steveno89

Wow, that's a pretty considerable third piece to that trade. I feel the Rays did pretty well here nabbing Glasnow, Meadows and Baz.

I should have added that he is rule five eligible and needs to be added to the 40 man roster. I feel that's largely a given at this point though. Thanks, appreciate you reading it

I took a stab at writing my first White Sox related article beyond tweets and message board responses about Jose Ruiz. I'll post it here for anyone that is curious. Jose Ruiz article White Sox.docx

Ruiz is probably the least talked about White Sox prospect in our system that has a legitimate chance of impacting the mlb team. He's closer to being ready for a bullpen audition and has really solid stuff. Solid peripherals back up what he has done this season. A hidden gem in the farm system.

Any word on how Bush's defense looks? I know scouts mentioned his huge raw power, but questioned where he can handle defensively.

What does Adam Jones do for us though? I'd rather not waste the money on players on the wrong side of 32.

No reasonable fan is calling for KW/Hahn's head right now. That being said, if the team is not contending by 2021 something went way wrong. On a positive note, we are likely at rock bottom in our second year of the rebuild. 2019 should be slightly better than 2018 and trending upwards.

If the Sox are not competitive by the end of the 2021 season, then the rebuild has been a complete failure. 2019 is likely another fairly tough rebuilding year, but we should be getting signs of life. 2020 should be back to .500 ideally, or trending upwards at a minimum. 2021 we should ideally be ready to rock.

Gonzalez is nearly two years older than Rutherford as well though, which has to be taken into consideration. I get that Gonzalez' speed and defense give him the edge right now. Upper minors performance and continued development will determine their fates.

In fairness to Rutherford, he did just recently turn 21 in May and is putting up over a .800 OPS and wRC+ of 124 at high A (-1.4 years younger than average players at the level). The power has not shown up yet, but the overall skill set it solid. He seems like the type of player who will play all of 2019 at AA, and ideally start 2020 at AAA. If power ever comes he is certainly back into the top prospect mix.

Moncada has been brutal this season from the right side, batting only .163, although curiously striking out at a lower rate than from the left. It will be difficult for him to be successful if he is striking out nearly 35% of the time. I have not lost faith though, and we need to be patient with him. With an 0 - 2 count, he is batting .059 with a wRC+ of -51. He really needs to learn to fight off pitches better when down in the count to stay alive. He's so selective that pitchers know they need to get a first pitch strike against him, lowering his season batting average to .177 when 0 -1 vs. .241 when 1 - 0. Count management will be really important for him to learn.

With his hit tool and rarely striking out, Madrigal might profile as our best overall hitter in the future. That minor league lineup is pretty stacked with prospects.

Kopech can be as unhappy as he wants, but there is still development left to be seen. His past five starts have shown much better control, issuing only 4 walks, but prior to that he was walking nearly 5 per 9 innings. In AAA he could largely overcome that with pure stuff, but in the majors you will end up paying for walks. Finish strong in AAA and be ready to go for 2019

During the podcast Hahn mentioned that there had recently been discussions with another club or two about prospect for prospect type trades. He said these are unlikely to get done during the season, but that they would likely be revisited in the offseason. Would have to imagine he's talking about the glut of outfielders we have?

I don't really know what to make of Rivera yet. It's likely a utility profile, and he is old for his level turning 24 in September. Hard to argue with his performance so far though. He should likely find himself in AA early 2019, and be on the mlb horizon by end of 2019/early 2020.

It's early, but cannot help but be impressed with what Bryce Bush is doing in the AZL right now. 14 games, .442 AVG, 1.143 OPS at age 18 He absolutely seems like a candidate for full season ball in 2019 given this level of play.

I have Archer in my 30 team dynasty league, and I'm certainly happy he is out of the AL East. His peripherals of 3.62 FIP/xFIP indicate he has pitched pretty well. Could really improve pitching in the easier NL.

Eloy >>> Meadows without a doubt. Despite his defensive shortcomings, his bat has the potential to be a special weapon. a 60/65 hit tool combined with 70+ power is similar to what Giancarlo Stanton is, an offensive force. Cease's improvement puts him certainly ahead of Glasnow in value for me. Younger, and more likely to remain in the rotation.

Eloy/Cease >>> Meadows/Glasnow right now

Meadows and Glasnow are assets that are close to deteriorating in value. The Pirates were arguably smart to cash in on them while they are still "prospects". Both of them had more value in the winter of 2017 than they do now

Not sure this deal qualifies as selling high on a player with three more seasons of arbitration control. Arguably it is selling low.

Players absolutely care about things like this. They have girlfriends, wives, families, sisters, moms as well.

Sad, but true. Perez and Paulino heading to Toronto, along with Giles

Domestic abuse should be taken far more seriously than considering the player a "distressed asset". I really question the integrity of the Astros front office on this one.

Ugly look for Houston to be trading for Osuna before his case goes to court in August.