southsider2k5

That isn't really insider information, that is their feelings. Big difference.

And now to go to step 2, the Sox aren't going to be the team that gets finishers by free agency.

The wild thing is that the Dodgers have over $3 million left. I can't say that I ever remember them NOT spending on the international market.

It has quite literally been demonstrated by the teams actions. The are at the very bottom of MLB when it comes to chasing premium talent with big contracts. Having a lot of middle of the road contracts on a larger payroll team is not the same thing.

The biggest deal of all time is $700 million. The White Sox biggest deal is about 10.5% of that total The 10th biggest deal of all, time is $325 million. The White Sox biggest deal is about 23% of that total. The 25th biggest deal of all time is $240 million. The White Sox biggest deal is right about 31% of that total. The 30th biggest deal of all time is $200 million. The White Sox biggest deal is about 38% of that total. The 50th biggest deal of all time is $162 million. The White Sox biggest deal is just under 46% of that total. Let me say that again. to get to the White Sox biggest deal EVER, that is less than half of the 50th biggest deal ever. In fact the White Sox are one of two teams in MLB HISTORY never to sign a $100 million deal. I literally can't find a ranking that goes on far enough to find where the Sox biggest contract ranks in MLB history, because no table out there goes to that small of a contract when talking about biggest ever. There is one team in all of MLB who has yet to sign a deal which was bigger than the Benitendi deal, in Oakland. You can say you that the Sox are willing spend all you want, but the history of what has actually been done shows that is a lie.

He only seems to be willing to pay a decent free agent if they are on the cheap end. Even the Machado negotiations were tens of millions less than what his market value ended up being. They never bothered to make an offer to Harper. They publicly laughed at Ohtani. He hasn't actually done it, so it is a fair statement to say he won't based on exactly this history. He has played at the top of the market like twice in the 40+ years he has been here, and really not at all since Albert Belle.

Yeah but in this case we are talking about a difference in the nine figures in all likelihood. Again, look at Tyler Glasnow. Dude has a career high 120 innings, and only been over 100 innings twice since 2016. He got a 5 year deal at $27 million PER SEASON. If Garrett has gotten this far without an extension it is a sign to me that he is willing to wait it out and bet on himself. If he sees a 5/150 type deal as a possibility, why would he settle for way less?

This is the key word. Pay. He didn't actually PAY Wheeler anything, because he never came here.

Garrett has somewhere around half of that amount coming into the next two years regardless through the arbitration system. A 3/30 type deal is like maybe $15-18ish million for the 3rd year in extra money for him over what the system is going to give him regardless of his status the next two years. If you are going to get him to sign a 3 year deal it is probably going to be closer to $50 million than $30 million.

You don't HAVE to spend a lot in free agency. Look at Cleveland and Tampa. But IF you go that route, your player development and drafting have to be A+ level, and our has been hot garbage. We seem to be decent at finding players in other systems who are closer to finished products, but our development has been mediocre at best. If you aren't getting players internally, you have to them from somewhere. Well I guess the 3rd alternative is to be the worst team in baseball/baseball history.

It is just me, or does it seem the last two or three years there has been more of an emphasis to try to get some of the latin arms into the system, which hadn't been there before?

One of the things that keeps in my head is Garrett Crochet. There is now way you can convince me that either Ozzie doesn't allow him into the rotation, or if he did, that he wouldn't be throwing him even more than Pedro has.

I don' think anyone really wants Montoyo at all, but what choice do we have? He seems like the angry grindy yelling type that ownership seems to think are leaders.

Since when do the Dodgers have international spending space left over?

Sun Time poll has 58% of people saying the Sox should trade both Crochet and Robert.

He had a ton of off of the field issues, similar to some other tall highly ranked pitcher who may still be on our roster.

For the record, his 25 and 26 should be not too far from those numbers just by the arbitration process. I don't think that is enough up front, and it SURE isn't enough in his free agent years. In this market place, he is a $25 to $30 million a year pitcher. Forget injuries, we have seen plenty of guys who pitch half a season get that kind of money. Tyler Glasnow got $27 million a year for 5 years by pitching less than 100 innings in 4 of 6 seasons, with a career high of 120 innings. There are other examples out there for sure. Garrett Crochet isn't giving up 2 years of free agency for what he could get in one year of free agency on the open market.

If he is signing a 5 year deal right now, I think he already is hurt, and it looking for the money. Otherwise a kid who has done what he has done this year so far has to be thinking he can get a $200 to $300 million long term deal in two short years. My feeling is the kind of kid who goes back and tells the new GM he wants to start, is the kind of guy who has no problem betting on themselves. Maybe you can get creative and work out a 3 to 4 year deal, which gives up only a year or maybe two of his free agency for more money in the next two years, but I can't see him giving up 3 of his prime earning years if he has come this far without already signing a cheap extension.

Wait? What? I had no idea!

Yeah, seems like a lot of effort for something that is going to be completely ignored anyway.

If he is willing to give up 3 years of free agency, that is probably what it is saying.