Chicago White Sox

Goodbye and good riddance!

Yes he is

Easily our best group of left-handed hitting prospects I can remember in my lifetime.

I’m a huge Ramos fan, but he’s exactly the type of talent a freshly rebuilding club like the A’s is going to seek. I feel like him and Rodriguez are the two prospects with the most trade value that are somewhat movable. I think holding him for another year would be better, but McNeil is a really nice fit for what we need, personality not withstanding.

Bassitt just put up a 3.3 win season, McNeil is coming off a 0.5 win season. I certainly think McNeil will be better in 2022 than he showed last year, but he won’t be valued the same as his 2018 to 2020 version and 2B’s are typically worth less than WAR models suggest. And again, the clubhouse issues are real. A guy who refuses to shift as instructed and gets in fights with teammates over it is a legit problem. I really don’t think the value gap is as big as you think it is, but obviously just my opinion.

I guess it depends on how highly the A’s view those three prospects. Our system is obviously amongst the worst in baseball, but those three guys represent our 5th, 9th, and I’m guessing 11th or 12th ranked prospects per BA. That’s not a bad haul for one year of Bassitt if your scouts like the kids and the A’s did very well with a previous quantity of quality trade with us. I also tend to think McNeil will go for a little less than many are expecting. The clubhouse concerns are legit and something the Mets will want to avoid if reasonable value can be had. That will also be factored into his price along with a tough 2021 season. I don’t expect him to be cheap, but I think there will be a substantial discount relative what it would have cost to acquire him coming off his 2020 season and without known attitude problems.

Three way trade with A’s & Mets…who says no? White Sox: Give: Rodriguez, Ramos, & Burke Get: McNeil Mets: Give: McNeil Get: Bassitt A’s: Give: Bassitt Get: Rodriguez, Ramos, & Burke

Did you miss 2020 was a shortened season due to COVID? Cause no idea how anyone could think “only 1.5 WAR in 52 games” is somehow bad.

I’m 37 and first joined in 2004. I withdrew for a period of time after a couple of internet tough guys here gave me shit for having a picture of Eazy-E wearing in his Sox hat in my signature despite being from the north suburbs. Amidst the 2005 late season collapse, I posted why I was optimistic about our chances and apparently a couple pussies here got triggered by my positivity and the notion of a north side kid liking rap music. Between that and the general negativity at the time, I pretty much stopped posting. Rejoined in 2008 under a new handle and have loved it ever since. The site has become one of the best fan communities on the internet and it’s amazing to see the diverse group of people who post here. Kudos goes out to the mod team for allowing people to disagree with the more popular opinions and occasionally say stupid / aggressive shit without fear of unfair long-term repercussions.

So Manfred isn’t negotiating a new CBA with the players but is instead firing an analyst on the MLB Network for criticizing in a separate outlet. Glad he has his priorities straight!

Vaughn is worth considerably more than one year of Bassitt.

Because a system that penalizes teams for sucking creates a trap that is difficult to get out of. The NFL probably has the best parity in all of major sports and they don’t require such an aggressive draft pick system to achieve it. The reality is that a simple lottery is likely the best solution here. Make it less attractive to tank without creating a potential death sentence to small market teams that suck and dig themselves a hole.

And this is why you don’t let scouts make important economic decisions that impact the well-being of the entire league. Just a horrible idea if parity is what you’re actually seeking.

Gil Meche put up -0.3 fWAR his final season…

So fucking true. The fact these guys aren’t even talking is embarrassing.

Being a baseball fan is legit brutal right now.

I would have been ecstatic with that trade, but I don’t think Kimbrel returns back Lux if that’s what you’re getting at.

That’s a very fair point. But 2B is generally such an easy position to fill that I wouldn’t rule it out completely, but that’s me just speculating.

He’s a still developing player, so obviously you don’t know what you’re going to get. That being said, he’s a former 70 grade prospect prospect, who bats left-handed, adds much needed athleticism, and fills a position of need (and appears to be a good defensive 2B to boot). He’s exactly the type of player you gamble on if you are the White Sox if the price is right. Worst-case scenario, he should be a very productive platoon 2B given his splits (104 wRC+ against RHP last year) and defensive value. If we were to add him and Conforto, I’d be super fucking pumped about the offense. Again, it all comes down to the cost though.

All this being said, I’d probably prefer seeing the Dodgers would do something like Crochet for Lux. Maybe make it expand it to include Kimbrel and other pieces, but I’d rather go with the younger guy with more team control if I’m giving an arm like Crochet.

I like Madrigal but he’s gone and McNeil was a high end-player from 2018 to 2020. I also think McCann is hugely overrated around here, but I think him at $7.5M/year is worth it (if you assume Keuchel is worth ~$10M and will cost us $19.5M). That being said, I’d have rather signed a 2B than trade Crochet to fill the hole, but not a lot of options that only cost money at the moment.

That’s a framework that makes some sense. Just got to be sure you’re getting a McNeil that’s closer to the 2018-20 version than the 2021 one.

McCann for Keuchel would make sense for us. But we can’t afford to pay McCann $10M/year to be our backup catcher.

How is McNeil a “utility guy” exactly? Obviously being able to play multiple positions is highly valuable, so I’m assuming you’re making a jab at his bat which has been 26% over league average in his career.

You don’t get the Jimenez love? A consensus top 5 prospect who in his second year put up a 139 wRC+ and 1.6 fWAR in 55 games (a 4.7 win pace). He’s under control for the next five seasons at an AAV of $12.8M. He’s incredibly valuable if you don’t overreact to an injury impacted 2021. Trading Eloy for McNeil would be a fireable offense IMO. Also, BTV’s valuations are meaningless. It’s a fun little tool, but we should not be using them as a legit benchmark for assessing player value.