Lillian

To clarify: I'm not advocating signing Shark to a long term deal, after the season. My point is simply that if they really wanted him, trading him now doesn't preclude bringing him back. I agree that they should be able to find a 5TH starter somewhere, until one of their prospects is ready. With a season under his belt, Rodon could be ready to fill out the top of the rotation, with Sale and Quintana, so they probably won't need Shark, and they money would probably be better spent elsewhere. But then, this is all pretty obvious, so I'm just clarifying my opinion.

Just to reiterate: I want a player who can realistically be expected to fill a hole, at one of our weak positions, next year, not "potentially" sometime in the future. I don't see the harm in trying to sign Jeff, in the off season. In fact, why couldn't the front office explain to him that they would like to bring him back, but they want to have a better team to back him up, next year. If trading him to a contender for the rest of this season, gives him an opportunity to better establish his value, and play for a winning team, why wouldn't he be thrilled with the chance? If he wants to come back to a better Sox team next season, on a long term deal, then he can sign with the Sox, after the season.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 4, 2015 -> 08:34 PM) They still have the comp pick, so if teams offer crap, they have leverage. I agree. The comp pick would be OK, if they can't get something better in a trade.

Let's just hope that the front office is not going to delude themselves into thinking that they still have a realistic chance for this year's playoffs. It's not impossible, but a bad bet. They need to get something to prepare for next season. If they really want Shark, they can always try to sign him in the offseason. I'd rather see them try to fill another hole.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jul 3, 2015 -> 01:32 AM) LOL. Might as well ask for Bogaerts while you're at it. I've been talking about the Sox and BoSox making a trade around Quintana for a month now. Christian Vazques, Deven Marrero, Rafael Devers and Edwin Escobar is my package. You are usually pretty astute when it comes to other teams' farm systems, however I guess that I don't see what the appeal is, of anyone in that package. It looks like an undersized catchers, a SS who may never hit better than 9TH, and a lefty, with no impressive track record. I guess Devers is the one guy who could become as valuable as Quintana, one day. But he's 18, so that may take a while. Do you think that any of them have a realistic chance to ever be as valuable as Quintana is?

Ask yourselves this: How many top prospects does it take to find one top line starter, who could be signed to a team friendly contract? That's what Quintana is. There aren't enough prospects in any one organization to equal his value, because they are all too great of a gamble. It makes more sense to ask for an established Major Leaguer, who could fill a hole, and provide the much needed offense, for this inept squad. Oh, and he better be a decent defender. Now, if that player comes with a big contract, then additional prospects could make a trade equitable.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Jun 26, 2015 -> 06:29 PM) What is up with Eaton and the home runs? Also why can we not just hold a team scoreless in the first and after we score a run Maybe that's been part of Eaton's problem. I hope that he doesn't think he's a home run hitter, and that he isn't trying to be a power hitter. I'd prefer that he choked up on the bat, and tried to be the lead off hitter, this team needs him to be.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Jun 26, 2015 -> 06:29 PM) What is up with Eaton and the home runs? Also why can we not just hold a team scoreless in the first and after we score a run Maybe that's been part of Eaton's problem. I hope that he doesn't think he's a home run hitter, and that he isn't trying to be a power hitter. I'd prefer that he choked up on the bat, and tried to be the lead off hitter, this team needs him to be.

Just to offer a little different perspective: Over the last dozen games, which include the miserable 8 game losing streak, the pitching staff has allowed just 3 or fewer runs in 9 of them, and 2 or fewer in 6 of them. That should have been good enough to produce a winning record, over that 12 game stretch. We all know that PITCHING is the name of the game. This team has pitching, and potentially even better pitching. The problem is that this offense is just not very good. Add a couple of better bats, and get a few guys back on track, and this team could be serious contenders, although it's too late for this season. However, going into next season, that should be the goal. Now, how you accomplish that, I have no idea. Nevertheless, the point is that it's not a team that needs to be "blown up".

“Fire sale” or call it what you will, there are some moves that seem compelling. I’m still hopeful for next year, so I don’t want to see them trade away the young core of Sale, Quintana, Rodon, Abreu and Garcia. Here are the guys that should be moved, and why: Samardjiza - It’s obvious that he belongs on a contender, in his contract year. He holds little value to the Sox. A contending team that needs a RH starter, who can go deep into games, and get outs, should be willing to give up something of value. I favor one top prospect, who has a good probability of being able to fill one of the several holes, for next season. I don’t want a package of 3 or 4 big question marks. La Roche - Of course, they aren’t going to get much back, but that’s not the objective, which should be to clear roster space for the real clean up hitter, whom they must acquire for next season. You all know how I feel on this topic. If the Sox go into next season with Adam as the clean up hitter, I doubt that the offense will be very effective. With him gone, they could go after a free agent, probably another first baseman or DH. He was the wrong choice, and he won’t be the right choice for next season either. Alexei - The Sox are almost certainly not going to exercise the option on him, so this is really his last season. He’ll likely hit better than he has so far, and hopefully some team needing a SS will give up something for him. Once gone, the Sox might pick the best, in organization, candidate and give him some valuable playing time. L. Garcia is still very young, and has had a decent season at AAA. Maybe he could temporarily fill the hole. Just how good is his defense at SS? Maybe Saladino will get going. Whoever it is, he better have a solid glove and arm. I wish they would instruct Rondon to abandon switch hitting and see how he could handle RH pitching, from the right side of the plate. His defense is purportedly so good, that it wouldn’t take much offense to earn a spot. I agree that Anderson is a long way from the Big Leagues. He can’t play defense and he doesn’t draw walks. One of their relievers may have to be included to make a deal, but it doesn’t make much sense to just dump guys who have shown that they can perform out of the pen. I like Putnam, Petricka and of course, Robertson could be a huge plus, if this team can contend next year. Trading Duke just leaves a void with no other lefties in the pen. I’m not worried about Melky. I think he’ll earn his contract and be good enough to fill the hole in LF. Gillaspie will probably hit better as well, and platooning him with a right handed hitting, sure handed third baseman, who can take over, in the late innings could be manageable. The bottom line is that ownership is going to have to spend some big money, in the off season to get this team back in contention. I think that they would be better off acquiring a couple of impact bats, than trying to load up on prospects. By the time those prospects might be ready to contribute, Sale and Abreu could be past their primes. I know that the farm system is badly in need of some talent, but I don't see this organization waiting another 3 or 4 years for a bunch of prospects to develop.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ May 27, 2015 -> 01:04 PM) Samardzija is pitching better and as long as he continues to do so he should bring back a decent return. Color me overly optimistic but I think Alexei will heat up with the weather and turn himself into a trade candidate. Might fetch a decent return. That's about it as far as significant returns by trade, excluding core players like Sale, Q, Rodon, Abreu, Robertson and Avi. Just have to weather the storm Sox fans. Samardzija is the obvious move for the front office. They could always resign him, as a free agent, in the off season, if they really think they want him back. My question is how much better would the return be, if they agree to pay all of his remaining salary, for this season. This organization could really use some more good prospects. Have you looked at how our Minor League players are hitting? Just dreadful!!!

QUOTE (flavum @ May 24, 2015 -> 09:30 AM) LaRoche is a notorious slow starter, so maybe he'll end up ok and be a big part of second half bounce back. The biggest difference between LaRoche and Dunn are the years. After one year of Dunn, the thought of three more years was more scary. We don't even know what LaRoche will be this year, and even if it sucks, there's only one more year. I agree that we don't know what he will do, however I wouldn't be as unconcerned as you would be, if indeed he is terrible for the rest of this year, and next year. I've practically given up on this year, but it will be very disappointing if they can't right this ship next season, with our good young, reasonably signed players. Next year is the beginning of what I perceive is our realistic window to compete. I haven't given up on this year because they don't have a chance. They aren't that far out of it, but they just don't seem to have all of the pieces, and La Roche is one of the problems, if he can't adequately fill the hole, which he was signed to fill. They fixed several problems in this last off season, but they need to fix a few more for next.

Some of you might find the following stats interesting. This is the comparison of Adam Dunn's first two months with the Sox, and Adam La Roche's numbers, with one week to go to reach the same one quarter of a season mark: AVG OBP 2B HR RBI BB SO .190 .333 10 5 23 35 69 .218 .358 5 4 16 26 44 "I'm not say'in. I'm just say'in". I really hope that we won't be stuck with the second coming of Adam Dunn, for the next two years. But it's not lookin' good.

QUOTE (South Side Fireworks Man @ May 20, 2015 -> 06:31 PM) For what it's worth, I think you, Lillian, are one of the best posters on this forum. Your posts are always well thought out and civil. You come across as intelligent, well informed and courteous. I don't always agree with you but you are never petty, crude or childish. I appreciate your contributions to this forum and I hope you continue to share your opinions despite some of the ridicule you get from some here. What a nice and thoughtful thing to say. I appreciate it very much. Thank you.

Well, let's hope that those of you who are optimistic about Adam are right. Somehow, I just can't help but keep getting flashbacks to the other Adam era, and it's not a pretty picture.

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ May 20, 2015 -> 01:19 PM) You expect a guy that has eclipsed a .375 OBP exactly zero times in his career to do it for the first time at age 35? Hmmm... Plus, Adam's OBP is currently in the .360's, so not all that far off. But, a .375 OBP is a fairly high bar to set. I do agree that he should play less against LHP, and we have the bench flexibility to make that happen. Precisely my point. No, I don't expect him to put up an OBP of .375, but that is what I'd expect a good cleanup hitter to do, especially if he strikes out as much as La Roche is doing.

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ May 20, 2015 -> 10:46 AM) I don't know, I'm not sure Teddy Ballgame would have been good enough for Lillian. He did struggle against lefties. He had just a .944 OPS against LHP versus a 1.156 against RHP. How you can bring up Ted Williams in a discussion about Adam La Roche, is beyond me. Adam is currently hitting: .207 .281 .310 vs lefties. That is not good enough to play, let alone bat in the heart of the order. Last year, it wasn't much better .204 .284 .336 Pardon me, if I expect better from our clean up hitter. I wish that some of you would think about what you write, instead of racing to try to disparage someone else's observations. Look, you're entitled to your opinions, but I hardly think that criticizing the move to acquire A. La Roche is worthy of ridicule. And, while I'm at it, my interest in acquiring Grady Sizemore, a couple of years ago, turned out to be a disappointment. Ok. so what. He was only 31, at the time, and had been a terrific player, before all of the injuries. All I ever said was that I thought that he would have been a good gamble. He could have been acquired for practically nothing, while other guys, his age, like Choo and Cano, were signing enormous long term deals. Sizemore had put up similar numbers to Cano, at the same stage of their careers, before the injuries. I have always had a soft spot for a comeback story, and with all of the hard work that he put in, to try to come back, it was intriguing to me. So I have been wrong on that assessment, so far, but there were other teams who were willing to make the same gamble. It's a matter of risk vs reward. Put it to rest already, guys. Geez, will I ever live that one down?

Ok. For all of you Smart Alecks, I would be satisfied if Adam La Roche could hit .260, with an OBP of close to .375. If he hits 20 homers and 25 doubles, and doesn't strike out 35% of the time, which is what he is doing now, I'll stop complaining. Oh, and Robin has to find a way to be sure that he doesn't start against any lefties. Does anyone disagree that the Sox would have been better off with K. Morales, Adam Lind or Andre Ethier?

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ May 20, 2015 -> 08:34 AM) Adam LaRoche is far from the biggest problem with this offense. His getting on base at a pretty respectable clip and the power will come around as he's a notoriously slow starter. I'd be willing to bet that come the end of the year his numbers will be every bit as good as Morales's, Lind's or Ethier's. The data does not support your assertion that he is a "notoriously slow starter". Last year, he hit .312 .413 .495 in his first 109 plate appearances and followed it up with an even better May. 2013 is the only year, in recent years, where he started very poorly. He's now 35 and I don't expect him to get much better. I really fear that we will be stuck with years 5 and 6 of the "Adam Bust" era. I hope I'm wrong, but this is just too eerily similar to Dunn's performance with the Sox. This would not be such a big problem, if he were not the only left handed power bat, and were not counted on to bat clean up. To me, this is indeed the most serious problem with this offense. I'm much more confident that Eaton, Melky, Abreu and Garcia will produce, than I am that Adam La Roche will have a respectable year. I'm not even worried about Gillaspie. I've always liked his approach. He puts the bat on the ball, and barrels up a lot of pitches.

In the off season, the Sox could have acquired Kendry Morales, Adam Lind, or Andre Ethier. Yes, I know that Ethier wasn't a free agent, but the Dodgers were rumored to be willing to virtually do a salary dump. Instead, they signed the second coming of Adam Dunn. So far, he is the biggest problem with this offense. But then, I've beaten that horse to death and you all know what I think. This offense is terrible, and La Roche hitting in the heart of the order, as our only left handed power bat, is the most glaring deficiency. If they expect to compete, the front office better try to fix the problem that this lineup has, with a clean up hitter, who is a strike out machine, and is totally inept vs. LHP.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ May 14, 2015 -> 12:30 PM) Lillian? Yes, I'm here. I've been reading the comments on this thread. You can guess that I'm pleased, as this is what I have been advocating. I don't think that there is much question that Carlos will be starting. They aren't calling him up to sit on the bench. The question is where he bats. I have consistently felt that Carlos could fill an important role, if he can hit. Having another switch hitter, who could take Melky's place, in the #2 hole, gives the Sox the flexibility to move Melky further down in the order, where he can be more of a run producer. That would be especially constructive against LH pitching. If Sanchez could bat 2ND, it would provide an opportunity to bat Melky somewhere in the heart of the order, instead of La Roche, who is simply inept vs. lefties, and should not start on those days. Adam could be a great option as a late inning pinch hitter.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 7, 2015 -> 07:17 PM) Probably not. Unless you want to increase the OBP with walks. http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting/_/pos...rt/OPS/minpa/50 A wasteland. Russell Martin, Grandal (Top 30 in OPS but 0.1 WAR), Nick Hundley, AJ (let's not go there again), Miguel Montero, Derek Norris, Brayan Pena and Jason Castro were arguably the "available" names Rick Hahn had to choose from. I'd be very happy to see some walks from the catchers. This team is terrible at drawing walks.

So what are the options? Here are 3, none of which is ideal; 1) Switch places in the lineup with Micah. Now that Micah seems to be getting comfortable, he might be ready to assume the spot, he will ultimately occupy. 2) Bench Eaton and play Shuck. Micah would leadoff and Shuck would bat 9TH. The biggest problem with that option is Shuck's significantly inferior defense. 3) Bring up Trayce Thompson, in a month or so, if he's still hitting, He's probably still a long way from ready for the Majors, but he has shown big improvement.

I don´t want to hijack this thread, and we were all having this discussion elsewhere. However, since Carlos and Micah´s comparative performances at the Big League level have been mentioned, it might be worth while to consider this. What Carlos did last year, during his call up, probably does not accurately reflect his ability, because he was so young. When evaluating players his age, there should be some consideration given to his youth. He had just turned 22, when he was called up last year. That is very young to be playing in the Majors. What should be noted is how well he is adjusting to the higher levels, and how much he is improving. Of course, it´s all subjective, but my perception is that he is a quick study, and could very well justifiably be expected to perform better, if called up again, now as he approaches 23, which is still young, even at AAA.

No one should blame M. J. for this team´s poor start, and for my part, I´m not advocating ¨firing¨ him. The Sanchez vs. Johnson debate should focus more upon rewarding the player who is currently demonstrating that he deserves a chance. What Sanchez has done in his first 100 at bats, this season, has earned him the opportunity to play at the Major League Level, especially considering his defensive prowess.