ChiliIrishHammock24

That was my point. It might be an empty locker, it appears even likely and would make 100% sense to leave a spot open for Manny next to them, but I don't see how this was cryptic or winking in any way by Alonso. Now if he posted the ENTIRE empty locker, that would make me think he's trying to wink at Manny, but his failure to crop the photo perfectly means nothing to me.

If we get Machado and Pederson, you don't think the Sox have a GREAT shot to compete in 2020, and maybe even an outside chance in 2019 if everything goes right? And if they aren't doing so hot to start 2020....you can just flip Joc at the deadline. To not trade for him straight up with prospect not even in our top 10 is bonkers to me. Pederson is a 3+ WAR player. They don't grow on trees.

We can see like 6 inches of the locker next to it. You guys are losing your minds.

I addressed "that logic" when I referred to their prospects status. Rutherford is ranked more highly than Laz, and that's almost exclusively due to age and draft pedigree. Because numbers wise, Laz has been better. EDIT: Also, Laz will be 24 through the entirety of 2019 season, not 25.

Well that I find absolutely ridiculous. Where do you possibly rank Rutherford among our top 7 OF prospects???

Laz vs Rutherford, yeah I don't really know who I would rather keep. The thing with Rutherford is that his prospect stock has been declining for a couple of years now. He was better in 2018 than 2017, but we are still looking at a kid who will turn 22 at the beginning of the season and still hasn't played above A+ yet. Not counting existing major leaguers, he's behind Eloy, Robert, Adolfo, Basabe, Luis Gonzalez, maybe even Steele Walker soon. You are talking about our 6th or 7th best OF prospect. While Laz Rivera is lesser of a prospect right now, he's trending up and he's only behind.....Madrigal on our prospect lists for SS/2B. Yes we have Anderson and Moncada, but Laz could be a guy who replaces Yolmer in a couple of years if neccessary. Rutherford has a TON of competition. I realize that being buried for us doesn't take away his value to other teams, but I think Rutherford would be a guy I would be ok losing. I don't know, it's not that much of a difference to me between him and Laz for our org.

Trevor Bauer I believe was the original poster boy for them.

I agree, but I guess that's not something that they can translate in to concrete data for us. They have the cameras and pitch tracking to see velocity and spin rates. How can they prove his command is better? Either way, I'm intrigued.

I don't know if anyone (other than Jimmy) listen to the Sox in the Basement podcast (I recommend it), but they said they heard at SoxFest talking to some people that Blake Rutherford was the 3rd name discussed in potential Joc deal. Fulmer, Bummer, and Rutherford.

Fulmer went to Driveline this winter and apparently saw huge spikes in velocity and spin rates. While I wouldn't tell the Dodgers "no" if they demanded Fulmer, I am very curious to see how that Driveline work translates for him.

I talked to my guy and he said he doesn't think anything is happening today or tomorrow, at least in regards to them needing security for any announcement.

Some guy says he was told by someone he knows who works in security that they need to get staffing ready for an announcement either Thursday or Friday. Didn't say if it was Manny or not, but I don't really get why they need to prepare security. And as others have said, it would be rare and surprising if the Sox have gotten a deal done, and physicals taken and everything ready to announce without anyone catching wind of this. Seems like it's either BS, or it's regarding something non-Manny related.

Hopefully Yolbert Sanchez doesn't sign any time soon. I would think if he was taking the Orioles offer, he would be taking it pretty soon if he wanted to get in to the minors at the start of 2019.

Yeah, he said in a recent interview that he could be back in 2019, but that there is no real point because he would only get like 4-5 starts in at the end of the year and then shut it back down again. So the plan is just to let him take things slow and give himself the extra 5 months of the offseason to be ready for 2020.

It's not disappointing if they think they have a real shot at Yolbert and enough so that they are willing to hold off on $2M worth of commitments to get him. It's only disappointing if they don't get him and also don't use that $2M on a different big fish.

I bet this is a member from SoxTalk. Not only have they referenced me in their tweets, and I don't have much of a follower count, but someone said today on here that the account hasn't been tweeting in a while and then poof, 2 new tweets.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/how-did-nolan-arenado-get-so-good-at-defense/ https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/how-nolan-arenado-has-worked-to-become-one-of-the-best-players-in-baseball/ The reports on his defense aren't that dissimilar from the reports about Burger's defense at 3B. A bad-bodied awkward defender with a good arm.

Great, but for now he plays catcher. And that's where he currently has prospect value. If he was always a 1B prospect he would have never cracked a top 100. But he does and still plays catcher, and a catcher with his bat could be very valuable. Scouts also said Arenado was a butcher at 3B. Care to let us know why he hasn't been moved to 1B yet?

Sure, if you just ignore the fact that he plays catcher, and has crazy good OBP skills, and basically strip away all of his positive, sure. Just like Mike Trout doesn't have a great arm, and that's why he sucks.

Called what?

The 3rd sentence is what my guy has been saying as well, saying as soon as Harper signs, Manny to the Sox should happen very shortly after, possibly even the same day. But that seemed more speculative than anything else, and it seemed likely enough, so I didn't bother posting it.

As if the Patriots and their fans aren't insufferable enough, the fact that they are STILL playing this bullshit underdog story is wildly tonedeaf. I loved this video that's going around right now...

Do we know what White Sox hat that is yet? I don't recognize it.

Jesus I totally forgot Edelman got suspended for cheating this season, and the NFL doesn't make them ineligible for the playoffs.

I'm excited for work tomorrow when all of the Bears fans will tell me how the Bears would have won the Super Bowl if it wasn't for Parkey and that they would have destroyed all of these teams. Lots of hypothetical championships they've won in their heads.