hogan873

Getz wanted to throw in a Portillo's chocolate cake, but JR shot the idea down.

Morosi is reporting that Ohtani's decision is imminent and possibly today. There's been a lot of smoke around Toronto recently, but I still think the Dodgers have the upper hand. If, however, he does sign with Toronto, that's going to put a lot of pressure on Baltimore to get better. Could push up the return on a potential Cease trade.

I think most of the folks on here saying they don't care if the Sox move aren't secret Cubs fans. We're all sick and tired of this team, more specifically the owner, jerking us around year in and year out. Most of the vitriol is just venting. There are very few of us who would be okay with the Sox moving. We're going to be miserable without a team to cheer for. We'd rather be miserable with a team to piss us off.

A lot can happen in 6 years, when the GRF lease expires. Obviously if the Sox plan on moving to another site within Chicago or to another city, a decision would be made sooner. JR is 87, so who knows if he'd be around or in decent health in six years. He could very well sell his stake in the team over the next few years, and it would be up to new owners to make a decision. I think the most likely scenario is JR is making a point to visit the Nashville mayor, making a scene while pretending he's being secretive, in order to build leverage for a new stadium in Chicago. There are so many things that would have to happen and be approved in order to move the Sox to a new city. But, who knows, the A's are on the move to Vegas. Tin foil hat theory: JR is going to sell the Sox and will start a new ownership group for an expansion team in Nashville.

Definitely a huge return. Most of those guys wouldn't be MLB ready for a couple years, and that pretty much solidifies what we know and what the Sox won't admit - the Sox are not competing in 2024. But if the Reds' potential package is representative of what they could eventually get, things look much better for the future.

So, I'm not very familiar with the draft rules. The biggest concern with the Sox getting the 5th pick is that because they will be picking in the top 6 in 2024, they cannot pick inside the top 10 in 2025, even though they will most likely have one of the worst records. Correct? Let's hope they can make the most of the 5th pick and get someone good.

Yeah, I don't see how Marco being part of a package makes any sense.

I want non-stop entertainment and rumors and trades and signings, dammit!

So did all the GMs get hammered hee-hawing around Nashville last night? It's awfully quiet today.

Because he was ours, and we tend to remember the worst about every player, we may not appreciate how good he may have been. He did throw some absolutely filthy innings, and he definitely relied on hitters expanding their zones. He will probably pitch well in Atlanta, and it'll be a good trade for them. But, as I said, we judge our players harshly. Maybe every fanbase does, but we're really good at it.

Five players for a guy who most of us would have been happy to get one flyer and a subscription to Neflix for. Granted, there's bounce backs and/or improvements desired for the guys received, but multiple holes were filled...and Bummer is gone.

Provided Bummer could throw the ball over the plate.

Lots of walking and reading for sure. I read books on Kindle and listen to audiobooks. I walk every morning before work, and that gives me about 45 minutes of quite time with an audiobook. Having just turned 50 this year, I'll be adding some additional exercise over the winter. That will allow me to continue my conquering of as many local craft beers as I can. I've started haunting bottle shops, picking up random and off the wall beers to try. Sounds like a perfect winter hobby. Spending as much time with family as I can. All three kids are grown, and even though two still live at home (the other is in school at WIU), we don't see each other much due to their busy schedules. Weekends when we can all be together are precious moments. And photography. I bought a decent camera a couple years ago, and when my wife and I are on our walks, I like to capture wildlife pics. Probably head over to Rock Run Rookery in Joliet to see the bald eagles.

Ah. Makes sense. Thanks.

Could be. Definitely clearing space for something, whether it's readying for the winter meetings or something is currently cooking.

They need pitching...and infield...and outfield. Getting back a couple position players who will be on the MLB roster in 2024 in addition to some pitching is better than a handful of pitchers, most of which won't be MLB ready for a couple years. Hey, if Getz can strip the Braves of their top 4 or 5 guys (who are all pitchers), great. But that's unlikely. Acquiring two or three of Baltimore's top 10 prospects plus another guy or two helps the Sox now and in the future. The Braves have the 24th best farm system. Baltimore's farm system is #1. The Sox could get a haul from Baltimore, and their system would still be pretty good. They could get a lesser package from Atlanta, and their system would be at or near the bottom.

Definitely more smoke over the last day. Of course, that could all be generated by the one tweet saying talks have "heated up", whether or not the tweet was to get teams to increase their offers. Based on everything I've seen/read, the O's seem to be the best match. A trade with them gets the Sox possibly two MLB ready players that fill immediate needs Hopefully, if a deal gets done, Baltimore will part with the guys the Sox want and the Sox don't give in and take a lesser package. A deal with the Dodgers is intriguing, too. Again, some immediate needs could be filled with a trade. I think a trade with Atlanta is the least intriguing of the teams rumored to be involved. Their top prospect list is sparse and almost all pitching. The Sox need position players in return for sure. Unless the Braves deal from the MLB roster, I don't see it happening.

Since all is quiet on the hot stove, I figured I'd talk about some TV shows. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters on Apple+ is a lot of fun. More character-driven than the movies, but each episode has a monster or two showing up. And the production is superb; much more like a big budget movie than a show. A Murder At The End of The World on Hulu is a very good mystery. The pace is relatively slow, but the building of the mystery and character development are great. The new season of Fargo on FX is good so far. The reviews and write-ups on it say it's a return to form, and I'd agree it's more like the movie and first season. Good story-telling with quirky characters. The Fall of The House of Usher on Netflix was another winner form Mike Flanagan. More a drama with a bit of supernatural than his other shows, it was filled with outstanding performances (especially from Bruce Greenwood). Think Succession with a ghost or two.

The Braves top prospect list is very pitcher heavy. I wonder what sort of packages they could offer, especially if the Sox are looking for a position player or two to be included.

Like the beginning of the first episode of Family Guy when it returned from being cancelled and Peter named off about 30 Fox shows that had started and been cancelled, saying that if all those shows got cancelled, Family Guy might make it.

Maybe, just maybe...The Sox are confident in acquiring a top 2B prospect in a Cease trade, and the Lopez acquisition and DeJong signing are stop gaps for said 2B prospect and Montgomery.

Well, the defense up the middle got a lot better. That's something, right? Right?

Admin - Feel free to delete or merge. Also, I meant to add a question mark in the title.

Heyman is saying the deal is close.

There's a $3M buyout in 2025 and a $3M buyout in 2026. He gets $13.8M in 2024. So the commitment for a team trading for him is a minimum of $16.8M.