BlackSox13

Looks like the market for Gordon/Upton/Cespedes has become a bit smaller now. Just yesterday the Giants were rumored to be looking at one of the three and it sounds as though that may have changed. "The Giants remain unlikely to play at the top of the free agent outfield market, according to the report, but might look at the next level down. Two names in play are Dexter Fowler and Gerardo Parra, with another possibility being the addition of a right-handed-hitting platoon partner for Gregor Blanco. San Francisco is also in communication with the Rockies on their outfielders, Rosenthal’s colleague Jon Morosi reports." Wonder if the Giants would have any interest in Avi as a platoon partner? I don't expect much of anything in return but it would open up a roster spot on the Sox for a FA while the Giants get a relatively cheap platoon option in Avi.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 23, 2015 -> 02:20 AM) http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/...tomas/77761210/ Interesting take from DBacks' side on the loss of Inciarte and the pressure now on Y.Tomas to produce like he's being paid This season, Inciarte was a pesky, effective leadoff hitter and a dominant defender. Tomas was a light-hitting, low-on-base, high swing-and-miss guy who was a liability defensively. Inciarte also provided value on the bases. All that was evident both in basic stats and in the eye test. Advanced metrics help provide context of just how big a difference there was between the two. Not much heavy lifting is required offensively: Inciarte’s OPS was 40 points higher, and FanGraphs rated his baserunning at 3.0 runs above average; Tomas came in at -0.7. The defensive difference was even more dramatic. Inciarte was one of the better corner outfielders in all of baseball. His 29 defensive runs saved (DRS) were, according to FanGraphs, the second highest among all major league outfielders. Tomas registered -8 DRS, doing so in only 494 2/3 innings. Extrapolate that out to a full season in the outfield and he would have ranked among the two or three worst outfielders in the majors. Add it all up and you get a player’s wins above replacement. Inciarte was a 3.3-win player, per FanGraphs, while Tomas was worth -1.3 wins. It would seem from a Diamondbacks perspective that due to the contract of Tomas he was going to be a hard sell in a trade so AZ was left no choice but to deal Inciarte who has much more value. Miller is a good pitcher and I get that AZ needed another starter but to give up such a young player with a good bat and elite defense still makes no sense to me considering how spacious their ballpark is. Imo, it won't take long for AZ to regret trading Inciarte. If it were me, I would have offered some money to go with Tomas in a trade and kept Inciarte. Stewart got hosed in that trade for Miller.

Thanks for posting this NSS72. The article is very well written by Kim and I really enjoyed it. Sounds like Stephens could be fun to follow next year in his first full season.

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Dec 22, 2015 -> 07:56 PM) We had threads on Lawrie and Frazier so we can hit their best cheese 2/2 so far, and that ain't bad!

I'd laugh hysterically if we ended up with numerous threads/pages on these three outfielders and the Sox end up trading for an outfielder instead. Fans lookin' fastball and the Sox throw a change up.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Dec 22, 2015 -> 05:09 PM) The Mets got themselves a pretty good player. Not sure I would pay $7M, but he can produce De Aza is a nice fit for a team like the Mets. De Aza's bat is ok, but his glove. Have mercy.

I enjoy talking Baseball but in the end I give not a s*** about the cubs, their fans of how many people go to cubs games. As a long time Sox fan, that stuff means less than zero to me. This is Baseball not RISK.

Rosenthal: De Aza’s contract guarantees him $5.75MM in 2016, Rosenthal now reports (Twitter link). He can also earn up to $1.25MM worth of incentives, for a max payday of $7MM next season. His contract is pending a physical.

QUOTE (blackmooncreeping @ Dec 22, 2015 -> 04:28 PM) Thanks for the numbers...I wouldn't touch that either, too many years to start with... I agree. If the Sox can get through just one more season they will have 28M more to work with but if they took on Garza's contract that number shrinks to 15M which might be enough to cover '16 contract raises for the likes of Sale, Q, Eaton and Abreu.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Dec 22, 2015 -> 04:32 PM) This is entertaining. I like watching two grown men argue about absolutely nothing important on the internet. Ya, there's definitely a Kardashian feel to the thread now. Ok, back to Gordon. He's the last of the three I would sign but I would still be happy if the Sox did sign him. There would be no disappointment on my end.

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Dec 22, 2015 -> 04:20 PM) Hey ladies....take this out back. What? And miss a chance for another SoxTalk cat-fight that disintegrates a thread into nothingness?

QUOTE (Hatchetman @ Dec 22, 2015 -> 12:45 PM) This could set up the Granderson to Sox theory I suggested earlier. I'm gonna play devil's advocate here and try and run with your theory because, well, nothing going on right now. How about the Sox trade Avi and Melky to the Mets, the Sox get Grandy for RF and sign Gordon for LF.

Good grief, no way I would take Garza. He was pretty bad for the Brewers last in '15 and could be beyond Cooper's help. I'd prefer one more season of Danks/LaRoche over 2-3 more seasons of Garza. Here's what Garza's contract looks like. 2016 32 Milwaukee Brewers $12,500,000 8.149 2017 33 Milwaukee Brewers $12,500,000 2018 34 Milwaukee Brewers *$13,000,000 $13M Vesting Option $5m team option if vesting terms not met Earliest Free Agent: 2018

May has a below average arm so I wouldn't count on him for RF. May reminds me alot of Juan Pierre, not that it's a bad thing.

I can think of one SoxTalk member that will be most unhappy about this. Depending on the money De Aza isn't a bad idea as a platoon partner for Lagares. The problem is when De Aza has to play the field, good grief is he bad.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 21, 2015 -> 10:47 PM) Impossible without trading Anderson or Fulmer...they'd probably ask for Anderson AND Adams to open up discussions, knowing Hahn won't deal Anderson/Fulmer together as a package. Agreed and its likely another team is willing to give up more than the Sox. Like I said, wishful thinking.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Dec 22, 2015 -> 08:30 AM) Phil Rogers on MLBN suggesting Sox trade Robertson to fit one of the major OFs. This wouldn't surprise me in the least.

QUOTE (flavum @ Dec 21, 2015 -> 08:00 PM) The whole free agent market this year is bizarre as far as the lack of signings by now. Ken Rosenthal had a pretty good article on the reasons why and how they could fix some of it. http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/chris-d...ot-stove-122015 Hopefully some stuff goes down the next couple days. Usually players like to have it off their minds by Christmas, but this year it's going to take a lot longer apparently. Thanks for posting the link. That really is a good write-up by Rosenthal and he's right, there are plenty of OF options available right now. I cannot imagine what Atlanta is seeking in return for Inciarte. Wishful thinking but I would love to see Inciarte on the South Side.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 21, 2015 -> 08:11 PM) If that's the case, then he would absolutely have to play 1B for Abreu the majority of the time, because it's dubious to sign a player who has at least half of his value coming from his Gold Glove playing out of position. Gordon could be close to a GG 1B, based on his work ethic and desire to improve...a lot easier transition than 3B to LF for someone who spent his entire 10-25 year old time frame comfortable on the infield. Of course, LaRoche is making 2/3rd's of $20 million (assuming Gordon's around 5 years and $100 million) to sit on the bench (potentially), but the White Sox absolutely need to get that defensive premium out of either Gordon or Cespedes to make any potential deal worth it. Another big plus in Gordon's case is being left-handed...and (we've heard this before), a lot of his doubles in the gap could easily fly out of USCF in the summer months, whereas they end up as mostly doubles in KC except when the heat and wind are more conducive. Yep, if Gordon's skills in LF diminished enough to warrant a move, the first option would be 1B, DH would be a last resort but I think he can hold up just fine in LF for a few more years. I agree that Gordon's defense and bat would benefit at the Cell. The only snag I see with a Gordon signing is what do the Sox do with RF and DH? Melky in RF scares me. I guess Melky goes to DH with a platoon of Avi/Shuck in RF and LaRoche on the bench? Hmmmmm......

QUOTE (TheFutureIsNear @ Dec 21, 2015 -> 07:18 PM) 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 Same here. I've been thinking about Tucker since last week when I read the Astros have too many outfielders and could be looking to trade from their depth. I have yet to come up with anything that would make sense for both teams. I just don't see it, unfortunately. Marisnick maybe, but not Tucker. Shame because Tucker would seem to be a great fit for the Sox needs. I think you're right that it's likely free agency or a trade we haven't thought of yet.

QUOTE (WhiteSoxLifer @ Dec 21, 2015 -> 07:29 PM) @royalsgirl16 From what I hear, White Sox are going to make a strong offer in the next few days!! https://twitter.com/truroyal15/status/679102056536281088 Correct. The Sox want him badly, however. https://t.co/Pwm0i2O8rp https://twitter.com/royalsclubhouse/status/...739641902600192 Interesting in that the Sox have been eerily quiet. Gordon's LHB, defense and potential contract could be a fit with what the Sox are looking for. If Gordon's defensive skills diminish at some point, he could move to 1B or DH. I still have a difficult time believing the Sox are seriously in on Cespedes and Upton due to the money and length of contracts they are suspected to get. The rumor of making a push for Gordon has a certain White Sox feel to it. For now, I take it with a grain of salt until more stuff comes to light. Still interesting nonetheless.

QUOTE (TheFutureIsNear @ Dec 21, 2015 -> 06:35 PM) 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 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.

In '15 the cubs were winning and drawing fans, yet the Cell became more vacant as the season wore on. Why? The Sox were playing horrible fundamental Baseball and losing. Winning ball games is the cure for attendance and imo, does not have anything to do with what the cubs are doing. If the Sox are relying on the cubs for attendance help, the Sox are in deeper trouble than we think, which I do not believe is the case. The Sox have brought in a few players (Frazier/Lawrie) that should excite Sox and casual fans enough to peek more interest. Now if the Sox win some games they will see more people in the seats.

.240 BA, .290 OBP, 28 2B, 7 3B, 11HR, 20SB

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Dec 20, 2015 -> 02:42 PM) I'm a fan and I know who runs the Sox. I'm not wondering anything. I know that JR owns the team. I also know that KW is the man. I also know that RH has been KW's right-hand man for a very long time. I also know that they are basically a two-headed snake. I also know that out of respect for RH, because of his tenure and great working relationship with KW, that the titles were upgraded so Rick could get some recognition. I also know that KW is RH's boss- he always has been. I also know that when he was offered the promotion to GM he also knew that he would still be working for KW. I also know that he accepted that position. I also know that most members of the sports media are POS and like to stir up controversy because it makes for news. It's one of the most awful things on this planet. Trying to trick every athlete (especially young ones) and every executive into saying things controversial. Loaded questions etc. i effing hate the media for that. Why not just report on the greatness of athletic men? Why try to cause rifts between brothers? Scumbags Dude, you f***ing rock, man! There was nothing controversial about KW's comments about Hahn's plan. KW was asked questions by the morons in the media and when KW answered them, the morons spun it and tried to turn it into something controversial like some pathetically written reality TV show. Why? Because there are dumb enough fans out there that suck up that kind of nonsense because to them, its interesting reading. QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 20, 2015 -> 03:00 PM) This is Jerry's franchise, and I can't believe you of all people don't know that. Everyone in the franchise is doing his bidding. This whole faux "controversy" that the Score created to grab a few more listeners is a joke. But Sox fans respond to this, so on it goes. Yep, totally agree. Surprise surprise, the 79 year old owner doesn't want to rebuild because he wants to keep trying to win another before his time is up. I wonder how many fans would tear it all down to rebuild if they owned the team at 79 years old. JR, KW and Hahn cannot win with the hindsight backseat drivers that some fans are. The FO spent plenty last off season in an attempt to fill numerous holes and put a winner on the field. Things didn't work out, despite their efforts and are criticized for the failure as if they knew Samardzija, Avi, LaRoche etc would fail the team. If the Sox hadn't spent money last off season, the " JR is cheap " crowd would be standing outside the Cell with torches in hand and a guillotine calling for heads to roll. No matter what the Sox do, the pessimistic fans will find something to complain about.