TheFutureIsNear

So hypothetically we were to actually trade for Ethier, how realistic is it for him to get 1,100 AB's in 2 years if we don't let him hit against lefties? That vesting option is scary, it would suck being in a stretch playoff run in '17 and having to worry about that $17.5M option vesting with too many AB's

Trade Melky, Robertson, and Frazier for hopefully 2-3 legit hitting prospects that are near MLB ready.

I feel like signing Fowler now and losing the pick is panic move in my book. They struck out and had no other choice. Honestly at this point I think I'd rather just keep the top 30 pick and payroll.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Jan 30, 2016 -> 09:11 AM) If he's traded he can opt out after this year but that still doesn't mean they can't trade him or re-work the deal prior if the player is willing. Van Slyke I think is a good bench option for them since he can take at bats from lefties (Ethier, Crawford, Gonzalez). If I had to predict their bench, I'd guess: Back up catcher Hernandez IF/OF Utley 1B/2B/3B Van Slyke 1B/OF (may be a good trade piece though) Ethier (assuming Puig starts. If traded, then Thompson) Thompson and Micah in the minors if they have options left. Yeah you might be right....going to be interesting though. They will basically have Van Slyke, Guerrero, and Trayce all competing for their 25th roster spot. Must be nice. And we aren't even discussing the fact that they have about 8 SP's and may not even keep 5 bench bats. And also, can Guerrero play RF/LF at an above average level? Don't think I've ever seen the guy even swing a bat.

I think they will still keep k***' just because he's so cheap and so valuable as a utility guy. Gerrero and Van Slyke are the guys I can't see a spot for. I would take either 1, but isn't Guerrero automatically a FA if traded or something like that? Van Slyke makes a lot of sense for both sides in my opinion. Can't what they would want for him, but doubt it would be much.

If we're going for the "anything is better than Avi" route Jennings is fine I guess, but if he wasn't a former top prospect would anybody care? He's 29 with over 2,000 AB's...don't think any light is going to come on. Especially in this franchise where hitting talent goes to die. I'd rather just keep Petricka honestly, guys who can play a good LF and barely maintain a .700 OPS aren't that hard to find.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Jan 29, 2016 -> 12:21 PM) Do you honestly believe that any of the guys you listed can fill in if one of the better starters (Sale, Q, or Rodon) gets hurt? Fulmer is the only one out of that list that has any potential and he likely won't be called up until September or 2017. What world do you live in where baseball teams have a top 3 starter just waiting in the wings in case of injury? Our rotation is deeper than most and can handle an injury better than most in my opinion. That's the luxury of having 1 of the best top 3's in baseball. If 1 goes down we still have 2 other studs and the AAA fill in just needs to pich like a #5. Danks and EJ as our #4 and #5 pitchers could certainly be worse and should be the least of our concerns. If we sign Latos he's going straight to the rotation along with Danks as the 4th and 5th starter. That means you just paid probably 8x the salary to a guy who A) is no guarantee to even be better than EJ and B) hasn't thrown 120 innings since 2013. Just a silly thing to do at the expense of a very cheap young pitcher.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Jan 28, 2016 -> 08:24 PM) Insurance. Yes, I know he'd be an expensive insurance policy, but I for one am not confident in either Danks or EJ, especially if they want to contend. Another veteran arm can't hurt. So what, put him in the bullpen if EJ or Danks don't blow it in spring training? I get wanting insurance, but Latos would be an expensive insurance policy that is far from reliable himself. Is Beck/Turner/Purke/Carroll/Possibly Fulmer worse than most teams have past their starting 5?

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Jan 28, 2016 -> 12:04 PM) I agree with this. I think the best options for the Sox are either Fowler + Latos, Desmond + Jackson, or Jackson + Latos. At this point, I think I'd be ok with any of those 3 scenarios. What is Latos going to do for us? You going to give him EJ's rotation spot?

Wow, makes you wonder if we could have offered something like Petricka and Guerrero and gotten Dickerson already. The FO better having something up their sleeves because all of this sitting on their hands while the OF market passes them by isn't go to get this team to the playoffs. You would have thought if nothing else Detroit getting Upton would have lit a fire under them...makes you wonder if Hahn is handcuffed with the payroll as it is? Just very frustrating.

Let's remove Fulmer and Anderson...what left do we honestly have left to trade after them? After those 2 and Spencer Adams does anyone left in our system have any real value elsewhere? And can we trade any kind of pick/international $ that would hold any kind of value in a trade? Just asking because I keep seeing trade as an option to acquire any kind off fairly significant OF piece and then I look at the roster and I come up empty on any kind of realistic trade proposal that doesn't involve Fulmer and Anderson. So I guess this is a two part thread? Would you trade Fulmer or Anderson at all?

QUOTE (oldsox @ Jan 22, 2016 -> 07:45 AM) I can see it now. Cespedes signs with either Yanks or Nats, and then that team will come to Sox to solve their dilemma; that is, take an aging, overpaid, excess outfielder off their hands for prospects. If it's the Nats, they need to get rid of Jayson Werth. If it's the Yanks, Gardner must go. Enter RH. Full no trade clause.

So who are actually legit contenders to sign an OF left now?

Never wanted him. Would love either Blackmon or Dickerson though. Not sure we actually have anything worth trading besides the guys I would consider off limits...Anderson, Fullmer, and Adams. They have no use for Avi either, not that he has much value. Danish, Hawkins, May, Guerrero, Peter, Engel...short of dealing every 1 of them I don't think any kind of package including those guy gets it done for Blackmon or Dickerson. The only deal I could see happening would be if the Rockies liked EJ a good amount and took a package involving him and 2 of the guys I listed. But then we are facing the problem of having to sign a starter and they are becoming limited, we'd probably be dumpster diving in the Latos/Fister area.

Guarantee Cespedes 3 years $60M and then give him 2 option years at $22M each. Total contract is 5 years $104M (+incentives) with Cespedes having the ability to opt out after 3 years. I think something like that makes a lot of both sides...hell, I'd let him walk after 2 years if he really wants that option. Cespedes makes us a competitor for sure, but he's not exactly a guy I feel great about 4 or 5 years down the road.

5 years 110 would sound a lot better, hopefully a 6th year would be a mutual or team option. Not that I believe that source on twitter...Cespedes just makes too much sense. Sign Cespedes and draft college hitters at 10 and 27. The overall hitting talent in the organization would finally start to tilt towards respectable.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 27, 2015 -> 12:02 AM) Didn't Eaton really stink until we fell out of the race? Not ripping him, I sort of like the guy and his hustle, but I recall really despising him the first couple months at least. Hope he gets off to a sizzling start this year. Is his ceiling a poor man's Pete Rose?? Hustler who is going to learn how to get the key hit/walk at all times? Then on the other side of the spectrum his possible low would be Rowand after Rowand forgot how to hit (or got old, I forget why he suddenly started sucking)? 1st month- sucked (.497 ops but .234 babip, small sample size) 2nd- not good but not horrible (.727 ops) 3rd- good month (.814 ops) 4th- great month (.957 ops) There were a lot of people to despise within the white sox organization last year...Eaton should have been very far down that list.

I'm fine with Gordon on a 4 year deal, but 5 scares me. Highly unlikely he's worth $20M or more in years 4 and 5 in my opinion. A slight natural decline in his hitting combined with his fielding going down to a slightly above average level and he suddenly becomes pretty mediocre or a little better.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Dec 21, 2015 -> 07:46 PM) This is the guy I would like to grab from Houston. Profiles well for RF, LHB that hits for some power and would fit well in the middle of the order. Would absolutely love to see Tucker playing RF for the Sox and would be my preference. I also like Marisnick and his defense but he doesn't hit much, at least not yet anyway. I'd still take a chance on him even though he is a RH hitter. Supposedly Houston is looking for another SP, RP and a bat. Just not sure the Sox and Astros match up in a trade. Yeah, I'm sitting here trying to think of a trade scenario for Tucker and I pretty much have nothing. I feel like Houston's GM would just keep bringing the conversation to Sale/Q/ Rodon. Free agency is looking like the most likely option

QUOTE (Hatchetman @ Dec 21, 2015 -> 03:24 PM) what's going on with Houston's outfield? They have four guys: Marsinick, Rasmus, Gomez, and Springer. One would think Gomez and Rasmus could be had for reasonable. You forgot 1 more guy, Preston tucker. 25 year old who was a star at Florida as a senior. Went in the 7th round in 2012 and had an .867 ops in the minors up until being called up last year. Struggled a little in the majors but still managed a .734 OPS with 13 hrs in his 1st 300 big league AB's. Definitely a guy I would take a chance on. No idea what the Astros would want from us though

No thanks to giving up a pick and $50+M for Dexter Fowler Parra makes some sense but he can't be in the lineup against lefties along with already having LaRoche. So we would have to carry 2 platoon guys on the bench. Seems tough to do. Not much we can afford to trade in the minors of much worthat this point either. Fullmer, Adams, and Anderson should be untouchable. In other words 1 of Cespedes or Upton has to be signed pretty much no matter what.

Being optimistic.....240/.300/.340 with 10 hrs and 15 steals. If he can do that and play near gold glove level D he will be a huge success in my book. And Sanchez only started 180 out of about 500 minor league games at SS. I don't think he's going to be our everyday SS. His arm doesn't pass the eye test right from the start for me.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Dec 17, 2015 -> 11:10 AM) Once the big three outfielders have signed, the contracts of CarGo and Ethier will be at or even below market value and net their teams a nice return in a trade. I agree about Crawford and Ramirez though. I hope the Sox don't trade any of their top talent for the likes of CarGo/Ethier. If that's the case then go for broke and see what Atlanta would expect in a return for Inciarte who they are listening to offers on. Otherwise, I think Parra is the logical choice at this point. Not my first choice by any means. Only problem with Parra is that he also needs a platoon partner. He has a career OPS of under .600 against lefties. Just can't play him or LaRoche vs lefties so it could turn into a problem.

RF is obvious...,but I think people are forgetting about platoon partner for LaRoche. 1 that can preferably play corner OF defense well so Melky can gett off the field as often as possible. Provided LaRoche is still on the team of course SP? Not at all. Let EJ pitch, he's fine. And unfortunately Danks isn't going anywhere. We should have 1 of, it not the best, top 3 SP's in baseball.

I agree to an extent. You have to limit/avoid guys who are truly bad in the field and will hurt you though. But my overall feeling is that there is a small % of great fielders at the top of each position and a small % of truly bad fielders at the bottom. Everyone else can be separated by their bats because their defense on a 162 game scale isn't going to be the reason a team wins or loses. Just my opinion, I'm sure most will disagree with this too.