hogan873

At least there are signs of life. Until today it seemed like Hahn had taken a nap after the winter meetings and forgot to set his alarm. I don't have a problem with this, especially if there's another arm coming.

Minor league deal?

I'm going to reserve judgment for a while. There's plenty of off season left. As the team sits now, they are positioned to score a lot of runs...and give up a lot of runs. They need at least one SP (two is ideal to allow Kopech to start in AAA and get back up to speed), and some additional bullpen help will be required. Ryu, Bumgarner, and Keuchel are not sexy names, but any of them would help this pitching staff. I'm going to cross my fingers and toes in hopes that they land one of these unless they acquire someone else via trade. As far as offensive help, 2B still needs to be addressed unless they're planning on Madrigal starting with the team out of spring training. I wouldn't mind seeing a compliment to Mazara for RF. Castellanos would be really nice, but I see that as a remote possibility. My thoughts on "the big three" are as such: Strasburg was almost certainly going back to Washington, Cole's contract is insane, and most of us probably agree that it's good that the Sox didn't offer more than that. Rendon is a bit puzzling considering what Machado was offered last year. However, I wouldn't be surprised if the front office didn't look at acquiring him to be a priority considering we have a superstar at 3B already. Still, if you sign him you can figure out where to play who and get his bat in the lineup. All that being said, I'm not surprised the Sox didn't land one these guys. I still think the Sox sign one of Ryu, Keuchel, or Bumgarner and pick up another lesser SP for one year. I also wouldn't be surprised if they sign a middle IF (Gennett, Schoop, etc.). I'm not terribly excited about how the off season has gone so far, but it's early. I hope a move or two is made by Christmas because things are moving a lot faster than last year. If the Sox don't start filling holes soon, other teams are going to swoop in, and the Sox will be left with Nova and Santiago.

It's hard to tell. I do believe that they will pick up some pitching, and if trading for Mazara allows them to spend more elsewhere, that's great. However, the other tweet about deciding about RF once the roster is filled makes me think they may look for a RH compliment. Maybe both will happen...hopefully.

There's no one in the minors, aside from Robert, who's ready to play in the outfield for the Sox. I don't deny that there were other options that could have produced better results over the next 1-2 years. This is a low risk, cheap, stopgap...for now.

This is the first thing I looked at when I saw the rumors yesterday. I get WAR, I understand it, but traditional stats tell a good part of the story. This guy can hit, and he's going to hit many a HR at the Rate. Lots of splashes at the Goose Island.

Yeah, I saw some reactions last night saying the Sox could have just rolled Walker out there next year instead of Mazara. I would assume (hope) that it was frustration talking. Mazara is a proven MLB hitter that hits very well against RH pitching. Walker, and most of the other OF prospects the Sox have, are not ready for the ML in 2020. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this a great move. It's just not a bad one.

I really don't mind the trade. It's not a great addition, but the guy has a chance to hit a lot of HRs in a hitter-friendly park. He's controlled through the next two years, but if he's no good in 2020, the Sox can non-tender him. This move, however, makes more sense if they're going to spend on pitching. There are still a few "tier 2" guys out there and plenty of inning eating guys. Only time will tell now.

Depending on what the Sox send, I wouldn’t mind this.

Some action finally with Gregorius and Cozart. Maybe some more moves will be happening this evening.

High end of expectations - David Price and Andrew Benintendi Low end of expectations - Dallas Keuchel

Maybe, but I don't doubt the Sox are talking about several of Boras' clients.

Yeah, the article was a pretty shitty take on what Hahn said. He was stressing that the Sox don't need to rush to make a move right now when there's plenty of off season ahead. I think the Sox learned, however, from last year's missteps. We as fans want to see action. They've been active, and money-wise should have signed Wheeler. It's funny because had Wheeler decided to take the money and play here, we'd all be feeling a lot different, and we'd only be talking about filling a gap in RF. There still are plenty of options both via signing and trades. They're going to make more moves, and hopefully those moves improve the team as much as want them so.

So Cole should be getting a similar contract?

This is why I think there's something to these rumors.

$20M over 3 years for Pollock could be worth the risk. If he stayed healthy, he'd be worth it. Big if, though.

What would it take to acquire Snell?

Outfield is another gap the Sox need to fill. Just because they’re “focused on pitching” doesn’t mean they’re not looking to sign an outfielder, too. And if the deal is already done, they can be focused on pitching. Not saying I think the rumor is true, but Heyman’s logic doesn’t make sense.

For the right money, this could be a good move if true.

Not saying there’s truth to the rumor, but Bruce Levine saying it’s not true doesn’t mean shit after his ridiculousness last off season.

How much consideration goes into the likelihood of at least having a better shot of having Betts on the team beyond 2020 when looking at a trade? Would the White Sox have a better shot at signing Betts if he plays here in 2020? Would the Sox even consider paying him what he's going to get paid ($30M+ a year)? If not, does it make sense to trade for him for one year?

I know there's interest; I'm just surprised there haven't been more rumors. That being said, the Grandal signing came out of nowhere.

Has there been any speculation/rumors around these guys? Aside from an article a while back, I haven't seen anything about Ozuna. I'd have to think the Sox are interested in Castellanos; it's just odd we haven't really heard anything.

This is probably the only weekend of the year when I look forward to Monday.

Hamels got $18M. Granted it's for one year, but that's a lot of money. The Sox just offered $25M a year for Wheeler. Bumgarner will end up getting $20M+ a year. Ryu will get $20M+ a year. Imagine how much it'll cost to keep Giolito in a few years.