Boopa1219

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jun 28, 2015 -> 12:28 PM) Wow, you are a comedian on top of being a professional scout and screenwriter. How did you come up with that "mic drop" zinger? Such a creative and original rip, wouldn't expect anything less from a dude as talented as yourself. Let me say I disagree with almost your entire post. Already said the ranking are pretty meaningless, so I guess we agree on one thing (even though you ignored that point). And a $1.5M bonus is nice, but nowhere near the value it was back when we signed Micker. So perhaps this guy isn't the 30th ranked player, he's still not a top 10 prospect if you go by projected bonus size. Regardless, there are a bunch teams grabbing multiple guys in or above this bonus range. Despite our overall budget, we are getting less of the high-end talent than our competition. You talk about spreading our money to multiple guys, but a lot of teams are doing the same thing but to a much greater extent by simply spending more. And I understand the differences between the draft and international free agency. Your essentially buying a bunch of lottery tickets and the goal is to buy as many as possible to increase your odds of hitting on a couple. That's exactly why you blow past your cap, sign as many as possible, and then endure your penalties for a year or two. You can still sign lower-end talent during that time. If done correctly, you can ultimately add more talent over the course of three years through this method than by staying within your cap limits. There is a reason why most of the smarter organizations are taking advantage of this loophole. And this doesn't account for the fact that an international draft is looming and these penalties may ultimately be meaningless in year or two. Once again, we are behind our competition on a popular loophole. First was with the draft and refusing to go overslot despite there being no penalties, most likely due to Reinsdorf's ethics and loyalty to Bud Selig. Now we're seeing it with a refusal to go above our international cap limit. I hope Hahn proves me wrong and goes out and gets a Eddy Martinez type, because our competition is finding creative ways to infuse talent into their systems and we are not. I am pretty far for being a professional scout, like light years away, not even close. Its an insult to the real guys to call me that but lets get back to your post....... What's creative about overspending? Its not about how much cash you drop ,its about development. And just because a guy is getting a big bonus, dosent mean he's (or she's) a good player. Teams like the Cubs are willing to overspend on guys like Ademan, because they want to make sure that they get him into their system. They already committed to going over the penalty line, so whats the point of being conversative when your goal is to sign as many players as possible. Look at the Yankees last year, they signed lots of guys to deals over $1M, not because they valued x player at that way based on talent but because they wanted to guarantee that he would be wearing pinstripes. And not most of the smarter orgs are doing this, its the guys with the big wallets. Its the Cubs, its the Yankees, its the Dodgers, etc., not everybody is afforded this luxury. And if you ask me, it shouldn't even be a possibility. I'm sure the team would love to go way overslot and spend like $30M like the Yankees, but it's not realistic for them. So please calm down and relax. x Zinger

That was the best episode of True Detective, including the first season. I remember jumping out of my seat when I first watched it and its better on a second viewing.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jun 28, 2015 -> 06:54 AM) well, for me, i do not have confidence in the sox esp when it comes to money spending. there is not enuf yrs of change to keeping remembering the yrs of disaster since 2000. The Sox INTL dept. has spent the fifth most money since the new CBA came into effect, which is impressive when you consider that they don't overspend. So they spend every dollar that they have available to them, its even more impressive when you have teams like the Yankees, Cubs amd Dodgers going over every chance they get. I know that this has been a disappointing season, but there some things that the team does well and this is one of them.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jun 28, 2015 -> 06:45 AM) I know these rankings are fairly meaningless, but it's still a bit sad that the best guy we are linked to is ranked #31 despite having one of the larger budgets. Really shows how behind the times this front office is, as most of the premier organizations are blowing past their caps and realizing the penalties because they still come out ahead. IMO, this is no different than when the Sox wouldn't go over the recommended slots in the draft and passed on high-end talents. That's a ridiculous and stupid thing to say IMO. Screw what the rankings say, it only matters how the Sox view and evaluate a player. Reyes might be ranked #31 but he's signing for $1.5M so there had to be some serious interest from other teams, guys ranked that low by publications don't get typically get bonuses over a million dollars. Reyes might be #31 on the list but none of us know how the Sox or other teams ranked him on their big boards. Its also worth pointing out that you dont know who else the Sox are going to sign, they like to spread their money around. Look in 2013 when they signed Micker for $1.6M and signed (I believe) 3 or 4 more players to bounuses over 300K. Last year's class is a prime example of that too. I wouldn't compare amateur scouting in Latin America to the draft, July 2nd is basically a pissing contest between scouts as they try to out-scout one another. Look around MLB and check out all the quality, contributing Latin players (with the exceptions of the Cuban players) and tell me how many were signed to large bonuses, not very many. Overspending on July 2nd can really set an organization back, as you cant sign a player for over 300K for one or two years, KW said that when he hired Marco Paddy, he wanted to establish a pipeline that would constantly pump talent into the system, you cant really pump talent into the system when you can't sign any of the 'top guys'. I'm going to stop before my pacemaker zaps me. (Mic drop)

According to Kiley McDaniel, the top five guys heading into the 2016 cycle are: Kevin Maitan, Abraham Gutierrez, Yasel Antonna, Yerdel Vargas, and Cesar Izturis, with Maitan, Gutierrez and Antonna being the definitive top three. He adds that all five of these guys should be paid in the $2.5M to the $5M range and that three of these players already have deals in place, but he will not name the teams. The Cubs, Yankees, Dodgers, Royals, Rays, Angels, Red Sox, Diamondbacks are certainly going to be in the red and not be able to sign a player for over $300,00K for the 2016 cycle (Ben Badler said that there will be ten teams in the red). McDaniel also said that, "There are already rumors of a few teams getting agreements in place for top 2016 players in an effort to blow past their pool in the last year before the CBA expires...". Maybe the Sox are one of these teams, it wouldn't surprise me in the least, but you never know.

QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ Jun 27, 2015 -> 06:01 AM) Kiley McDaniel has his July 2 board up now http://www.fangraphs.com/scoutboard.aspx?d...e=0&pos=all Has Sox tied to Franklin Reyes at projected $1.5m and Fernando Tatis Jr. at $600k. I saw this and while its a shame that the Sox are going to miss out on some guys that they have been linked to and some guys that I would like for them to sign, but I have full confidence that the Sox will get some interesting players.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Jun 26, 2015 -> 05:14 PM) In other sports I'd say yes, in baseball, I disagree. The best organizations consistently win and find talent (both through FA and the Draft) and top draft position has the lowest correlation in baseball then any other sport. This isn't like the NBA where most of the superstars were top picks vs. MLB where lots of superstars aren't top picks. That said, if we are going to be bad and developing, I am okay getting top pick as long our young talent is improving, etc. I am not okay with guys just playing bad. It is more important for pieces to make progress and help us get wins and slowly get better. Baseball is not the sport you go from worst to first very often. Usually it takes time to build and get the pieces put together and ready. I'm talking about bonus pools, the more money you have to spend, the more talent you can infuse in your system. I never said that the sox should tank to draft x player. I said that even if they finish with one of the worst records, there's a silver lining. Read my post where I talk about what the Braves did. And what they can do with their pool space. Thanks, I'm out.

QUOTE (Dunt @ Jun 26, 2015 -> 11:54 AM) They never offered Syndergaard That was the rumor

QUOTE (shysocks @ Jun 26, 2015 -> 10:50 AM) I know how the bonus pools work and I'd still rather have the .500 team. It doesn't have as much work to do to get good and it didn't suck as much to watch. I think I made that my position pretty clearly. That depends on a lot of things, what does the .500 team's long term prospects look like, how do they stack up against the other teams in the division in terms of talent, etc. Although I think that's a terrible way to do things, agree to disagree

Remember when people said the Mets were willing to part with Syndergaard in exchange for Alexi

QUOTE (shysocks @ Jun 26, 2015 -> 09:02 AM) They were only examples, but in general they kind of are. To get a top pick, everyone has to suck. There'd be no reason to believe at the end of the season that Melky can still be a contributing major leaguer, or that Eaton can get his act together. There'd be no reason to believe the Sox would be anything but crazy to take that $10M 2016 option on Alexei that once looked so good, or that Avisail Garcia will ever be average. Again - just examples. And I'm in no way commenting on the likelihood of any of this. Ignore the logistics of each player getting to where they need to be because that's not my point. What I'm saying is that I'd rather look at the Sox in October and see 4 or 5 holes instead of 7 or 8, because you aren't filling those extra holes with one top 3 pick. Seems pretty simple to me. That argument doesn't work in baseball. This isn't the NBA where one dominant player can instantly turn your team around. "Missing out on the high end talent" is not nearly as penalizing in baseball, where impact players come later in the draft more often. The top 5 hitters by WAR this year were drafted 1, 25, 34, 63, and 246 overall in their drafts. The top 5 pitchers were taken at 11, 13, 18, 134, and 161. If you look at the top guys over the last five years total you tend to see more slant towards the very top of the draft, but at the risk of repeating myself, impact players are picked later with regularity. Would you rather have a bonus for $15M (Top 3 worst records) or $7M (Team with .500 record but not good enough to make the playoffs) for July 2nd and the draft combined. Of course this isnt the NBA or NFL, where you draft a guy and you're immediately able to see that player with the pro team, but I think the argument applies because teams with worst records, that have more money to spend are able to bring in more talent into their system, look at the Astros were able to do in the draft. Yeah they wont see Bregman, Tucker and Cameron this year but you cant deny that they added some serious talent into their system.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Jun 25, 2015 -> 01:36 PM) I don't! I can! I'd rather see some guys play well, see the team finish with 78 or 79 wins, and have some hope for how we project next year. If Melky and Eaton wrapped up with quality seasons, that'd be better for the health of the franchise than a top pick. If you're not going to make the playoffs, might as well aim for the highest pick possible. One of the worst positions that a franchise could operate in professional sports is the middle, you're missing out on the high end talent and you're not competing for a championship. So again, if you’re not going to the playoffs get the highest pick possible.

I think the Sox are going to sell at the deadline and that could bring them prospects back but the team could realistically get the third pick in the draft, which would be huge as it bestow the team with the third highest spending pools in both the draft (Bonus pool should be close to $10M) and international market (Bonus pool should be around $4.5M). Of course teams could always trade for more pool space and draft picks, they could offer Shark an QO and get the comp pick. The comp pick that Atlanta got in exchange for Ervin Santana, 28th overall pick had a value of $1,974,700. By making a series of trades the Braves were able to acumulate a bonus pool of over $10M which was the fourth biggest after initially having the 14th largest pool. So even if the team didn't meet your expectations, there is a silver lining and in this case, this silver lining could do wonders to the organization's foundation going forward.

I think Amado Nunez is injured, he got pulled after one AB his last game and hasn't played since.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Jun 25, 2015 -> 06:39 PM) That's a bad nickname for McDaniel! How do you the Sox haven't infused their team with new scouts? Its the bleeping tablet. I know that Hahn wanted to his new scouts and he did.... they were all international scouts (At least those are the only hirings that were made public. But i want to see a complete revamp of that department.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Jun 25, 2015 -> 01:36 PM) I don't! I can! I'd rather see some guys play well, see the team finish with 78 or 79 wins, and have some hope for how we project next year. If Melky and Eaton wrapped up with quality seasons, that'd be better for the health of the franchise than a top pick. #TANKLOSS

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 25, 2015 -> 05:11 PM) I told you guys all our veteran "name" players will be sought after. Please Sox, dump LaRoche and Melky and Lexi and Robertson and Duke and Shark in a major "do-over" of the past offseason. I'm confident Hahn will get it right this time. He got it right last time too, Hahn is not to blame for any of this. He did his job to the best of his abilities and the last time I checked the GM dosen't suit up and play.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jun 25, 2015 -> 07:50 AM) How many 16 year olds can they realistically expect to sign? Teams usually sign 5 guys at least

QUOTE (hi8is @ Jun 24, 2015 -> 03:58 PM) Nice. Good stuff! QUOTE (Dunt @ Jun 24, 2015 -> 04:11 PM) Nice piece gentlemen. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the Sox approach this. QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jun 24, 2015 -> 06:03 PM) That is a well written and informative writeup Joshua, well done. Thanks

QUOTE (daggins @ Jun 24, 2015 -> 07:20 PM) Hahn has to take the word of his scouts and bosses just like any other GM. He has made an impressive amount of rationally sound baseball moves, given the org's position the last few years. Exactly, thanks Daggins.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/internation...nal-bonus-pool/

QUOTE (daggins @ Jun 24, 2015 -> 06:17 PM) Do the Sox feel like they'd have any real shot at signing Maitan? I realize its far off but it seems like some other org is always able to outspend them. During next year's cycle, 10 teams will be in the red. That gives the Sox a good a chance as anybody. http://www.baseballamerica.com/internation...nal-bonus-pool/

QUOTE (LDF @ Jun 24, 2015 -> 06:14 PM) yeah thanks to Paddy.... hey, why not him for a co-gm and get rid of the president office in the sox org??? He shouldn't be co-GM, Rick Hahn has done nothing to have his job questioned, he's a fantastic GM but if the team were to fire Laumann, I would think that Paddy becomes the internal favorite for becoming the new scouting director.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jun 24, 2015 -> 10:38 AM) I know the Sox are not good at scouting, drafting and development but you are both right. At some point the Sox will have to face their fears and start taking chances again on drafting hitters in the earlier rounds. I will say that the Sox drafted the right guys the last two years. I mean, how could they pass on those arms? The Hawkins pick was regarded as a solid pick, remember he was mocked as being a top ten pick. And the Anderson pick was regarded as a good pick too by guys like Kiley McDaniel. They have drafted better since the current CBA came into effect. I do think that the Sox should revamp their scouting department when it comes to their domestic amateur scouts, and player development program when it comes to bats.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jun 24, 2015 -> 04:07 PM) i like the article, but i am wishing .... oh well. either way nice. on your pessimistic view, how off is the sox in the Lucius Fox-ss and Vladimir Guerrero Jr-of signing with the sox?? edit... ~~ what is your opinion on juan soto Not a pessimistic view, just poking fun at my self. The Sox INTL DEPT might be one of the stronger depts in the entire organization. Vladimir Guerrero Jr is not signing with the White Sox, he's been reported as being a done deal with the Blue Jays. I think that Fox is going to sign with the Dodgers as they're going to overspend. I'm not that high on Soto. I think that there are other outfielders. -