TheFutureIsNear

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 18, 2014 -> 04:16 PM) No. If we're not getting a top flight talent back, do not trade Alexei. What exactly is the point of clearing Danks's contract out if it leaves us without one of our best players and 2 more holes as a result? We save $23 million by clearing Danks and Alexei, great, but now we have only $23 million to spend to find a replacement starting pitcher and a starting shortstop. That's a completely lateral move at best and quite possibly a move that makes the Sox worse. Does John Danks really leave a hole? Yes, hes a body that can throw a decent amount of innings, but so can a lot of guys. Losing Danks in any deal should be the least of our worries. Now Alexei? I guess it comes down to whether you think this team can actually be a serious contender by the time his deal is done or not. Obviously you want to get a good return for him because he is indeed 1 of the better SS's in the game, but at the same time his value could never be higher than it is right now. If we keep Alexei and only win 80 games this year I will personally be upset at the wasted opportunities to trade him. I still think this team has a ton of work to do and should still be looking bigger picture.

Duke's splits as a reliever only...129 IP, 3.28 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, Opponents BA .249, 2.74 K/BB, 73.3 LOB% He'll be a good addition....as long as the contract isn't crazy. But I trust Hahn enough for him to do anything stupid on a guy like Duke. Edit: Just saw the contract and its not a great deal necessarily but nothing to complain about either. Not bad at all

QUOTE (bmags @ Nov 18, 2014 -> 01:00 PM) I'm hoping to improve the team, not just swap deck chairs around. No idea why people pretend like Either is a bad player. Just because he has a bad contract it doesn't make him a bad player. He's never had a bad season when given even semi-regular AB's. He has a career .821 OPS. If he was given 450-500 AB's for us he could easily hit .270/.330/.420 with 15-20 HR's and above average D in left. He's way overpaid but still WAY more valuable to our team than what Danks would be.

QUOTE (bmags @ Nov 18, 2014 -> 12:50 PM) I get that Danks sucks, but considering where we are in rebuild, I really don't want to waste trading a player I really like and we can't replace easily for a bunch of old, bad, expensive outfielders just to....I'm not sure what this accomplishes. Oh yay, we have Ethier breaking down in LF for 2-3 seasons. Yay. Watching Danks groove 86 MPH fastballs over the plate is better? Eithier would be a lot more valuable to this team than Danks next year....as long as the $ equals out or is close.

Yeah Joc Pederson for Alexei ain't happening....not even close. Alexei + Danks would about offset Kemp $ wise for the next 2 seasons and he's due an additional 63.5M the following 3 seasons. So Alexei and Danks for Kemp and $30 million?? I'd do it.

I agree on 4/15 per on Melky....and even that seems like a bit of an overpay but that's the beast that is free agency nowadays.

Yeah good luck with that deal Toronto....I'd be pretty pissed if we signed Martin to that deal.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Nov 17, 2014 -> 01:43 AM) Yeah, but a trade with the Dodgers and their expensive OF would probably be a lot harder to make than a Santiago-Eaton type deal for a team's extra AAA/MLB OF. If I were to trade for a Dodger OF, not necessarily for 2015 (unless he dominates spring), I would target Scott Schebler. The dude had 65 XBH last season (28 HR, 23 2B, 14 3B) in the AA-Southern League, which I believe it a pitcher's league. The power hitting lefthander just turned 24 and he's the Dodger's 3rd best OF prospect behind Pederson and Verdugo. I'm sure it won't take much to get him considering he's about 7th or 8th on their organizational OF depth chart. I'd like to throw him in to AAA Charlotte next season and see how he does. EDIT: I should also mentioned that from A+ to AA, he increased his walk rate, home runs, SLG%, and cut down his K rate. A 19% K-rate is pretty nice for a 28 HR guy. He hit .280. Then he played in the fall league that just ended and batted .310 with 5 HR in 23 games. This is a good plan....if you aren't expecting to seriously compete next year. If JR/Hahn are really wanting to make a run next year they aren't going to make moves like this, but instead go after an expensive vet. Personally, I would be all for taking shots on guys like Lambo and Schebler and use 2015 as 1 last rebuilding year, but I guess we'll find out in the next few months.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Nov 15, 2014 -> 04:37 PM) Well, I've said plenty of times that Alexei's defense is not easy to replace, at least not from within the organization. I did some looking around at SS rankings and found this... http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/end-of-se...ues-shortstops/ Just for the record, I never look at fangraphs and know nothing of the site but I did find their rankings to be quite interesting. Perhaps I am under valuing Alexei but I'm coming from the angle of how will he be in the future if I'm a team interested in trading for him. Being 33 he will begin to decline, could be 2015 or a few years from now, we don't know. If one considers these rankings to be pretty close then a case can be made for selling high on Alexei while the Sox can, before regression happens. Unless the Sox plan on sliding him over to 2B/3B in the future or let him walk in FA after the 2016 season. As I said before, this is the year the Sox s*** or get off the pot when it comes to deciding Alexei's future with the team. As for Greene. Yes, he is projected as a #4/#5 starter but the kid has very good downward movement on his fastball and slider hence all the ground balls which is a good thing at the cell. He's also starting to throw a cutter which Coop could help with as well as help with developing a changeup. As of right now, were hoping Noesi can handle the #3 spot in the rotation and in my opinion Greene already has better stuff than Noesi. I'd feel much better with Greene pitching #3 than Noesi and I really like what I saw from Noesi last season and believe he will continue to improve but I still see him as more of pretty damn good #4/#5. I'm not arguing that this may be the best time to trade Alexei, if the package is right I'm definitely moving him. But Greene is just not that package in my opinion. I don't doubt that Alexei is a top 5 SS in the game and that should come at pretty decent price. Make it Greene, Jose A Ramirez, and an A ball OF (a talented long shot) and we can talk.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Nov 14, 2014 -> 01:10 AM) I think the best the Sox could hope for is JR Murphy or a prospect of equal value. I cannot say it enough, Alexei does not have the value people would like to think he has. Put it this way. If I were looking for a SS, I would not be willing to give up too much for Alexei for reasons I've already listed in this thread. Honestly, I'm not so sure I'd give up Greene for Alexei straight up. Won the silver slugger award, finalist for the gold glove, plays arguably the most important position on the field, and is only owed $20 million dollars over the next 2 years. That player has a good amount of value. You're acting like good SS's grow on trees. You don't trade a top 5 or 6 SS in the MLB for a #5 starter. That's crazy. I think the other NY team would be where an Alexei trade comes from anyway. They reportedly had an agreement to trade for Rollins already but Rollins nixed it with his no trade clause. Not sure what the Mets have to offer to be honest, but they seem intent on being competitive this year so I can see Hahn getting them to overpay.

QUOTE (LDF @ Nov 12, 2014 -> 08:12 PM) here is a question I been meaning to ask. why do we need a closer. the sox have another yr of grooming in Jake Petricka - Zach Putnam. Putnam isn't a future closer in my eyes..good but not great stuff. Petricka? Ehh, i don't know honestly. Maybe. Having Petricka and Miller at the back of the bullpen would be pretty damn good though. That I do know.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Nov 12, 2014 -> 07:51 PM) Matt Thornton was one of the best relievers (left handed or right handed) in baseball before we tried to turn him into a closer in 2011. I'm just saying: just because a guy can pitch in innings 7 or 8 doesn't mean they can do it in the 9th. I'm fine with doing that experiment on our pitchers, but paying a guy closer money to do something he's never done before is risky. Signing ANY reliever is risky. Its just the nature of the business. Personally, I trust my eyes and my eyes tell me that Miller has some of the best stuff in the league. And is 4/32M really that bad? A good set-up guy like Gregerson would probably cost 3/18 at best for us. If we hope to compete anytime soon the bullpen has to be vastly upgraded one way or another.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Nov 12, 2014 -> 07:43 PM) He's never pitched in that role before. I don't want another Matt Thornton situation on our hands. Great logic. Andrew Miller is left handed and so was Matt Thornton. Matt Thornton wasn't a good closer so therefore Miller won't be. Is that how it works? I can most likely name a failed white sox player for every scenario you could possibly think of.

No idea why people are making posts as if Miller wouldn't be our immediate closer if he was singed. He's got some of the best stuff for 1 inning of any pitcher in the league. If he's around the plate like he was last year he's dominant. Obviously some advanced scouting would need to be done to see if the scouts trust his improved control or not, but $8-10 million for a good closer isn't overpaying at all.

Absolute joke

Feel free to call me what you want but I wouldn't hate it at all. The situation became toxic for Howard in Philly a few years ago and I think a change of scenery with a ton of pressure released from his shoulders could really help him. Don't get me wrong, I'm not naive enough to think he would be even remotely close to his old self, but if he can come close to his 2011 season he would still be a steal at $12M. .250/.340/.475 with 30 HR's hitting behind Abreu is not unreasonable in my opinion. Of course this is never going to happen, but its a fun discussion to have before the real action of the off season starts.

QUOTE (bmags @ Nov 12, 2014 -> 06:14 PM) I can't get past the title. Did it get worse from there? Don't be that guy, no one likes that guy. I'm aware here is a homonym and I needed hear. That's what I get for using the swype keyboard on my phone I guess.

Erik Johnson and Viciedo for Ryan Howard and $35M dollars. And to save people from googling....The $35 million would cover Howard's 2017 buyout and basically leave us on the hook for 12.5M the next 2 seasons and nothing more.How much would you hate it? How much would you hate it?

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Nov 11, 2014 -> 07:34 PM) Maybe not specifically a LOOGY, but I wouldn't want him to pitch an inning with a lefty and two righties due up. Maybe he could pitch a full inning if there are at least two lefties due up, but who knows what Robin would do. Umm...you should probably check Miller's splits stats. He's really good against righties.

He's the #1 closer on the market I'd want the Sox to go after....even if he's never done it before. His stuff is that good.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 10, 2014 -> 06:34 PM) He's also due $62.3 mill over the next 3 years. He's a good player, but I don't know that he's what the Sox need right now. If the Dodgers would take John Danks, Matt Davidson, and Erik Johnson, yeah, I'd be all over it, but they'll be able to get more than that. I do think they end up moving both Kemp and Crawford and they'll go with Van Slyke, Pederson, Puig, and Ethier. If they do end up moving Ethier, I think it will be to the Sox, I think Danks will be involved, and I think the two parties will try and figure out a compromise for 2017 and Ethier is owed a lot of money while Danks is owed nothing beyond that. You think there is going to be a big market for Carl Crawford and his $62.3M? I don't see it. The Dodgers are going to be choosing between getting a1/2 decent return and paying most of that 62M or getting little in return and freeing themselves of most(but not even close to all) of the $62M. There's not going to be a lot of teams lining up for Crawford. He's 33, really expensive, and due a lot of $

I think Crawford ends up making the most sense for the Dodgers to trade. And if they take Danks + add a good chunk of $ for Crawford's 2017 salary and I think it would still be a good deal for us. Kemp would obviously be nice, but the $ and risk just probably isn't worth it.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 10, 2014 -> 11:37 AM) I have no clue why the Dodgers would have any urge to take on a $4 million bill for Viciedo. Their 1b slot is full, they already have too many outfielders, they don't have a DH slot, and he's a terrible guy to have on the bench for an NL team because he's not versatile and terrible on defense. Ehh it was worth a shot in the dark lol...Cuban company for Puig?? Realistically Hahn has to find something to do with Viciedo other than just outright non tender him. Don't know about you, but I sure don't want to see him get another 500 AB's in a White Sox uniform.

I would definitely try to swap Danks and Tank for Crawford or Either. Not saying I wouldn't want Kemp, but it just seems like a hassle that could easily blow in our faces. Just get the Dodgers to throw in like $10M or so for their 2017 contracts and it makes a ton of sense for both clubs.

"The Braves are pushing Evan Gattis hard in the early-goings at the GM Meetings" This is according to Joel Sherman http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/11/brav...van-gattis.html So he's definitely out there...just a matter of what it would cost to get him.