BlackSox13

QUOTE (CaliSoxFanViaSWside @ Feb 26, 2015 -> 06:18 PM) Actually California wants to ban chewing tobacco in ball parks which would include players . The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids announced Tuesday that it will sponsor legislation to ban all tobacco products at baseball venues, including Major League Baseball and organized league games. MLB says it supports banning smokeless tobacco and the spirit of the proposal. Using chewing tobacco, known as dipping, is already prohibited in minor leagues. The issue was highlighted by the death last June of former San Diego Padres all-star Tony Gwynn, who believed his oral cancer was linked to longtime chewing tobacco use. http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/califor...ll-parks-022415 Well, s***!

Are we talking about baseball players or GQ models? What next, a ban on tattoos? Chew? Alcohol? Wives? Its just facial hair.

I'm going with Sanchez. Would like to see what a healthy Micah Johnson can do at Charlotte before starting him at second for the Sox.

QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 22, 2015 -> 11:19 PM) I can't believe this fight is happening over Brandon Beachy Well, Beachy is pretty dreamy. As for the Sox. They have taken the payroll from the mid to high 40's in the beginning of the off season to about 120M now. The Sox have made more and better moves than I anticipated so I am one happy fan right here. This team has come a looong way since July of 2013.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 20, 2015 -> 11:17 AM) Just to keep harping on this point because why not...Montas pitched 81 innings last year. The most he's ever pitched is 111 in 2013. A minor league season taking him up to 130 innings is a big jump on his arm this year. I know the White Sox push people aggressively, but there's such a thing as overaggressive. No doubt that's a valid point and one of the reasons why I'm hoping the Sox keep Rodon in Charlotte as a starter instead of using him as a reliever for the mlb roster. Build that arm/shoulder endurance. If the Sox were to get 130 IP from Montas in 2015, he could very well be ready for 160-175IP in 2016 which shouldn't be too aggressive as long as hes healthy. As for Samardzija, he's gone after 2015. I just cannot see the Sox going 5+ years and 25M+ per year for a pitcher.

If Samardzija really is seeking 5/140 then I wish him well in FA. Not in the least bit interested for that price and another reason why I am not high on the trade in the first place. Hopefully Montas continues his progress and can slide into Samardzija's rotation spot after the 2015 season.

ALE 1- Toronto 2- Baltimore 3- NNY 4- Boston 5- TB ALC 1- Sox 2- KC 3- Cleveland 4- Detroit 5- Minn. ALW 1- LAA 2- Seattle 3- Oakland 4- Houston 5- Texas NLE 1- Wash 2- NYM 3- Miami 4- Atlanta 5- Philly NLC 1- STL 2- Pitt 3- cubs 4- Milwaukee 5- Cinci NLW 1- San Diego 2- San Francisco 3- LAD 4- Arizona 5- Colorado

After last years bullpen, why not? I'll take Albers.

I think Castro is a pretty good guess. Another possibility could be Grandal.

Think I'd rather talk to the Pirates about Tabata. RHB, solid defense and since the Pirates do not have room for him they might be willing to kick in a few bucks to get rid of him.

Here is the 2015 draft order with draft allocations. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/02/mlb-...-order-set.html 5.54M, ouch. That's from BA and not official by MLB. No surprise knowing the Sox lost their second and third picks.

Anyone think that due to the unknown with Avi and his tendency to hit the ball on the ground, he should bat 7th and not 5th? Having a ground ball hitter batting behind LaRoche does not sound like a good idea. I'm thinking Alexei batting 5th could be a better idea. Alexei would bring some speed to the middle of the order which could alleviate ground ball DP's and move Avi to 7th and maybe take some pressure off of him. At this point, Alexei is a better run producer than Avi so why not? 1- Eaton 2- Melky 3- Abreu 4- LaRoche 5- Ramirez 6- Gillaspie 7- Avi 8- Flowers 9- Bonifacio/Beckham/Sanchez/Johnson

4:20pm: It’s not known which teams remain involved in the bidding, but one involved club was told that a decision is expected soon, tweets Nightengale. 4:07pm: The Padres “badly” want Shields and remain the favorites, but they’re being told that there are other teams still heavily involved in the bidding, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. Meanwhile, Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio tweets that there’s no “impasse” between the two sides, but rather that Shields simply must decide whether or not to accept San Diego’s “last and final offer.” http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/02/late...es-shields.html Wonder if the division will come today?

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Feb 7, 2015 -> 04:14 PM) Reasons to not go for him: Save that money for Samardzija Or if you resign Samardzija before next offseason, use it to make a competitive offer for someone like Cueto Or see if one of Montas or Danish can get to the show in time. Agreed except, not sure if the Sox could do both Shark and a FA but JR surprised me this year so I wouldn't rule it out. QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Feb 7, 2015 -> 04:21 PM) Don't really see them giving Shark an extension along with throwing money around to someone else. I think they should sign Beachy now, and then either extend Shark or go for someone else next off season. Maybe get involved with one of the last guys to sign when his price is down. Love the idea of Beachy! Could be a guy that helps for that second half push for the post season. A 2016 rotation of Sale, Shark, Q, Beachy and Rodon would be pretty damn good! That's if the Sox find a way to keep Shark around and find a trade partner for Danks but I'm getting juuuust a bit ahead of myself.

QUOTE (seanjon21 @ Feb 7, 2015 -> 03:31 PM) Terance Marin way to get it done. !!!! Mexico Pitchers IP H R. ER. BB. SO. HR. PC-ST ERA T Marin (W, 2-0) 6.0 5 2 0 1 3 0 88-61 0.00 Thanks for the update.

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 7, 2015 -> 03:49 PM) I still can't decide how I feel about it if the Cubs sign Shields. He would definitely make their team a lot deeper this year, but I think they can spend their money better next offseason for Price, Cueto or Zimmermann. That's exactly what I would do. No matter the team, wait one more year for a better crop to choose from. A few people around here have mentioned this is what the Sox should do instead of going after Shields and I agree. IMO, shields is not worth what hes looking for.

The Reds have at least some interest in outfielder Dayan Viciedo, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. The White Sox requested release waivers on Viciedo earlier this week. “We inquired about him,” says Reds GM Walt Jocketty. “I don’t know how far it will go. We’re looking at where we would play him.” http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/02/reds...an-viciedo.html

"Talks between the Padres and James Shields “have heated up and are gaining momentum,” according to Scott Miller of FOX Sports San Diego/Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Shields, a native of Santa Clarita, Calif. (just 150 miles from San Diego), very much likes the idea of pitching in San Diego, Miller adds." http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/02/late...es-shields.html

Wow, picking on Dayan for swinging so hard, or piss poor defense, or his lower BA etc is one thing but taking shots at his nationality is another. I guess it was forgotten who plays SS and 1B for the Sox...

"GM Brian Cashman said on WFAN Friday that the Yankees had finished their “heavy lifting” this offseason, Brendan Kuty of NJ.com notes. Previous reporting had indicated that the Yankees might pursue in James Shields, but Cashman’s comments indicate that isn’t the case. As Kuty suggests, the idea that the Yankees won’t be a top bidder for Shields is consistent with their approach to the offseason so far — they re-signed Chase Headley and added Andrew Miller, but they’ve otherwise steered clear of top free agents after adding Jacoby Ellsbury, Masahiro Tanaka, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran last offseason." http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/02/east...ees-flores.html There goes my guess. Shields market is so small. His situation reminds me a lot of Kyle Lohse. Now I'm REALLY curious just how far down Shields asking price has come.

QUOTE (Stev-o @ Feb 6, 2015 -> 03:45 PM) I'm not "big" on the new metrics, but, isn't there something about "productive" vs "non-productive" outs? Obviously, you're better off having a guy sacrifice himself to get a batter into scoring position than him striking out. IMO, all outs are not the same. I'm not either which is why I do not look at new metrics, I know nothing of them. Other posters could better answer your question. On the flip side of the productive out outs... A strike out would be better than bouncing into a DP, would it not? Productive outs are determined by the situation and different situations have different productive outs.

QUOTE (shipps @ Feb 6, 2015 -> 12:21 PM) I am curious to see if Rodon is a hardass like Sale. If he has the same type of edgy competitiveness to him that will be pretty awesome to see the two feed off of one another. According to stuff I've read, he's supposed to be a pretty fierce/intense competitor when he's on the mound.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 6, 2015 -> 11:54 AM) Plus the whole, best defensive OF in baseball, thing. Yeah, that certainly helps. There's a number of players throughout baseball history that struck out a lot and were still very productive run producers. I'm just saying that just because a team strikes out a lot does not mean they will not score enough runs to win games.

Agreed with both wite and eminor3rd. Look at individuals such as Trout who struck out 184 times last year. That's an incredibly gauding number of k's but those do not matter much at all when looking at his .287 BA, 111 RBI, 36 HR, 39 2B and 9 3B. I don't like using this phrase but its true, " its not what you hit but when you hit it". A team can strike out a lot and still be capable of getting those timely hits. K's do not help those chances but they do not completely hinder them either.