them long-term, but it was also before he knew how prone they were to injury and how the guaranteed money would, ummm, not exactly motivate them going forward? Regardless of how you view Moncada and Eloy, they each made the majors and had a successful season or two. If you have faith that the Sox of all teams are going to pick out the right 20 year old A ball prospects that are for sure to make the majors and be successful, you are more of a gambler than I am.

So the Orioles put it out there that Getz’s price is too high?

Moncada and Eloy actually made it to the big leagues though. Picking from among much younger prospects and they may end up being guys that never even make the majors.

One reason is that there is more risk with younger prospects that don’t have consecutive years of success in the minors. Guys like Kjerstad and Westburg are obvious targets. Do you have any faith that the Sox of all teams would actually pick the right younger prospects with any percentage of success?

Nicky Lopez was a top Royals prospect because he could actually hit in the minors, to go along with his good glove. His career minor league line is .296/.379/.403/.782. Similar to Madrigal, the slappy slap game works in the minors but not in the MLB. Lopez has now had plenty of time in the majors (5 seasons) and has proven he just can’t hit well in the bigs, which is obvious from his .249/.312/.319/.631 career MLB line. Westburg is 24 and had a career minor league line of .278/.371/.506/.877. He may actually have HR power in the majors, unlike Lopez who has zero. Westburg only has a total of 208 career MLB at bats. While his 208 rookie at bats were mediocre, it was still better than anything Lopez has done recently, and he still has the opportunity to improve. It is far too early to make the assumption that Westburg couldn’t be a big upgrade/difference maker over the pathetic Nicky Lopez, who is the acquisition equivalent of burning $4.3 million dollars in your fireplace for this current Sox team. I do agree that I would rather acquire someone younger than Westburg whose service time hasn’t already started in any Cease trade.

This is what I think. JR just wants the huge boost in franchise value that an agreement to build a new stadium brings, prior to selling.

I was thinking 2016 Sox double play combination of Jimmy Rollins in his last season before retirement and the “never was” Brett Lawrie.