Two-Gun Pete

If they hadn't bungled much of the developmental stage of this rebuild, and if this team looked to be closer to competing, I think I might be interested in Grandal. But adding a 30 year old, 3.6 fWAR catcher who just declined a ~$17MM qualifying offer to a 100 loss team would be like adding truffle oil to turd soup. Losing a draft pick to sign a guy who probably won't be good when the rest of the team will be good, and where there might be a good young player or two at his position is so "White Sox."

On the positive side for Avi, he seemed as though he worked hard, and was well-liked by his team mates, and he appeared to enjoy being here. OTOH, it was irritating as fuck reading some posters [and hearing Hawk] carry on as though Avi was a former top 10 prospect, just waiting to break out, when in reality, he was never on any Top 125 lists as a prospect. I think I got banned from these boards arguing that they should have tried to sell high on him after his impossibly lucky 2017 season because of the overselling of his talent level. I hated that he was yet another "cup of coffee acquisition," where KW/rick pick up a guy seemingly SOLELY because the acquired player had a few appearances in MLB. [Think Matt Davidson, Connor Gillaspie, Avi Garcia, even Yoan Moncada, and others; most of whom became underwhelming mediocrities.] But, I'll never hate any White Sox player, except for wife beaters, cheats, and outright assholes for whom the world would be a better place without their continued existence. Best of luck to Avi, wherever he lands. May he learn to hit fewer GB, and become a regular provider of positive WAR wherever he lands.

Agreed. IIRC, there NEVER was a roster crunch on the 40 man, and even if there was, Matt Davidson is/was readily replaced by Palka, and there are/were other members of the 40 man that could have been optioned first. One wonders if Kenny and Rick have the intellect to count to 40 or not. Also, why spend time/money/effort to find a cromulent AAAA type, when you already had one? And at the same time, do we know if one is available at the same price Smith was on? And this is where I am as well. Again, why create a hole in the depth chart, when none needed to be created? Why create a potential need for Zavala or Collins to be rushed? This is why I'm OK on either of the INDIVIDUAL moves of letting Smith go/selling high on Narvaez. But doing both, when the future at the position look to need more seasoning? It seems so "White Sox," and so shortsighted.

Oh, I'm aware. I just didn't think it was wise to create a gap in the catcher depth chart where none needed to be created. Don't get me wrong: Losing Smith was not a big deal, and selling high on Narvaez seems to be a good idea. On an individual basis, neither move will sink this rebuild, nor lift it to glory. But, losing crucial depth that can give Zavala/Collins the time to learn what they need to learn is my concern. Given that neither Zavala nor Collins are even AAAA-caliber [YET], I just hope they have a reasonable solution that gives them the time they need. Given that this is the White Sox, I'm fully expecting Zavala to be here sooner than he should be.

Eh, the individual moves of letting Smith go for free, and trading away Narvaez are small matters. But taken together, if losing BOTH backup options leads to speeding up Zavala's/Collins' timeframes, I kinda hate it. I'd prefer for these two to be given as much time as is necessary for them to learn all they need to learn in Charlotte. Here's hoping Hahn has someone in mind as the 2nd Catcher to give Zavala/Collins enough time to get ready.

I for one would worry less about the big league club if any of the younger players would bother to get to an above average OPS. I happen to believe that piles of Ks work to prevent this from happening in a lot of cases. I also have this [perhaps antiquated] belief that bad teams strike out a lot, while good teams don't strike out as much as their opponents. [Crazy, right?] Others may get their "jollies" watching Moncada, et. al strike out ad nauseum, but I don't. YMMV.

The separation of participation in athletics between haves/have nots is a story they just covered on Bryant Gumbel's show tonight. While this is a real issue in society [in EVERY sport, not just football], it hasn't translated into an overwhelming advantage in private schools over public schools. As I look at the IHSA website, I'm not seeing private schools dominating the titles, TBH. IHSA Champions/runners up Yes, there are individual schools [i.e. Loyola] that have done well in this sport, but were it as big an advantage as you suggest, why isn't every class won by a private school?

Meh, a lot of these private schools are recruiting from families that can afford/are willing to afford tuition, et. al to these schools. I don't know that its all that much of an advantage any more, when it costs ~$12k/yr for brother rice or marist, and that's for "tuition alone," not including other fees, vigorish, books, etc... Given the median household income in Chicagoland for a family of 4 is $84k/yr [SOURCE: Area Median Income Chart], the sheer cost of going to these schools eliminates most prospective students, IMO. Back 20-30 years ago, when tuition was "only" ~$1500-$2K/yr, yes, I'd agree that recruiting WAS an advantage back then. Now? I'm not so sure any more.

Id rather rely on the Spanish-speaking Abreu to work with Machado. YMMV.

Despite my personal preference for a LH power bat, I think Id rather have Machado than Harper. I'm more confident in Mahado being good for ~3+ fWAR over the next 3-4 seasons, given Machados relative consistency over his career. I'm also looking at an abject lack of options @ 3B in the system, & see Machado as filling a gaping hole. I also would bet on Machado's dickish nature attenuating over the years as he gets older (& hopefully more mature). While Harper is the more "marketable option" (as far as baseball players go), he alone can't fix decades of missteps in building an attractive brand. Also, given the wild balance in his performance over his career, coupled with the NL-to-AL adjustment, I could easily see him laying a steaming "Adam Dunn" were he to come here. That said, if Harper does sign here, I won't complain. Id just prefer Machado over Harper.

Arenado is the only position player that might be in the same stratosphere as Machado/Harper. But then, the Coors Field effect [121 wrc+ home/79 WRC+ away], and him being 29 years old makes him less attractive, IMO. Verlander's 37, so I wouldn't be as interested in him as in Sale, or to your point, Bumgarner. The other wildcard in all of this is we don't yet know which other teams will be interested in buying top FA, but we have a fair idea of who is in the sweepstakes for Machado/Harper now.

I gotta admit, I went into this offseason thinking it was way too early to consider looking for a top FA. But, I look ahead to the 2019-2020 FA crop, and I don't see too much that I'd like, apart from Sale. [At least at a quick glance]: 2019-2020 Off Season FAs It is ABSOLUTELY the right move to buy a top FA now, given the slim pickings after next season, IMO. I don't know that it'll get done, and I don't hold any real hopes for this Front Office making the right decision in terms of Machado-vs-Harper. But, at least it looks reasonable that they've made the right decision to spend now, rather than after 2019.

I disagree as well. From an entertainment standpoint, MLB has a big problem with too many Ks. From a White Sox standpoint, this offense has too many Ks, I believe leading the league. From a Moncada standpoint, his game has too many Ks, I believe leading the league. Too bad no one could have seen that coming, and maybe brought him along slower, right? [/green]

If its talent alone that dictates promotion, then I'd have to disagree. A far smarter baseball man in town recently stated that his org should "scout based on outcomes, rather than just on talent." I similarly happen to think that promotions should be based upon outcomes/performance FIRST and foremost. While I'll agree that talent is important, I'll also argue that outcomes matter a fuck-ton. Promoting Moncada to AAA to start 2017 after he'd K'ed in ~31% of his PA in AA in 2016 was fucking stupid. [Think about how many more vomit-inducing Ks he would have had if he didn't have a miraculous Sept/Oct this season.] At the same time, promoting Robert to AA to start 2019 after he missed time with injuries, and had a middling 81 wrc+ in A+ would be stupid. Let Robert, and any other talented prospect EARN their promotion, based on how they perform, NOT "simply" based on their talent level, IMO.

Nah, he's OK. He likes optimism at all times, and that's OK. Our White Sox are still undefeated in the offseason. I'm just waiting for the first poster to conflate an opinion on a rebuild that has "stalled tremendously" by strawmanning something about my post as being about a "failed rebuild." I don't think we're in a "full failure range" of outcomes-yet. But I think that a lot of decisions and decision-makers are doing their part to push it that direction. We'll know more around ~June/July or so, but it seems like we STILL have more questions than answers than we should at this point, IMO.

I don't know. But I don't think other posters should have to do your research, when it was you that lumped all ex Marines together, in all honesty. If you're going to make such a statement, and forward such an argument that lumps all Ex Marines together, then support your view with a link. Otherwise, it was kind of a dick statement on your part. [Disclosure: I'm attacking your post, not you.] Why not point out that the overwhelming majority of mass shooters are white males, and then lump all white males together, instead? [If you did, it would be a more accurate statement, although no less dickish.] Signed, One of many Ex Marines who, together with many other vets of other services, provided you with a blanket of freedom.

But does he have a higher ceiling than any prospect not named, "Fernando?"

I don't take much away from the AFL results, beyond Robert remaining healthy, and looking like he belongs. I take MORE away from his middling 81 WRC+ in A+, which suggests to me that he should start 2019 in A+, and only move up once he's proven himself by right of performance. [Yes, we all know he had the injuries and the long layoff from competitive play, and he's young and raw, and whatever other excuse we want to pile onto him having a middling performance in A+ last season.] Of course, this being the White Sox, and knowing that RH/KW have the patience of a virgin on prom night, I fully expect him to be stupidly rushed up to AA to start 2019.

As we all dream on the distant hopes of this organization landing either Machado or Harper, I think its perfectly cogent to reflect upon how the rebuild is going. For my part, I think the rebuild has stalled tremendously. I believe the key players in the front office have made some big blunders, particularly in the "development-of-prospects" area. Looking at the top youngsters, I doubt many of us are happy with the way Moncada/Giolito have performed hereto fore. Nor can we be happy about the cavalcade of injuries to key prospects. [Yeah, Moncada had a miraculous Sept/Oct to get to a respectable fWAR for the year. But this was fueled by an unsustainable .452 BaBIP. I doubt that he can continue forward at this clip; YMMV.] Fegan reporting that Hahn wants to start Robert in Double-A next year [after a mediocre and injury-riddled 2018 campaign] suggests to me that this front office is simply unwilling or unable to learn from their previous mistakes with Moncada. Do they promote prospects based on "talent alone," or do they OBJECTIVELY promote based on performance? If not, WHY not? Watching Abreu have to seek outside help to fix his swing, and watching Collins have to revert to his old swing makes me wonder about Steverson. I also have this haunting thought that none of the other coaches/Manager in Chicago are MLB caliber, save for Cooper. At the same time, I look at Cooper, and wonder if it hasn't been well overdue for a change at his spot, given that I can't remember the last time he "fixed" a pitcher. All told, if these are the "best coaches" in the organization, how much more incompetent are the coaches at lower-level assignments? And even if this org has much more talent than in recent seasons, how will these youngsters be properly tutored in their craft and nurtured into big leaguers? The recent draft picks [Burger/Sheets in particular] make me wonder how many of these high draft picks will actually pan out. I also wonder if Hostetler is actually good at his job, or if he simply looks better than Laumann and his craptacular track record. On balance, while we can credit KW/RH for the "accumulation phase" of the rebuild, and while I think its without a doubt that this rebuild NEEDS a top FA signing or two, we're also into the hard part of the rebuild, which is the "development phase." I just don't know that this org has the right people making the right decisions at the moment. I hope I'm wrong, and that miracles happen, but I have my doubts after years of failure at the executive levels of this org. We'll see.

This reads as if you are lumping all ex Marines together as ALL having mental health issues. Care to clarify? Indeed. The shooter even admitted that he was "insane." PTSD may or may not have had anything to do with it. Being a veteran had fuck-all to do with him being [by his own admission] "insane," but access to guns has a fuck-ton to do with yet another mass shooting, IMO.

On Moncada, he shouldn't have started 2017 in AAA. He came from Boston with a 31% K rate in AA. He should have started 2017 in Birmingham, & finished in Charlotte, IF (& ONLY if) he kept the K rate down. The other prospect they stupidly rushed was Kopech, only because there weren't enough innings left for him to have been promoted. On balance, these two abject failures mean that Getz should be looking for new work, IMO.

I hated the way Moncada was handled. He came to us from Boston, having K'ed in ~31% of his PAs in AA. I thought THEN that he should have started 2017 in AA with the goal to reduce his Ks into a ~25% range, before finishing 2017 in Charlotte, again with the aim of him KEEPING the K-Rate down. I also thought that Opening Day of 2018 should have been his White Sox debut, NOT mid-season 2017. Exactly what was that supposed to accomplish, other than Hahn having the opportunity to snark about letting reporters post to Twitter that Moncada was coming up? Instead, they stupidly started him in Charlotte in 2017, which is a notoriously hitter-friendly park, which likely papered over his inability to avoid the strikeout. Now, some 200 games into his MLB career, his value [by fWAR] is mainly in the fact that he's fast and he plays 2B. Meanwhile, a season and a half of his controllable years have been squandered, and we STILL don't know for sure if he's a good player or not. Hell, he had to catch fire [thanks to an unsustainable .452 BaBIP] during garbage time to even make this last season look respectable. This is a real fvkcing problem if they can't turn the former #1 prospect into anything more than a speedy strikeout machine. Hahn, and Getz, and Williams should be held to account, but they likely won't be.

Yeah, no shit. If we're going to dream on things that will likely never happen, why not dream big? My plan: Fire: Kenny Williams, Rick Hahn, Chris Getz, Doug Laumann [yeah, he's still listed as receiving a check for some sort of work or another on the website], Jeremy Haber, Ricky Renteria, Daryl Boston, Nick Capra, Don Cooper, Todd Steverson, Joe McEwing, and Curt Hasler. Interview the following candidates for Kenny's job: 1. Matt Arnold, Brewers assistant GM/VP. Despite Milwaukee not having a top 3 farm system in recent years [IIRC], and despite not having piles of cash to blow, and despite being in the NL Central with a massive juggernaut in the scrubs and a traditional powerhouse in the cardinals, and despite being one of the least-favored desinations for FA talent, the Brewers won their division. His experience in a small market could prove useful in a similar organization that is averse to spending BIG money in FA, and has a smallish share of a big market in the SOX. 2, and 3: From the "Epstein" tree, Jason McLeod, scrubs senior VP; and Jared Porter, Arizona assistant GM. Both have scouting bonafides, either in Boston or the north side. McLeod has the additional benefit of not fvkcing up the development of Bryant [unlike the moronic handling of MLB's K machine Moncada], as well as having run some decent drafts in Boston as well. 4. Kim Ng, former Dodgers exec, current MLB exec, former Yankees assistant GM, former White Sox intern, U of C MBA. 5. Dan Kantrovitz, As assistant GM, former Cardinals scouting director, has some sort of masters degree from Harvard. Hire whoever is the best of this lot, and have them: A. Un-fuck what looks like a stalled rebuild. B. Bring the overall operation of this organization into the 21st Century. C. Conduct a proper search for the on-field coaching staff. [This team hasn't had one of those since whenever Ozzie was hired], and D. [Most Importantly] Restore PRIDE in the White Sox, as this front office has made this team a laughingstock of MLB for what seems like forever. My view is that neither Kenny nor Rick should have been kept on board to clean up their mistakes. Since the fire sale, which [to their credit] was apparently bountiful, the "development stage" of the rebuild seems to have been bungled, and horribly, IMO.

While I thank you for the effort, I was really hoping for some Fox News polesmoker and/or right wing pigeon to tell me why I should give a fuck. This, in a day and age when our president lied to his wife, to the media, to the American people about his affairs, and then used payoffs to cover up his lies. After all, "alternative facts," right? Thanks in advance, trumpologists.

Remind me again, why the Fuck does this even matter? Who gives a flying Fuck about Sen Warren's ethnicity, other than moral relativists on the right? You know, the bullshit artists that look the other way at lies coming from our joke of a president every fucking day? So again, if bullshit is eaten up by the right on an hourly basis, why does this comparatively minor infraction (and apparently one time bullshit) by Sen Warren register, except for Fox News polesmokers? Why should I give a fuck?