GreenSox

I don't see Frare as having a big future in the org. He's a LOOGY - they had like 2 or 3 of them on the 25 last year who were better than he was and could barely give them away in July. Numerous LOOGY's in the minors. And isn't the LOOGY obsolete after this season? Better learn to get righties out. And he still has his 40 man spot nice and tidy, so he can come back.

The Sox haven't been on that flipside nearly enough. And they've given themselves plenty of opportunities, seeking rule 5 guys in most of the recent trades.

"The decline has been unprecedented" (applying the Shields excuse to the rest of them).

Come on, the 40 man was full of filler and still is (either that or Josh Osich is a misprint). And Minaya wasn't even filler. He has spent lots of time on the 25 man. It's like Cooper pitching Noesi for a season+ while barely giving Junior Guerra (who had utterly dominated AAA) a chance. How can they possibly be given a pass after so many prior personnel screw ups. Or put on a more positive note - when will one of the bevy of Rule 5 guys they have traded for do something?

Minaya or about 10 other guys on the 40 man just like him. This FO has used up all of its “how could we have known” excuse allotment.

Not the desired ceiling for a top 5 pick.. Plus it's really hard to be a productive singles hitter.,,,most of them have their lucky years with high BA, not so luck years and are overall blah players.

I agree with you....but it will be a sacrificial lamb, not anyone that really needs to move along (Hahn, Williams, Cooper). I'd guess Steverson.

Another thing that bugs me is that Rick Hahn is capable of better. He's the one who executed the clever Eaton trade. Even last year, he got Soria and Avilan for a Rule 5 guy. That should have set up at least an interesting July move...instead he makes a lazy trade for another Rule 5. His secondary trades have largely been non-efforts. Of course, Eaton trade may have just been luck...you will eventually score with one. Still he could have been more aggressive in the As/Rays/Brewers/Mariners sense, and chose otherwise. Even if he scored with all of his top prospect acquisitions, he'd still have to fill 5-6 positions....and these days he seems incapable of doing even that.

If he had this season it would have been for maybe $2.5 million.

He won't come anywhere close to getting a Narvaez for him, based on his prior midseason deals. Hahn's basically relatively quiet in July, and satisfied with Rule 5 guys when he makes a move; he really should look to score in July as that's the overpay time of the year.

If you are right about acquiring relievers, then that is a big problem. Acquire starters - relievers will present themselves after evaluation as starter. The next step down for a ceilling reliever is to be an org minor leaguer, if not out of baseball. Still I don't see the Sox grab of starters as inordinate. And even if it was, pitching is way behind position players, showing how poorly executed it was. Sox can get by with Rondon and Leury as a position player; if you're 1 starter light, you'r sunk (see the Sox 2001-2004).

What's scarier to me is that they at least appear to be way behind the Phillies and Padres, ..teams that started their rebuild at approximately the same time. And the Mariners are at least in a partial rebuild. And then there are the Twins.. And they may not be far ahead of the Reds and - gasp - the Royals and Tigers.

College relievers are low ceiling...not the best approach, imo.

And the 2/5s is generous.

The Padres are rebuilding via pitching; so did the Braves. I don't see how that's the problem, nor do I see that as what Hahn really did. He took pitching, but not an inordinate amount. Of course he's basically ignored the international market except for a few select players....that helps bulk up on prospects. The problem isn't philosophy...it's that he and the people who work for him are poor evaluators and developers of talent. A lot of teams were staying away from Fulmer - that was Sale arrogance and in the end, they couldn't/didn't develop him (and they had taken Danish, another delivery problem, just a year or so earlier with a high pick). And for further proof of he and his staff's talent evaluation skills, look at the veterans he's signed...it's horrific. Heck 3 retired mid-contract. If you can't find veterans who are at least capable, how are you going to evaluate prospects.

But is Moncada maintaining his elite patience or is he starting to hack at it, swing at balls in the dirt, etc. which are long-time traits of the prototypical White Sox hitter?

I'm struggling to identify the good job he's done with the staff overall in the last several years. Does he even use analytics? But, hey, the comfort of lifers first, winning second.

IF Palka plays it should be in The field. He will never have much value if he can’t play a position. As for Cordell, Palka, heck throw Delmonico in there. And while we beat on them, how about the work of the true beacon of the future, the clubhouse charismatic, the $9 million dollar man: Yonder Alonso.

Fry and Lopez were really the only pitching bright spots last season. Hopefully they get it together soon.

The gain was that they no longer had to move one of their starters and could contend for another season.

Then you bring up Mendick who is basically unrushable. Or you play Rodon there and platoon Yolmer from the bench, which they probably should be doing anyway.

No worries. Minaya is waiting in the wings to bail them out.

He did compared to most other umps. But I thought it was accurate: he called the high strike and the low strike and both corners.

Giolito looked good though beyond the runs and hits. Only 1 walk, a lot of Ks, good velocity. And watching him pitch, he really seemed to know what he was doing.

Please don't start swinging at that crap in the dirt, Moncada, for the sake of being "aggressive."