Chisoxfn

I’ll take some time to write it up or find what was previously written up next week once I get past some key work deadlines - as there is some cool history for those not aware. But site was founded by me and Molto - ran by a great team of admins (some have retired over the years) - and was a spinoff of SoxNet which was a news site that Molto and I ran before blogs were ever a thing. Soxtalk up after a bad deal where we joined a broader sports network and ultimately disagreed with network we joined and Soxtalk was a creative way out and it’s why this site will always and forever be independent and free. We have been around since 2000 in some way shape or form.

That is next on my list while I have free Apple TV. Been watching slow horses - love it.

I don't know how we can jump to that conclusion - he literally waited and entire off-season. I also don't think it is smart to wait on trading pitching. The risk of a catastrophe injury is massive - so if you can get a reasonable offer, especially when you know you need to make a move - you need to do it. He played a game of chicken and eventually I think got a better offer than what was on the table - maybe not as good as some want, but I don't think his actions this off-season implied anything panicky.

Sucks - hope it heals ok with no long term effects. That is a rough rehab - presuming he has to lay flat for like 20+ hours of the day for a while.

This was a really good post and overall I agree with everything said. Really - when it comes to the long-term, about the only real bad thing that has happened thus far was the Robert injury. Eloy and Moncada's injuries were not something you wish for and the hope with those two was just being healthy so you could get value in a trade - as you know they aren't long-term core members of this franchise going forward. But outside of that - I much prefer a scenario where people that will be here in the long-run (largely players in the minors) or players who have legitimate chances of being flipped at deadline (i.e Kopech / Wilson / Fedde ) and whatever you would call Crochet (he could be a long-run piece - he could also be a piece that is flipped for massive value if he somehow does this for this year and than builds on it for 1st half of next year are actually doing good. I would take that over guys that would have never got much value producing and getting the major league club a few more wins - the Maldano, Lopez, Dejong's, etc.

I can’t remember a time when so many of Sox hitting prospects were left handed hitters. Kind of cool.

The video showed guys looking like absolute fools. They had no idea what was coming.

I'm a bit perplexed. He has good stuff - but this is a guy who was horrible in his short stint in AA last year, yet got promoted to AAA to start this year (in fairness I don't recall his splits so maybe his last 6 or 7 starts in AA last year were stellar and his AA stats are skewed by struggles as he adjusted to AA). But any which way this seems extremely rushed. Small sample size by that 1.5 WHIP in AAA sure screams bring a kid up and burn an option.

I would have kept Burger - only because I think on the field they are similar players in terms of value - but there was a time where the Sox could have gotten more for Vaughn (that shine is gone so I no longer think that is the case).

It’s basic. As long as JR is owner you need to know those things and run your franchise knowing you need to sell players a year early, knowing you won’t sign a major fa deal (so if you want someone acquire them with a few years left on a deal), and thus build knowing those limitations.

Beautiful view

Is he in debt right now and is short money?

Jerry has to be happy - I think Bulls officially clinched a home play-in game. Play In money here JR comes

I agree - I would also say I wouldn't be comfortable giving up next year's 1st to move up - the Panther(s) 2nd is probably as steep as I would go. I'd also note - while I get the idea of getting a wideout, I don't love the idea of taking a wideout top 10 in terms of how we are using resources. I believe Top 10 picks should go to blue chip players - but primarily at positions where you can't find them elsewhere in the draft (as easily). For example - LT, DE, QB. The challenge is in this draft - DE seems thin so I don't know whether Poles has that grade on any of the top dlinemen. LT I presume he might have that grade (and I would legit be good with the same proposal to move up and get Joe Alt if they think he is a perennial all pro left tackle. But if you look at the top wideouts around the league - very few were Top 10 picks. And you can find a lot of top wideouts who went later in round 1 and certainly into round 2. Now this draft is certainly deep at the position and I think MHJ is about as safe of a top wide out pick as you can get, but I wouldn't be shocked if Rome didn't end up as good (his lack of separation or something getting him - and he ended up more like a healthier Mike Williams (thinking of the former Chargers wideout). Nabers I think has special talent (you can see he has tools that are rare) - does he have other issues that cause a challenge.

I tend to agree here. I am usually the trade down all the time guy but given where they are at - this feels like the - get 2 blue chippers if you can and than go from there draft. You can add a few undrsfted in and bring in some cap casualty vets knowing you got a stable of picks and will have tons of cap flexibility remaining next year.

Feel sorry for Yoan. I know there is this idea that he doesn't work hard - but you don't become that good and smooth of a defender in baseball without putting in a lot of work. This stinks.

Back on topic of Colas - It would be really great for the LT of the franchise if he has learned something from his time in the majors and applied it over the off-season and into spring training and we see him actually develop into a solid and productive major leaguer. He has tools - and we always knew he was raw - so he absolutely is the type of guy who in his 2nd go round could really look different.

If they were trying to contend - and this was the off-season they had, than yeah, that would be like the last regime. I don't care what JR said - they were never contending with this roster and their entire off-season showed it. And they made zero moves that have any long-term impacts with exception of the Cease deal and I suppose Fedde (but even that is pretty small dollars). Everything else was short-term in nature.

It isn't like they tied up long-term money. No one thought Maldonado was going to be some great fix, but it did seem like there was certainly a push to get some vet leader(s) in - even if they aren't great players. And for Korey Lee - I think there might be a value to having a true vet you can work with and both the fact that you are getting push(ed) to be better but also know you have a bit less pressure on you to acclimate yourself to the bigs and have a vet there who presumably is a legitimately good teammate and an asset from the game calling, how to manage being a catcher, pitcher relationship's, etc. Why they needed both Stassi and Maldonado - no idea, since Stassi missed an entire year, etc and he's just a worse version of Maldo, but I happen to value high baseball IQ catchers so I think having more vs. less is a good thing as their are a lot of intangibles they can bring if they are engaged in the lockeroom and working with the pitchers. They are the first eye(s) to everything given how much they work, even in bullpen(s), etc with the pitchers. Heck - having Stassi doing some time in AAA right now should be a value to those players down there (unfortunately there is zero talent down there).

I presume it is true - but I also presume JR knew darn well this year's team would be miserable and it was more of a - why waste perfectly good money when the new guy is clearly going to fail in '24 anyway. The greatest manager in the world maybe makes this team lose 95 games instead of 100-105. And there are almost no buildable / pliable players on the MLB roster right now to really ruin (and I presume any decision(s) on Crochet's usage for example are really up to Getz). Plus do you want to start your manager 1 year in the hole when you know it is a 3 year pit. So in reality - I think if I was JR - I wouldn't have made the move 1 season in either - would have given it 2 just knowing how ugly things were. Now if this was a legitimately good team and they intended to retool on the fly and spend big money - yeah, than you need to eat whatever Pedro gets paid.

This - but if I were them - I would let Grifol play it out for this season than make the shift. They will still be bad next year and at least the stink is far more on Grifol and Jirschele can start with a roster with more guys who at least came through him in the system, etc.

I don't see why anyone with a decent resume would take this job - especially from the outside. The 26 man roster is as bad as I have ever seen from a White Sox team. The near term replacements and depth in the system is also weak...improving but still weak. Its hard to even squint and see much at this point. At this point you kind of just have to ride Grifol as a total fall guy for a full season and than maybe they somehow luck into a few good deals and a couple guys coming up and some of the younger guys on the roster actually take the step forward, but any way you shake it - its going to be a few years before there are any signs of life. This roster is awful but next year's will likely be nearly as awful, maybe a little more interest with people like Ramos and Montgomery on the roster and hopefully some of the younger arms starting to come up...and maybe Crochet showing he can handle workload of being a starter and perform consistently as a front line starter.

My best guess for people the Sox might be able to trade for real value - under certain conditions: Fedde - If he is pitching well - he will be attractive given his contract and fact a team would have him for another year. Kopech - If he is showing off as a dynamic reliever - I think the Sox can get real value for him. If he is just meh, nothing, but if he's actually looking dynamic out of the pen as a 1-2 inning closer/legit weapon, yeah I think they can get some serious value at the deadline. Moncada - Expiring - so if he is playing well and healthy - I think we could be surprised and he certainly has it in him in a contract year to put up. Not saying you are getting a high end prospect but you could get some raw talent and/or a piece and some international money or something like that. Clevinger - He's cheap, no option connected, and if he actually pitches well (say another year removed from injury he is better than he was last year (say the FIP matches the ERA and is mid 3's - not saying I would predict it but its certainly possible), I do think at the deadline you would see a team give up something of value for him (not saying some Top 100 guy but I think a productive Clevinger will be more valuable than we think this deadline vs. last (last deadline the option, coming off the DL, and still pretty fresh from all the headline news). The above I know is an out there view - but at deadline if a bunch of teams are in the mix and have some injuries in the rotation, having someone who can take the ball - to some extent even a benefit that he starts the year a month late (so he'll have a bit more left on his arm for a stretch run). If I squint: Eloy - There probably is some alternate universe where he comes back from this abbductor injury and actually stays healthy and puts up an .850-.900 OPS. If that happens - I suppose you might get a team looking for a bat who makes a deal. BUT you aren't going to get much given that injury history. Soroka - I suppose there is a world where Soroka ends up being better than I think and you can get a raw player or someone in a 40 man roster crunch. That's it - I don't see anyone else tradeable (for anything other than say a bag of balls). I'm ignoring Robert cause I can't imagine you get maximum value for him at the deadline if he's coming back from injury and same with Crochet. If he is approaching his innings limit and pitching well - I don't know that a team would give you the value it would take to make that move. Note: Above also tells you why this team is so bad. I mean the whole roster is basically filled with nothing burgers.

I wonder if this keeps up, will Hahn come back. His teams were always better than this

Why is he being compared to 1B. If he can't play SS - he would still be a very viable 3B candidate. And he has a quick bat and tons of power and I expect more HR power will develop. I'm huge on Montgomery. Swing is beautiful.