BamaDoc

Ok as a doc and guy who has also dealt with severe back issues, I will add a few things. One, listen to the interview. The guy was truly trying to help the team and gave and is giving his all. We can disagree in hindsight on his decisions but I can't disagree with the effort or some of the thoughts behind his decisions. RE backs and surgery. In most instances, surgery is the last option. You try to rest it and rehab it which is pretty much impossible during a season and worse as a catcher. It was not mentioned in the podcast but he probably had (or should have had) epidural steroid injections at the level of the disc bulges. I lived on LESBs for about 30 years while playing significant golf and working until they quit helping. Originally, they were amazingly helpful. One a year made everything better but no two backs are the same and no surgeon can guarantee an outcome. Many back surgeries are a coin flip and some people do get worse after surgery. If you talk to someone about to have their fourth operation, they all say "I wish I never let them do the first one". So avoiding surgery is worth trying. Backs are very different outcome wise from necks. Very few professional athletes have back surgeries and return to previous form. Being a world class athlete is hard lol.

I’ll play. Most confident in Eloy as less injury risk as a dh (primarily) and shouldn’t have negative defensive value in equation as opposed to zero as dh. Unfortunately, Grandal has to be my least confident as he is older with natural decline, injuries have maybe caused chronic knee issues (affecting offense and defense) and if comparing to previous avg WAR he has a higher bar to clear. I would be happy with 100 games caught and 2.0 WAR. Prior to last year, he had ten consecutive years with a ops+ over 100.

To be fair, that beats “my leg fell off and I can’t find it”

I was looking at baseball reference and pretty much negatives everywhere

On the Benitendi podcast, Garffein indicated they interviewed Grandal and are releasing the interview next week. Made it sound like it was revalatory/news worthy. Maybe he was dealing with something fixable??? Might provide insight into plans or maybe it is nothing and Chuck was pumping his podcast.

Drury looks like a bad glove anywhere, right handed hitting, only good for short period, now 30, and how do you get the ten million to pay him? Not trying to be a jerk, I am just trying to see the draw. What about Max Muncy? Good glove, left handed hitter, multi position but would put at second, one year left at 13 million and good leader/playoff performance. Obviously would need to trade for him but............

If the Sox spent ten million per on Drury for 2-3 years, I am afraid they would play him over Colas once Colas is deemed ready just because of the dollars. He hits righty and his defensive numbers are pretty poor everywhere. Figure at his age, they don't improve. Don't think Sox are a team with ten million dollar bench players especially with Leury's contract. I would almost rather see if Cueto would take one year and an option around that ten million as insurance for our starters and that assumes we have another ten million to spend which I doubt.

I had blown off talk about Sox and Murphy with Grandal on the team. I hoped/figured that with a full off season, Grandal could rehab and return to 80-90 percent and thus be worth catching 80-100 games and DH/1b 40-20 games. If we were really in on a new catcher, maybe our front office thinks Grandal may be much less available/playable? In his current medical condition and with his contract, I had considered him untradeable.

He is worth a chance. Wish we had taken a couple more. Set up a competition from the beginning. With the cost of pitching, even having to keep on a roster, league minimum arms have some value. If they look good but you have no room, flip ‘em

The problem with the Sox isn't spending but how they have allocated their budget. I was having the same thought process but went a little different and bigger. To Dodgers: TA, Liam, and Gio There is no way Gio resigns with the Sox and Dodgers looking for more SP with Buehler out for the year. This drops our payroll to about 139. From Dodgers: Busch can play second and left handed, Pepiot as you noted, Gavin Stone as a second pitching prospect, and give me Outman as another LH bat who can play any OF spot defensively. The trade analyzer says the return is actually a little light but I would be thrilled and wouldn't do it if LA either. We would get younger and add some LH bats. Probably need another starting pitcher if a youngster isn't ready right away but with the extra ten million and a hole at short could you go bigger and go for Correa with Swanson as fall back? Montgomery would look good in maybe two years possibly at third for Moncada if he doesn't improve?

Busch , Pages, Pepiot, and Outman for TA, Gio, and Liam

As previously noted, his defense and sprint speed stats are now below average. At his peak, he got on base and hit with power and he is no longer doing either. He is aging poorly and may have gone off the cliff. He hit .160 and his walk rate got worse while his always high k rate also got worse. The difference in his k/w rates usually was around 22-23%(k37-w15). Last year his k was 41.6% and walks dropped to 11.7% I am not aware of an injury that he may recover from. I checked his splits and his OPS vs lefties is unplayable at .436. Against RHP his ops was .690. I was looking further and saw against power pitchers he hit .059!!!!! It is a one year sample and nebulous how they pick the pitchers but what the heck. Is it a sign he is aging poorly? He looks like a player in severe decline who should only platoon. I would not pay anything near 10-12 million for him. One million with heavy incentives only if my hitting coaches see something they think they can fix. He should be begging teams.

I see the Sox have 35 on the 40 man roster, not including Clevinger, which would make 36. Anyone looked at the available players and see anything? Figure anyone in outfield or mid infield(2b) that hit left handed or switch, catcher and pitching are all possibles or do we expect the Sox to sit it out??? With new coaches, anyone in KC system interesting? Sorry, I have been occupied and not digging myself.

Felt this was worth mentioning. This is above being a player representative. I figure this does not enhance his likelihood of remaining with the Sox, especially long term. I am not sure who/if we will have a new player rep. The previous subcommittee voted 0-8 on the proposal that became the CBA when they were overridden by the players vote.

Think some of the talk indeed revolved around Turners leaving and Lux moving to SS.

It was a frustrating year which equates to unhappy fans. I think it probably means that there will be no splash move or significant additions which they could trumpet which will further frustrate the fan base. They are avoiding what would likely be a very negative situation. Gutless but calculated.

Well, now same record as Twins. We are listed 15 They are 14 so we can move up past them. Maybe get to 13? Those superstitious should love that.

Steiver with his third scoreless outing.

https://www.milb.com/scores/chicago-white-sox/2022-09-28 https://www.mlb.com/prospects/stats/affiliates?teamId=145&date=09/28/2022 Well everyone, or at least those few who are left, we have reached the final game of the minor league season. Thanks to everyone who contributed this year and hopefully better times are ahead. I have to honestly admit that it has probably been my most frustrating year following the Sox in over 50 seasons and I am ready for this year to be over. Thanks to the ST owners/admin/mods who entrusted me to the FS board. To all, be well and go Sox.

The penultimate game for the Knights https://www.milb.com/scores/chicago-white-sox/2022-09-27 https://www.mlb.com/prospects/stats/affiliates?teamId=145&date=09/27/2022

and a poll!

https://www.mlb.com/prospects/stats/affiliates?teamId=145&date=09/26/2022 https://www.milb.com/scores/chicago-white-sox/2022-09-26 Just the knights today.

Should be very good for Stiever mentally to get back out there and be able to perform. Wonder if he does anything in a winter league or Arizona/etc

https://www.milb.com/scores/chicago-white-sox/2022-09-25 https://www.mlb.com/prospects/stats/affiliates?teamId=145&date=09/25/2022

https://www.milb.com/scores/chicago-white-sox/2022-09-24 https://www.mlb.com/prospects/stats/affiliates?teamId=145&date=09/24/2022