GreenSox

LaMarre to the 25? Why? Play Leury; call up an infielder.

The Sox need another year of development and assessments before they can make the major moves. I look at this team and it looks .500ish to me. Not enough pitching depth, sluggish OF defense; very ?able pen behind Kimbrall.

No

Yes, but my plan was to also send down Engel and/or Tilson, in which case Charlotte wouldn't need another OF anyway. I guess it also means that Delmonico isn't particularly close. Maybe bring up Alvarez instead of Rodon - just to see if we can get some Dodger-type luck.

if Avi's out, just another reason to play Leury everyday in the OF, preferably CF. Call up Rodon; send down Tilson or Engel.

There was luck (and the Rizzo deal was highly questionable). The Brewers struck gold on several deals. Look at the Dodgers - turning AAAA players into among the best in baseball. But if you make enough smart deals, you will make your own luck. If you know how to evaluate talent, you create your own luck - do they? If you are willing to make a move and strike at the right time, you can create your own luck.

The Cubs were losing so they brought in new front office: a front office with world series cred. They told the fans it would take a few years. They went through 3 managers in 3 years. What stars did they trade? Samardzija? 34 year old Dempster? They didn’t really tank, they just built. Very little comparison to how things work on the southside. And it doesn't take much imagination how the casual fan would be more excited about the Cubs approach to building a team.

Shields' velocity was also down. How many scouts, if any, did the Sox have in Safeco for his last start? They should have known that from their readings. Regardless of how well he was pitching, this should have been nothing more than a salary dump. There is no way you give up a legit prospect in this situation. Not to mention your top international signee.

Isn't this the first time that the Sox have been swept by an AL team in a seasonal series?

Why about Moncada - can he play 3rd? I seem to recall CF suggestions a while back.

Nice. Where did Quinteiro come from? Was he on the DSL last year?

Barreto was a top prospect. Lawrie was a former top prospect who was a disappointment with several mediocre major league seasons prior to the trade; he was the same player with the Jays, As and Sox. The Sox, however, sent 3 major league ready young players, which is what Oakland likes. Maybe throw in Montas.

Do you remember several years ago when KW would speak of this "3 year window" - it was never exactly a fixed time, it would seem to roll as was convenient, but ended up being something like 2014-2016. That never made any sense to me because the core was signed basically through 2019 or later. But he swore by it, and, in the end, honored it. Yes, my Donaldson suggestion is more of a re-tool than rebuild; but it's also realistic as those 2 trades happened at around the same time and the package were very similar. As for trading for Samardzija so that they could extend him; that may be true, but what winning org. does that type of thing?

That's a good question. It's the White Sox who thought that could happen; otherwise, why trade a package for 1 year of Samardzija. Now I think that team could have been rebuilt such that it would be playoff team now or maybe 2017. It's opportunity cost - they used a package of players that had market value for players that brought marginal value back to the Sox because their window was too small and because the Sox overrated their abilities. I'll give you one obvious move: take the package you dealt for 1 year of Samardzija and do it for 4 years of Donaldson instead. Maybe you have to throw in another player - but Oakland wants ML ready young players and that's what they got from the Sox (3 are still playing and on Oakland's 25). The packages were similar.

I see the DSL team is 6-26. Is that normal?

Wise move taking time off, because I said it, repeatedly, and as you said, no one wanted to hear it. That December 2013 rebuild got off to such a good start....Eaton was a major player day 1. Might have had a quicker turnaround like the Brewers, had they stuck with it. But after 73 wins in 2014, the FO seemed to encounter a spell of delusion and decided they could compete in 2015, so they rented Samardzija, refused the opportunity to cover the losses in July ("10 game winning streak right around the corner") and they only dug the hole deeper over the next year.

Covey for me. Fondness is really belief that he can be a fifth starter in this league.

I'll credit him for Swarzak and Kahnle. Clippard had virtual identical WHIP and K totals with the Yankees as he did with the Sox. The Sox are paying Soria $9 million; he didn't need fixing. Shields hasn't been fixed. I don't blame Cooper for not fixing him; but I do blame him and the GM for apparently not bothering to find out that his velocity and stuff were way off. I haven't given up on Covey - A few sharply hit balls found holes the other night, but he wasn't mauled. If Covey works out, credit Cooper. Giolito, Fulmer, and Lopez....they obviously haven't been fixed. And dumping Junior Guerra is major misfeasance. They wouldn't have had to bother trading for Shields because he is what the Sox wanted in Shields.

I think the FO over-prioritizing culture and "happy clubhouse" has contributed to this blight. Better players will quickly take care of any "culture" issues.

yes, sir, Omar, clear those bases.

Rivera just doesn't walk at all. Is the OPS, boosted by lofty a batting average, sustainable?

Astros (or anyone) offers nice pieces they should just trade him. No time for sentimentality or good in the clubhouse.

I was beaten mercilessly for saying this 2 -3 years ago (although I didn't express it nearly as eloquently as you did in this post). The media never called Hahn to task on anything. Less than a month after the Shields trade, the FO indicated intent to rebuild, diverting the attention. The Sox bloggers/insiders have basically fawned over Hahn; they've never called him to task either. Perhaps it's because they get access from this regime.

What's the deal with Henzman in the bullpen? Given up on him as a starter, or just no rotation room right now?

The only reason Soria was added to this team was to be flipped. I know he's pitched okay (certainly not great, but okay) overall but this doesn't help. Maybe Minaya impressed scouts.....