Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 07:24 PM) For 1.5 years and at a cost of $20 million more. Are we really doing this? You're really going to argue that Axelrod is more valuable than Peavy? If a team wants to win a World Series title, they will want a legit #2 starter in Peavy and not a #5 starter in Axelrod. This isn't even up for debate.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 06:59 PM) Every asset the team has should be made the most of. Peavy is a much more valuable asset than Axelrod.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 07:01 PM) I don't follow other sports this closely, but I'm pretty sure everyone thinks he's a moron. I remember him going on and on during the NBA super summer free agency period about how he'd rather have Wade over LeBron. Really? He's obviously an intelligent guy (in a general sense), but he's also an arrogant douche who thinks he's always the smartest guy in the room. He relies way too much on sabremetrics and uses WAR as the be-all-end-all to prove one player is better than another other (despite some known flaws with the stat in the sabremetric community). I really don't think he watches a lot of White Sox baseball by the way he talks about them.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 06:37 PM) Was this seriously in doubt? I'm also tickled to see that most people seem to be interpreting this to mean that everyone will BE traded. White Sox need to make moves that leave them in a position to compete soon. Get higher-level minor leaguers, get young MLB players, free up money to bring in free agents. Don't leave the roster without any players. Don't trade from the rotation, sans Peavy. All this means is everyone is available for the right price, which is the perfect way to approach this deadline. Crain, Thornton, & Lindstrom are really the only guys we have to move IMO. After that, only trade guys that bring back strong returns. And if I were Hahn I'd target offensive prospects, but I wouldn't get too picky on specific positions. I'd just try to amass as much near major league ready talent as possible, since we pretty much need help everywhere.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 06:35 PM) That idiot Bernstein was talking about this on the radio a little earlier. He was acting like it was stupid not to trade Sale because "he won't be pitching for a White Sox World Series team anytime soon and the pieces you'd get might be on the next winner." Sale is 24 years old and signed through freaking 2019 to a team-friendly deal? How the f*** does this guy get paid to analyze sports? I was listening to that same conversation and wish I could have called him a f***ing idiot to his face. He really knows nothing about the White Sox.

Ravelo having a nice year. He'd rank 7th in OPS in the Carolina League if he qualified, despite only having 1 HR on the season. It's too bad he's at 1B now. As a 21 year old 3B those numbers would look pretty damn good.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 06:04 PM) I still disagree with this wholeheartedly. The only reason why we'd willingly be out of it in April of next year is if we got great offers for guys like Reed, Rios, and Alexei. If teams surprise me an overpay for a number of our guys, it'll be worth it to punt on next season because we'll come away fat and happy and overloaded with talent. If, instead, we receive fair offers for guys or even low offers for guys, we take the best offers for guys we have to move like Crain, Thornton, and (IMO) Peavy. After that, we wind up in a position where this team has money to spend in the offseason, a loaded starting rotation, a deep bullpen in need of 1 or 2 extra arms. Basically, we have to find a way to turn $30 million or so into an upgraded offense in the offseason in order to be competitive (and get the team's head reattached on defense). IF teams give us fair offers for players, it makes sense to shoot for the division next year once again. And I still can't believe you think we should move Peavy just to clear a rotation spot for Axelrod. Someone better pay a big price for him or you move him in the offseason. Axelrod should be a non-factor in our long-term decision-making.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Jun 27, 2013 -> 06:21 PM) Good. It's very much needed and overdue. Settle in to suck for a bit, build the farm, and attempt to compete again when Detroit's window is closing. Depends on who we trade and what we get. 2014 will likely be a transition year no matter what we do, but I honestly believe if Hahn makes the right moves at the deadline and makes a couple smart free agent signings we can be competitive by 2015.

If Hahn can find a team willing to take on $1 - $2 million this year and $5 - 6 million next year, I hope he doesn't hesitate to dump Dunn's contract.

And I'm not sure how Miguel Gonzalez is on the down list. I think a lot of people forgot he was still in the organization until they saw him hitting .280 in a AA box score. He's still barely a prospect, but that has nothing to with his performance recently.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jun 26, 2013 -> 02:49 PM) So then, if the Sox find a team who offers them a prospect/young player who they like just as much as you like Castellanos, someone also with a high ceiling who ialso s pretty close, should they trade Reed in that deal? Of course and I don't think anyone is arguing otherwise.

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ Jun 26, 2013 -> 02:05 PM) Recent reports say lots of improvement since we drafted him. He has great speed and an above average arm and a lot of scouts love his defense so I would think he gets decent reads/take the right routes. He is a guy I have been down on in the past. I really think people on here and at WSI overvalued him because of him being the first pick of ours in '11. Now while his status as a prospect has cooled off, I really am starting to like him more. He has a great approach, takes walks, great speed and above average defense in CF. I really think if he improves his hit tool he can be a valuable player/prospect down the road (hopefully next year). Yup, Walker still has the skillset/tools to be a valuable player. It will all come down to him making more contact while retaining his BB rate.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jun 26, 2013 -> 12:21 PM) Really? Because of Nestor Molina? One guy busts or starts pitching poorly, and suddenly you shouldn't trade for anyone from there ever again? Because Myles Jaye and Daniel Webb have sure pitched well up to this point. I was going to post this, but you know he'll say they were in A ball and that you're forgetting Zach Stewart.

There is absolutely no reason for Thompson to be in opening day lineup next year. I don't care if we trade Rios & De Aza, you should not rush a top prospect to fill a hole at the major league level. You go out and find stop-gap in free agency like Granderson or give a guy like Jordan Danks a shot. Thompson will need some seasoning at AAA to start next season. Maybe around the All-Star break you can consider calling him up, but otherwise 2015 should be the target for him becoming an everday regular for us.

Castro with two strong innings tonight. I really think he's going to be a damn good reliever once he gets used to coming out of the pen. And Webb's ascent through the minors this year has been nothing short of amazing. Absolutely crazy we got him & Jaye for Frasor.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Jun 25, 2013 -> 05:44 PM) Wait aren't you arguing vehemently in another thread about how trading for prospects sucks and they always bust? He was before he went on his trade Reed at all costs tangent.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Jun 25, 2013 -> 02:17 PM) From MLBTR "Other teams say the Tigers are willing to surrender top prospects Nick Castellanos or Avisail Garcia if necessary. The team is focused on finding a closer." What closers will be available at the deadline? I know Crain isn't a closer technically, but I'd love to hear what the alternatives may be for contending teams. Also, Castellanos definitely has to be the starting point if you consider trading Reed to the Tigers. Otherwise, Hahn should tell them to go f*** themselves.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...lb&c_id=mlb

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 25, 2013 -> 09:15 AM) This ought to tell you something about the top-100 prospect lists and what actually goes into them. I have no doubt if he was in the Cubs' organization he would have cracked some lists, at least Baseball America's.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Jun 25, 2013 -> 08:24 AM) No one would argue that. And of course Thompson is most likely to reach the majors - he's already producing a level or two ahead of the others at a similar age. It still bothers me that Thompson has never been considered a top 100 prospect. While his numbers have never been eye-popping, as you said he's a level or two above players his age and has shown steady improvement each year. Plus he is a legitimate CF, which is a huge positive. I'm way more confident of him becoming a 2015 regular than any other position player in our system, including Phegley & Sanchez.

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ Jun 24, 2013 -> 11:35 AM) It's shocking that people would prefer to trade Rios over Reed. Rios has two years of team control left and should be one of the top bats available at the deadline. Moving him now makes sense if a team is willing to pay a premium for him. Not only would you be receiving young talent, but you'd also clear his salary off the books for next year. Reed has four years of team control left. He's still pre-arb next year, so trading doesn't him doesn't have much of a financial impact. His value at next year's deadline should not be much less than it is right now. IMO, you might as well focus on moving Crain, Thornton, & Lindstrom righ now and reevaluate the Reed situation next year. Now, if a team makes a ridiculous offer in next 30 days you take it, but otherwise I think you're better off waiting to move him.

Trading Sale makes no sense to me. We actually have a nice, young rotation we can build around with a legitimate ace at the front of it. That's what every team in baseball is hoping for and you don't reshuffle the deck once you have one. Yes, we basically need to rebuild the entire offense, but an offense can be fixed much faster than a pitching staff, especially if we make a couple smart trades at the deadline and are willing to buy a couple agents in the offseason. I'm all for selling pieces right now, but trading Sale to fix the offense is just going to create a gaping hole in the rotation that will be nearly impossible to fill in the future.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jun 23, 2013 -> 08:27 PM) Heads22 just layeth the smacketh down, did you not seeth that great event? I'm in the kitchen You smell what I'm cookin? IT DOESNT MATTER what his numbers are. They can only go down from here with the rest of this sinking ship. We almost swept the Royals, yesterday was like the highest point of the season since we played the Nats and got our behinds handed to us. Yeah. Trade Reed, that's all I'm saying, you'll get a return that's good, better than he'll be worth. Why is this so controversial? There shoulodn't be any controversy. This shoudl be unanimous. That's all I'm saying. Laying the smack down? All Heads did was support your statement that Reed sucks in non-closing situations by providing actual data. Unless Reed is not our closer over the next 12 months, that does not suggest Reed will suddenly lose his value.

QUOTE (The Ultimate Champion @ Jun 23, 2013 -> 07:55 PM) Cue Farmio on closers in non-save situations. Why do you think he's suddenly going to lose all this value? He's only 24, he was a highly regarded prospect, and is currently getting the job done.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Jun 23, 2013 -> 05:57 PM) My feeling is the opposite. You absolutely do NOT shop Reed around, but if someone makes an offer, you definitely consider it. If you are shopping someone, you are telling people you want to move this piece. If they come asking, the price is likely to be higher. This is spot-on. Crain is going to be the top reliever on the market and he loses all value to us in 1 month. Therefore, Hahn needs to focus on selling him to teams and maximizing his value. We should also have Thornton & Lindstrom available as lower cost options to teams. We don't need to over-saturate the market by adding Reed in the mix right now. If a team calls about Reed then Hahn should tell them he's not available. That's going to tell teams that it's going to cost a f***-ton to get him. Force a team to make an insane offer or otherwise hold on to him for now. He's not going to lose that much value between now and next year's deadline.