[Rumor: Dodgers & Sox discussing Sale & Frazier]

Matt Spiegel on the Score was talking about how he loves them as a destination for Sale. They need a front of the rotation arm to go along with the great youth around the rest of the field. Him and Jim Callis were saying Bregman could be expendable since Correa and Altuve are up the middle and Gurriel is at third. Would love to get Bregman.

 

It would take more than Bregman to get a deal done

 

Bregman, Tucker and Musgrove/Martes/Whitley/Paulino plus one more B+ prospect starts to get close to an acceptable return for the White Sox

[Braves among teams showing interest in chris sale]

I think they would have the trade off for lesser propsects on the backend of the Chris Sale trade. Which I personally would gladly do. It's less risk for us because we're getting an established player signed through 2020 + others. Defensively the OF just improved a bunch.

 

So what do you propose as a framework then?

 

Inciarte / Swanson + two quality pitching prospects?

[Rumor: Dodgers & Sox discussing Sale & Frazier]

Feels like less talk about Houston as a potential partner than I would think. They'd seem to be a type of team looking to make a big splash and get to the next level - especially with an affordable contract like Sale (maybe worth more to Houston than a Dodgers type with inifinite $)

 

Don't see Houston being willing to deal what it would take to get Sale

 

They would be looking at a firm request of: Bregman, Tucker, and two more of Martes/Whitley/Paulino/Musgrove/Fisher/Cameron

 

 

[Braves among teams showing interest in chris sale]

Seems everyone is avoiding Inciarte for some reason. I'd rather have him headlining the deal than anyone else.

 

+15 DRS this past year

 

+29 the year before that

 

Add that with Eaton in the OF and your in business defensively

 

He's just a really good 26 year old baseball player

 

I don't see Atlanta wanting to trade Inciarte because who do they replace him with then?

[Braves among teams showing interest in chris sale]

http://m.braves.mlb.com/news/article/20890...for-chris-sale/

 

I don't see any way the Sox make a deal without Swanson headlining it. I like Albies, and there is alot to be said for a 19 year old making it to AAA, but his numbers did take a dip at AAA after the promotion

 

Albies + Newcomb plus filler does not get it done like the article suggests, especially with other suitors involved

 

Blair and Wisler profile as back of the rotation starters and do not excite me

 

 

[Braves among teams showing interest in chris sale]

Swanson would be the centerpiece and the low floor player of the deal. Maitan would be 1A in the deal.

 

Perhaps

 

I don't actually see Atlanta being willing to part with what it would actually take to get a deal done though

 

A package of Swanson, Albies, Newcomb and Soroka certainly gets the conversation serious

 

That would round out the Sox infield with some combination of Swanson/Anderson/Albies covering 3B, SS and 2B plus two young pitchers with starting potential

 

Zack Collins will need time to develop, but ideally he could stay at catcher

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Braves among teams showing interest in chris sale]

Swanson would be the centerpiece and the low floor player of the deal. Maitan would be 1A in the deal.

 

Perhaps

 

I don't actually see Atlanta being willing to part with what it would actually take to get a deal done though

 

A package of Swanson, Albies, Newcomb and Soroka certainly gets the conversation serious

 

That would round out the Sox infield with some combination of Swanson/Anderson/Albies covering 3B, SS and 2B plus two young pitchers with starting potential

 

Zack Collins will need time to develop, but ideally he could stay at catcher

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Braves among teams showing interest in chris sale]

This kid is being billed as a once in a generation talent. He is absolutely someone who is a must if the Sox do indeed swing a deal with Atlanta. He would instantly be our top prospect, with no one else particularly close, even at age 16.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/internation...s1tVklhESAKj.97

 

His ceiling is very high, no doubt. I am concerned about the risk of having such a young player be a centerpiece of a deal though. The Sox farm system has not had great success in developing this sort of player from a young age all the way to the majors

 

I like Swanson + Albies as a centerpiece of a trade that includes pitching as well

 

Maitan is too raw and the bust potential worries me too much in a Sale deal unless he is a 3rd or 4th piece

[Braves among teams showing interest in chris sale]

Any deal has to start with Swanson and Maitan. Would nice to see Acuna or Albies in there too, but just a base of those 2 guys would be a great start.

 

Maitan has a high ceiling, but I would rather receive more proven talent that has less risk than a teenager

 

I get multiple teams involved and let the bidding WAR commence. You never know what you might be offered, but it's a given that the Sox will end up receiving a king's ransom if they choose to move him

[Rumor: Dodgers & Sox discussing Sale & Frazier]

We need a Miller-like return for Sale. Where we absolutely fleece the other team.

 

Unless the White Sox get EXACTLY what they want they do not have to trade Sale. They can deal him at the deadline in 17, in the offseason after 17, at the deadline in 18...etc

 

Anyone who says that Sox do not have complete leverage to get whatever they want is foolish. Top 5 pitchers in baseball on team friendly deals very rarely, if ever, hit the market

 

 

 

[Braves among teams showing interest in chris sale]

Sox need offense pieces. I don't think the Braves fit.

 

Trade would have to be Swanson, Inciarte, Albies, and two of the pitchers and I still wouldn't love it.

 

Braves fans are suggesting way lowball offers centered around Albies plus filler which is not even worth commenting on

 

Any deal would have to include Swanson, Inciarte and Albies plus likely 2 more prospects...but I don't love that deal either as the White Sox really need offensive punch

 

None of those players brings much in the way of power to the table, but would improve the overall team

 

It was smart not to settle at the deadline when you can now have a bidding war between many suitors take place

[Upton or Cespedes]

What about adding span to play CF? I would honestly like span and upton with eaton sliding over. Defense is upgraded and adding two solid OBP to this team would really help

 

Span's defense is subpar, but I wouldn't hate signing him to a reasonable contract. He hits for average, has decent speed, gets on base and wouldn't require anywhere near the huge investment Gordon, Cespedes or Upton qould require.

 

We have to remember that it's important to have payroll flexibility moving forward so the Sox can add other pieces and improve the roster in the future. Maxing out our payroll on an expensive free agent limits what we can do to improve down the road

[Plans for rest of the Off Season]

Fulmer for Baez straight up would be an awesome "challenge" trade.

 

I completely disagree with the above posts^

 

Fulmer is worth WAY more than Baez at this point. Cubs need to deal him asap as his value has taken a serious hit the past few seasons due to struggles at the major league level. I'm not saying he doesn't have value, but his days of being the centerpiece of a trade are over

 

Fulmer for Baez is ludicrous as Carson is nearly mlb ready to contribute as soon as this season perhaps. He was college baseball's best pitcher and a legitimate top 40 prospect. I wouldn't deal him unless we were getting an outstanding return as we view him as a rotation piece for years to come

 

Adams is a piece I would like to keep. I think he projects very well to be a solid #3 at the mlb level, possibly better in a few years.

[Upton or Cespedes]

I voted Cespedes, for 3 reasons.

 

1. Might be able to develop some competition for best Cuban on the team between him and Abreu.

 

2. Don't want to surrender the draft pick.

 

3. I think Cespedes could be had on a shorter deal.

 

Sox first round draft pick at #10 overall is protected, so they would only lose a compensation rd A pick...although we do have the #33 overall pick as compensation for Samardzija which I would be hesitant to give up very easily. That's almost a first round pick that we could land a quality prospect with who slipped out of round one

[Upton or Cespedes]

I'd guess that Cespedes is 32 or 33 years old - not 30 like he claims.

 

I like Alex Gordon on a 4/5 year deal (4 ideally) for a more reasonable dollar amount. His bat is solid, he gets on base and plays above average defense all while batting left handed

 

Cespedes on base percentage scares me, and the contract length for Upton scares me as he will likely require a 6-8 year deal

[Upton or Cespedes]

What about Upton at 7 years with an opt out year 4 when he's 32? Can try to get 4 or 5 guaranteed years instead of the 3 left on his deal.

 

I'm scared of dishing out a 5+ year deal to ANY player. Depends on the dollars and term of course, but Gordon might make the most sense overall on a 4-5 year deal

[Upton or Cespedes]

Another OF idea: Nick Markakis? Braves clearly willing to move players, name we've been rumored with in the past.

 

Markakis defense concerns me, as he has graded out poorly and won't likely get better with age. Also what would we have to give up to get him? I don't want to raid our minor league system too much more after the Frazier deal.

 

I am glad that we managed to keep Fulmer and Adams as I don't feel as strongly about Montas as I do about those two

[Immediate reaction to Frazier trade]

well, i have been reading and waiting for the smoke to clear. the sox finally got their man. the cost i can live with, but really do i have any say on that???\

 

it is a confusing trade, not the cincy part but the sox and dodgers part.

 

the sox gave up mj, tt a montas. mj will replace dodger 2b, tt will replace their 4th of and well montas will replace a nice 3b prospect.

 

so why involve cincy???

 

i like 2 or the 3 players are sending to cincy, my neg of the dodger side is scott. i would love their 2b and 3b prospects and have written mock trades with those 2 names involve.

 

what i see, the sox wanted and needed a 3b who is also establish in the majors. so the trade was for the now and not for the future. the could have gotten their 2b and 3b prospects and really address the future of the infield but they want to now win .

 

dodger got a really cost effective rp to be brought in, i bet mid season and ready for the playoff. also it reaffirms my idea of that they, the dodgers want to be more cost conscience.

 

at the end, cincy got their promising 2b and 3b prospects. that in itself should prove the win now cost at this time of the sox.

 

I don't think you can grade this trade without seeing what else the front office has planned for the offseason.

 

I fully expect the Sox to aggressively pursue Cespedes, Gordon or Upton and land one of those three players in order for the Frazier deal to make more sense. You have Chris Sale and Jose Abreu locked up and in their primes...don't waste that opportunity.

 

With Danks and LaRoche coming off the books after this season the White Sox should have money to spend to land another bat to get this team competitive.

 

OF - Eaton

OF- Cabrera

1B - Abreu

3B - Frazier

OF - FA Signing Cespedes/Upton/Gordon

DH - LaRoche (pray he bounces back)

2B - Lawrie

SS - Saladino/Anderson/FA Signing

C - Navarro/Avila

 

That lineup would be considerably better than the past few seasons and would make for an interesting season

 

 

[Upton or Cespedes]

Getting Cespedes would rekindle my excitement around the White Sox. Getting Upton would feel like having years added onto a prison sentence.

 

Where's the option for Alex Gordon?

 

The signing of Upton, Cespedes or Gordon would significantly improve this team going into next season. Danks and LaRoche come off the books after this season and free up money that can go towards signing one of these three players.

 

Gordon might make the most sense in terms of length of contract and dollar amount, plus he bats left handed. Cespedes and Upton would require lengthier contracts

 

I don't particularly like the idea of signing Fowler or Span because of defensive concerns

[Dave Cameron: Sox Should Sell Sale, Q, and Abreu]

His proposed Sale to the Cubs trade is Schwarber, Baez, and Alcantara. I can't respect him after that proposal, to call it a joke is a complete understatement. I would burn down Rick Hahn's office if he made that trade.

 

That is a ludicrous offer that I immediately would turn down.

 

The conversation starts with Bryant and Russell + additional prospects. The Cubs wouldn't be able to stomach giving up what it would take to acquire Sale.

[2014 Draft class]

I don't think the front office knows what they hell they're doing at #3 so it's pretty short-sighted to say they're definitely going pitching on February 6th.

 

I'd bet money on the Sox going with pitching at #3 overall. Selecting near the top we will have an excellent choice of potential impact players and a premium arm would do wonders to bolster our system. Once Johnson graduates to the bigs we don't really have many 'high' upside arms with the potential to be frontline starters. A guy like Rodon, Hoffman, Kolek, etc would be a huge boost for a club looking to build a contender.

 

Alex Jackson looks like he will be a very solid player, but idk if the Sox believe he can stay behind the plate long term. Trea Turner is an exciting prospect who I wouldn't mind taking either.

[2014 Draft class]

This is a huge a mistake they need draft a position player, so they can build this new core of White Sox hitters (Courtney Hawkins, Micker Zapata, Tim Anderson, etc)

 

I totally disagree with you. I would much rather take a top pitching prospect high in the draft than a position player. Elite arms will always be in demand, and you can always flip them for hitters down the line if necessary. It's much harder to pry top pitching prospects away from teams. To tin you must have quality pitching first, offense second.

[FutureSox Top 25 Prospects Thread]

80 power nowadays is seen more as 30+ than 40+.

 

I suppose. An 80 grade means elite for that particular skill, which I equate to top 5/10 in the mlb at. Either way, it will be years before he becomes relevant to the major league roster.

[Just for Fun - your Top Prospects]

Hawkins tools are off the charts. He has so much upside and I think it is a mistake to right him off. He has a high bust rate. Another year like last year and he'll be completely removed from any list (regardless of potential). He has to make massive strides this year and I expect him to.

 

I'm not giving up on Hawkins either, but the Sox aggressive High A assignment did him no favors. They should have had him in Kannapolis the entire season until he proved he was ready for such a promotion. Now it will be make or break for him in Winston Salem, but I do expect a huge improvement as he improves pitch recognition skills. If he can make a big stride this year and push for a AA promotion late in the year his development will be back on track.

[Just for Fun - your Top Prospects]

Shocked Barnum hasn't made a list yet. He had a really nice September with a .914 OPS and a BB:K ratio of 7:10. I know it was an incredibly small sample size, but it's still a very promising sign IMO.

 

Another sleeper I'd go with is Rangel Ravelo. He had a really nice year at Winston-Salem and while his HR numbers leave a lot to be desired for a 1B, he demonstrated excellent gap power last season. He should start 2014 as a 22 year old in AA and maybe we'll start seeing some of those doubles turn into HRs in the near future.

 

I'm not that shocked. Hitting 5 home runs as a 1B prospect isn't going to turn many heads