Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jul 24, 2013 -> 06:13 AM) Which is why I'll be pissed if we don't trade Peavy, Rios, Alexei, Crain, Lindstrom, and De Aza. Throw in Danks, Dunn, and Keppinger if anyone wants them. I completely agree on the first group of players. If you can get good value for them, you move them now and then fill some needs in free agency. We have an opportunity to take advantage of an imperfect market, which could really accelerate our rebuilding process if handled correctly. I'm also cool with dumping Dunn & Keppinger to clear salary, but I'd hold on to Danks. I really like a rotation of Sale, Danks, Quintana, Santiago, & Johnson going forward. Hopefully we can add some serious offensive talent in the next 8 days to complement the pitching staff we already have in place.

If there's any truth to this report, it just goes to show how much of a seller's market it truly is.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 09:37 PM) The thought process would be that you don't pass up on the opportunity to acquire Wong who has a decent shot at becoming a first division second baseman (though his ceiling goes no higher than the ground floor of the 1st division) when your system is inundated with players who are serious long shots to ever reach that level. You don't pass up on a very good talent like Wong because of Micah Johnson, if by some miracle one of those guys does pan out, then you adjust accordingly down the line. What makes Wong so much more likely to stick in the pros than Semien? The stats you and hi8is posted were good but not great.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 06:32 PM) USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports that Alex Rodriguez has no intention of negotiating a settlement with Major League Baseball and would appeal any potential suspension. Per Usa Today I hope they ban that tool for life.

QUOTE (Paulstar @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 06:11 PM) He's an advanced hitter known for having very good baseball instincts and IQ. He might not be a superstar in the making, but he seems to be a safe bet to be a solid contributor for several years, and potentially even better than that. Semien is nice and all, especially with his K:BB, but from the sounds of it Wong has much more potential with the stick. Also, I find it funny we are talking about a Wong and Semien. I guess I don't see it when I look at their stats. Wong put up a .754 OPS in AA last year and while his .824 OPS this year is nice, it's also inflated by playing in the Pacific Coast League. I think Semien's numbers are more impressive but what do I know. I'm not necessarily against acquiring Wong, I'm just not sure getting him is the best use of our assets when we we'll have Semien & Sanchez in AAA to start next season. If he could play SS it would be a different story.

I don't get the Wong love. Unless he's some sort of defensive wizard, I don't see how he's much of an improvement over Semien.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 05:57 PM) Adams would be the centerpiece, no? I think they're both centerpieces. Freese may not be a superstar, but he's a proven major league player.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 05:46 PM) Interesting...if that is true, it shows that we really aren't looking at a long rebuilding process here Definitely would appear that way. Not sure if I like Freese as a centerpiece though. He's already 30 years old and only has 3 more years of team control (all arbitration years). If Hahn were to make this trade, he better be planning to be a big player in free agency. These two and Cano would fill a lot of needs

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 03:31 PM) If we could get down to that kind of money, we could rapidly: Extend Quintana Extend Santiago Extend Beckham Extend Reed Have $30 million remaining to sign 2 marquee free agents (perhaps a 1b and an OF). All of a sudden, the team looks competitive on paper, and if someone can remind them of basic defensive and baserunning fundamentals, they could be a force in the central ASAP. Danks' contract doesn't prevent us from doing any of these things. We already have a ton of money coming off the books over the next two years. I think dumping Danks for salary relief would be a huge mistake. At some point, you can only spend so much money productively in free agency.

QUOTE (Baron @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 03:22 PM) Hell I had a Cardinals fan tell me they wouldnt give up even Wong for Peavy and we should prepare to be gravely disappointed in the return for Peavy. That talk just makes me laugh. If we arent getting the value we want for Peavy then keep him. We have the leverage here. Exactly, it's a sellers market and we have the best players available. If teams are going to low-ball us, I could see Hahn holding some chips until the last few minutes of the deadline and hoping another GM does something stupid as time is about to run out. If no one blinks, then you look into moving Peavy & Rios in the offseason or simply keep them. Basically, we have all the leverage here, at least with guys like Peavy & Rios.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 02:09 PM) I don't know that it is that simple, guys. It depends how liquid the market is for him. If there aren't enough suitors, then you can stomp your feet all day long and say "the price was set with Garza," but if no one is willing to pay it, then no one is willing to pay it. Hahn still has to do what is best for the White Sox. That isn't dictated solely by what the Rangers paid for Garza. While all of this is true at a high level, starting pitching is always in demand at the trade deadline. Peavy represents the best starter available and by a large margin. There will definitely be teams looking to acquire him and doing so aggresively. Whether or not those teams are willing to give up a package like the one for Garza remains to be seen. Sometimes the first team to sell gets the most because they have more suitors. It's going to be an interesting nine days.

Why are people wasting their time on greg? He thinks everyone on the White Sox is a stiff. If he can't understand that Peavy should have signicant value at the trade deadline, then he's never going to understand the economics of baseball.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 11:59 AM) It's about opportunity, De Aza might be the best bat available if he is on the market. The Sox would have to take advantage of that given their current state. I agree Marty. De Aza & Rios may be the best left-handed & right-handed bats on the market respectively. I disagree that you automatically move them, but assuming you can get good value for them you don't hesitate. Plus I think we'll be able to find some OF help in free agency.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 09:59 AM) I don't expect more from him. I think he is a very good prospect, one of the best in the system. But Top 50 guys in all of baseball tend to have one or more blow-away tools, which Marcus doesn't have. I personally think he has a decent shot at being a major league starter. I'm not suggesting he's a top 50 prospect, nor am I disagreeing with your definition of one. However, I don't know why plate discipline isn't considered a tool more often, as it's one strongest drivers of long-term success with prospects. Semien has an incredible BB:K ratio of 71:61, which is even more impressive when you consider he's 22 years old and probably a league ahead of where he should be. Obviously his .394 OBP won't translate fully to the pros, but you could cut 50 points off and he'd still have the highest OBP on the White Sox's roster.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 08:09 AM) Also want to add... I like Semien a lot, I've ranked him higher than others in the FS poll group the last few rounds, but even I don't think he's a Top 50 or even Top 100 prospect in baseball yet. I do think he'll be well into the org's T10 this offseason, barring something unexpected happening between now and the end of the season. I think a Charlotte middle infield of Sanchez and Semien in 2014 should be fun to watch. But you never know what happens with the trade deadline and the offseason. I guess I don't get what else people expect from Semien? He's 2nd in the Southern Leage in OBP & 7th in OPS, all as a 22 year old middle infielder. The only legit prospects doing better than him are Joc Pederson & Jake Marisnick, both who are top 100 talents. I honestly believe we're all underestimating Semien because of the organization's struggles to develop position players in the past.

QUOTE (GoGoSox2k2 @ Jul 23, 2013 -> 07:33 AM) 670 the Score just reported that if Crain can prove he is healthy that there is basically a done deal with the Braves for Crain. Per Phil Rogers Lol...I thought that's what Grody said in his update, but I missed the actual interview and didn't want to post that. Anyone familiar with the Braves system?

Anyone hear Phil Rogers on the Score this morning? I missed the interview, but apparently he mentioned a possible Jesse Crain to the Braves deal. I'm not sure if this was simply speculation by him or an actual rumor. I know it's Phil Rogers, but there haven't been a lot of Crain rumors of late.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 06:32 PM) That will look great next to their attendance trophies. This deal, in a couple years, could look like a "meh" deal or it could look really good. Not bad when you really HAD to move him. No doubt the trade may not ultimately work out since prospects typically bust, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't applaud the return as it currently stands today. Theo played the market well and was able to get a quality return for Garza. I hate saying that but it's the truth.

QUOTE (hammerhead johnson @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 05:23 PM) One of Bryant/Olt will end up in left field. This trade was magnificent. I hate you with all my heart, but even I will admit it was a great trade.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 06:09 PM) Not a difference maker, 31 y.o., and with the added money from the TV deal, the free agents on the market will be way overpaid. I agree with your last comment, but 1B is the one position that doesn't always have a ton of demand in the free agent market. Plus Morales' overall numbers will be somewhat diminished from playing in Safeco. If you can get him at a reasonable price, which is obviously not a guarantee, I'd easily sign him to a 3 year deal and buy us some time for Barnum or another prospect to be ready to take the reigns.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 06:00 PM) There will be no available free agents next year who will be worth more than a 2-year contract to the Sox. Why wouldn't Morales be worth a 3 or 4 year deal?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 05:49 PM) If the White Sox don't trade Peavy or Rios and start looking like they're going to try to be a competitive team next year, I'd think they'd be major suitors for him. I love Choo and he would fill a ton of needs for us offensively. In all honesty, I wouldn't have a problem paying him a big annual salary, but I worry someone will give him a stupid amount of years.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 05:37 PM) For a long term deal? No way. I'm not sure why I have to keep saying this, but EVERY team gets an extra $25 million to work with next year. Sure some organizations like the Marlins will end up pocketing it for a while, but most competitive teams are going to use that money and sooner rather than later. That's going to inflate player salaries pretty significantly in the long-run. We should see noticeable changes as soon as next year, since it's not like there will suddenly be more players to spend this money on. There will just be more demand for the same supply of players. And does anyone really think Scott Boras won't use this to his advantage?

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 05:31 PM) No, not to play CF from age 32-37 or whatever it'll be. Why would use Dunn's disaster of a contract to justify signing another one? Because if that was FMV for an elite DH 3 years ago, what do you think an elite RF gets paid in free agency next year after every teams receives an extra $25M to work with? Also, Fangraphs has him worth $15M on the season, which means he should be worth $20M by the end of the year. While teams should be paying players based on their expected future production, we all know once a guy reaches free agency, more often than not, he'll get paid based on his historical performance. Again, I'm not saying I'd give Choo $20M per year, but some GM likely will do that or something close to it.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 05:24 PM) I bet you he gets $15m a year. We're paying Dunn $14.5M/year, you wouldn't pay Choo $15M per? I'd do that in a heartbeat, the problem is he probably gets closer to $20M.