Vance Law

QUOTE (Black_Jack29 @ Dec 12, 2016 -> 03:27 PM) If the Sox want to let Frazier walk (if they can't get value in a trade return), go with Saladino at 3B for the next couple of years, and sign an aging DH or something to hit behind Abreu in 2018/2019, that's fine with me. The will certainly trade Frazier and Abreu.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 8, 2016 -> 07:30 AM) Aren't all stats made up? No. God created gravity, saves, doubles, and sac flies.

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Dec 8, 2016 -> 03:58 AM) WAR is used by way too many people as the supreme basis for a player's value. It's a made up stat. I like how Heyman b**** slapped BK over it. WAR is one stat of many that goes into player evaluation. Kevin Millar had an excellent take on WAR as well. Does McCutcheon get downgraded defensively because he's asked to play shallow and a ball gets hit over his head, thus decreasing his defensive WAR? It's all relative. Like Heyman said, Lou Whitaker has a higher WAR than Derek Jeter. I heard one of the s***heads on MLB networks saying this, and it looks like you're just throwing it out here. If you don't like WAR, great! Then what statistics are you using instead to gauge defense? And baserunning? And to compare players across positions? And to come up with one comprehensive statistic that incorporates all of the things that a baseball player can do on a spectrum of terribly to spectacularly? Derrick Jeter was an ATROCIOUS defensive shortstop who was good at hitting. You can make the argument "Jeter can play at shortstop because his excellent hitting will offset his terrible defense." But you have to include in there his terrible defense. And WAR does that. McCutchen didn't have bad defensive numbers this season because "a ball went over his head." If in fact Pirates forced him to play shallow and lots and lots of balls went over his head that surely would affect his numbers. And if that were the case, then you could blame it more on the Pirates for having a bad strategy. If it were good strategy/positioning, then all of these tons of singles he was taking away would offset the balls going over his head. This would require a deeper dive into the data. Could be McCutchen just had a down year with the glove. But he's always graded out well defensively before. Was WAR wrong then? And finally, do you know why else his WAR took a big fall? Because he had far and away the worst year of his career at the plate. Shouldn't a stat that gauges a players overall value take a dip when they're actual performance dips?

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Dec 7, 2016 -> 10:19 PM) I think the media blowback is why we will see things take a bit longer for Q. Everyone will be reanalyzing the market, turning more stones...but at the end of the day, Q is a unique asset and one who is highly valued and someone will pay the price, which should be somewhere in between what Sale & Eaton got (and I'm okay if it is what Eaton got). Sure. And though meatheads will be clamoring, there is no reason to trade him any time in the next 2 years for anything less than something huge.

QUOTE (South Sider @ Dec 7, 2016 -> 10:35 PM) Rosenthal was just talking about how valuable Eaton's contract actually is to a team like Washington that doesn't go absolutely nuts with payroll. We've said it all along that good players on contracts like that should net a good haul of prospects, and it rung true in this instance. Exactly. And credit Hahn for constructing the contract. Washington got an outfielder who put up 6 WAR last year for 5 years and $35 million dollars. As Heyward proved, he'd get more than $150 million contract on the open market.

QUOTE (Ro Da Don @ Dec 7, 2016 -> 11:34 PM) I agree with Cameron, I've been saying the same thing for weeks. Most likely nobody elite, but should be able to get some nice talent for sure. There is zero reason to trade him. Particularly for "nobody elite." Sox have him through 2021. They'll make him the closer, build up meaningless save stat, and trade for someone(s) elite some time in the next 5 years.

QUOTE (Joshua Strong @ Oct 21, 2016 -> 12:50 PM) People stopped paying attention to the Lakers not because of the rise of the Clippers but because the Lakers were/are turrible. Right. People would pay attention to the Lakers if they were good. People will pay attention to the White Sox the next time they are good, and not before that.

QUOTE (SonofaRoache @ Oct 20, 2016 -> 09:21 PM) The Cubs becoming a championship contender has ruined the Sox. Fans wont stick around for a rebuild or more BS seasons when there is a much better option miles away. This organization is at a dead end. The L.A. Clippers were a joke for their entire existence until a few years ago. Fans will pay attention to a winning team, including ceasing to pay attention to one of the all-time great franchises (Lakers).

QUOTE (onedude @ Oct 6, 2016 -> 07:31 PM) Miguel Gonzalez is in the rotation no? Yes, he is. And Dan Jennings is in the bullpen. And Lucroy will not be a free agent. His option is for $5.25 million and he's worth 3 or 4 times that. And Castro, as one of the best framing catchers in the baseball, and an average catcher bat, would be a big upgrade.

Could we get Greg Maddux?

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Sep 13, 2016 -> 07:50 AM) So you posted their ages and career PA, and then immediately put their 2016 numbers below them? For anyone who is justifiably confused, Lawrie's career wRC+ is 100, and Saladino's is 80. And that is why Lawrie will get the first chance to start over Saladino. That was a confusing way of displaying Saladino's superior offense this year. Yes, Lawrie has better career numbers. And Saladino is the notably better defensive player. And Lawrie will cost, what? $5.5, $6 million next year? And the team, if going for it, will need to spend on a catcher, an outfielder or 1B/DH, a starting pitcher and maybe bullpen. Those are some reasons, along with Lawrie's injury history, for not bringing him back and going with Saladino next year.

What's Cooper gonna say? 4 of them will be back but we need to find someone better than James Shields?

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Sep 7, 2016 -> 12:52 AM) Next year is his final arb year so he's under Sox control if they want him. Looks like a great option for 4th/5th starter. They will keep him. There's no question.

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Sep 5, 2016 -> 08:39 PM) Why do you think they hung on to Dunn two years longer before letting him go? (Answer: money owed...) Because Dunn was an acceptable DH over the final 3 years of the deal. .773 OPS, averaged 32 home runs per year, and was even better than that when they got around to platooning him. And they didn't let him go, they traded him.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Aug 26, 2016 -> 08:58 PM) Yea I was sort of driving at that but I guess I am not supposed to compare a 1st baseman to a catcher or OF or IF just to other 1st basemen. The problem is it does nothing to show a players value to his team . Maybe I am just the dummy who looks at it and says how can anyone say Avila is better than Abreu or more valuable of a player. Abreu means 10X what Avila does for the Sox . If you say 1 WAR is worth $7/8 million than isn't Avila worth more than Abreu here ? Several things. Do you know how few people on planet Earth can manage being an at least adequate defensive catcher at the major league level and at the same time be an average major league hitter? There are virtually none of those people. That's why Avila gets a big boost in WAR. The fact that he can't stay on the field obviously hurts him. The same premise goes for SS, 2B, CF. Literally anyone can play 1B. Abreu gets hurt in WAR because he can only play 1st base, he plays first base poorly, he's terribly slow and therefore grades out awful as a baserunner, and he's not remotely hitting like he did his rookie year. He adds value to the team only one way- with the bat. He hasn't been great, he's been good, and everything else he does on the field is a liability.