Chisoxfn

Come on Kopech - I need you to get through this and have a clean sheet. Strike the side out here right now. want a great June / July run to than turn you into some prospects!

What did he say?

This makes sense - I think the Sox have extended durations with both players and so with Robert having missed most of the year and kind of in a down place - unless he just crushes in June / July - you probably don't get the value you could for him if you wait it out and trade him when he is having a great season (we don't know when that will be - but in a 3.5 year span - I suspect he'll have at least one year where he has it all just rolling (if not two) and that is absolutely the time to max out for him. Re: Crochet - I presume the reality is - this offseason will be a better time to deal him or even part way into next year where he is (hopefully) continuing to show his dominance. I think the reality is a team paying what he's worth now is probably discounting the payment given the fact that he'll hit his inning limit and need to get shut down. The balancing act here is Sox NEED to be smart and not get Crochet hurt. This is delicate given his injury history - so if Sox got a good (but not great offer), I see the reason to take the offer and run, because there is definitely a chance he goes down again, misses half or a whole season, and at that point you don't have much upside. With that said - if he has a good year, you shut him down smartly, I could see a club looking for a cost controlled pitcher paying a ton in the off-season, and I could also see the same if he came out next year and had a really strong 1st month or two -> at that point you are going to get a haul. However, Crochet is pitching so well (*knock on wood*) that there is a non-zero chance someone decides they really like him and makes an aggressive enough offer to make it work this year. I think more likely on Crochet than Robert -> but thats mainly because Crochet has the production this year to drive it; If Robert had a month of June where he hit 10+HR's and put up a .950+ OPS while playing really good D, and than carried that into July -> I could see the Robert momentum improve significantly.

Rare game I’m watching and I did my you can put it on the board….yeeesssss call!!!

This - if Robert is playing at a high level and Orioles offer Holliday plus another guy fine…that isn’t happening though. Let Robert mash and than see what you get at a later point. Now if Robert goes on an absolute tear and a team is offering like 1 top 20 guy, 1 top 50 guy, 1 back end top 100 guys, international slot and picks, plus another 2 rawer guys who could develop fine by me. But like one top 100 plus two other top 200 guys…not doing it for a guy they have around for 3.5 more seasons who at some point during that window will put up a 6 plus war season (trade him whenever that season happens)

For Rauch it was his labrum injury that sunk him in. Shoulder injuries…

I imagine if Robert Jr. comes back and actually hits well - given everyone around him isn't doing much, you might actually see him get a decent chunk of IBBs.

I would prefer it not there - with that said - I am sure I will enjoy just getting to see that experience. I am hoping nothing bad comes of it. I felt like a while back the Bengals were a team that didn't have any negative knock on effects from Hard Knocks. I didn't think the Cowboys did either but maybe I'm misremembering. Lions mainly had people making fun of their head coach -> but I don't think anyone is making fun of him now (but I may be misremembering some other issues).

I don't fully get it - if he's a reliever, let him start and than leverage him as a high leverage reliever too. That is still a weapon and an effective use of resources.

4-6 weeks…wow.

That was an awful call. It’s infield fly anyway. There is no reason to screen. One of worse ways I have ever seen a game end.

Really strange how all the divisional games are at end of season

I'm a lefty and it stinks and my son is currently a lefty and kind of now hitting that age where while he's way good enough to play in infield - now that we are starting to turn double plays, etc - it pushes him to outfield (or 1B) + Pitcher. With that in mind - I really do understand why a 2nd basemen can't be left handed - I have no idea how I could effectively turn a tight double play as a lefty. I have tried many ways and I don't see it. 3rd base is probably the one position where I would argue you could have more lefties - but even than the footwork to make the throw is much harder for a lefty than a righty and your ability to come across diamond and make the play is going to limit your range left (albeit you should be able to make up for it by playing slightly to the left since you don't have to be as tight to the line.

Kind of crazy - Arraez isn't having his typical season but he's still hitting around .300 - despite slowest swing in majors.

I don't see it for Crochet - but if there is a team who is squinting and seeing him as a front of the rotation guy who is cheap - maybe they offer up something in a lottery ticket move. But I don't see it. I think it will take more of a track record before a team gives what would be an appropriate trade-off for the Sox to move on from Crochet. With that said - depending on how many teams are in the race and how he is doing as we get deeper into summer - crazier things have happened. The more teams in the race - the less sellers available - so the thinner that market is from a seller's perspective & bigger the buyer's market is - the better the odds Sox could get artificially high value for Crochet. I wouldn't bet on it - what I will do is - hope for a lot of health and hope he's pitching really well.

I think the question is - if you are getting say a 175-225 type of prospect (and a filler) do you actually trade him if you were the Sox or do you keep him and see if he can continue to develop and see what happens a year later. It isn't like the Sox have to trade him at the deadline. If he pitches well and you can get some good stuff for the long-run great, if you are just getting a lottery ticket than I'd rather keep him and see what you can get if he shows a longer track record (ideally) of quality pitching.

No I don’t think play in game impacted it. Regular season record is what determined seeding.

Rome tweaking his hammy stinks. I just worry every time that on offense Bears can’t have a good thing. I think of Kevin White and David Terrell as I think the last 2 high profile wide outs they picked and both were giant busts.

I'm not sure what the Bulls will do - but Sixers, Bucks, Phoenix, Lakers, and Golden State all getting knocked out early probably helps as it should drive some broader shake-ups. Not saying those teams have great assets - and I have zero faith in the Bulls front office doing anything creative (or useful). At very least a Lavine and some other for a different max player (who isn't really a max player) but maybe has slightly different skillsets is in the franchise(s) future. I say that cause it isn't creative, but is at least slightly different - which feels like the bar for what AK will do.

As an Iowa fan like you, I recognize how great he was at just pinning the defense back and how he could just get the ball to die inside the 10. With that said - I can think of a number of punters drafted and it seems like correlation vs. the undrafted isn't that huge, so a lot of guys develop. With that said - I tend to think Taylor is different than most drafted punters and he really has a unique skill set. Plus he is still so raw that I would think he still has a lot of untapped upside.

He was a weapon for Iowa

Slow horses is so freaking good. Just getting to season 3.

I don’t think it was a major need but I like his potential upside and I have no issue investing in the trenches. I suspect next year will be a defensive focused draft plus maybe some interior linemen.

Everett is pretty solid too and I still think Scott isn’t a bad 4th option - especially if Caleb can read the field and use all of the weapons.

I agree - the only way I would dangle our 2nd rounder next year is a pretty creative deal where we are moving down in the 3rd this year but getting up to top-end but it would have to be to get a player Bears think values at say 15-20 overall. I don't think there is a fit like that - Newton might be the exception but if he has med red flag, that makes the deal not that interesting. Cooper DeJean would be interesting cause I think he will be a high end safety but I don't think his grade fits Bears needs where this makes sense. Now if Bears didn't draft a wideout and instead went down and took a different position - than I could see a crop of this current grew being worth a similar move. But there are a few centers that are intriguing and I think one is there in 3rd round if that is the way the Bears want to go.