southsideirish71

5/118 from the Phils 3.07% income tax = 4.4 mil in taxes=113.6 Million 5/120 from the Sox 4.95% income tax = 5.9 mil in taxes = 114.1 Million Our offers were basically the same sans 500k for the differences in the tax rates. We need to do better or this will be a jump ball every time.

Is it really more in real dollars or performance based options.

The family reason is that his family perferred more money than less.

Well we can get these mass produced then for our future pitching FA follies.

Wait Boras is his client, well cross him off the list.

Do you think we went this deep into this process because we are making a run at those 3. Why wouldn't we just go directly to Cole and Stras and backup the brinks truck and say what Uniform # would you like. This sounds like target 1A for the sox.

Only one team will win the Wheeler sweepstakes. Then the teams that missed out will target the next pitcher.

That kills Dallas Keuchel then as well. So if they swing and miss here it gets ugly real quick on options.

Common sense and basic logic 101.

Wake me when the sox get 1/10th the scouting and development environment that the Astros have. We are also too busy trading away our international money to save 5 million dollars here and there.

That sure will put fear in the Twins as they fight at the bat rack to see who can hit the ball farther.

Think Miley or Porcello or Hamels as the big pitching addition if we don't like the money or the years.

I believe he will take the highest offer. If the Marlins rolled up with 6 years and 140 million the next day he is on TV smiling with his marlins uniform talking about how its his dream to be in Miami. You will get stories about him vacationing there and how he loves the team.

Guys like Wheeler would pitch against the all-star team every week and have a 9 ERA if you rolled up a brinks truck to his house.

There is absolutely zero reason the sox do not come out with one of Cole, Wheeler or Strasburg. There is no excuse for this that is acceptable. I could care less on salary or years at this point. We have two ToR pitchers on the market now who are playoff battle tested. Get one of them. Anything else is a failure at this point. I don't want to see "well we tried or stupid agents and players want money and security". Get it done.

I want Stras or Cole. I dont see it however. I would be shocked if the sox go to 5 years for any pitcher more or less anything longer. I think 4 years is their sweet spot for pitchers. I think its going to be the years probably that will nix them from having a final seat the the table for these pitchers. And to be honest, there is zero reason fiscally that they cant win. I just done see JR having the stomach for long term expensive deals on pitchers.

Then you are getting none of the top end talent for pitching.

Then enjoy trotting out Cole Hamels as one of your starters in the playoffs vs the Yanks or Astros. That will end well. They need to get Cole, Stras, or Wheeler. Not option C, D or E.

Then we are destined to lose in our pursuits of pitching talent. The sox are not a team that feels comfortable doing long term pitching contracts.

The whitesox are less desirable based on the fact that long term deals for pitchers is not what this organization does. My guess is our deal is incentive based and has team options that create the illusion of future dollars. I don't see us winning a bidding war with multiple teams. We are trying to sell a story and don't just use the dollar and our financial flexibility to just get this done.

Worst scenario is the Twins getting more pitching. Missing out on Cole and Stras while Wheeler goes to Minny would be a miserable fail.

I am sure that Wheelers agent is sweating the Hamels comp.

Was 2018 last year.

JR people will come to see him. They went to Wrigley to see him. And get this. He is in line with our cost projections. I say we sign him and get some lightning in the bottle. We can then go all in on Cole and show him that our incentive based plan with deferred payments and team options is more sensible than up front cash. Think of all the taxes we can save him when we pay him less.

We have a massive amount of financial flexibility. It has to be Cole, Strasburg or Wheeler. I don't want to see option C or D unless its to augment what we know to be getting a primary ToR pitcher.