steveno89

QUOTE (Lip Man 1 @ Nov 20, 2017 -> 09:07 PM) Protecting Covey is flat insane. The guy is a stiff. Why would we protect covey over Guerrero, polo or Peter? Pentecost, demerrite, Peterson, Stewart, feyereisen are Interesting names

QUOTE (Quin @ Nov 20, 2017 -> 01:57 PM) It'd be borderline insanity to lock up this much money, but... C - Collins 1B - Abreu 2B - Moncada SS - Anderson 3B - Machado LF - Stanton CF - Robert RF - Jimenez DH - Garcia Would be a pretty fun lineup I think borderline insane would be putting it lightly. No chance we spend that much on two players.

QUOTE (Quin @ Nov 20, 2017 -> 02:16 PM) These remain the dumbest part of baseball Sox have been shafted by CBA picks for ages now. No other sport grants certain teams extra draft picks and pool money every year like mlb does, regardless of record.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Nov 19, 2017 -> 08:45 PM) What about Clarkin? I highly doubt any team would select Clarkin when he has yet to pitch above high A ball.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Nov 16, 2017 -> 12:26 PM) He's also got a power curve. If he figures it out command wise, him and Burdi at the back end of the pen.....oh my..... Very solid move From MLB.com "Scouting grades: Fastball: 80 | Curveball: 55 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45 Signed out of Brazil in 2010, Vieira made his stateside debut as a starter in '13 but shifted to bullpen the following year at Class A Clinton with the hope that it could accelerate his development. Instead, the right-hander's control problems worsened, ultimately limiting him to just 51 2/3 innings over 35 appearances from 2014-15. Vieira made huge strides in '16, however, turning in a breakout campaign in the Class A Advanced California League and then impressing in the Arizona Fall League. Building on that success in Double-A earned Vieira a spot on the World Team roster in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, where he showcased his triple-digit heat to a national audience. Vieira owns the best fastball among Mariners farmhands, sitting consistently at 97-100 mph and touching 102. His power curveball in the low 80s has come on strong in the last year, giving him the requisite two pitches to profile as a late-inning arm in the big leagues. The right-hander also has made gains with his control, though his overall efficiency, especially in terms of getting ahead of hitters, leaves much to be desired. Vieira has the makings of a future closer in the big leagues, though he'll face stiff competition for the role with a slew of other hard-throwing Mariner relievers ahead of him on the depth chart. Regardless, he's poised to make an impact at the highest level soon than later."

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Nov 16, 2017 -> 11:50 AM) What would stop a guy like Maitan from taking millions to play in the NPB for three years and then come back to play in the majors? That path would create a much larger earning opportunity and he could come back to a Tanaka like deal and not have to go through years of team control and the arbitration process. If he progresses the way that people think, a 23 year old Maitain could get a huge FA deal instead of perhaps entering his second year at the league minimum. Maitan is a very long way away from the majors right now anyway, at least 4-5 years it's looking like.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Nov 15, 2017 -> 10:31 PM) Strongly disagree. This is a team that was above .500 in September, and the young guys are only getting better. I'd be shocked if we made the playoffs with the current state of the team. Our bullpen is a massive question mark, and it will likely take some time for our young players to adjust to the major leagues. I think we could be a little better in 2018, but .500 would be best case scenario in my mind.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Nov 15, 2017 -> 08:50 AM) It doesn't appear to make sense for the A's since it seems like they are rebuilding but they always do this kind of stuff so in a way, it does make sense since Garcia is cheap and that's kind of how Oakland has to operate. Also, I'll save everyone a bit of time: http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2017?list=oak A's have the farm system now to match up on a deal for sure. Recent trades/draft have really increased their talent. I'm sure Barreto and Puk are off the table, but the rest of their prospects could be in play?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 9, 2017 -> 03:27 PM) Bob Nightengale‏Verified account @BNightengale 51m51 minutes ago It would be a stunning upset if #Marlins OF Giancarlo Stanton is traded anywhere besides the #Stlcards or #SFGiants. They each have the money to pull it off, and Cards have loaded farm system, if necessary I'm just not sure how much surplus value there will be left on his contract, especially if Miami wants significant prospects and to dump the entire salary?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 9, 2017 -> 12:27 PM) I don't think so. I think they are really high on Rutherford. Hopefully he develops. I don't think anyone is holding their breath. He looks the part, just doesn't hit the part, at least yet. He seems to be the offensive version of a 6'5" 240 lb. pitcher who throws 88. Maybe^^^ but that deal absolutely does not happen without the savings from ditching Robertson's contract. Hahn alluded to money being a significant factor in that deal. Rutherford has an uphill battle, as a corner outfielder will have to have a plus bat to make much of an impact.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Nov 9, 2017 -> 11:57 AM) Yeah I'd feel good about the deal if Rutherford was actually performing like a blue chipper, but at the moment he's still pretty much all projection instead of results. I'll cut Rutherford some slack because he is still young, but he will have to show solid progress in 2018 for the deal to not be viewed purely as dumping $20 million of Robertson's salary. I still think a huge motivation for that deal was to trim salary to help offset the Luis Robert signing rather than to get the best possible return

QUOTE (PolishPrince34 @ Nov 8, 2017 -> 03:05 PM) PolishPrince Offseason Plan on Southside Sox. I thought Rich Hahn did an outstanding job with majority of his moves except for one. Thought the Rutherford package was a little light with Kahnle and his 4 years of service time before hitting free agency. The key for 2018 is player development. Continue seeing progress with our positional players and arms in the system and keep maximum payroll flexibility for this coming year and for next winter years free agency bonanza . I envision the Sox having something like only $40 million in payroll commitments heading into 2019 and thus they could be major players in free agency. Arbitration-eligible Jose Abreu, $17.9M: Tender Avisail Garcia, $6.7M: Tender Yolmer Sanchez, $2.1M: Tender Carlos Rodon, $2.0M: Tender Danny Farquhar, $1.5M: Tender Zach Putnam, $1.4M: Non-Tender Leury Garcia, $1.2M: Tender Jake Petricka, $1.1M: Non-tender Al Alburquerque, $1.1M: Non-tender Putnam is the toughest call. But he’s been hurt and his health has been in questioned for the past two plus years. With a bit of a 40 man roster crunch coming, no need to bring back Petricka/health, Putnam, and Alburquerque considering his age. Can see if Putnam wants to sign a minor league deal. Impending free agents Geovany Soto: Made $2 million in 2017: He gone Mike Pelfrey: Made $8 million in 2017: He gone Free agents Sign Jake McGee, two year, $17 million/plus Option 3 year-9 million/$1 million buyout. Jake McGee has been a solid reliever since 2011 and has done with one pitch: fastball. McGee fastball is still thrown 93% of the time and has held steady at 95.3 mph. He still shows great movement on the fastball which has been the key to his success. Health has been the issue the past couple years, but it’s been mostly with his legs. With such a young and inexperienced staff and a few more young guys on the way next year, having someone who can close out games and mentor would be a great addition. Also, McGee would be a hot commodity at the trade deadline. Year 1- $11 million Year 2- $6 million. Sign Clay Buchholz, one year, $2.0 million incentives $3.0 million. Clay hasn’t pitched well or stayed healthy the past couple years. He had surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon on his foreman back in April. Buchholz should be fully healthy and ready to go for Spring Training. Buchholz is a low risk signing that is worth gambling if he ever returns to his younger years in Boston. At 32 years, Buchholz is still young enough to take a gamble on signing him to a contract and trading him off at the deadline. This can be Coop’s project for 2018 season. Sign Curtis Granderson, one year, $7 million. White Sox sign the Chicago native for his veteran leadership to help with the youth movement on the Southside. Granderson 37 years old is a great guy in the clubhouse and in the community that could provide some veteran presence and also could be flipped in July to a contender, and he’d be able to split time between left, right, and DH. Granderson might be tough signing because he might want to play his final days with a contender. Eloy Jimenez is the only outfielder that will be called up next year and that will probably be in the middle of the summer. Sox make a smart investment to help with the mentoring of Jimenez, Moncada, and company. Minor League Free Agent Deal Drew Hutchinson/Starting Pitcher or possible addition to the bullpen Trades No. 1: Blake Swihart C/Boston Red Sox for Evan Skoug C/ Brian Michalczewski 3B. Boston is in a crunch with making moves on their 40 man roster and pull the plug with Swihart. White Sox gamble that Swihart is young and talented enough to bounce back to become an adequate big league catcher. Swihart is too talented and athletic at the catcher position and has just taken a longer time to show his 4 tools on the diamond. Red Sox get Skoug who has potential at the catcher position and is 3 years away from putting on the 4o man roster. Michalczewski gives them depth down in Triple A and still young enough to maybe figures things out. Trade No. 2: Michael Feliz RP/Houston Astros for Franklin Reyes 1B and Danny Mendick Houston Astros is another team that is having difficulty having too many players on their 4o man roster. Feliz is a high ceiling reliever with a chance of becoming of high leverage set up man or even closer. He throws 96.6 mph and has wicked slider. Feliz has a K/9 of 13.03. The big question with almost every young reliever is his command of the fastball BB/9 was 4.13. White Sox give up one of higher investments on the international fronts in Franklin Reyes. Reyes still years away from possibly making the big league club and Houston has the time to be patient with all the talent they have on the big league club and upper minors. Trade No. 3: Dalton Pompey OF/Toronto Blue Jays for Luis Martinez SP and Eddie Alvarez UTM Pompey missed almost the entire 2017 season due to a concussion. Not too long he was consider one the better lead off prospects in the minors. Pompey is still 24 years old and plays plus defense anywhere in the OF. He shows strong tools defensively, running the basepaths, and being able to make solid contact. Toronto throws in the flag and takes two fliers in Martinez who still shows potential, but most likely end up in the bullpen. Alvarez brings speed and versatility in the infield and provides some depth at the Triple A and major league ballclub. Trade No. 4: Greg Allen OF/Cleveland Indians for Alex Call OF/ Brian Clark RP Greg Allen has nowhere to play to play in Cleveland with the start of Bradley Zimmer’s career in CF. The organization also has a 40 man roster crunch and need to clear some spots for moves to be made this offseason. Allen is another high ceiling prospect who has some potential hitting at the lead off spot. Allen plays a plus defense in CF and is a deer on the base paths. Cleveland gives Call some more time to develop in the minors who can turn out as 2nd team division OF or 4th OF at best. Clark fills LHP need in their higher levels and in a case an injury occurs in the season. Hoping that the White Sox possibly find a lead off hitter in Allen or Pompey. Trade No. 5: Aaron Blair SP for Tyler Danish RP and Joel Booker OF. Atlanta is loaded with arms and Blair has fallen out of favor in the organization. White Sox gamble and hope Blair can settle in the back of the rotation or become a useful reliever out of the bullpen. Blair fastball and K/9 has regressed the past year, but still possess 3 average pitches to the table: Fastball, curveball, and changeup. Danish gives Atlanta a possible arm in the bullpen and Booker shows tools where he can possibly become a 4th OF on a major league ballclub. Trade No. 6: Ryan McMahon 3B/1B for Carson Fulmer SP/RP , Adam Engel OF , and Tyler Saladino UTM McMahon who struggled in 2016 had a nice bounceback year to further his development. McMahon has the hands and arm to play an average 3B, but footwork have been an issue in the past. Very similar to what Davidson/Burger bring to the table. His best position is 1B and can be a suitable replacement for Abreu when it’s time to deal him at the trade deadline. McMahon has very good power and will draw enough walks to have an OBP in +.350 range. Rockies need pitching in the backend of the bullpen and Fulmer is an ideal fit. Fulmer has no chance to being a successful starting pitcher with the lack of fastball command and 3rd pitch. Engel and Saladino provide more infield and outfield depth on the major league ballclub or Triple A team. Engel provides plus defense, but his mechanics as a hitter will always make him a question mark. Contracts the Sox could take on and consider down the road to gather better prospects in a deal. Jacoby Ellsbury, Hanley Ramirez, Samardzija , Choo, Zobrist, Kazmir, McCarthy, A. Gonzalez Summary I envision the Sox to continue making moves and hoping to hit on some prospects who have lost some luster with their previous organizations. I think there is a strong possibility of Abreu and Avi Garcia being moved at the trade deadline. The Sox hope is for Avi Garcia to continue developing as a hitter and pawn him off on team for prospects or even taking on a bad contract to stockpile the farm system. The Sox payroll would be around $77 million under this plan. Position Players C: Swihart 1B: Abreu 2nd: Moncada 3rd: McMahon SS: Anderson LF: Delmonico CF: G. Allen RF: A. Garcia DH: Davidson/Granderson Bench: Pompey, Y. Sanchez, L. Garcia, Narvaez Rotation: 1. Shields 2. Giolito 3. Lopez 4. Buchholz 5. Blair (Rodon starting the year on the DL Bullpen: 1. McGee 2. Feliz 3. Minaya 4. Bummer 5. Hutchinson (Jones starting the year on the DL) 6. Fry 7. Farquhar Waiting in the wings for the 2018 season : Kopech, S. Adams, Hansen, Stephens, Guererro No way that trade happens, as Mcmahon is the most valuable piece in that deal by a considerable margin

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Nov 7, 2017 -> 08:33 PM) I don't know. This board is only a sample size of the fanbase but going by what fans are saying here, it looks to me like many will understand if Avi and or Abreu are traded. This board is comprised of fans that follow the sport much closer than a casual fan. Soxtalk represents the opinions of pretty knowledgeable fans from what I have seen, which is why it's so interesting.

QUOTE (JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ Nov 7, 2017 -> 01:38 PM) Agree to disagree. I don't view next year as a waste for Reed on the Sox. Would be nice to have a steady bullpen arm at the back end to close games for a young team full of unknowns in the pen. If one of those unknowns emerges as a potential closer in the next couple years you can always slide Reed back to his setup role. 4 years/$36MM is not a large commitment by today's standards (assuming that's his price tag). Consider the White Sox traded 4 relievers just last season alone (Swarzak, Jennings, Robertson, Kahnle), there is plenty of room to sign a couple this offseason and a couple next. I don't think signing Reed this offseason precludes them from acquiring a couple more next winter. Why buy now when we do not expect to compete in 2018 though? There are relievers on Reed's level available every year, why not buy next offseason when we have a good idea of what we will need? Why wouldn't he go to a contender unless we overpay significantly? We need to face the fact that this will not be a splashy offseason whatsoever, expect bargain bin shopping.

QUOTE (JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ Nov 7, 2017 -> 12:58 PM) Even for a rebuilding team, there is nothing wrong with signing a guy like Addison Reed as their "premier" FA acquisition this off-season. Won't lose a pick and the commitment should be relatively small (4 years $36MM MLBTR prediction) for someone that can actually close games over the next few years. Right now they have a bunch of guys that are unproven or just bad (most fall in the just bad category). It can take a few years to build a strong bullpen anyways so why not start now? Especially if there are any plans to start competing in 2019/2020. Perhaps inquire about Reed, but I feel like he will have higher demand from contenders looking to add bullpen help? Plenty of suitors will likely increase his price tag beyond what we want to spend right now.

QUOTE (2005thxfrthmmrs @ Nov 7, 2017 -> 09:42 AM) Thats why you can't evaluate only based on box scores. No doubt that Eloy has better tools as a hitter than Ocuna. Tough call at this point on whether a team would rather have Acuna or Jimenez. Acuna has the better all around tools with speed and fielding, and could be a potential 30-30 guy in center field. Jimenez currently has the better hit tool and projects to have better power. http://m.mlb.com/news/article/260529020/pi...z-ronald-acuna/ Callis said it's very close, but he would lean Acuna due to the better speed and glove. Jimenez could very well be a player that absolutely tears the cover off the ball in 2018 as he starts to hone his power potential.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Nov 7, 2017 -> 01:37 AM) Only great post in this thread IMO. Sox fans on this board overwhelmingly want the owners to spend no money, get rid of any player making a buck in pursuit of the rebuild. I can't wait to see who fans on this board someday deem worthy of a fat contract. Most of you soxtalk fans go to games. I can't believe your patience and willingness to give JR and the partners so much of your money for nothing in return (since 05). The Sox front office loves this board if they read it. You know my desires: Spend, spend spend just as fans spend 15 for a burger and 11 for a brewski. Sox fans are not saying do not spend money period, they are saying this is not the right offseason to be doing so. The free agent class next year is the best in at least a decade and we should be saving our pennies for that. If we were a player or two away from contending it would be a different story, but we will have plenty of salary coming off the books after 2018 and be primed to woo significant signings.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 6, 2017 -> 05:12 PM) Scott Merkin‏Verified account @scottmerkin 2h2 hours ago This offseason, Sox to let top prospects develop http://atmlb.com/2hgSumW via @mlb ^^^ Exactly as expected. Let prospects develop and prepare to be much more active next offseason.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Nov 2, 2017 -> 03:39 PM) https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/11/2017...redictions.html Top 50 free agents from MLBTR. Trade Avi for the best prospect(s) you can get and sign the following. Granderson is because he's my favorite player. Pineda/Brantley are flips. Cishek is potential flip or holdover. RF Curtis Granderson 1 yr 5M LF Michael Brantley 1 yr 11M SP Michael Pineda 1 yr 7M RHP Bud Norris 1 yr 4M RHP Steve Cishek 3 yr 20M C - Narvaez/Smith 1B - Abreu/Davidson/Delmonico 2B - Moncada 3B - Sanchez/Davidson/Delmonico SS - Anderson LF - Brantley/Delmonico/Engel CF - L. Garcia/Engel RF - Granderson DH - Delmonico/Davidson Last spot goes to Cordell/Tilson(who?)/Saldino SP1 Pineda SP2 Giolito SP3 Lopez SP4 Shields SP5 Fulmer/Rodon CL Cishek SU Minaya MR Bummer MR Fry MR Infante MR Norris MR rando I agree with your fairly restrained approach to this offseason. I think the Sox do shop Avi and potentially Abreu for prospects. The rest of our free agent spending will likely be bargain bin shopping on prove it/bounceback deals. We have quite a few prospects who are expected to arrive for the 2019 season (if not sooner). Pineda might require a 2 year deal like the mlbtraderumors deal suggests, as it's unknown when he will be able to pitch in 2018.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Nov 1, 2017 -> 11:26 PM) The upside is fine....you get a good player for 3 years at basically market rate...and then he opts out...fair enough. But the downside is too severe. If he sucks, not only did you throw away prospects for an under-performer, you're stuck with him through his 30s until he's near 40 and the team is c $250 million lighter. That price really smashes your face in for a bad trade. How do you price a player like that in trade? To me, it's basically a contract trade, so it ends up like a terrible FA signing if things go south, but no more. The length of the contract frightens me. If Stanton sucks it kills you for a decade. The last 5 years of that deal could be painful.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Oct 31, 2017 -> 05:20 PM) Resign: RP Al Albuquerque 1 year/1 million Extension: 1B Jose Abreu 4 years/65 million million Trades: White Sox trade RF Avisail Garcia to the Cardinals for OF Tyler O'Neil, SP Sandy Alcantara, and a lower level prospect. White Sox acquire C Yasmani Grandal from the Dodgers for SP Jordan Stephens and SP Luis Martinez or White Sox acquire C JT Realmuto from the Marlins for SP Dane Dunning and OF Micker Adolfo Free Agency: SP Michael Pineda 1 year/8 million RP Jake McGee 3 years/20 million RP Bryan Shaw 3 years/21 million CF Cameron Maybin 1 year/5 million Lineup: SS Tim Anderson 2B Yoan Moncada 1B Jose Abreu C Yasmani Grandal DH Matt Davidson LF Nicky Delmonico RF Tyler O'Neil 3B Carlos Sanchez CF Cameron Maybin Bench: UTIL Tyler Saladino C Omar Narvaez OF Adam Engel UTIL Jake Peter Starting Rotation SP James Shields SP Lucas Giolito SP Michael Pineda SP Reynaldo Lopez SP Carson Fulmer Bullpen: RP Gregory Infante RP Al Alburquerque RP Danny Farquhar RP Chris Beck RP Aaron Bummer RP Jake McGee RP Bryan Shaw Thoughts? What would you guys do? Sox are not sniffing Realmuto for that package, fangraphs has him tied for 3rd in the mlb in catching WAR in 2017. I also don't see the Sox wanting to sign players to multi year deals while we are still rebuilding. I see a fairly low key winter, with several one year deals to plug holes. The front office will examine trades and/or longer term signings, but I feel they hold off until next offseason to start making a splash.

QUOTE (Joshua Strong @ Oct 13, 2017 -> 12:43 PM) 2012, that when that CBA came into effect and introduced the strict bonus pools https://scout.com/mlb/scouting/Article/2018...tion--109698859 Article today with an updated top 15 draft prospect ranking for 2018. Interesting to see Singer fall.

QUOTE (bmags @ Oct 30, 2017 -> 10:34 AM) All eloy all the time http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/base...j2LmmyHC0fhB.97 Jimenez really looks to have a special bat that could get even better. Trading Quintana was tough, but Eloy is exactly the kind of player who you can plug in as a middle of the order bat moving forward.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 5, 2017 -> 09:48 AM) I think he's a much better hitter than he showed this year. Collins is a work in progress, but I think he is a better hitter than his numbers this year too. He has an advanced approach and just needs to focus on making more contact. Defensively it often takes catchers awhile to be ready, and I expect Collins to need at least another full season in the minors before any consideration of promotion.

QUOTE (bmags @ Oct 5, 2017 -> 09:24 AM) Grabbing a AA pitcher and putting him in bullpen isn't that different. And hiding a catcher, who was also 23, from high A was shocking, but then instead use one of your roster spots for a 20 year old player whose never played above low A and strikes out 30% of the time. Like I said, if it happens, it happens, but I'd take the chance and feel confident he's back with team. I'm fine with not protecting Micker, as I doubt any mlb club would keep him on the roster an entire season when he has yet to play above A ball.