Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 10:18 PM) Big Dirty's back in the 'Ham! How has his stuff looked? I know it's only been 9 innings, but he's got a 0 ERA, .44 WHIP, and 8 Ks across four levels. It's shocking to see a guy just converted to a pitcher move so damn fast.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jul 16, 2012 -> 07:06 PM) Thornton maybe? The thought crossed my mind, but I can't see KW trading our only dependable left-handed reliever. I could see it being Nate Jones, if KW thinks he can turn around and acquire a veteran RH reliever. Betances was the Yankees' #3 prospect heading into the year, and despite his struggles, would be a very good trade chip for us.

QUOTE (Melissa1334 @ Jul 16, 2012 -> 06:46 PM) whos josh norris? Apparently the beat-writer for the Yankee's AA team. He has another tweet that says the Sox have scouted Betances' last three starts. Looks like he was just sent down to AA after struggling in AAA and has had exactly three starts for them. This rumor is somewhat interesting.

QUOTE (chunk23 @ Jul 16, 2012 -> 06:03 PM) Been a while since I posted but here you go https://twitter.com/jnorris427/status/225000416818118659 Heard from a source that ‪#WhiteSox‬ are definitely "zeroing in" on ‪#Yankees‬ Betances. Probably to flip him. I have no idea what we'd have to give up for Betances, but it would make sense as a precursor to a deal for a legit SP.

QUOTE (Paint it Black @ Jul 16, 2012 -> 05:03 PM) When the Tigers get a full year of Cabrera/Fielder/VMart this division is about sealed up. Ditto when Kansas City finds some pitching. Their lineup is already very good. It's only a matter of time before Hosmer wins an MVP. Face it, it's highly unlikely the White Sox are going to get good years out of Konerko, Dunn, and Rios AND have Peavy and Sale healthy. Everything is going right for this year (health issues aside) and they need to capitalize right now. Lol...Kansas City needs to develop an entire pitching staff before their position players leave or get expensive. I'm not worried about them yet. As for Detroit, have Fielder or Cabrera missed time this year? Otherwise, you are saying a 34 year old coming off a significant injury is going to be the big difference maker for them next year. He should help some, but let's not get carried away here. They too have pitching problems that must be addressed. BTW, let's not forget the Sox have suffered some injuries this year. Danks and Crain have been pretty big ones and yet here we are sitting in first place. If you are going to play the injury card, make sure you play it for all sides.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Jul 16, 2012 -> 03:59 PM) I'm surprised by a lot of you wanting to part ways with Tank. Because few people on this site have any patience with young players. A lot of people seem to think young players are finished products upon arrival and will not get better with time. The best part is this is Viciedo's first full season and he's actually having a solid year so far. A .760 OPS is very good for a 23 year old. On top of that, he's shown enough in LF to make me think he can stick there defensively. Yes, he's been streaky and has had his share of struggles, but this is to be expected with a young player. I can't even imagine what people would be saying about him if he was having a Hosmer-like season.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 16, 2012 -> 04:49 PM) I've seen no indication that either guy would be ranked as a top 100 prospect. Might be a good question for the next hot sheet chat on BA. I was more stating my own opinion, but I'm fairly certain Jared Mitchell will be a Baseball America top 100 prospect. Castro has a chance too, as he was one prior to the 2011 season. However, I think his performance at AAA will ultimately determine if he makes the list.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jul 16, 2012 -> 02:31 PM) The rate them by perspective "star" players. However we've apparently found value in contributing depth players with possibly some stars coming in a few years. Not the 30th ranked system. The Sox's system is definitely weak at the top. I'd say Jared Mitchell and Simon Castro are the only two players we have that could be centerpieces of a major trade. Neither are elite prospects, but they are both top 100 talents IMO. The other problem is our overall depth. We have a ton of players in our system that are pure filler. Take a look at our rosters and you'll see a ton of guys that are way too old for their respective leagues, especially on the position playing side. However, I think we're fairly strong in the middle of our system, in particular I think we're above average in the 10 - 25 range. Also, we may not have any elite pitching prospects, but we have a ton of interesting arms in the system. These guys have value and can be used as secondary pieces in trades. So while we have a pretty weak system, we have more than enough talent to make some moves.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 16, 2012 -> 01:06 PM) Would have agreed after the first two months. Now there are some doubts again. Especially about consistency. That and the fact that he's not really a refined basestealer by any stretch of the imagination. The White Sox would be much more likely to stick him at 9th in the line-up to start out. Walker really profiles more as a prototypical leadoff hitter. Mitchell could be the guy...but he's got a ways to go. I wouldn't over-analyze stolen base rates in the minors. A guy like Mitchell is probably given the green light anytime he wants. The fact is his speed is top notch and he walks a ton, which makes him a leadoff candidate. His power is what could make him special though. He's still a raw player and high and lows should still be expected at this point.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jul 16, 2012 -> 12:59 PM) I think they should consider bringing Pierre back. His .385 OBP v. righties would provide nice insurance for Viciedo and he'd come cheap. Deaza Pierre Youk Dunn Konerko Rios AJ Ramirez Beckham Wow, Juan Pierre??? No thanks. I don't care how he's doing this year, I don't want to see him on the Sox ever again.

QUOTE (scenario @ Jul 16, 2012 -> 12:13 PM) Mitchell is a much better prospect than many people on the board recognize. I think some of the hate is due to him being picked before Trout. Time to let this go... 20 something teams made the same mistake. It wasn't just us. Meanwhile, people look at Mitchell's .247 batting average this season and trash him without recognizing he also has a .373 OBP and .824 OPS. Personally, I think we're going to see a big jump in performance from him next year. He's got a freakish combination of speed and power for a CF. I agree with you 100%. The strikeouts are worrisome to some extent, but Mitchell also walks a ton so they come with the territory. The fact is his combination of power, speed, and patience gives him the potential to be one of the best leadoff men in the game. I still think Mitchell is our #1 prospect and easily a top 100 prospect in the game. As for Dempster, people need to realize that Hamles, Greinke, and Garza are all more attractive options. If I'm going to give up a top 100 prospect and more, I'm going to make a run at those guys first. On top of that, teams won't be getting any compensation for losing Dempster at the end of the year, which seems very likely at this time. Finally, there just aren't as many teams that are willing to sacrifice young talent as there used to be. The Cubs will get something solid for Dempster, no doubt, but to think they'll get way more than a Jared Mitchell as the centerpiece of a package is crazy IMO.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jul 16, 2012 -> 11:04 AM) You wrote that maybe Axelrod and Mitchell could get you Dempster. I strongly disagree with that. I'm sure there is a team that views Dempster as the difference between winning a division or not and that is what will push his price higher than Axelrod and Mitchell. As much as people hate Jared Mitchell around here, he's going to be a top 100 prospect. I seriously doubt will get a much better prospect for Dempster, when there are better pitchers on the market and the acquiring team will get no compensation at the end of the year.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jul 16, 2012 -> 08:35 AM) This. Which is why I'm not giving the world for him. Sounds like Greinke wants crazy money and is going to test free agency no matter what. I think that and his bizarre personality will turn some teams off. I wouldn't count out the Sox if we're willing to trade Castro. He is pretty much an immediate replacement and has a fairly high upside. I don't know if other teams would offer a prospect as talented and close to the majors. If we combine him with another solid pitching prospect (Rienzo or Johnson) and a solid position playing prospect (Saladino, Thompson, or Walker) we just might have enough to make a fairly interesting offer.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jul 13, 2012 -> 09:07 AM) Len Casper was on the score yesterday and he was talking about Cubs tradeable assets, and mentioned that the Cubs were willing to get rid of Marmol and eat most of his contract. Given crains recent injury issues, snatching Dempster and Marmol really seems like not so bad of an idea right now. I would actually put Marmol back in the role he excelled in, 8th inning, and let Reed continue to close. No thanks on Marmol. He's far too erratic for my liking. As much as I hate Dempster, he does make some sense if the price is right. While our system may not have any elite pitching prospects, we have quite a few interesting pitching prospects. Axelrod, Hernandez, & Leeseman are all low ceiling, high floor guys that are ready or close to being ready for the majors. Then we got some high risk, high reward guys like Rienzo, Petricka, and Johnson that are farther but away but could still fit in the Cubs long-term plans. I think we could use two of those guys and make an attractive offer, assuming no team goes out and offers something stupid.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 10:34 AM) Anyone still want to defend Paterno? Where is Jordan4Life and that stupid f***ing Paterno photo he rocked for a few months?

What are the odds the Magic would consider Noah, Korver, the Bobcats pick, and a couple future 1st round picks for Dwight? I think that's a better package than what NJ was offering and if Dwight is unwilling to sign an extension, how much can the Magic really expect to get for him? They'd be getting one of the better centers in the league (with ties to Florida), a $5 million expiring contract, one extremely high upside pick, and a couple fluff picks. If necessary, they could move Noah in a separate deal for picks and/or young players. I think there's some logic to it for them. If I'm GarPax, I'd be willing to trade Noah and the Bobcats pick and risk losing Dwight for nothing. Worst case scenario is we gain some future cap space. Best case scenario he enjoys his time here and resigns with us. The middle ground is we control his bird rights and assist in a sign and trade that recoups some value. No matter how it would play out with Dwight, we'd still be able to amnesty Boozer and allow Deng's contract to expire to clear addional cap space to go after a second star in two years. Plus we'd still have Mirotic, Gibson, and Asik under our control or would have received other valuable assets for them. I just don't see too much downside with such a deal.

People need to realize that there will be like 5 or 6 starters on the market better than Volquez. The Padres will get something solid for him, but let's not pretend they have a ton of leverage here. Teams will move on to other options if the price is outrageous. Also, there just aren't enough teams anymore that are willing to sacrifice a ton of young talent at the deadline for average players. The new compensation rules won't help either. Prices should come down somewhat, although I think the additional wild card spots will negate that some.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 01:02 PM) Otherwise, I don't know how to do it without using Viciedo. What? We can add a starting pitcher without trading Viciedo. Maybe not Hamels or Grienke, but we can definitely get a decent innings eater for much less. Also, the cost of rentals should drop with the change in compensation rules.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 12:34 PM) Did I miss a game where he pitched poorly? He had a terrible one batter outing when he looked very green. The rest I can remember were fine outings that made it seem like he deserved his role. I didn't see the particular outing, but caulfield has mentioned it multiple times. I've liked what I have seen of him so far.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 10:10 AM) Beck was a consensus top 10 pick prior to bulking up and losing a bit of mobility, which cost him some velocity and ultimately his overall draft status. Lot of upside with this pick. Heiden is young, has put up good numbers, however, his overall stuff is relatively fringy. He is a lefty and he has seen some increases in velocity since joining the system (which is a plus). I tend to think FS as a whole thinks lesser of Heiden than it probably should, however, I can easily see why it is hard to get excited about him when you consider his stuff (he does possess a good sinking fastball). Heidenreich is a righty.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 08:59 AM) The problem of course is that if a rookie reliever comes up in a pennant race and has repeated outings where he can't throw strikes...he might well have a great future as a solid reliever for the next 20 years, but he'd still be a liability during that particular pennant race. Repeated being the key word here. He's had one so far. Let's give him a few more appearances before we start looking at other options for this year. I'm not saying you're guilty of this, but there are way too many people on this site who have no patience for young players. Let these young guys get some work in and get over the initial pressures of being in the majors before writing them off. That's all I'm saying.

QUOTE (WHarris1 @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 08:40 AM) All this talk of Humber coming back make me Why? He'd be replacing Axelrod. Worst case scenario, it's a neutral move. Best case scenario, Humber is a significant upgrade. I'm not sure what's not to like.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 08:41 AM) Septimo's going to be on short notice too if he has a couple more outings like Sunday. Walks and no clue about holding the runner (Rajai Davis) on base....wild pitch, the perfect storm of a bad appearance. It's one thing to do well against the Yankees in games that are out of reach, but pitching when the pressure's on? I've seen you make this same statement four or five times now. Why on earth would you jump to conclusions on a reliever after one appearance unless his stuff was terrible? Clearly that's not the case and he's new to the majors. Let's give him some time before we write him off.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jul 12, 2012 -> 12:20 AM) Is Carlos Sanchez going to have the glove to stick at 2B? I want to be excited about the kid because a 20 year old with those kinds of peripherals - ISO aside - looks like he could be a very valuable member of the lineup, depending on how he fills out. Just based on his height/weight, he sounds a lot like Alexi Casilla. Alexi Casilla - age 21 - A+ - .331/.390/.406/.796 in 359 PAs, with a K% of 10% and a BB% of 8.4%, and much better speed numbers (12 2B, 6 3B, 0 HR, 31/37 in SB). It's eery how similar those seasons really are. So, if Sanchez has the bat to stick at 2B, he could be a nice player. It also depends on how he fills out, because if he can get stronger, a few of those singles can turn into doubles. He is probably the one player in the Sox system I'm the most interested in going forward. Sanchez plays a lot of SS, so I'm guessing he can stick at 2B long-term.

1. Jared Mitchell 2. Courtney Hawkins 3. Simon Castro 4. Keon Barnum 5. Nestor Molina 6. Trayce Thompson 7. Carlos Sanchez 8. Keenyn Walker 9. Tyler Saladino 10. Andre Rienzo