SoCalSox

QUOTE (Baron @ Jan 19, 2016 -> 08:30 AM) I may be the only one who asked so far...but who the f*** is Mibelt Rodriguez? A guy who consistently makes up stuff & is never right.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 18, 2016 -> 08:24 PM) Why does the Tigers signing Upton end the offseason for the White Sox? We have known the White Sox weren't going to sign Upton for a while? I'm not saying it does but it's very obvious that teams in their own division are getting better (that were already better teams) & the Sox have improved but not nearly enough to be considered division favorites.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 18, 2016 -> 08:23 PM) That would be an option. However, I wouldn't trade a number 1 starter unless they near the end of the deal and are sure he won't re-sign. They can't go for it every year and field a consistent winner. They've been to the playoffs twice in 10 years, dude. What are you talking about?

QUOTE (Baron @ Jan 18, 2016 -> 08:22 PM) Ofcourse he's a good fit. He's a good fit for alot of teams. But the Angels said recently that they werent going to give out a contract like that. Seems to be suggested that they are a little spooked about those deals after the Josh Hamilton incident and Pujols. There was also a lot of talk that Detroit & KC wouldn't either & here we are.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 18, 2016 -> 08:07 PM) I agree. People complain about not building a consistent winner but then want them to sign long term deals that willbe awful in 3-4 years. Pick a lane. I prefer the patient uild the team through prudent trades and drafts. Pick a lane? How does trading away prospects for 2 players with 2 years of control & standing pat after that make any sort of sense? You either go for it or you rebuild. You don't half ass things & come in at or under .500 each year.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 18, 2016 -> 07:58 PM) I can see the direction Hahn is taking. He's incredibly patient, and that is driving a lot of fans nuts. Better he be in his job than many of us. Breathe, people. As for Ventura, can't argue with that. What exactly has Hahn done to deserve that type of trust? They rebuild for 1 year, go for it the next & half-ass it this year. I see no reason to have any trust for a front office who continuously fails it's fans. The two moves on their own were good but you don't trade 2/3 top 10 prospects in your system & now look at this roster & say "we can compete". I'm sorry but as far as I'm concerned, this team has no direction right now.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 18, 2016 -> 07:50 PM) This only applies if the prospects have a chance of being impact players. These were not. He traded marginal prospects for mlb talent to improve the team. Trading these prospects did not hurt the team's future. So, by that logic, the Sox have a crap farm system. If top 10 guys in your system are not impact players, you've got a lot more to worry about. Just goes to show much f***ed this franchise is right now.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 18, 2016 -> 07:35 PM) I think they have an obvious direction. They are improving the team without damaging the future by signing deals too long or trading away the most important prospects. They just traded away 5 prospects for two players with two years of control. Two of those players were in their top 10. How is that not hurting their future?

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Jan 18, 2016 -> 07:31 PM) Ain't life grand. I think this a big for our chances at Cespedes. Eliminates Detroit and the Mets who will only do a 1-2 year deal. One threat out there for me could be the Angels. I think it's time we stop believing what teams are supposedly out & which teams will pay what, because realistically NONE of it has been true to this point.

The White Sox are now the 4th best team in their division. Sweet. I'm sorry but this move is bad news for the Sox all together. Upton gets paid big on 6 years, it improves direct competition & this was a team that wasn't supposed to be in on the top 2. Being a fan of this team can be so damn frustrating. Yes, I know Cespedes is still out there but we all know how this is going to end.

QUOTE (Baron @ Jan 18, 2016 -> 06:02 PM) Same defensive concerns that most of us have. Plus he's not sure he can play a corner outfield spot. Before I got on the phone to the station he was saying he didnt expect Cespedes to get any kind of pay cut. Doesnt think anyone offering a 1,2,3 year deal gets him. Ah gotcha. Wasn't sure what type of context the conversation was in or anything like that. FWIW, I'm really starting to think the Sox end up with close to nothing before the end of the season.

QUOTE (Baron @ Jan 18, 2016 -> 04:49 PM) I just spoke with Bowden. He said he doesnt want to see Fowler on the White Sox. Plus if we dont sign Cespedes or Upton your probably finishing last in the division. I'm confused by this. Why doesn't he want to see Fowler sign with the Sox? Also, what did he say about them & Cespedes?

MLB Network had a Cespedes segment on just now. Not sure who the older guy is but he seems to think The Sox are his best fit. Carlos Pena agreed as well. Seems like more speculation than anything but interesting that they keep riding the Sox on this. Also said, multiple teams have questions about sign Cespedes to a long-term deal.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 17, 2016 -> 08:47 PM) But none of the big three outfielders are/were perfect fits. They need a RF, and Upton is only one that plays that. Given everyone's concern about his energy on the field and the chance he wants nothing to do with Chicago, he was the least likely of the three. Cespedes has no ties to the Sox outside of Abreu while having way more ties to the Tigers and Mets Last I checked, this was a pretty damn bad team last year. 11th worst, IIRC. You improve where you can & if you can improve in such a way like you can with a guy like Cespedes, you find a way to get it done. It's that simple for me.

I hope whoever goes to SoxFest boos the hell out of Hahn & Williams. This is so typical of the Sox. Not only are they not helping themselves, they end up hurting themselves by letting their divisional competition grab key FAs.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 17, 2016 -> 07:33 PM) I've been doing the same myself. Expect less but still have a bit of hope for more. This is why I've been looking at alternatives like Brett Gardner and Nick Markakis, sad isn't it? I've seen Markakis' name a few times & it sends me into a pissed off rage just thinking that they would think that is the fix. Realistically, I'm just expecting their roster not to change before ST starts & I'll be pleasantly surprised if it does. It's time like this when I remember how much I can hate this team sometimes.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 17, 2016 -> 07:25 PM) I'm almost to the point where it's "to hell with it, roll the dice with Avi/LaRoche/Saladino" and see what happens, hoping to be pleasantly surprised. On one hand, it looks like the Royals are taking a step or two back...and Cleveland still has issues with RF/3B/Brantley's health and payroll limits. There's also a chance the young players with the Twins all make impacts (Buxton's healthy and Berrios makes the Opening Day rotation, although it's more likely he is in the minors for 2-3 more months at least) more quickly than anticipated. How much of a difference will having Fowler really make? Is it worth the draft pick? What will the trade market look in June/July, compared to now? Do you really want to commit to $45 million and 3 years? How will he respond to a guaranteed contract? If the White Sox are just kind of floating along at around .500 and 3-5 games back (or more), there's definitely not going to be an attendance bump of any kind...even looking back at 2012, when we added Liriano/Myers/Youk it seems the impact/momentum lasted about 3 weeks and then fell off dramatically with Youk's health and Liriano's fall out of the rotation. I think it would be the Sox thing to stand pat & if history has shown us anything, it's that it will get them to mediocrity if they are lucky. Fowler at his career average is probably worth about 2 wins to a team like the Sox right now but changes the entire dynamic of the lineup & gives the team much more speed. Personally, I think people are overrating the pick, but that's just my opinion. Lastly, attendance is such a small cog in the grand scheme of things. Maybe it doesn't bring many more people to the park but the TV deals are where they make their money & you best believe more fans would be watching.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 17, 2016 -> 07:17 PM) That must be holdover from the Tanaka/Samardzija idea that the money was available (seemingly) for the right player...as Tanaka was in the $125+ range and Shark $90-100. In retrospect, it does seem a bit dubious to say they could have signed Shark last year for that amount but suddenly it's not there for a critical position player upgrade at possibly the same price. I think the money is there if they truly wanted it to be but this moves seems way too logic for it to be something the Sox would pursue at 100%.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Jan 17, 2016 -> 06:45 PM) Agree with everything you say here. I was about to post literally the same comment with reference to what raBBit said last week but you beat me to it. I think the recent inquiries about the Rockies outfielders and recent rumors about the Sox interest in Folwer could be signs the Sox have moved on from Cespedes which shouldn't be surprising given Cespedes' demands. It's been reported that there are some teams that either suspect Cespedes will regress as a few projections have predicted or question Cespedes' motivation, hustle etc. Maybe the Sox are one of those teams... Maybe the Sox gave up chasing the Cespedes dragon. At this point, I would gladly "settle" for someone like Fowler & a guy like Lincecum to compete & spring training. I'm just going to keep my expectations low at this point, so that way if they do something small or nothing at all, I'm not over-the-moon pissed off.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jan 17, 2016 -> 06:17 PM) Exactly, I have no doubt there are few, if any teams willing to go beyond 3 years with Cespedes right now. I think eventually some team will bite the bullet and go four or five, but no way in hell is getting his 6/$130M+ contract he's hoping for. I think our biggest risk right now is Cespedes sticks to his crazy demands up to spring training and I don't see the Sox waiting that long to make an upgrade. I fully expect to see some tweets next week about the Sox offering Fowler a contract to try and force Cespedes' hand, just like we saw with Baltimore & Davis. I think some are under the impression the Sox are in on Cespedes more than they are at this point... raBBit has said a few times that the Sox have taken a big step back on him & are focused on other options. Supposedly they are in talks with Fowler right now & I don't think that's just pressure for Cespedes, I think they've all but moved on.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Jan 17, 2016 -> 05:59 PM) If teams are suddenly willing to give into his demands after all this time, why haven't we heard anything about Upton? It seems like teams would be more willing to throw money at him compared to Cespedes. I don't buy these new tweets at all. 10 teams? Laughable. Unless they're including everyone interested on a 1 year deal. I also think this coming week is going to be the week for Cespedes. I think it will be a surprise team that lands him & no, I don't think that team will be the Sox.

Interesting rankings. I'd say Eaton is closer to 9 or 10. Kiermaier, Gomez & Jones are better players, IMO.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 17, 2016 -> 02:36 PM) The other thing to consider is deflation or disinflation...with world economies today, we have no way of knowing the future. Had he signed that deal in Japan in 1998, it would be considered simply brilliant. Inflation will always be a constant. That's not a factor that really even needs to be talked about.

"Cespedes may be closer to signing a deal than we think" via CBS Sports: http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/25452751

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 17, 2016 -> 12:10 PM) So far, no proof anyone would go past 3 years. No doubt in my mind teams just don't trust him to stay focused on a long-term deal. There's been a ton of smoke on him being a personality issue. I just can't believe Upton isn't getting more play from other teams. Been a very weird FA.