spiderman

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 5, 2015 -> 11:43 AM) Bruce Levine ‏@MLBBruceLevine 6m6 minutes ago Chicago, IL Breaking news Hawk Harrelson to cut back to 81 broadcasts in 2016 . 78 road -home opening day and two Cub home games . ( industry sources ) Realistically, it's probably going to be more like 65 road games; I think he's had medical issues the last few years, and just being a year old, would have to think the travel would be an issue in itself. I hope they have something in the contract about him wanting to do more games at some point if the White Sox are good next season. Will they allow for that or hold him to his contract?

Anything that can increase competition, I'm in favor of. Even if he doesn't win a starting job, assuming he can pick up where he leaves off this season, he can be part of a rotation that keeps guys fresh and puts the best possible match-ups on the field each day. You have to assume that Thompson (if for no other reason than his defense) and Eaton are going to be counted on to play most days in the OF. Melky Cabrera is needed in the lineup; he's one of the few hitters they have even though he didn't live up to expectations. So, they have 3 guys who will probably get the majority of the playing time already and La Roche in the mix at DH. Garcia is the wildcard in all this OF/DH mix. He can earn his way back into the lineup, as can La Roche, but if there's a way to maximize the lineup, they need to be thinking of what can score the most runs while not sacrificing defense given how much of an issue that has (and continues) to be.

He has to win a job, but he's the favorite to coming in. How did Eaton rank defensively this season?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 4, 2015 -> 08:30 PM) Although, from a marketing persoective, Puig would at least stabilize the expected 20-25% dropoff in renewals after this season. You bring back the entire roster pretty much as is, along with Ventura, amd it could get as ugly as 30% lost. Are they expecting 20-25% of their season ticket holders to not renew after this season? I hadn't heard that until now, but wow. They'd better be careful with whatever they decide upon. They have the makings of a good rotation with Sale, Quintana, Rodon, Danks and Johnson. Do they risk making this a question by moving Quintana? As well as Johnson looked, it was essentially one month. Rodon finished strong and he should continue to improve, but he's also a young pitcher still. Point is, they can enter next season feeling very good with the top of the rotation and with a clear strength. I also do want them to make the QO offer to Shark. I don't think he'll accept it. Point here, along with the rest of the off-season that is upcoming is that they have to continue rebuilding their minor leagues, not trading away what talent they do have for quick fixes on the MLB roster. Guys like Montas, Johnson, Anderson, Adams, etc. (nearly all pitching) should be a commodity, not as tokens to cash in on for short-term MLB help. I also don't want the White Sox to be signing players to multi-year deals. That is, generally speaking, a failed (and extremely risky) strategy. If there are value free agents that can assist at 3B or SS, I think that is the play. Offensively, Tryce Thompson and Carlos Sanchez, two good defensive players, need to win jobs next spring, and are the likely starters in CF and 2B. Over the course of a season, that should improve the defense. I want Michah Johnson to earn his way onto the roster next season as a 2B (moving Sanchez to SS if that is a position he can handle) and part-time DH. Guys like La Roche need to earn at bats as well. I've grown wary of short-term patching to the roster. That's how we got here. I'm in favor of taking a step back this off-season, and emphasizing development from within as the primary means of improvement.

It's a good bet that he'd back, and don't expect him to be fired, but this article just repeated all of the speculation about why he'd be back.

It's possible that the White Sox could bring back almost their entire pitching staff. - I would offer the QO offer to Shark. I don't expect him to accept it, but I'm willing to gamble, on a 1 year deal, for that draft pick. The White Sox need young talent, and they can't afford to potentially get a high draft pick. Given that his market is still strong, I would be pretty shocked if he accepted the QO offer. Even if he did, it's a 1 year deal. - Re-sign Matt Albers, but it would have to be a 1 year deal. He has done a great job this season, but there is a lot of arms, including Nate Jones returning. Albers was the best of the group after he came back, but I don't want to give middle relievers multi-year deals. Duke and Robertson already have deals, I think they need to be flexible here. - If the first two items below happen, the pitching staff would largely return next season. The starting rotation would likely include Erik Johnson as the 5th starter. Carlos Rodon showed high end potential so the team has to feel pretty strongly about him, which could open the door to a Quintana trade if they believe that Rodon and Sale can anchor the rotation. The pitching staff has to be the strength of this team next season, and I would expect a quiet(er) off-season since that shouldn't change much unless they decide to really shake things up with a Quintana trade. If not, I think they have to get internal improvement offensively. 1) Melky Cabrera needs to have a strong rebound season. He can't wait until June or July to start hitting. 2) Tryce Thompson, playing most days, can improve the team defensively and has shown he can hit. He still is a question mark in that he hasn't done it over a full season, but I think he needs he enters spring training as a starter. 3) Can Carlos Sanchez hit consistently in the majors? He's showing signs and plays good defense. Up the middle, with Thompson (potentially) and Sanchez, the White Sox are better than they have been in a few years out there. 4) Being open to alternative options. M.Johnson can hit (or it seems as if he can hit). If he can and doesn't have a position, here's a DH for you. Give the White Sox a speed option to create offense. They don't have enough of that (sorry Eaton). - Offensively, I do not support signing Ben Zobrist or any other higher end free agents. I would resign Soto for starters, but I realize that the catcher spot will not be a strength and this is a continuation of the Tyler Flowers era. - I would decline the option on A.Ramirez, but would explore re-signing him to a 1 year deal. I don't believe they have another SS (Tim Anderson, not being ready) who can step in next season. If Ramirez leaves, I would then go Saladino as the fall back option, knowing that they are probably worse at SS next season. I don't believe he is more than a fringe MLB player. - If T.Thompson is the best defensive player they have, and his best position is CF, that's where he enters spring training. He still has to earn a job though. If he does do that in spring training, he's the starting CF and Adam Eaton slides over to a corner spot. - Micah Johnson enters spring training with a chance to make the team and play 4-5 days a week as DH. Adam La Roche could change these plans, but he's got to earn his way back into playing time as a DH. He'll clearly play 2-3 times a week at DH, and maybe 1 time a week a 1B so he'll be out there occasionally. - 3B: No options exist outside of Saladino, and I wouldn't overspend in free agency. If there's a stop-gap option who can provide decent production, that's about as much as I can see them doing.

Do we know how much room the White Sox will reasonably have to spend this off-season? I think it's safe to assume they will continue to try and patch together a team that could contend for next season.

I doubt 18-9 would even be good enough. It may have to be 22-5 to have a shot and we know this team is much more likely to go 13-14, etc. in that stretch.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 1, 2015 -> 02:34 PM) If he's playing SS and is above average with the glove, the numbers you just wrote are a 4 fWAR shortstop. I don't think he's a 4 WAR player. My uneducated guess is that he's a .220 to .230 hitter with 10 HR over a season; I'm not sure if he can play SS at the MLB level.

Don't see Olt as a solution, just more of the same; Probably (maybe) a better player that Matt Davidson, but wouldn't appear to be anything more than a long-shot.

This all goes back to the White Sox thinking they are a contender (or can be) in 2016 (and beyond). They claim to be thinking of this team as a contender year to year, and perhaps they should with Sale on the roster, but they haven't shown they can actually put that quality of team on the roster.

QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Aug 31, 2015 -> 10:44 AM) I wonder why he wasn't placed on waivers earlier in the month. Also, I wonder who else has been put on waivers? Most players go through waivers at some point, I believe. Is there a timing/strategy as to when players on put on waivers? That question is one I'm not sure of.

QUOTE (AustinIllini @ Aug 31, 2015 -> 10:06 AM) I'm sure the White Sox would probably ask for too much, which is fine. I would rather they keep him than give him away. Even if the White Sox had interest in moving him, I don't know that they could expect much more than payroll relief.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 31, 2015 -> 10:11 AM) http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer/jon-he...-seems-unlikely I'm not sure I would believe any of these reports, etc. Who know he even cleared waivers, much less, what the White Sox are intending to do? (I do expect the White Sox to keep him though).

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Aug 31, 2015 -> 09:12 AM) I guess that's the main thing, if they don't need the payroll flexibility. It just seems silly for a non-competing team to owe a closer $35 million for 3 years. That's the issue though; the White Sox don't believe in full-on rebuilding so they will likely try and patch together a contending team next year. If they move Robertson, they potentially open a new hole up even if they are confident in their in-house options like Jones. I do think the payroll flexibility would allow them to pursue other options; if they let Ramirez and/or Robertson go, doesn't that allow them a few moves that would potentially help the offense, etc.

The White Sox don't believe they are in a rebuild mode; that's why it would be extremely surprising for them to let the Yankees have him.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 28, 2015 -> 09:43 AM) We've gotten enough wild cards for 1 month guys that eventually IIRC the guy we got for Beckham last year at least wound up in the top 30 list. Sox got something decent for Beckham?

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Aug 27, 2015 -> 11:03 PM) Wait, people are seriously saying the Sox should pick up Ramirez' option? That's just crazy talk. He'd be lucky to get a 1 year deal at 6 million on the open market let alone 10 million. 35 year old SS coming off a negative WAR season, come on folks. The vast majority of his value is tied up his defense and there is absolutely zero reason to believe he's suddenly going to pick it up again at 35. Check his defensive metrics this is the 5th straight year of decline and this year he fell off a cliff he's 2 runs above average. That's not even close to good enough with his bat. I don't know the market for Ramirez so if the White Sox are convinced he won't be able to match his contract for 2016 on the open market, then, obviously, you don't pick up the option. The White Sox have to be careful here though; Ramirez hasn't had a good year, but what is the alternative for next season? Is Tim Anderson ready? What are the other alternatives? They already have massive offensive holes at 3B, SS (including Ramirez who hasn't played well) 2B, RF, DH and C. I think they need to consider bringing him back for next season, especially if they don't have an in-house alternative.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Aug 27, 2015 -> 08:35 AM) The most logical place for Micah is DH. With LaRoche here for 2016, he'd have to wait until 2017. I think he'll be traded by then. Sanchez's emergence as an elite defender and above average hitter makes it a very real possibility. He's probably a DH 2-3 times a week and a 2B 1-2 times depending on the level of commitment shown to LaRoche and Sanchez (and the Ramirez situation).

If he can hit, he should be in the lineup everyday. If he has improved defensively, he should be the starting 2B. Carlos Sanchez has played better in the 2nd half, but I'm not convinced that he hits enough to be an everyday player on a team with so many offensive holes. There is also a possibility that the White Sox do not exercise Ramirez's option and the White Sox move Sanchez to SS (or promote Anderson) for next season and use that money to fill out the lineup should there be another offensive upgrade in free agency or trade. I do think Johnson should be in the lineup most days next season if his ability to hit is not in question.

just ask boers and bernstein tomorrow. They know everything about everything, have sources everywhere, and are never wrong.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Aug 23, 2015 -> 12:01 PM) The team is back to 4 1/2 out of the wild card. Yet, their play has proven that they aren't a serious contender.

Why should anyone expect Shark to now be interested in signing a long-term deal with the White Sox before entering free agency?

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 10, 2015 -> 05:28 PM) Shields has a horrible contract going forward and can't keep the ball in the park. He'd be a terrible fit. Considering that you may be able to sign the Shark for around $20 million and he's younger, I don't think this would a realistic option on that alone. From MLB Trade Rumors: Shields is an interesting case, however, as high-payroll teams in need of starting pitching could still conceivably make a move for the veteran right-hander. Shields is owed roughly $2.25MM for the remainder of this season, and then $21MM in each of the next three seasons, plus a $16MM club option (with a $2MM buyout) for 2019. He can also opt out of his deal following the 2016 season, meaning that some teams could make a move thinking they’d only be committed to Shields for little over a year. Then again, Shields will turn 35 in December 2016, so he’s probably just likely to stick with his current deal since teams may be hesitant to pay a pitcher more than $43MM guaranteed for his age-35 and age-36 seasons.

Outside of a bullpen arm, should we be expecting anything else (anyone need Ramirez)?