he gone.

I wish I could be this optimistic in life. I'd think life would be much more enjoyable. Alas, I'm me. I'll go 33% on Machado and less than 10% on Harper. Harper is too smart to sign here. He wants the lights and glamour. He's a Cubs/Dodgers/Yankees/BoSox type of guy.

Can you imagine if we signed both how much ticket prices would increase. Yuck. I'll take one of the two (Machado) and rely on the 214 minor league outfielders we have that look promising. If Eloy pans out we really only need 2 of those guys to pan out. And if a lot of the other guys pan out (Moncada, Madrigal, etc.) we really only need one to pan out and one to play great defense.

Nobody knows for certain, but I always go back to... would you put money on it in Vegas? Would you put up $100 of your hypothetical money on 100:1 odds that they sign both? I sure as hell wouldn't. It'd be pissing away $100.

Soxtalk is either the Fox News or CNN of reporting White Sox news depending on which side of the fence you are on. NYY sources/rumors : FAKE NEWS!! Nightengale rumors about any other team: FAKE NEWS! Nightengale rumor about the Sox offering a contract: PANDAMONIUM!! Which by the way, not to be a buzz kill..... what did you expect... us to meet with him and not actually make a formal offer? And if it is really just 7 years? That's not going to get it done... Before Christmas I said Machado 50%, Harper 15% and both 7.5% Today I say Machado 30%, Harper 10% and both at 3%. I may be the only one not drinking the sauce here...

It's not insane, it's just setting the price record and market too high for no reason. Might as well do 8 years and $300mm. Still breaking records. No reason to outbid yourself.

Really does it matter if it's 5 years, 7 years or 12 years? It's going to be all about the 3 year or 4 year opt out and front loading the contract. Harper and Boras want a record breaking number for optics, but he'll opt out at 29 or 30 and try again for another front loaded contract. My guess at least.

I miss the days where all the posturing was done In the newspapers and slowly through agent phone calls. This new way of using Twitter is exhausting.

It's just allocating money in a different way. You spend $35mm on Machado and flip the controllable Andujar for a front line pitcher via trade. You can't buy a controllable pitcher for $35mm out there. You struck out on your top target on Corbin and all that's left is Keuchel. If they don't like him, then the best route where you have money to spend is to get someone like Machado and trade Andujar. You can definitely trade for a difference maker easier than signing one (Verlander, Sale, Cole, etc. are all examples). Bumgarner, Greinke, Kluber ... I think it's pretty clear as day what the Yankees are doing here...

Matter of opinion. Twins weren't winning anything two years ago, nor were the Braves this year. Or Rockies.. Or Athletics. There's a reason their odds of winning the WS were set very high by Vegas.. They min win a game or even a series, but they aren't winning 3 series back to back when you've got a Trevor Cahill on the mound or a 'Sean Newcomb pitching in a big game. You may not want to admit it, but most of the time you can narrow the field down to 3-4 legit contenders. Last year I'd argue that was the BoSox, Astros, and the Indians (Indians were a fringe -- the OF was lacking, but the pitching could be dominant in the right stretch) In the NL you had the Cubs (had many of their own warts) and Dodgers.... Brewers weren't going to beat the anybody in the AL head to head over 7 games.

Absurd? I guess the first thing is what is your definition of "competing". Because mine is actually having a shot at winning the World Series. So in my own definition I don't count the Braves as a serious competitor this past year. Sure they won the division but they were never making it through the gauntlet of the playoffs as champs. Likewise, the Astros are a perfect example. In 2015 they won 86 games and went as a WC.. nice season? yes. But it was laying groundwork. They never really had a shot at winnign it all. 2016 they won 84 games and didn't make the playoffs. Obviously 2017 worked out great. So, maybe by your definition my thoughts are absurd, but my thoughts are more or less this: 2019: hopefully a great, healthy year in the minors, players move up to AAA. Maybe a Cease or others hits the majors 2020: Your Madrigals, Dunnings, and Kopechs all take their licks in the MLB. Hot/cold season. Up and down. 2021: Your second wave of prospects --- Rutherford, Adolfos, Burgers, etc. get their seasoning while your Kopech, Cease, Dunnings, start really coming into form. 2022: Everything finally comes together. So yes, I standby 2022 being the first REAL year that a Sox team can compete seriously against teams like the Yankees and Red Sox and Astros currently are putting out. That's assuming no injuries and prospects all getting better... let's not forget we thought Moncada would be an All-Star and Giolito could be a nice 2-3 starter. Hansen was supposed to be a 2-3 starter too... now he's what? And Fulmer, etc. etc. things don't go that smoothly very often. Robert is probably more likely to be Jorge Soler than Mookie Betts. So yes, 2022. I guess I'm absurd.

This slow FA market for the second year in a row is really going to be interesting going forward. If I was a fringe team this is actually the perfect time to go out there and make moves for cheaper that really improve the team. My worry is that we will have a work stoppage though ... and of course when the Sox are starting to be in contention.

Here's my take: Tulo wanted to sign with the Yankees, and they have a spot open for half the year at SS for him to prove he's still a player. Probably his only shot to play out his childhood dream of SS for the Yankees. He doesn't care about money and is still being paid by the Blue Jays. The signing in no way precludes the Yankees from Machado, if anything it may be even more posturing from the Yankees knowing very well that Machado also wants to fulfill his childhood dream. They have a backup plan regardless, so they can say our best and final is 9 years, $285mm or whatever the number is. The signing might actually help them in negotiations to save money on Machado. Finally I still think Andujuar is gone as soon as Machado signs. They don't really lose leverage once Machado is signed, so there is no rush to trade him. If for some reason they lose out on Machado, then they'll keep him. The yanks know pithcing wins championships so I see them getting Bumgarner or Kluber or whoever else for Andujar. That'd leave them with a nice three headed monster at the top of the rotation along w. CC and Happ. They'd have Machado at 3B, Tulo/Didi at SS, Torres at 2b. Just typing that lineup.... really shows you how far the Sox are from competing... 2022 is the first year if everything works out perfectly. Likely 2023 or 2024.

if we could trade Rodon and Basabe for Senzel I'd do backflips. It'd take a lot more imo

Bingo. Money talks. Corbin was linked to the Yanks for so long... one extra year on a contract and he was a Nat. Maybe sometime in our future we can be like one of those franchises, but at this point we have to be willing to pay extra or a longer contract. I'd rather be sitting in 2030 in the last year of a Machado deal knowing we went for it all from 2020-2027 than watching him hit a clutch homer for the Yanks against us in 2022 ALCS. Look at these beefed up rosters from the BoSox, Astros, Yanks, etc. We're not going to compete with them if we don't sign ultra talent. Open the pocketbook.

When we are arguing for our franchise against the Royals and Mariners that's all that needs to be said. This is one of the worst run teams in all of MLB. From threatening to move, to putting the stadium on the same sight (but facing away from DT), to being the last of franchises with the boring stadium layout, then spending a ton of money to fix it and make it a bit more palatable, to never signing a FA above $68mm, to consistently losing, to not being able to beat up on Cleveland, Minnesota, KC, and Detroit consistently ..... I mean the last one outside of Detroit? None of those franchises have been a consistent threat to ever spend.... we could be the Yankees or Red Sox or Cubs of our division and should be ... I Mean for god sakes we're CHICAGO! But we continue to run the franchise from top to bottom like we're nobodies.

We gave up Alex Call for Alonso..... the Yanks have no need for Alonso ... he would be cut-bait, release material on the Yankees. And the Yankees don't have to pull stunts to get players ... they win. Alonso was a desperate move, by one of the worst franchises in MLB history with a cheap owner and in a poor run front office. It was a $9mm roll of the dice (maybe $18mm) for a player that will bring nothing than "leadership" (our FO favorite buzz word) in a landscape where $9mm can net you a bunch of better pieces in FA. $9mm (+$2.5mm on McCann) could have bought you: Matt Shoemaker, Erasmo Ramirez, Justin Bour, Jung Ho Kang, and Lucroy. Alonso and McCann have no trade value. absolutely ZERO upside for the future of the franchise. They are place holders. Alonso has that option that zaps any chance of him being traded and McCann is DFA material. At least the list above would have filled some voids (Kang at 3b, Bour wouldn't fill al need, but hes a hell of a lot better than Alonso, Lucroy has 25X potential of bringing back some mid-level prospect over McCann, Shoemaker could have been a nice #5 for 100IP, and Erasmo could fill the swing role of Hector Santiago -- and they're all ONE year options) I'm not saying any of those guys are great or even good, however the way we allocate money in the offseason is pathetic. Don't sell me on leadership. It's a desperate move that we attempted because we're reduced to being clown barkers bringing in brothers of FA we want to sign. It's more sad than anything. It's the equivalent of sending Benny the Bull to O'Hare... and why? Cause we know the rebuild is doing terribly thus far. Name who from this roster is on this 2021 or 2022 roster that we HOPE competes for something... Reynaldo Lopez as a #4? Tim Anderson ... probably Yoan as some sort of piece? Anybody else? 3 spots filled. 22 to go. If I'm Machado I'm not going to a franchise for TEN YEARS that doesn't spend and by all accounts at best will be the Tigers, Indians, or Brewers for 5 years before selling off pieces. He had that with the Orioles. I'd sign with teams that have a proven track record that they'll stretch and sign players even when they're at the luxury tax. A proven track record of winning. I'd only sign with the Sox if they gave me a record breaking contract. Otherwise I'd be a Yankee or Phillie. With no ties to the Sox .... no growing up going to Comiskey... no childhood memories.... separate yourselves from the situation and look at it objectively.... very few of us would sign with the Sox. Sox need to overpay, and overpay a lot. And that's fine. The overpay is due to JR cheap arse underpaying for the past decades. Give Machado 12 years if he needs it. It's the cost of doing business because of the predicament he's put them in over the past decade. If you're not willing to do that, JR won't be willing to do that when it matters either. Bah Humbug.

I like my friends and all, but if you give me a few million dollars more I could care less if I play on the same team. These guys train in the offseason together, can travel wherever in the offseason together, spend spring training together (dependent of AZ or FL) ... I just don't think it's that big of a deal.

I was on MLBTradeRumors this morning and they have a poll up of where they'll think Manny will sign... interesting sometimes to get the outside perspective after being so engrained in the Sox views.... Currently Yankees 45%, Phillies 26% White Sox 14% Mystery team 14% Yikes! not that it matters, but nevertheless interesting.

Maybe, maybe not. Even flying private, if you have a 11am meeting in NYC, you're talking traffic to ORD, losing an hour going out east, the flight time. Who wants to wake up early for their own FA mega tour? Also if Steinbrenner is sending a private plane, he kind of makes the time frame. Plus, it's not like he hasn't been to Chicago in his career, I think he got the gist of it. I'm not sure what we expected him to do in an extra night that would seal him on the Sox and Chicago? Go ice skating with his wife? go to another steak dinner .... like he hasn't been to 1,000 of those in his life .... visit Macy's Walnut Room? Christkindl market? I mean.... it's a business decision at the end of the day. He's going to follow the money and the Sox will have to be higher than Philly. Only team that has a chance of winning with less money is NYY and they better come in at over $30mm a year still.

Just my quick thoughts: Glad I'm not a Cubs fan. That whole "own" station stuff stinks for the casual fan. Also sucks that I'll be subsidizing it in whatever streaming package I buy though. They'll keep pushing the consumer to its breaking point and I think that's sad. It's a game, but also business. Time for 82 year old Reinsdorf to cash in his chips and go all Illitch on this team. He's a shrewd business man, but I'd think he doesn't want to spend his last 5-10 years on this earth watching the team lose. Take the TV money and apply it all to making a super team run for 5-10 years PLEASE

Down boy!

That's annoying. I don't want to get dramatic over Erasamo Ramirez because ... I mean... he's just him. However - these are the type of deals Hahn needs to be making to supplement the team. It's like last year passing on Bucholz or not exploring Franky Liriano, Mike Fiers, etc. There's no downside to signing Ramirez to a major league contract let alone a minor league pact. He is a very useful swing man who can start or come out of the pen. He's a better version of hector Santiago. That's all the complaining I'll do on Ramirez because he doesn't warrant much more. Only thing I'll add it to check on Matt shoemaker. Another guy who can add something to this team.

Yes, but I also don't think pocketbooks dry up when youre the Cubs and Dodgers. If he gets to a reasonable number then those owners will make it work somehow. Even if it's signing him and then trading players.

Not to poke holes in this lineup because it looks great. I'd counter that if we do spend $70mm on those two guys we better go out and also get ourselves a decent 1-2 year gap in CF. Doesn't have to be Pollock, but I'd want to get someone who can bring a bat too. Engels glove is superior as we know, but I'd rather have someone on base for Macahdo to bring in. Also I'd really hope we'd then go out and get a few more arms too... I like Shoemaker and Erasmo Ramirez for cheap.

I'd rather hold onto my top prospect(s) and have Wilson Ramos. Just my own stance. I actually wish the Sox didn't sign Castillo last year and had nobody this offseason. I'd take Wilson Ramos at basically the same contract we handed out to Castillo.