ChiSox59

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 3, 2013 -> 02:59 PM) One thing that really concerns me is TB seems to know what they are doing. If this guy is a decent platoon guy or more, why did they spend so much money (if you consider the extension and assumming Bell's money plus paying Molina some cash)to get away from this guy? Maddon is the platoon king. Hannigan and Molina will platoon.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 3, 2013 -> 02:32 PM) Trade Lobaton to the Royals to back up Sal Perez for a possible bullpen arm and we start Phegs. Lobaton will assure me not buying the MLB package this year. It's like we are trying to lose games rather than spend some money and make a splash and win. Chicago is a big market city. Time to win again. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Wow.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 25, 2013 -> 02:15 PM) $10 mill is the bare minimum. I'd rather not give up more than $5 million, but if the prospect coming back is good enough, you can do it because it serves essentially the same purpose as trading him on July 31st in that instance. You can't include $10 million and then get Mr. 83 MPH Fastball in return. The most likely scenario is that Dunn is the Sox cleanup hitter on Opening Day. As he should be.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 25, 2013 -> 01:54 PM) For it to make sense for the Pirates to bring Dunn in to be a platoon partner, the White Sox would have to eat $13 million of his salary and the Pirates would trade a piece back that is virtually meaningless, not more than organizational depth. Really, for it to make sense for the White Sox, the most they can realistically include is $10 million, and you need a half-ass decent prospect in return in that situation - a player with Brandon Jacobs' ceiling would be fine. If you can't get that, you may as well hang onto Dunn until the trade deadline and attempt to deal him then when the demand is going to be greater for his services and you can likely just get someone to eat the remainder of his salary (or pick up a smaller amount at that time). Trading Dunn + anything over $5M for anything less than a good prospect would be such a dumb move. I am no Dunn fan, but if the SOX have any chance at competing next year, Dunn is going to have a big year. If he does have a big year, you can move him midseason for a decent prospect and probably kick in no $$. Paying Dunn $10M to play on another team all season is not a good move.

QUOTE (CWSpalehoseCWS @ Nov 24, 2013 -> 12:02 PM) Ridiculous. Not worth that kind of money IMO. And also reinforces Alexei Ramirez has legitimate trade value.

QUOTE (Jake @ Nov 22, 2013 -> 02:14 PM) Alexei for Matt Adams. Go. I hope you're kidding.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Nov 21, 2013 -> 07:00 PM) I don't think Semien is a true 3B just like Beckham wasn't and they forced him there.. I want Semien to play but not at 3B unless somehow Beckham turns it around. Right now I would rather have Gillaspie then Beckham in the line up. George Kottaras just DFA. Not a long term solution, but I'd still get him in camp unless they plan on getting something better. He'd be a natural platoon with Phegley, or Flowers.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Nov 21, 2013 -> 06:03 PM) Not overrating him. If you look at one of my post I said he had a chance to be above average. I know he isn't great or will be great but I think he is better then Freese and I would much rather have him on this team then Freese. And he is younger and left handed which is what we need. I personally want him to get another chance at 3rd this year. He'll be in the mix, don't you worry. If they go out and get a legitimate 3B, cya later, but I don't see that happening, and Freese is not that guy.

QUOTE (chisoxfan310 @ Nov 20, 2013 -> 02:20 PM) To the people who hate on him for cheating....Rienzo and Quintana have both failed drug tests when they were in the minors and people are still supporting them...so there's that And Flowers.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Nov 20, 2013 -> 12:15 PM) I wouldn't even trade Tyler Flowers for him straight up. The Brewers can keep that cheating clown. F that. What someone else said, send em Tank and call it a day. His contract is not even that bad. It actually was quite a steal for the Brewers up until 2014. Still, if he performs anywhere near his past, that is a great value. Braun is douche, no doubt, but he could turn this franchise around in a New York minute. Sign me up. Then trade a mixture of De Aza, Beckham, Santiago and a low level prospect or two for Peter Bourjos and Jason Castro. Bourjous CF Ramirez SS Braun LF Abreu 1B Dunn DH Garcia RF J Castro C Semien 2B Gillaspie / Kepp 3B Sign a legit reclaimation project to battle for the 5th spot - Josh Johnson would have been ideal - and that team has a shot at competing next year. Then Dunn is off the books the year after, go out and get a LH middle of the order bat.

Blurb on MLBtraderumors from Merkin on twitter: White Sox GM Rick Hahn says that the intensity of trade talks has picked up in the past few days, according to Scott Merkin. "We well could have something in the next day or it could take through Orlando (Dec. 9-12) when the logjam sort of breaks,” Hahn said.

I could go either way. As a fan, I'd always love to see them try to compete the following year. Watching 99 loss seasons is tiring. Go out and sign Ellsbury, trade for Jason Castro, add Josh Johnson and a solid veteran in the pen and I am set. That team still needs a whole lot to go right to be playing baseball in October, but at least it has a chance. For this team, as currently constructed, literally absolutely everything has to go right - that is not going to happen. But nor is signing Ellsbury. This year makes a lot of sense to just sit back and see what we have, continue to trade the aging assets you have, with the plan to compete in 2015 and beyond. Let the Dunn contract expire, let Abreu and Avi have year to get their feet under them, and spend some $$ in 2015. I don't love that plan, but respect that it is probably the most wise. I just hate wasting another year of Sale.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 02:06 PM) They're not going to keep DeAza on the bench at $4.4 million. And I'm assuming in your example you've just traded Quintana/Beckham for Castro? Why not? They have the space to. Play him a few times a week all over the OF. Nice insurance policy for when Ellsbury hits the DL. And yes, Quintana for Castro. Don't really care about Gordo anymore - but I think it's time to cut bait. I'd keep him on the roster, but I just don't see that happening. The one thing the SOX minor leagues do have are guys capable of playing 2B. Time for the SOX to move on.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Nov 1, 2013 -> 03:28 PM) Zunino or buy low on Jesus Montero from the Mariners? D'Arnaud from the Mets? Those are all I can think of. But I don't see them giving them up As others have said, Montero isn't catching much longer. He is atrocious behind the dish. I'd still have some interest in bringing him in, but where's he gonna play? Not a great fit. Zunino and D'Arnaud aren't going anywhere. Someone mentioned Jason Casto - now, that would be a move I could get on board with, and I'd probably trade Quintana to get him and Oberholtzer as a LHP out the pen. QUOTE (Marty34 @ Nov 1, 2013 -> 09:53 PM) You're stuck in what guys did in the past. Ellsbury doesn't win the Sox anything, he might get them back to 80 wins. Money wasted. Yikes. A healthy Ellsbury would totally change the complexion of the SOX in a good way. Hell, if I had Ellsbury, I would still keep De Aza and get him some starts all over the OF. There is no doubt that a 7 year $140M contract would be hampering to the SOX at some point, but I think this team has a chance: Ellsbury CF Semien 2B Abreu 1B Dunn DH Garcia RF Jason Castro C Gillaspie / Keppinger 3B Viciedo LF Ramirez SS BN: De Aza, L. Garcia, Flowers. Sale J. Johnson (1 year deal $8M, option for $10M) Santiago E. Johnson Danks Add a veteran arm to the pen, and I like it. That team has a chance to compete next year below $120M. QUOTE (scs787 @ Nov 2, 2013 -> 12:14 PM) This is a team that lost 55 games by 2 runs or less(36 by 1 run, most in the majors), yes, the record looks bad on paper but it's not like they were consistently getting blown out. If you make 3 offensive upgrades there's no reason they shouldn't be at least closer to competing in 2014. How many of those 1-2 run games they lost were caused by errors? You upgrade CF defensively with Ellsbury and that helps a lot. How many of those 1-2 run games were caused by having a middle of the order bat that had a .310 slugging% vs RHP(what we mainly faced)? You hope you upgraded that with Abreu over PK. How many of those 1-2 run games were caused by having a Catcher platoon that hit in the .200s with an OBP around .220 and defensively wasn't very good to boot? An upgrade there helps the team a lot as well. Ding, ding, ding. +1,000

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 31, 2013 -> 07:49 PM) Yes. He could also be better. De Aza could also be better. Did Lillian hack your account? All kidding aside, I totally agree.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Oct 23, 2013 -> 07:19 AM) Headley is really a perfect fit for us. 2012 was clearly a fluke, but he's still been a productive player every other year since 2010. Get him away from Petco and into the Cell and 20 HRs seems very attainable. He's also a switch-hitter and gets on-base at a nice clip, which addresses two of our largest offensive concerns. On top of that, he's a pretty good defensive player. People need to look at how weak the 3B position is right now and reevaluate Chase Headley. Now, I'm not suggesting we go out and trade the farm for him right now. I fully expect the asking price for him to be too high for our blood. However, if you could acquire him for a reasonable price AND lock him up long-term I'd be all for it. He'd be a huge upgrade over what we through out at 3B last year. Headley makes no sense for this team. He is FA after 2014, and the SOX are most likely going to be bad again next year, with or without Headley. I am all for a quick turnaround, and I hope like hell this team is competitive next year, but Headley is absolutely not the right way to go. The SOX need young guys who are under control. Not overpaid veterans nearing free agency. It is pretty simple, really.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Oct 20, 2013 -> 10:58 AM) See, I disagree with you here. I think if Hahn is seriously considering trading one of young SPs for a young bat, he'll definitely look at a guy like Johnson on a short-term deal. We have tons of cash right now and very little to spend it on that won't cost us a draft pick. Signing a project SP where the only downside is losing some money is exactly the type of low-risk, high-reward moves we should be considering. Plus I think our pitching depth is incredibly overrated. Don't get me wrong, I love our current 1-5 and think Rienzo is a great insurance policy as our #6 starter, but take out Quintana or Santiago and the complexion of the rotation suddenly changes and that depth is basically gone IMO. However, I think you can mitigate that by adding a guy like Johnson to the mix. Look at what happened to us this past year, you simply can't have enough pitching depth. Now, if Hahn wants to hold on to both Quintana & Santiago then it's a totally different story. But we shouldn't be afraid to spend at a position of strength if an opportunity presents itself there. Hahn will have to be creative to get this team competitive again and this may be the type of move to help get us there. Wonderfully said. Johnson makes a ton of sense. Certainly a risk, but as you said, the exact type of risk a team in the SOX position should pursue - that is if competing next year is a priority to the FO. There are many here who would say it isn't, and shouldn't be. Not that I necessarily disagree, but I'd always prefer to watch a winner.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Oct 20, 2013 -> 08:46 AM) Not true. Denver Post just had a column stating Astros had second highest bid at $50 Million, Rangers and BoSox at $40 ish. There are certainly conflicting reports on the matter.

I would be all over Johnson if possible in the $6-$9M range on a one year deal. Can never have too much good starting pitching. That said, I second the other opinions that we have other more important needs. C and 3B should be priority number 1 and 2 for now.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 1, 2013 -> 10:40 PM) Let's try closer to $18 million. Choo is a terrible fit for the Sox right now. He's a platoon player at this point and he's a poor defender anywhere he plays in the outfield. Ellsbury is a different story. He's a plus defender, has a well rounded skill set, and is entering his age 30 season. If you gave him 6/$120, he'd probably return surplus value for at least the first 4 years of the contract, and he has the skill set that will age well so it could legitimately be for all 6. If the Sox are willing and able to spend and get their guys - we'll say Ellsbury (6/$120), Abreu (7/$70), and McCann (4/$60), which is also $45 million added to the payroll, give or take how they set up the contracts - you can look at a lineup of Ellsbury - CF Semien - 2B Abreu - 1B McCann - C Dunn - DH Garcia - RF De Aza - LF Ramirez - SS Gillaspie - 3B That team at least gives a shot. That's not what I'd do, but it's an option and that team can absolutely be competitive. Like you said, not necessarily what you want to see, but it sure would be much more fun to watch.

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ Oct 1, 2013 -> 11:09 AM) I would like to do sign Abreu and plug him at 1B with an occasional spell by Dunn. Sign or trade for a defensive CF. Let LF/1B/DH all duke it out with Abreu almost always starting. RHP 1B Abreu (occasional Dunn spell) DH Dunn LF Viciedo/De Aza LHP 1B Abreu DH Vicedo LF De Aza Huh? If you platoon DeAza, he isn't playing against LHP. Tank needs to be out there agaisnt both LHP and RHP. Prior to this season, he raked LHP and couldn't hit RHP. For some reason, and maybe even encouragingly so, his splits nearly flipped this year.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 26, 2013 -> 02:38 AM) This "idiot" got 32 on his ACT. ahhh...thats a great one. What a beaut.

Wow is right.

I couldn't handle that dudes writing after the first few sentences / paragraphs.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 3, 2013 -> 01:11 PM) I've tried to figure out anyone who made sense as obviously an improvement over a Gillaspie/Keppinger platoon and I've struggled. Outside of the guy in Minnesota there's not a lot of high-flying 3b prospects right now that I can recall who would be a sensible target if the Sox moved one of their starting pitchers, and the FA class is more than weak: About the only bat that could possibly help at 3b would be to sign Jhonny Peralta and move him to 3b, but there's the whole "signing a guy just off a steroid suspension" thing to deal with. You have any other ideas? I'd rather get a young guy in there, but Peralta wouldn't be a terrible stop gap if they don't want to subtract from the rotation. Cowart (LAAA), Cecchini (Boston), Gallo (Texas), Arenado (Rockies), Seager (LAD), Cuthbert (KC) would all be guys I would target and float Quintana's name. Some of those listed would obviously be very tough to get. Other interesting names would be Moustakas and Jed Gyorko. I wonder if the Royals would listen if we were offering Quintana. Gyorko may be tough to get ahold of, but the Pads could use pitching, and he has had a bit of disapointing year.