steveno89

You mean race? Or?? Pretty sure Sox fans just want good players period haha.

Being stuck in the middle is arguably one of the worst places to be in professional sports. Not bad enough to go through a total teardown, but not good enough to really contend. Hanover, Paxton and Diaz all would be great pieces, but I do not think the Sox are there yet.

Almost goes without saying the Sox will be looking at one of the best college prospects available that they can fast track to aid the rebuild.

Promises of spending? The front office has stated many times that they will "try to be opportunistic" and will "spend when the time is right to build a winner" With Arenado likely to be resigned by the Rockies, when is better than now to go after a premium free agent in his prime? The fanbase would be irate if they cried poor with one of the lowest payrolls in the league. I fully expect the organization to try as hard as possible to land a big fish.

Good post At the end of the day, none of us know what will motivate Machado/Harper to sign. Is it max dollars? A team they always wanted to play for? Big market? Smaller market? Money tends to talk, but in this scenario the players are getting paid big time no matter what. It might be less about $.

I'm confident the Sox are willing to spend in order to see this rebuilding effort through, but there's no guaranty we can outbid some of the largest spending teams out there. I really think we should be looking at which free agents could be high upside signings for us as well. A Lance Lynn could really help to eat innings and might still have a few 3.0 WAR seasons left in the tank?

We have to hope that a pitch based around being the face of a rising franchise, coupled with a massive payday will be enough to lure one of them in. I do not think that immediate contention will be as much of a factor as many think though. When signing what will be at least a 4-5 year deal considering opt outs, you do not have to contend in that first year. Sox need to bank on the Jimenez/Moncada/Robert/Cease/Kopech/Madrigal/Dunning core produces fruit, and that some our our lower tier prospects surprise.

From a payroll flexibility standpoint I am not sure we can justify two mega contracts right now. If the rotation and pen were set, the rest of the roster just needing two big fish to plug and play then maybe you explore going all in? Mid market teams do not go out and spend crazy sums

The White Sox do not have the luxury of being able to spend near or over $200 million per year on payroll like the Dodgers/Yankees/Red Sox/Cubs/etc. Allocating over $60 million to two players out of our 25 man roster is just not going to happen for us.

Those were just a few suggestions of what might be possible, not what I would actually do per se. Signing both Machado and Harper results in at least $600 million being added to the payroll for the next decade, likely more. We would be relying almost entirely on home grown players to fill out the rest of our lineup, rotation and bullpen. I still do not think we would have enough, especially in the rotation, to compete for a championship.

It worth considering a more spread around proposal. $80 million could certainly get you something like: 3B Donaldson 2/42, Keuchel 4/75, Lynn 2/18, as well as one or two relievers, possibly more. Not saying this is what we should do, but it is beneficial to look at other options outside of the major fish.

Cespedes has largely been disappointing, especially getting paid $29 million in 2018 to put up 0.9 WAR

While I understand Nightengale's take, I do not necessarily agree with it. We have tons of payroll flexibility, and there is nothing wrong with making a move like this a season or two early. If they lose out on Harper/Machado, then Donaldson could be a solid bounce back candidate on a 2-3 year deal?

That would be a terrible decision in my opinion. You are suggesting essentially a 5/250 million deal which is beyond insanity. Where is the upside for the white Sox in a deal like that?

Even if we signed both Machado/Harper, I still strongly question if we would even make the playoffs in 2019? Rotation and bullpen have a ton to prove.

Bowden @ the Athletic predicts 10/320 for Harper and 10/310 for Machado Major money each way, but interestingly suggest that Machado might fit best on a team where he does not have to be the face of the franchise.

I think Harper and Machado sign by the end of December. The rest of the market will likely be waiting for them to sign and get the ball rolling. There will be plenty of interest in that holding out for more money isn't likely to get them more in January than it would in December.

It would be pretty crazy if the Sox did not at least TRY to sign one of Harper or Machado. I won't blame them if they can't get it done, but I certainly would be pissed if they cried poor and did not try.

I'm not sure if his comments are based on rumors he has heard, or the fact that the Sox have barely anything on the books moving forward and it makes sense for them to be involved? I'll believe the Sox will try for both players, but I'm still skeptical they get it done.

Even if one was an optimistic Sox fan, I would not go that far. All it takes is another team or two to drive the bidding to an uncomfortable level for us to be playing at. Surprise suitors could exist, trades could be made, etc. You just cannot be that sure about anything at this stage of the offseason. Heck, maybe neither Machado or Harper want to play in Chicago? Who knows?

I think this free agent class is actually far more underwhelming than predicted. Donaldson no doubt had a down year, as did many players hitting free agency. Past Harper/Machado/Corbin/Keuchel/Grandal/Kimbrel there are not loads of players I would expect to sign for more than $50 million.

Landing one big name now puts less pressure on them to sign a player like Arenado in free agency next year. At some point they do need to be willing to spend to help build a competitive roster. I wouldn't be surprised if they looked into the trade market to acquire talent either. Eloy, Kopech, and likely Cease/Robert are probably considered "untouchable", but pretty much anyone else is fair game to be dealt.

I could see signing one premium free agent to be a part of our rebuilding plan, but two is out of the question at this point.

For a team that has never shelled out a 100+ million contract, to suggest that we would dish out (2) likely $300+ million contracts in one offseason is insanity. Frankly, I would be concerned if our rebuilding plan was centered around spending $600+ million on two players to fill holes. That is just not prudent to building a winning roster.

There is some truth in what you are saying. Sometimes you are better off paying for "known" production, than trying to cobble it together across several free agents. Sox are prepared to be aggressive in the Machado/Harper markets, but I don't think we should lose sight of the second and third tier free agents we should also be looking at. Buying low on the right player(s) can be lucrative.