CWSpalehoseCWS

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Jan 9, 2016 -> 09:29 PM) I saw a post on Twitter that was interesting and could possibly be true. It said something along the lines of that the Sox are waiting until SoxFest to announce an acquisition to try to garner more interest in the event itself. I don't know if it's true or not, but it does seem like the Sox usually announce something big at that time. I'd be shocked the Sox would be able to keep a tight lip for 2 1/2 more weeks if they signed a player like Cespedes.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 9, 2016 -> 12:08 PM) I think it's a gamble with a double edged sword. On one side, if Upton performs as usual then he should hit paydirt next winter but if he under-performs he lowers his value. I'm probably in the minority on this but I don't have interest in Upton for a 1 year deal, he either accepts a 3/4 year deal or f*** him and move on to someone else. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to see Upton in a Sox uni, just not for merely one season. There's just too many options available to give into his demands, he can either meet the Sox half way or he can piss off. Plus Upton costs a pick. A 1-yr deal is dumb.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 8, 2016 -> 09:42 PM) Where are the Blue Jays payroll-wise? Apparently around $144M according to roster resource: http://www.rosterresource.com/mlb-toronto-blue-jays-info/ I can't see them adding a big contract to that.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 8, 2016 -> 08:48 PM) As time goes on and more rumors surface, the White Sox stance makes much more sense. The Sox know there's realistically less than a handful of teams that can pony up the money or have the need for players such as Cespedes/ Upton and that there are also numerous options available on the trade market. IMHO, Hahn is playing this perfect. I know the waiting game really sucks but I think when all is said and done, most Sox fans will be happy with what Hahn pulls off. Even if its not Cespedes or Upton. We as fans need to keep in mind that we really don't know the discussions Hahn is having in the FA/trade markets so all we can do is trust that Hahn will add a solid upgrade to the OF. He's playing the market perfectly or so it seems. Kudos to Hahn, I love the fact he's the polar opposite of KW and has patience when trying to make deals - even if it causes us to go out of our minds for waiting around.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 1, 2016 -> 11:27 PM) You can make an argument for Gordon or Upton going shorter because of the horrific FA market next year and their injuries (Gordon) or inconsistency (Upton). For a player in the prime of his career, you're not hearing about many teams aggressively pursuing Upton, at least not in the press. Could be a smokescreen. That said, you could imagine Gordon coming off an injury-filled year betting on himself bouncing back and signing a shorter deal for one year. On the other hand, Cespedes is never going to have a better season and age 30 is the perfect time to strike. Still, there are at least 9-12 teams who would love one of those four. I thought I read somewhere that teams were questioning Upton's effort/work ethic or something along those lines. I could be mistaken, but I swear I saw that in an article recently (could have even been on this board too). If that's true, then that might be why there literally doesn't seem to be any market for him.

QUOTE (peavy44 @ Jan 1, 2016 -> 10:54 PM) Maybe cespedes takes a 1 year deal if he don't get offered the money he wanna. Can't see that. He's going to want to cash in on his career year he had.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Jan 1, 2016 -> 09:27 PM) Does anyone know the relationship between Abreu and Cespedes? Are they friends? It has been mentioned they are.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 1, 2016 -> 05:09 PM) If LaRoche hit 240 with 18-22 bombs would make me happy. I can't see that happening. Best bet for the Sox would be to play LaRoche strictly against RHP to get rebuild some value and then try to dump him to a team midway through the season. I can't see LaRoche rebounding to 18-22 HR's while in a platoon.

QUOTE (SoCalSox @ Jan 1, 2016 -> 09:18 PM) I think it's posturing for sure, I just don't know why the Sox would have done that. Garfien seems to think they could have done this as well, too. I guess what it does confirm, yet again, is that they are right in the mix for one of these guys. Garfien also seems to suggest that no other team is willing to go beyond 3 years for their services as of this moment. That would absolutely shock me if that was the case. Guess we'll just have to see how this plays out. I'll be extremely disappointed if the Sox cannot get something done with any of the big 3.

QUOTE (blackmooncreeping @ Jan 1, 2016 -> 04:49 PM) Ok, if not Segura, any other players come to mind to play SS? I'm not super familiar with who may or may not be available SS-wise. I love Saladino's glove but and not sold that he can hit as a starter--he seemed to tail off dramatically the last part of the year. Especially if we don't end up with a big bat from Gordon/Upton/Cespedes, Salad's weak hitting will potentially stand out even more. The only player in FA SS other than Ramirez is Desmond who is going to cost a draft pick. Not worth it IMO. Saladino's 2016 projections are not that far off from what Ramirez did last year. I would much rather see the Sox go with the internal option and allocate their resources towards other positions. I think with the additions of Frazier, Lawrie, and Avila/Navarro to Sox will be ok with Saladino in the 9 spot. The lineup is already 100x better than last year. Adding a big OF bat will only make it stronger.

QUOTE (blackmooncreeping @ Jan 1, 2016 -> 04:27 PM) Time will tell if the Sox are indeed moving to the back of the room when it comes to Gordon/Cespedes/Upton. While I'm not ready to throw in the towel on one of these guys quite yet, if we are out of the mix do the Sox quickly pivot to finding an answer at SS or a starting RHP? Who would you target out there if that's the case? There was some buzz earlier on Segura from Milwaukee as a younger SS option, is there a fit there? Any way we can flip Danks or Laroche to the Brewers somehow in the process? Just spitballing here... I really hope the Sox stay FAR away from Segura. Going after him doesn't make any sense, especially if the Sox are as high on Anderson as they appear to be. They need a stopgap at SS for 1-2 years until Anderson proves he's ready. If anything they'd be better off bringing back Ramirez rather than trading more talent for Segura - who hasn't been the same player since he lost his son two years ago. I'm perfectly content with Saladino at SS next season with some of the offseason additions the team has made.

I think Melky has performed reasonably well. I hate watching him in the field, but I can't complain with what his final slash line was at the end of the year. His BA was down and he didn't hit many HR's, but his lines were pretty close to or around what his career averages are.

Avi almost has to start in the minors if the Sox sign a OF. Sox need a 4th OF that can competently play CF. Avi can't even handle a corner OF spot.

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Dec 22, 2015 -> 09:19 PM) Would it help to know Jermaine Dye had the best year of his career with the Sox at age 32 ? I was just looking at Dye's stats from age 32 on . He had some of his best years with the Sox. One of the few guys who was hurt a lot then gets to us and gets healthy and hits more HR for the Sox then he ever had before. We always hear " this guy will hit more HR at the Cell "but we never see it actually happen very much. Even in his last year in the majors at age 35 he hit 27 HRs and a .793 OPS and .340 OBP. Dye had 44 HR's in age 32 season. , 120 RBI , 1.006 OPS, .386 OBP, .662 SLG. , OPS+ 151 Dude could still hit when he retired ( or nobody wanted him). His fielding fell of a cliff if I remember it right . Lost a couple of steps at 33 rebounded a little at 34 but still bad ,then totally lost it a lot more at 35. Jermaine Dye's age 32 season is not a reason to go out and sign Gordon. If you're looking at Gordon for 5 years, you are looking at his 32-36 age seasons. Do you really think he is going to be worth the money through the length of that contract? Gordon is an excellent player now, but I fear the last few years of that deal will be a financial burden to the organization because it's rare to see players be able to maintain their level of play into those years. Look at Jimmy Rollins, he'd be an example of a player who is a shell of his former self entering his mid 30's. I'm not arguing that Gordon is a bad pickup, his OBP would look amazing in the Sox lineup. I'd would rather have Upton for the remaining prime years of his career plus his twilight years than Gordon who has the chance to start declining fairly soon.

QUOTE (bmags @ Dec 22, 2015 -> 04:33 PM) Honestly he was the one I wanted most ahead of the frazier/lawrie signings. Now I'm intrigued by the possibility of having a team with above average power, but I still think the benefits of adding a top def LFer (which improves our pitching) that also helps our offense would be incredible. But I like all of em. Any three of them is an improvement to the team, I just would prefer to not take a chance on a guy that is most likely going to start declining over the contract.

Really hope this is just the Sox trying to get either Cespedes or Upton's price down. Gordon is a great player, but he is not the player I want the Sox to sign. His age is cause enough for concern for me.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 22, 2015 -> 04:12 PM) From Hahn's comments last week, it seems to me the Avi shipped has perhaps sailed. He talked about his talent, but I don't think another year of experimentation is even a thought. He admitted he needed an OF. Plus for all we know, Avi may be unwilling to cooperate and make the changes the Sox staff see fit to get him to the next level.

If the Sox got Upton/Cespedes, I would send Avi to Charlotte to start the year. He doesn't really have any value at the moment. Who knows, maybe he kills it and rebuilds some trade value allowing the Sox to flip him for someone.

While Cespedes prevents you from losing a draft pick, I think I would rather have Upton. He's younger and has a much better career OBP than Cespedes. Of course I'd take either assuming the Sox don't break the bank. With LaRoche and Danks off the books offer a backloaded deal and the salaries could offset.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Dec 13, 2015 -> 09:56 AM) I'm thinking as of now, they'll go with LaRoche to start with but he will be on a short leash. They probably want him and Abreu sharing time at first and DH against righties with Melky DHing, Eaton in left and Trayce in center against lefties. But like I said, if LaRoche isn't performing and Trayce starts off good out of the gate we'd likely see LaRoche shift into a bench role (or even released). I would disagree. The Sox rarely hold big contract players on short leases. Adam Dunn is a prime example of that. LaRoche will be no different. Look how long it took Robin to bench him last year vs. LHP.

QUOTE (bmags @ Dec 13, 2015 -> 12:43 AM) Well, in their defense, their team was 3rd in team ERA last year. It had the NL bump, but, if that's weak, I'll take it. But would you really take their 3, 4, and 5 over the Sox 3, 4, and 5? On paper they have nothing special behind Arrieta and Lester.

QUOTE (Pants Rowland @ Dec 12, 2015 -> 10:36 PM) I was talking to a bunch of cubs fans last night. Just to test the waters, i threw out a random trade proposal of "as cubs fans, would you trade Shwarber for Rodon straight up?" Responding "No" all around. Am I nuts to think they are nuts? I had a Cub fan tell me trading Schwarber for Q straight up was idiotic. Cubs fans like having a weak rotation.

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Dec 11, 2015 -> 08:16 PM) I just want to see him play in a Sox uniform. If he sucks, oh well he sucks. I just don't want him thrown into some package to get Todd Frazier or some other bum that will do us exactly the way Dunn and LaRoche did. I really think there's superstar potential locked in there somewhere. Superstar is a bit of a reach. We're talking about a career .247 hitter in the minors. I like Thompson, but I don't see him as anything more than the White Sox version of Drew Stubbs. If the Sox have a good offer on the table for him, I would not mind selling high on him. Although I like the idea of keeping him on the team to play CF and shifting Eaton to one of the corners.

QUOTE (WhiteSoxLifer @ Dec 6, 2015 -> 07:45 PM) http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/12/06/don...eff-samardzija/ Cooper on shark At least he took the blame. I think Samardzija and Coop we just not a good fit much in the same way Swisher and Walker couldn't work together.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Dec 6, 2015 -> 04:19 PM) Why? They have Jansen who is a beast. Also, going after Iwakuma. Could always flip Jansen to the Cubs.