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QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 4, 2014 -> 11:40 AM) Read again. They are raising ticket prices, which means raising payroll, which means trying to contend, which is exactly what the Royals are trying to do which makes Martinez a "perfect fit" for them. The White Sox could use a little more offense, a little more contact, and left handed presence. Just what he provides. My point is that there are many more factors involved, most of them related to roster construction, but also related to the team's long-term goals.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 4, 2014 -> 11:30 AM) Judging by the White Sox raising ticket prices in some cases very significantly, I think they are expecting to spend some money this offseason, and expecting to contend in 2015. So really, they are in the same boat as KC. White Sox are raising ticket prices, therefore they should be targeting the same free agents as the Royals.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Nov 4, 2014 -> 11:26 AM) So how much confidence do we have in that evaluation of Markakis' defense. The overall rating seems heavily based on the difference in their defensive prowess. That really is the million dollar question. Typically, when consensus favors a guy like him being a high-end defender, it's easy to overlook the SABR defense data. But with Markakis, he's reated SO bad for SO long, that it's hard to argue for any sample size issues. But, I guess you could even throw defense out the window and conclude they are essentially the SAME player offensively.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 4, 2014 -> 11:13 AM) No, it was Lyle Mouton. My first thought when I saw this reply was, "Pssh! He's not left-handed!"

Alright, check this article out: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/instagraphs...t-comparison-1/ Aoki vs. Markakis

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 4, 2014 -> 11:11 AM) LMAO. How do you get into contention if you are afraid of paying good players? If Victor Martinez is a good fit for the Royals, he is a good fit for the White Sox. Newsflash....Hahn is trying to win, not see if 1 in 100 waiver claims works out. I would just respond with what shysocks said, again: QUOTE (shysocks @ Nov 4, 2014 -> 10:31 AM) They can be, it's just less likely. I continue to think that Victor's production will not match his contract, but if I had to pick one year of the next four where it will, it's 2015. That's the most important year for the Royals. The most important year for the Sox is 2016, or maybe later. "Bad contract for Sox = bad contract for Royals" makes sense in a vacuum, but all 30 teams are in a different situation, and I'll just say that Victor wouldn't be as bad a deal for KC. And just for the record, I do not want Butler, and I do not think the Royals will sign Martinez Additionally, I think our team is one that needs to invest in some good defense. The Royals are NOT, and thus can actually really benefit from a bat that doesn't take any of their good defenders off the field.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 4, 2014 -> 10:10 AM) He needs to be Batman meme slapped if he doesn't.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 4, 2014 -> 08:28 AM) Nope. Blackmon. I don't think they're going to make Dickerson available. Ahh. I guess I just didn't think Blackmon was worth that much.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 4, 2014 -> 11:07 AM) Rodon was the 3rd pick. Finnegan the 17th. Rodon is by far the more decorated prospect. Finnegan has 34 innings as a pro. Banking on him being a big part of a playoff rotation is a bit crazy. Also, starting is SO different than throwing as hard as you can for a couple innings at a time against guys who have never seen video on you. Also, caulfield is WAY too high on Duffy, IMO. Good prospect, but calling him a "co-number one" is nuts at this point.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Nov 4, 2014 -> 10:31 AM) They can be, it's just less likely. I continue to think that Victor's production will not match his contract, but if I had to pick one year of the next four where it will, it's 2015. That's the most important year for the Royals. The most important year for the Sox is 2016, or maybe later. "Bad contract for Sox = bad contract for Royals" makes sense in a vacuum, but all 30 teams are in a different situation, and I'll just say that Victor wouldn't be as bad a deal for KC. And just for the record, I do not want Butler, and I do not think the Royals will sign Martinez This is it precisely.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 4, 2014 -> 09:49 AM) Why is Victor Martinez perfect for the Royals, but for the White Sox he would be nothing but a bad contract? Because the Royals are substantially better than the White Sox and are very obviously ready to contend next year.

QUOTE (rneums33 @ Nov 4, 2014 -> 08:29 AM) Why all the no's to VMart? The guy is a pure hitter and is exactly what this lineup needs. A left handed (or switch hitting) bat to protect Abreu. I know he is 36 but all he will do is DH and maybe play 1st once in a while. 3 years of VMart at 36 will payoff better than 4 years of Dunn. VMart will still be producing when he is 39. Some guys are just pure hitters and he is one of them. Plus, we will hurt Detroit by taking him and who else on the market is a better bat than him? Oh. Well, that kind of changes everything. Thanks for bringing that up. Now that we know he'll still be producing at 39, I'm actually kind of on board with it. I wonder if Hahn is privy to this information.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 3, 2014 -> 11:39 PM) And who here is willing to give up Tim Anderson for Blackmon? Montas? Because that will be the asking price...not 2-3 "second tier" guys like Beck, Sanchez and Trayce Thompson cobbled together into a package. Did you mean Dickerson?

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Nov 3, 2014 -> 09:52 PM) I agree with what you're saying, I really don't get it either. He's not worth the 15.3M QO or losing a draft pick over. If he accepts the QO he will be untradeable without the Rockies sending money with him. I'm stumped like everyone else to be honest. Maybe they plan on trading Morneau and playing Cuddyer at 1B? Heck if I know... Yeah, someone has to go for sure, and you'd assume it ISN'T Dickerson or Stubbs because he's the only one that can really play CF. CarGo? Morneau?

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Nov 3, 2014 -> 06:38 PM) Just a guess but maybe the Rockies figure Cuddyer opts for FA in hopes of getting a 2 or 3 year deal so by extending him a QO they secure compensation. But if history is any indication, no one is going to give him that with the draft pick attached.

QUOTE (TheFutureIsNear @ Nov 3, 2014 -> 09:17 PM) What does Moustakas have to do with Gillaspie? And I'm not advocating signing Sandoval really. Don't get me wrong, I would want if the $ was right (which it won't be), but my post was more about the idea of not wanting to sing any player because of Conor Gillaspie being ridiculous. Sandoval was the example that someone else used. I'm with you on this one -- Conor is a nice stopgap, but he is not blocking anybody at all, inside or outside the organization. I think the argument that Balta et al. are making is simply that we have bigger holes to fill first, which is true also.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Nov 3, 2014 -> 07:54 PM) I would guess the Royals aren't willing to spend that kind of money, whether he fits their roster or not. Cot's only shows them with $50m in commitments next year though. Assuming Butler and Shields walk, you can bet they'll be spending SOMEwhere. And as an elite defensive team, upgrading at DH actually makes a ton of sense, as it doesn't replace any of the defenders.

We can't ignore the additional cost of forfeiting all international signings for two years as well. This smells like something that's going to be nuts to me. I highly doubt Hahn takes this kind of risk.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Nov 3, 2014 -> 05:33 PM) McEwing has some of the best post HR high fives around, Renteria can't match that. /thread. haha

Cuddyer is a head-scratcher. Gotta be a trade coming.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 3, 2014 -> 05:54 PM) Victor Martinez, 3 years for $48 million, I'm okay with that. The problem is 2015's likely to be his best season of those three, and the timing's off by one year...where when we needed him in 2014 form, we'd be getting a predictably diminished return already in 2016. Royals are a MUCH better fit for Martinez. (Although I doubt they're willing to give him four years, either). Maybe they'll go 3 years/$54-56 million. Royals ARE an interesting fit, actually.

I mean, minor league deal, sure. I just can't believe he's healthy enough to be what he used to be.

At the very least, this guy is your "well nothing worked out this offseason" back-up plan platoon partner for Viciedo, right? Or was that Jordan Danks?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 3, 2014 -> 03:24 PM) Maybe you shouldn't have referenced it to make a point. sigh

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 3, 2014 -> 03:09 PM) It is just funny that you throw out Steamer in order to say something makes sense, but when I throw out the same, "theres something better than Steamer". The only reason I used it is because you did earlier. Just be consistent. Steamer isn't useless nor infallible, it's a point of reference. Especially in the instance of some uncommon statistical anomaly, such as Victor Martinez's random career year, it's best to use multiple points of reference. I'm not telling you you shouldn't use it, but rather pointing out that Steamer is not akin to some sort of "FanGraphs official stance" on a player's future performance like you seemed to be implying.