Chicago White Sox

Well there you go....a perfectly reasonable explanation for why we may be making a call and seeing what the market for EE looks like. Doesn’t mean we’re actively pursuing him, but doing some diligence in the event our plans move in a different direction.

Just out of curiosity, but what does acquiring EE accomplish? Like what do you think our endgame would be by making such a move?

I wonder if all the big name insiders are enjoying their New Year’s vacation early, because there’s still no one reporting on this.

Not landing a whale would be a failure of epic proportions. I’m willing to give the Sox the benefit of the doubt here that they realize this and plan to offer obscene amounts of money to both of these guys. If they do in fact blow out the competition with their offers, the chance they land of one them should be incredibly high. That’s the construct I’m operating under and maybe that’s foolish given our track record, but I truly believe this time is different. Rick Hahn & KW’s cockiness tell me as much. For now, I’m putting my eggs in their basket and am prepared to go down with the ship if need be.

For the love of god man, no one has said he’s agreed to a contract. The guy said he’s going to choose (future tense) the Yankees.

No one has reported Manny agreed to sign anywhere. Why do you keep saying this?

Hold on a second, I never said we should just assume what the big name insiders say is true. I specifically said we shouldn’t panic on Machado until one of the national guys confirms something is close. Agents use these insiders all the time to serve their agenda and I don’t buy for a second the Sox are actively pursing another DH or that this means they’re out on Machado. If there’s any truth to this, I’d assume our interest has been greatly overstated and our front simply checked in on these guys. And for the record, I’ve always believed the Sox or Phillies had a great chance of landing Machado if there was enough separation between their offers and the Yankees as my belief is that players generally do not pass on material amounts of money. However, without a sufficient gap, I said he was going to New York. If somehow this all ends up being true, I’m willing to wager to the Sox weren’t as serious with their offer as some of us (included myself) wanted to believe. For now I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

No skin in the game? I’m not even suggesting he made this up, but the guy is going to get a ton of follows for reporting this and that will ultimately lead to more clicks for his blog. He has a huge incentive to report this and do so in a confident manner. And if the situation was reversed I’m sure some would be jumping for joy, but I know I wouldn’t without a legit insider confirming anything. Dan Clark is even less of a worthy source than Bruce Lavine and that’s saying a lot.

I agree that the rumor had some inconsistencies.

Is this the same PM exchange you were talking about when Ron said something big was happening with the Cubs that exact day and nothing ever did?

Dan Clark reporting Manny is going to choose the Yankees doesn’t mean (if you believe him) that he’s agreed to anything. I don’t know where you’re coming up with that, but his post says nothing of the sort. And I have no idea how this is gaining legs from all ends. Because another random Yankees “insider” claims he heard the same thing? Again, this is all based on what Manny supposedly told a friend. Unless that friend was Alonso or a legit insider confirms this, I’m not overly concerned at the moment.

Given that everyone has already jumped shipps (pun intended), I figured it might be worth sharing what some Orioles fans had to say about him. For those that don’t read through, what Y2Jimmy said earlier seems to be the consensus in that Dan Clark is known for being full of shit most of the time. Doesn’t mean the Yankees don’t get him, but I think there is zero reason to panic over this rumor.

I think most (not all) leaks have an agenda to them. There is literally zero benefit for teams to disclose their plans & pursuits. Sure, sometimes the wetbutt’s of world get legit information, but those are few & far between. IMO, until the big name insiders leak something is close to happening, it’s best to remain somewhat skeptical but that’s just me.

I get that vibe too and the way he’s responding to certain people is incredibly unprofessional.

No I’m not, but maybe your source can disprove me?

I’m hanging my hope on facts that come from a credible source, you’re jumping into the fire based on random speculation. I have said all along the Cubs have a strict budget and would need to move significant salary to add Harper. While I’d be completely shocked if they could pull that off, I’m not going to rule it out completely. However, based on what I have been told of how the Cubs’ front office operates, I do think it’s incredibly unlikely these details would leak out. I find it far more likely that these are plants being spread on the Boras side.

Seemingly knows what? Nothing he’s said has been proven.

I’m sure they discuss the players in other organizations with their scouting staff, but that doesn’t mean they share the rest of the potential trade pieces with them, especially it’s vitally important and/or sensitive deals.

Well I can tell you are wrong here, but I have nothing to gain by saying anything more.

He also wrote this little gem:

And most of those sources have agendas. Most front office folks don’t leak out important information to beat writers for no reason.

Glad you said this, because the only way this leak would happen would be via Theo or Jed. Is that what you think happened here?

Lol...so much for optimistic Jack Parkman. And honestly, if people want to panic over this that’s their choice, but it doesn’t jive with what I’ve heard.

Rock said he heaed this from a beat reporter. How did this beat reporter come across this information?

How does pretending to be broke give you leverage in trades when you’re trying to deal undesirable assets? And I know for a fact they have a budge they have to adhere to. You are giving Theo way too much credit here and ignoring the fact that all these Cubs rumors are Boras 101 for creating panic amongst the actual teams pursuing Harper.