Chicago White Sox

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.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jul 22, 2013 -> 05:05 PM) With Garza deal done, Sox now have arguably the best pitcher, relief pitcher and hitter available in the trade marke. Things could get very interesting. Hahn will have to manage all these assets very carefully. He can't afford to keep them all until the last few minutes of the deadline. That's why I think we'll see a move or two made at least a couple days prior to the deadline. Lindstrom in particular could go quick IMO.

It will be interesting to see Hahn's strategy for Peavy now that Garza is off the market. Will he try to work a deal out fast or will he hold on to Peavy until the last few minutes of the deadline to maximum the possible return? Hahn should have control of the sellers market now and needs to take advantage of it.

Jon Heyman pointed this out this morning on Mully & Hanley, but not only is Peavy more than rental, he would also likely bring back a compensation pick after the 2014 season. All things considered, Peavy should be the most valuable player on the market. If Hahn plays his cards right, hopefully he can land at least two legit prospects (top 100 status) and a couple A ball wild cards. That rumored Garza package should be the starting point in any Peavy discussions.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 21, 2013 -> 06:36 PM) Of course it is, but the offense can be fixed by next season. It doesn't have to be a 3 or 4 year process. It is funny you question guys like Rosenthal who have toms on contacts throughout the league, but claim you know what Rick Hahn is thinking and planning like he's your next door neighbor and you got him plastered one night and got him to start babbling. If the White Sox add a couple of hitters, and Phegley turns out to be at least an average hitter, their offense will be plenty to win. They were 4th in the AL in runs in 2012. There is no reason to think that is impossible in 2014. Lol..let me get this straight, we can never question the manager and now we can't make educated guesses about Rick Hahn's style based on his background and limited body of work? You're right, he's not my neighbor, but I'm pretty sure he's sick of having a lineup full of low AVG, low OBP players. That's one of the main reasons he signed Keppinger & traded for Gillapsie in his first offseason as GM. Again, I never said we can't rebuild our offense quickly, I've just said it's likely a 2 year process and to begin that process we need a couple of rookies in the lineup next year that our system doesn't currently have. That's why this deadline is so important. We need to add those pieces in Peavy & Crain deals. If not, rebuilding the offense will be a much more difficult and time-consuming process IMO.

Hawkins 1/3 with HR #17. Only 1 K on the day.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Jul 21, 2013 -> 06:07 PM) If the Sox could get Castellanos for Reed and even Crain they should do it. There's no doubt we would. It's not like we've never traded with divisional oppenents before. And I get that Detroit is a little different than say the Royals or Twins, but if you can land an elite prospect for a reliever you do it every time regardless of who you are trading with.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 21, 2013 -> 04:49 PM) You do know the Sox were 11th in the AL in OBP when they did win the WS? And hit 200 HRs and stole 137 bases, which helped make up for their below average OBP. The 2005 offense wasn't great by any means, but it was at least respectable. They had enough power and speed (along with an elite bullpen) to win close games. You can spin it however you want, but this year's offense entered today dead last in the AL in runs scored. They also happen to be 2nd to last in team OBP and I don't think that's a coincidence. That may work for you, but it doesn't work for me and I'm confident that Hahn feels the same way.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 21, 2013 -> 04:00 PM) If the White Sox don't get "too much" back for Addison Reed, who is young, effective, and years away from being expensive, then there's zero reason to trade him. If Reed is traded, people should say "man, why did that team give up that prospect for a closer". If that's not the reaction, then Reed should not be traded. Agree 100%. There's no reason to move Reed unless you get a ton back for him.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Jul 21, 2013 -> 10:42 AM) Appears to me there's less teams willing to part with prospects and take on salary. Even the Yankees are trying to be fiscally responsible though they have been replaced by the Dodgers as the big spenders of the days. Sox most likely won't deal within the division. Boston and Arizona are clinging to prospects. The Angels seem pretty quiet though they might be a team to spend money but have as bad a farm as the Sox. Giants farm is bad too. Braves farm is bleh. The best farms are Arizona, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Red Sox, Cardinals and Rangers among the contenders. Everyone selling is pretty much targeting those teams. Getting anything significant from any team besides those 6 will be difficult. Nationals ,Yankees, and Dodgers after that. D'backs, TB , Orioles, and Pirates would all require the Sox to chip in more morey than the Sox probably want to. Yankees could use Dunn bad, Hafner is close to being released but the Yanks are dealing with A-Rod and what he might bring to the table. Cards seem pretty content with what they have though Peavy may be a guy they want. Some of those farm teams strength are pitching but the Sox are more likely looking for position talent. Peavy and Crain and Lindstrom probably will be easiest to move. Crain is hurt and Lindstrom won't get us much. Peavy is the one piece the Sox need to get a real good return from. After that its a crap shoot and we're either going to be disappointed with the returns we get or the lack of trades. I think we improve the odds of a better return with a blockbluster or 3 way trades and those are difficult to work out. Boston is loaded with upper level position talent and Hahn already traded Thorton to them but theyre hording those guys. Hoping they loosen up and lose a lot in the next week. I don't disagree that teams are trying their best to hold on to their prospects, but by all means this is a sellers market. There are very few teams completely out of the race and two of those teams, the Astros & Marlins, don't have much to trade in the first place. The supply of attractive players should be relatively low and the addition of the second wild card spot should inflate demand as there are now more contenders and there is a new importance in actually winning your division.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 21, 2013 -> 12:12 PM) Have you talked to Rick? Publicly he has been far more optimistic about the White Sox immediate future than anyone. Pitching is there, they need offense. The 1976 White Sox were one of the worst White Sox teams ever, the next year they were the Southside Hitmen. This year has been quite simialr to 2007, when for a decent part of the season, the Sox had the worst record in baseball. 2008, they were in the playoffs. Rick is paid to be a salesman, both in terms of selling players to opposing GMs and selling tickets to fans. He's never going to tell the full truth nor should he. I know you watch this team on a daily basis and will admit the offense is horrific. We need some big changes (more OBP & better contact) before we can truly contend for a World Series and I don't see how Hahn can disagree with that. The good news is we have assets in Peavy & Crain (and possibly others) that we can use to help improve our offense. We should also have quite a bit of money to play with over the next two offseasons. If Hahn makes the right moves, he can turn things around pretty quickly. If not, it's going to take much longer because we don't have any prospects in our system who will likely be ready before the 2015 season and we can't fill all our needs in free agency.

For whatever reason, Gonzalez isn't highly regarded by the organization. I know he's still young, but they've stopped giving him regular at-bats for a while now. Plus he'll probably need to be added to the 40 man roster in the near future, which definitely won't happen. I wouldn't expect much from him, at least not with the White Sox.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jul 21, 2013 -> 11:33 AM) I for one hope we do have Rios after the trade deadline and into next year. I think he is as good an OF'er and hitter with speed as anyone we have on the team and in our system. He is in demand, but the one that we should be discussing is Viciedo. What is up with that guy? He has an above average arm and it's exciting to see him throw out baserunners but where is his hitting? Where are the homers we saw in 2012? I sure don't want to see us give up Rios for some AA prospect and then throw in cash at the same time, if in fact he is traded. Rios offensively has contributed to the Sox in a positive manner. I don't see this team in a must trade situation where we tear everything down to rebuild. Tweaking works just fine for me We have the 3rd worst record in baseball. Tweaking isn't going to solve our problems. You can keep avoiding this hard truth all you want, but thank god Rick Hahn doesn't share your optimism. Change is coming in the next 10 days and it is much needed. Having said that, we have a championship caliber rotation in place, even if we move Peavy. That's a great starting point and provides us with an opportunity to become competitive again much sooner than some people realize. However, for that to happen, Hahn needs to cash in on some assets at the deadline and acquire a couple of young bats that can be part of the core going forward. If Hahn can accomplish that and acquire a couple bats in free agency over the next two years, I think 2015 is realistic to be legit playoff contenders again. Again, the key here is acquiring two young bats that we can develop in 2014 along with Beckham, Viciedo, Phegley, & possibly Gillaspie. The sooner we have some young, cost-controlled hitters in the lineup that we can actually count on the sooner we will be competitive.