Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 17, 2012 -> 07:45 PM) After the Fukudome experience, you'd have to think that organization would still be a little bit gunshy about an international FA outfielder, we shall see. New F.O., new scouting system in places, Ricketts will certainly trust Epstein's judgement to a large extent for at least 2-3 years. Why would the new front office and ownership group be concerned about a mistake the previous regime made?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 16, 2012 -> 07:35 PM) Myles Jaye rated equal to Tyler Saladino??? Really!! Jaye is a much better prospect than people are giving him credit for. He was a very good get for Frasor.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 16, 2012 -> 06:11 PM) Beckham ought to get the first month at least just to see if he can snap his head into the game, longer if he has a good spring. Same for Rios and De Aza. After that, start playing whoever is earning it. Give Beckham the whole year or at least most of it. Next year should not be about competing, but determing what we have and to start building for 2013 & 2014. This coming season is really Beckham's make-or-break year and I'm not going to let a poor April convince me it's time to give up on him. Not when Lillibridge is next on the depth chart. I still have serious concerns about Lillibridge. I'm fine with him as a backup OF/IF next year, but he's going to have to prove to me that last year wasn't a fluke before I consider him for anything more.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 16, 2012 -> 08:23 AM) Again it's the same problem...if I'm boston, why would I want to give up enough prospect-wise to get Gavin Floyd when I can just sign Edwin Jackson or Roy Oswalt and also be able to keep nice precious prospects? That's why the only way something like this works is if you go out and sign Jackson first and then look into dealing Floyd. There would be two issues with such a series of moves. First, you may need to temporarily go over budget to pull it off. While there would be no real financial repercussions as long as you moved Floyd before you had to start paying him, I still don't see Reinsdorf giving Williams the ok to do this. Second, you'd lose some leverage in the Floyd talks, since teams would know we'd have to move a starter before opening day. I'd be fine with that, as I like Jackson more than Floyd and anything you could get for Floyd would simply be a bonus. If demand was right, you'd sill get a pretty decent package for him. I really think there is some logic to the idea, I just don't think our organization has the balls to do what it takes to pull it off.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Jan 13, 2012 -> 06:00 PM) jcrasnick Jerry Crasnick The #Mariners are moving closer to a trade for a young impact hitter, two baseball sources confirmed. 1 minute ago Favorite Retweet Reply jcrasnick Jerry Crasnick It's a "significant trade,'' says one source. And Brandon League is not part of the return package. 56 seconds ago Favorite Retweet Reply McCutchen maybe? Can't think of another young impact hitter that might be available where the trade would be considered significant. I guess Hanley would meet the criteria, but I can't believe the Marlins would even considering deal him. I could see the Pirates dealing McCutchen if blown away.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jan 13, 2012 -> 04:24 PM) After reading Rogers' article, it seems like the Chicago media is sick of the Sox like many of the fans. My guess is most people believe Kenny has jumped the shark and like me, think the wrong guy won the war between KW and Ozzie. Sox are going to have to prove a lot on the field and in acquiring good players in the next 2-3 years. I would think only the true die-hard fans would buy tickets to see the Dunn/Rios White Sox. For f***'s sake, can one of the admins please ban Greg? He seems like a perfectly nice guy, but I simply can't take anymore of his naïveté and ridiculously-biased pro Guillen comments. GREG - KW DIDN'T WIN THE "WAR", OZZIE JUST SURRENDERED LIKE A BIG f***ING p****

I really hope people aren't judging this guy off one game.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 12, 2012 -> 01:23 PM) He's pretty much just the same Noah we saw last year post-hand-injury, except now Asik is playing better and so Noah's moving to the bench more often. I agree offensively, which the hand injury clearly affected, but his defense/energy seems worse this season. He's now had more than a full offseason to recover from the injury and it seems like he's just a worse player overall IMO.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jan 12, 2012 -> 12:14 PM) http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story/_/id/...lls-joakim-noah Scoop Jackson taking Joakim to task I honestly wouldn't be surprised if smoking too much weed during the lockout has had some effect on him so far. I'm just not seeing anything physically wrong with him that would explain his problems this season.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 12, 2012 -> 08:18 AM) It would really, really suck to make baseball decisions based on marketing. Then you need stick to fantasy baseball, because revenue does affect baseball decisions. You don't think teams consider the additional revenue coming in when offering Japanese superstars huge contracts? You don't think Jerry & KW are aware what trading away Konerko would do to ticket sales? There is always some cost-benefit element at play with every single move or acquisition. I honesty wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if we couldn't afford Cespedes in our current budget without the assumption he sells some tickets. So if KW believes he'll need to spend significant time in the minors, then there's a good chance he doesn't sign him. We're talking about a guy who will likely get $8 million per season. At some point it's cost prohibitive to spend that kind of money on a AAA season. I'm sure KW is taking this all into consideration before an offer.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 12, 2012 -> 07:43 AM) Alexei also looked totally overmatched for about 6 weeks too. Really hard to predict how long that might last for a different guy, depends on what issues he might have. Heck, Alexei still never seems to live up to what he could really do with the bats to this day. Cespedes is a much better player/prospect than Alexei ever was. To assume he'll require minor league seasoning when Alexei didn't, although entirely possible, would definitely not be my guess at this time. Furthermore, if we sign this guy, my guess is that KW and the marketing department will hype him up a ton. If you want to sell some tickets in April and May, considering our moves so far, you'll want your big attraction in Chicago and not Charlotte.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 12, 2012 -> 06:17 AM) I don't understand the people who think extending Danks is stupid and putting a damper on the "rebuild", but signing this guy, who is the same age or older would be exactly how you go about rebuilding. Isn't the ultimate goal to have as many good players as possible? I'm all for signing the guy, but I really wonder how good he is if he'll have to go to the minors at his age. Certainly not worth the money they have been talking. If he goes to the minors, my guess is that it would only be for a month or two, which wouldn't bother me too much. But considering that Alexei started in the majors, I don't think Cespedes will need time in the minors.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 12, 2012 -> 03:51 AM) So what's the most accurate information out there, age 26-30? There's strong reason to believe he's 29 or 30, it obviously becomes a MUCH MUCH higher risk...26, okay, he hits his prime in the majors at 27-30. But not if he's already right on the cusp of that age as of now. False ages have been much less of a concern since 9/11. Cuba may be a different story, but my guess is teams will do their due dilligence considering the price.

QUOTE (Andrew @ Jan 12, 2012 -> 12:10 AM) So, are we going to sign this almost 30 year old who makes great workouut tapes, or what? The guy turned 26 in October, but I guess that counts as almost 30.

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Jan 12, 2012 -> 01:55 AM) Silverio was an intriguing prospect a few years back when he was still a SS. But he's nothing special as a 3B, he's got a strong arm, but he doesn't have great range, and his throw is not accurate. I think he would move to LF eventually. His offense is a bigger suspect, as he couldn't hit for power, his plate discipline is terrible, and he is not a good base runner. Add that up, you got a sub .700 OPS player with no speed and average defense. He will be lucky if he can make it to the majors as a utility player. The plate discipline is a concern, but he's a 20 year old player latin player. Still too early write him off based on that. I completely disagree on the power, as he had nearly 60 XBHs last year. A huge number of those were doubles and triples, and some of them will start going over the fence as he fills out his frame. The defense is what will most likely kill his prospect chances, because his offensive potential won't translate to a corner spot, so it's really 3B or bust. His odds of sticking at 3B look pretty bad at the moment. No doubt he's a long-shot, but I like him than a lot of garbage in our system.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Jan 11, 2012 -> 08:09 PM) I'm not sure it's a lateral move. He went from Director of Latin Operations in Toronto to Special Assistant to the GM - International Operations with the White Sox. Probably a raise, more power, more autonomy, and all those good things that come with what seems to be a promotion. Then that's great news. Just wanted to understand why the Blue Jays would allow to leave and this makes perfect sense.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Jan 11, 2012 -> 08:03 PM) I wouldn't have Martinez, Marinez, or Silverio in my top ten. I'd probably have Hector Santiago, Dylan Axelrod, and Erik Johnson replacing them, though not necessarily in that order. The Baseball America list is pretty bad. Yes, the BA list is pretty bad, but what can you really expect from Phil? At least he got the first 5/6 right. As for the bottom of the list, for some dumb reason I was thinking Axelrod wasn't eligible, but yes he and Santiago should definitely have been included. I like Johnson as well and think he should be right around 10 - 12.

I really wish we had some insight on how the Paddy deal went down. Seems like it was a lateral move for him, so I'm hoping and guessing we gave him a significant raise over what he was making in Toronto. You have to wonder why AA was willing to let him go.

I really wish we had some insight on how the Paddy deal went down. Seems like it was a lateral move for him, so I'm hoping and guessing we gave him a significant raise over what he was making in Toronto. You have to wonder why AA was willing to let him go.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Jan 11, 2012 -> 05:32 PM) I can tell you one thing, Juan Silverio won't be in the top ten. What a joke. You really think Martinez and Marinez are better prospects? Silverio is still fairly young (turns 21 in April), has a nice set of physical tools, and is coming off a pretty decent season with the bat. He's obviously a huge long-shot and may not even have a true position (he was beyond terrible at 3B last year), but at least he has some upside if he puts everything together. Moreso than a lot of players in our system. Maybe he shouldn't be in the top 10, but he deserves to be ranked ahead of Martinez and Marinez at least.

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QUOTE (chw42 @ Jan 11, 2012 -> 01:20 PM) lol Phil Rogers writes for BA now? He's been doing the Sox list for years.

Phil Rogers is so f***ing stupid. Not surprised in the slightest that he included Marinez and Martinez in the top 10, despite them having no business being there. I'd take Escobar over Martinez if I had to, but we definitely have a couple other position playing prospects with higher upsides than just a reserve infielder. Mitchell is reaching his make or break year, but he's still a better prospect than Ozzie f***ing Martinez. If I had 30 minutes, I bet I could come up with 3 - 5 more obvious ones. Also, while Wilkins is nothing special, Rogers has the nerve to say he'll be our future 1B but still rates him lower than Martinez. That makes absolutely no sense to me. As for Marinez, how is Hector Santiago not ahead of him? Hell, I may take Infante or Leesman over him if I'm just looking at relievers that are close to major leage ready. There's also three pitchers from last year's draft I'd rate higher in Johnson, Soptic, & Snodgrass.

QUOTE (Paint it Black @ Jan 10, 2012 -> 09:03 PM) This isn't happening. The White Sox still have a horrible reputation in the DR and Cuba for the bonus skimming scandal. Also, someone explain to me why an organization that spends no money in the draft would pay top dollar for either of these players. I don't really see how our bonus skimming scandal would affect us in Cuba. I think the fact that we signed Viciedo months after firing Wilder is proof of that. Not sure why you think it would. As for signing Cespedes, we're talking a near major leage ready 5 tool talent. Guys like that aren't available in the draft, so I don't see how bringing up our lack of spending there really makes sense. You don't think KW would be willing to take a chance on a potential superstar? He's gambled on much less in the past.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 10, 2012 -> 09:28 AM) And this is normal in January. You don't run out and offer big money to backups to fill out the bench. You offer minor league deals in February to guys who can't find anyone to offer them a starting job. There's also a lot of time to bring in some bullpen arms on minor league deals too. Right now, the concern should be on the potential big moves like trading Floyd or signing Cespedes. If Floyd returns, then Axelrod is all but a guarantee for the bullpen IMO, so that's one less spot to fill. If we bring in Cespedes, then Lillibridge can spend most of his time in the IF, so the need for a veteran backup IF becomes less critical. The big dominos need to fall before we worry about the little ones.