caulfield12

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Nov 2, 2014 -> 07:37 PM) Supposedly VMart is looking for a 4 year deal with a contender and at 36, I believe it. VMart alone does not make the Sox a contender which means the Sox would need to get holes filled first so the Sox can go to VMart and show how they have taken steps to make the team better and tell VMart that he's the finishing touch to a Sox contender. I cannot stress this enough, do not get your hopes up Sox fans. Stop believing what idiots like Levine have written. DH is only one of the holes to fill on the Sox along with LF, two or maybe even three bullpen spots, 2B , possibly a starting pitcher and a case could be made for a defensive upgrade at 3B. That's a lot of holes to fill in one off season and a very hard sell to VMart. Sorry, I just don't see VMart being interested and that doesn't include the love spat between he and Sale. We know they're highly unlikely to touch 2b with semien /Johnson and probably more unlikely to pay Sandoval/Hanley/headley. I'm just as worried about catcher as those two positions. Once again like 3b (where you're looking at $12-18 million aav per year players) the only obvious upgrade is Martin and we are not in a position to put all our eggs in one or two baskets when we are 5-6 quality players away from contention.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Nov 1, 2014 -> 07:59 PM) Lind can't be a full time DH because he's a platoon hitter. So with him, we'd have a partial DH. Yea, Roost, that's a big improvement offensively and defensively at a reasonable cost. Gillaspie could play some first, OF?, DH. Maybe another guy from the right side of some sort. Only if you think Travis Ishikawa is serviceable in left field.

http://grantland.com/features/2014-mlb-pla...remarkable-run/ Story on the agony and ecstasy of getting within one base or run of winning the world series.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Nov 1, 2014 -> 07:50 PM) Thank you sir. I was thinking the same about Crawford until I looked him up, I was surprised as well. I think Crawford is a guy LA would like to trade so they have room for Perderson. If LA were willing to kick in roughly 15-18M for the remaining 3 years of Crawford's contract, it would knock his salary down to around 15M per year which is much more reasonable. Tank would have to be traded or let go but I doubt many fans would cry about that, lol. So the Sox would have Abreu at 1B, Headley at 3B and Crawford in LF. Another guy that could factor into the rotating DH with Gillaspie and Crawford could be Michael Morse who can also play LF and wouldn't cost a pick or too much in annual salary. Crawford, Headley and Morse should cost in the area of 35M and leave the Sox room for at least one good reliever possibly another depending on the arbitration cases and how aggressive the Sox want to be. Add two relievers and I seriously think the Sox could take the division in 2015. With the starting rotation as is...?

That's why the possibility of adding $35-50 million in new salary is pretty unrealistic...unless they agree to take on another bad contract (in addition to danks) like ethier or josh Hamilton, etc.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-leag...-163108617.html Molitor to manage twins as predicted

With Gone Girl, you're MUCH better off just reading the book. Affleck was his smirky/cocky best, but somehow Rosamund Pike doesn't quite fit with him chemistry-wise. Maybe it's the British side of her...of course, she's supposed to be an East Coast/elitist type of personality. Without all the supporting details of a book to work with, it turns into a CSI/NCIS/Law and Order paint by the numbers type of story...the characters of the parents and Neil Patrick Harris didn't have nearly enough time to develop richly enough. In the end, it all felt a bit rushed and it still took up almost 2 1/2 hours of screen time.

This would also seem to put even more pressure on Theo and Company to sign Shields and/or Lester. They can't whiff on free agency this time around. It's not quite an "all in" year because they have to wait on Bryant, but it's one year off for both the White Sox and the Cubs, in the sense both teams will be expected to compete for a playoff spot in 2016 barring major injuries to key players (Sale/Abreu).

http://www.bleachernation.com/2014/10/30/t...ering-troubles/ Unlikely that a player would go to the Rays...as this possible tampering situation is MUCH under much different circumstances

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Oct 31, 2014 -> 05:48 AM) Playoff-experienced leadership? This team need talent/production, not some personality attribute you're overhyping cause the World Series just ended. And LaRoche has played in 17 postseason games in his 11 year career. I wouldn't call that a ton of experience. Other than Ramirez and Danks, we don't have anyone who has experienced the playoffs as a member of the White Sox. Seven years is now quite far removed from 2008...it doesn't necessarily HAVE to be a playoff veteran, but that helps when you have it on your resume. Other than Adam Eaton, there aren't many leaders on this team. With Konerko finally gone, hopefully Sale and Abreu will start to take on more of that responsibility. We also don't have a manager who has ever made it. That's one of the pluses that hiring guys like Francona and Maddon provides. I don't know if Bill James would agree with the idea of "overhyping" something just because it's not measurable or easily quantifiable.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 09:54 PM) I hope the Cubs get whacked pretty good on this. They have embarrassed and left a good man hanging in the breeze in Renteria. I hope the new commish whacks the Cubs silly. They ought to give the Rays a choice of one player off their current 40 man roster and two minor leaguers. That would be crazy to lose a stud player over a manager. MLB is too desperate for the Cubs to win the World Series finally to force them to give up Bryant/Soler/Russell/Rizzo/Castro/Arrieta. It will wind up being someone more along the lines of Alcantara, if they do get nailed for tampering.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 08:50 AM) Well SOA has officially lost me. The show is now just about proving what an asshole Jax Teller is. They oughta just shoot everyone and end the Redwood Originals. Oh and the thing with O'Leary is set up for the prequel which could be really good.....sigh http://sonsofanarchy.wikia.com/wiki/Renee_O%27Leary_Egan Does that mean we have to watch this woman again...?

QUOTE (Vance Law @ Oct 31, 2014 -> 12:00 AM) Trade who? He's affordable, the Jays aren't going to give him up for nothing. What's the difference between him and Adam Laroche, for example, the next 2 years? Nothing except Lind is younger and will cost SOME amount or level of talent to acquire. OTOH, this team needs some playoff-experienced veteran leadership, and LaRoche checks off that particular box.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 10:01 PM) I guess we're at the stage now in baseball they make excuses for pitchers who suck in the postseason who have a good track record, blaming innings. It's more of the "blame the manager, pitching coach" game than blame the players for anything. I mean, my gawd, Peavy was trash, simply trash in his last start. I mean he gets 12 million a year next year. I guess we're assuming his arm will be all fresh up until the postseason. I mean seriously his pitches screamed "HIT ME" at the top of their lungs vs. KCR. Isn't that exactly what we always heard was the reason why the 2006 White Sox fell apart in the second half...overwork/overuse in the 2005 postseason, when they went 11-1? Shields has pitched those high stress/playoff innings consistently over the last 7-8 years. So if it's an excuse for the 2006 starting staff (based on just one year or one additional World Baseball Classic), then it's certainly applicable to Shields. Keep in mind, the Royals played 15 additional games this postseason, not a mere 12...so Shields had one or two more starts than most of our starters that year.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 08:02 PM) No. It's considered what you have to pay for a middle rotation pitcher. Which is why I have no interest in paying full price for free agents with this team right now. If a team like Cleveland had him this year, that probably would put them in the playoffs and that playoff appearance could easily be worth $100 million+ to the franchise. The Royals run this year will probably be worth more than that to them. Or the Mariners...who already spent a TON of money on Cano, but ended up short one starting pitcher when Felix, Iwakuma, Elias and Paxton wore down the final month for different reasons. Chris Young, too. FWIW, Chris Young is one of those 10-15 veteran third tier (behind Peavy/Liriano/Volquez/Hammel, etc.) pitchers who will be available to the White Sox and may or may not be worth the money...with his Safeco statistics making him more attractive than what he's likely to provide for a team in a less-friendlier park for pitchers. With Walker coming fast, and healthy, they can't afford to pay him to be an expensive insurance policy.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 07:59 PM) Is 17 to 20 million considered cheap now? I'm asking in a serious tone. Cause if I'm a scout ... the James Shields that pitched this postseason was a Jeremie Guthrie clone. He was not the old James Shields that is for sure. Because he: 1) Pitched a career high in innings (I think it was 257), and has been at 200+ every year since 2008...which, as you know from Mark Buehrle's career, it's a VERY VERY select group who have consistently been able to put up 200 innings for two or three consecutive years, let alone seven. 2) ...had a kidney stone pass during the series with BALT. 3) ...faced a very dangerous offense in the Orioles, probably the best in baseball. Yes, a 6+ ERA for the post-season is unacceptable, but it's not going to prevent Jake Peavy from getting $10-12 million per year from someone in 2015, and it's not going to prevent Shields from getting $80-110 million and 4-5 years. It MIGHT have clipped his years down from 5 to 4 and overall contract from the $100+ million territory he was shooting for (Greinke's $147 million deal with LAD), but he won't be hurting financially.

The current class of Casey Janssen, David Robertson, Francisco Rodriguez, Sergio Romo, Rafael Soriano, and Koji Uehara doesn't have anyone you can say with 100% certainty that they will fare better than Addison Reed even. Probably Robertson, but is that worth $28-32 million for two years? Romo's attractive, but totally unproven in the AL. Uehara...at his age, you just wonder what he has left. Janssen's interesting, but also expensive. You never know if you're going to end up with the "good" or "bad" Grilli, Rodney, Nathan or Frieri, for example. Ten years ago, nobody would have predicted that Santiago Casilla at his age would be a very effective closer. It has been this way for years...there are 4-6 "elite" closers and the rest are pretty much interchangeable. It's ESPN Insider, but there was an article predicting "who will be the next Wade Davis?" and Lincecum's name led the list (article by Petriello)...not sure what other names he picked, but they were all "failed" starters. Of course, Lincecum at $18 million as a starter (2015 contract) is worth only $6-9 million when converted into an "elite" 7th-8th inning guy like Davis.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 05:43 PM) Time to delete a few of Balta's posts Any post about "preseason, Ventura or preparation" or counter-response from Dick Allen would cut it back down to 75-80,000.

QUOTE (LDF @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 06:35 PM) yessss I totally, totally agree with this. any thoughts on Josh Johnson??? Too many injuries. We already tried this with Tommie Hanson last year.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 05:49 PM) Ozzie isn't coaching because if he does it voids his guaranteed(good) money from the Marlins. It isn't because Ozzie is blackballed. Let's just put it this way. If he was really a hot commodity, then another team would offer him a better AAV than his Marlins' deal and it wouldn't matter, like the Maddon situation, where he's going to be bumped up from $2 million to roughly $5 million per season. Any team crazy enough to offer him a deal would be asking him to take a pay cut, presumably.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 05:11 PM) I don't think the AL East was all that tough this year, and many pundits predicted the Rays to make the playoffs. I think they had more talent than the Sox, but according to some media, talent isn't necessary if Joe Maddon is around. As Evan Longoria goes...so goes the Rays.

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 05:06 PM) I really would hate to go after Markakis after reading the eerie similarities between him and De Aza on this board. I can see an outfield upgrade via trade. He would fit the Giants or Royals a lot better...especially if Morse can't play LF anymore. Substitute Markakis for Aoki and bring in a more dangerous hitter for Butler (or effective platoon like the A's can put out there) and that's a much more potent line-up. (Do the Royals view Dyson as a part-time or full-time player, that's the question, going forward). The Cardinals as well, now that their starting OF becomes Holliday/Jay/Grichuk with very little depth. Depends on how high they are on Grichuk as a long-term solution. Those three teams will definitely be kicking the tires on Nelson Cruz, as well.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 05:12 PM) ::Drops Mic:: Okay Conway Twitty version of Patrick Stewart...and no as cool as Heisenberg.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 01:36 PM) They were going to pay Girardi the same last year, and historic never came about. I know he doesn't write the headlines, but Wittenmeyer, the guy who has spent the past year or so slamming the Cubs, talking and writing about how they have no money and will be terrible for years wrote earlier that the Cubs are by far the best fit for Maddon. Why would a team with no money who will be terrible for years be the best fit, by far, for a manager in his 60s, when there are several teams that would sign him up? I don't know if you live in the Chicago area or not, but if you do, just turn on the local news tonight or watch Kaplan on CSN, or read any of the articles and the headlines...it is nothing that we haven't seen several times before. Maybe this time it really happens. I tend to doubt it. Joe Maddon winning pct. .517 Ozzie Guillen White Sox winning pct. 524 (That's for Greg) And yet one could get probably 18-20 head managing jobs in baseball and the other would be EXTREMELY lucky to get a 1st or 3rd base coaches' job. Now why is that?

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Oct 30, 2014 -> 04:23 PM) Career relief pitchers are generally inconsistent. The best thing is to develop your own, and even use future starters as relievers for a year or 2. For sure, going out and buying that "proven closer" is a game for fools. Sox will probably have to buy 1 reliever this year, probably from the left side, and pray. But Petricka and PUtnam were virtual rookies, Guerra's a good reliver. Carroll could so well. Webb wasn't very effective, but he was a rookie as well. Bassitt might do relief work this year as well. That guy we got for Dunn might make a run for a spot in teh pen too. Sanburn