Two-Gun Pete

Good one. Now we'll need depth as well.

Know of any other LHRPs that will come at this org's price and are available?

I remember thinking it was idiotic for them to have both Crochet and Kopech up last season. Partially because I thought they should try to stretch them out, and partially because of the service time. For as much as I hated this orgs spending on RPs this offseason, I wanted them to sign a few RPs last offseason to give Kopech and Crochet time in MiLB.

To be fair to you, this is a far better clarifier than the tired "if you hear hooves" song and dance. That said, Tony's is as good an answer, given the way the question was posed.

I know of some native folks that are comfortable with the term "Indian," and others that are not. What they are ALL against are nasty caricatures like chief wahoo, or outright slurs like r3dskin. Take that for what it's worth. Either way, Cleveland have rightly fired chief wahoo, and have turned the page on their former nickname.

Incorrect. You asking, "If you hear hoof beats behind approaching rapidly, you what type of animal is it?" without FIRST providing context and location, its poorly worded. It would be on the same level as you asking a student, "If a patient cannot abduct, which joint could be injured?" without FIRST specifying which limb the patient is attempting to abduct. Or a note in a chart stating that a patient has elevated phosphorus, without FIRST noting that the patient does/does not have ESRD. As it pertains to the SOX, they are right now worse today [independent of injuries] than they were at the end of last season, worse than at last TDL, and worse than OD 2021. Given KW/RH's rich history of fucking up, we would have to first include the context of whether or not they'll fuck up. Again.

Agreed. With ouchy Kopech and "mature" SPs Lynn and Keuchel in the rotation, will TLR let them pitch well byond them having anything? Will he use Crochet back-to-back in a playoff game when he shouldn't? Re-read the sequence of your statements: You asked the question without FIRST providing the context of where you are, which makes it a poorly-phrased query. [Also Cows are surprisingly fast, at around 25 MPH on a gallop.] Next time you use this [tired] question, include the context. As in, "Assuming you're in Illinois, and you head hoof beats"....... So, turning back to this team, we have to know FIRST if KW/RH will stupidly pull another Kimbrel trade, or will they actually address the needs at the TDL? Also, will TLR and his staff get better at their jobs, or will they still suck? The background information is cogent to the hoof beat question, as well as to the playoff question.

I disagree. This FO actively made the team worse at the TDL last year. Not only did they NOT address the now ~15 or so year RF hole, they also added negative fWAR at the last TDL. This offseason, they gave away 4.9 fWAR when they couldn't work out that Rodon was worth the QO all day, everyday, and especially on gameday, then turned around and added possible DFA candidates in Velsaquez and Harrison. We're still looking for solutions to the RF and 2B and v RHP holes. So, before one can answer the question, I think we should ask first, "Will RH and KW further damage this team's chances between now and the postseason?" They've done it before.

Well, I'd need more context to answer the poll question: 1. Will they actually do productive things at the TDL, or will those morons fucking trade for another closer they don't need? 2. Also, will TLR and the obedient lackeys in the coaching staff get better at their jobs, or will they continue to suck?

Agreed. While I haven't seen what this offseason $/WAR, assuming that it remained ~$8MM/WAR in FA, all Rodon would have to be is a ~2.5WAR player. Which is really, just above "just a guy." I can't believe that this FO doesn't understand this aspect of the FA market. It would be like a financial planner not understanding P/E ratios, or a 3rd grade teacher being unable to spell. I also agree with this. But, as it pertains to the SOX, I almost wish that they'd just be intellectually honest, and admit that the window is only this and next season. I would also wish that they'd EMBRACE contracts with opt-outs, because really, who cares about ~3 or more seasons from now? Using Opt-out contracts seems to help teams thread the needle between contract size and contract length, given a defined competitive window. The way things look at the moment, we'll be right back into a rebuild the second Giolito walks out the door.

I'm sure this is correct. But one wonders, had the SOX correctly offered the QO, and Rodon rejected it, would the draft pick comp have reduced or impacted the contract(s) offered to him? [Speculation, but] Maybe with the draft pick attached to him, he doesn't get a much better offer than the QO, and he theoretically could have returned... Oh well. Digging a bit deeper into what Rodon actually got, was a 2 year deal, BUT with an opt out after year one. So, IOW, ~$4-ishMM more to go to San Francisco than the QO, and a chance for him to bet on himself again for a year. It doesn't really seem cost-prohibitive, and these Opt-outs enable teams to take on larger FA targets than they otherwise might, and gives the player a chance to go back to FA again sooner. [Thinking of Correa to Minn specifically.]

Well, that is a bit of a loaded question, given that SPs tend to get hurt a fair amount, and that that SPECIFIC SP has a non-insignificant injury history. [I know, I know, we're supposed to dwell on Rodon's injury history, but absolutely ignore Kopech's injury history, so that RH gets a pass.] That said, Kopech: went 5 IP only once last season, 4 IP only once last season, and 3 IP only four times. He's also [AFAIK], not facing live batting in ST as we type this. He only was able to produce 69.1 IP all season long, and had to go on the IL. At the moment, I think it is reasonable to not only question Kopech's durability to produce 120+ IP over the course of a season, but also, his endurance to go 5IP in a single game with regularity. [Of course, there's also Katz's/TLR's proclivity to allow SPs to go on fumes in a game, because they don't seem to have a handle on pitcher useage.] Most of this is not Kopech's fault, IMO. This org has done a shitty job preparing him, and got hooked on the "sugar high" of his talent being in the bullpen. All this taken together, given Kopech's [SHHHHHH!!!] injury history, his 2021 IP production, the abject failure to stretch him out, and his current injury status make me believe that he'll produce between ~90 and 110 IP this season. 90 IP is a ~30% increase in IP, while 110 IP is a ~59% increase in IP. Either way, I doubt he won't be on fumes by ~September or so, meaning another SP will have to step up, IMO. [Thank God for the most expensive BP in MLB history, though, amirite?]

In the rankings, they have Kopech pitching 127 IP. Kopech's FGDC projections has him at 143IP. Kopech hasn't even thrown in a game this spring training, yet we're supposed to believe this? Meanwhile, Vince Velasquez is getting shelled. I get that its Arizona and its Spring Training, but the FO really aren't covering themselves in glory by what they've done this offseason.

Has Kopech even thrown in a game yet this spring training? And we've covered your question already; it really wouldn't be that hard to do, if Rodon accepted the QO: 1. OD: Rodon in rotation, Kopech in AAA to slowly get stretched out. 2. If Rodon gets injured, or if another SP falters at or before the TDL, recall Kopech. 3. At the TDL, instead of trading for another fucking RP, actually trade for what you need. If it happens to be a SP, trade for a SP at the TDL. 4. If Rodon pitches well and stays healthy, SO MUCH THE BETTER. At ~$18MM/year he was easily worth the QO, full stop. It's a 1 year deal, not a multi-year marriage. See? It ain't that hard.

I think that we've all lived through moronic offseasons with this same FO over the years. Because of this, we've become accustomed to stupid decisions being made over and over and over again. One wonders what its like to be a fan of a team with competent FO leadership, like Tampa, or LAD, or Oakland? Now, I get that Tampa and Oakland fans can [to borrow a phrase] "whine" about their FOs not spending. But, imagine for a minute what the Tampa FO would do with the SOX FO's resources and payroll, in the ALC? They'd RULE over the ALC like tyrants, and be in the race pretty much every single year, IMO. I think there's enough money here to win, but not enough brains to use it properly. We'll all still be fans and cheer for a very good White Sox team, but IMO, it could be far better with more intelligent leadership. Now, insofar as Bowden's write-up goes, he's bad at writing, and he's out-of-town stupid. Ignoring the Rodon giveaway is just imbecilic on his part.

Those are either "out-of-town stupid," or more likely, mere click-bait.

Yeah, in thinking on this, an F in school is what, a 60% or something? So yeah, maybe this offseason would be a ~55% on a test, but if they stupidly sold low on a core piece, the % score would go down to ~20% or something like that? Either way, if you get a 60% or a 20% on a test, you're failing, probably because you either didn't study, or are just outright stupid. With this FO, it could be both.

Thanks. I mean, I have no idea what they see/saw in Velasquez, but Archer was actually good at baseball at one time.

Any names? I also would have rather taken a flier on Archer at $3MM than pay Velasquez whatever they paid him.

At the TDL, I had the needs, in order, as: 1. FIRST, SOLVE RF, then 2. Find a cromulent 2B, then 3. Find vs RHP solution(s) for the lineup, then 4. Find a backup catcher who can add value defensively and in game calling, then finally 5. Add affordable depth to the 'pen.  Since then, they’ve solved #5 with a very expensive carton of bullets, but allowed the needs to become: 1. SOLVE RF, then 2. Add rotation depth, then 3. Find a cromulent 2B, then 4. Find a defensive C to backup our achy/aging one, then 5. (Before the post-season), find solution(s) for tough RHP. The roster has gotten older, more expensive, and worse. Theyve solved (IMO) the least of their issues from the TDL, but one that pretty much any other FO could solve more cheaply, and/or through TDL rentals. This is still a good team. But the FO fucked up the pursuit of "great" this offseason, IMO. I'll support my lifetime favorite team, but as a fan, I reserve the right to doubt what the FO have done this offseason.

LOL, I've been consistent that the SOX never needed a closer, that they've needed a RFer first. And even before the trade was made, I posted that it was a stupid idea to pursue Kimbrel. OTOH, you initially celebrated the Kimbrel deal, and claimed that it was a good idea. And thats cool, everybody gets things wrong at times. Now, you've been beating the drum for RFer Conforto so hard that I'm afraid that you'll end up moving further southeast if he doesn't sign here. Is Savanah, GA your next port of call?

Exactly. CWS clings to this idea that because Tampa and LAD looked into Kimbrel, that it was a good idea to trade for him. Tampa was smart to kick the tires, but even smarter to not trade for him. Yes. And did they trade for him, yes or no? They checked, and likely decided that the price the SOX offered was both stupid and too high to pay for Kimbrel. That aside, you keep bringing up that "Tampa pursued Kimbrel," as if that means anything. Every team has different needs at the TDL, and closer was not one of ours. Just like a Tesla owner doesn't need spark plugs for his car; so who cares if the Lexus owner insists on iridium plugs for his?

Wut? I mean, really, what are you arguing? Tampa spends ~11-ish% of their payroll on RPs, and had the most IP by any team, and the most fWAR by RPs in MLB. They're currently at ~$9MM on RP salaries, yet they'll likely finish near or above the SOX in IP and fWAR by RPs, despite the SOX having the most expensive bullpen in MLB history. They're pretty much the textbook definition of payroll efficiency with this position group. That they weren't stupid enough to overspend in trade to get Kimbrel shows that they're just outright smarter than KW/RH on this. Seriously, what are you arguing here? Or, are you just defending your previous argument that it was a good thing to trade for Kimbrel?

Ya know what, I'll agree with this. Congrats to the FO for doing something positive. They DID add to the 40 man depth, and that's a good thing.

And yet, Milwaukee were able to get something for AAAA fodder, as were Houston last TDL. We could go on with other contenders, but I'm sure you get the idea. It's maddening that this FO shipped out cost-controlled MLB contributors, but couldn't part with Adolfo, Mercedes, or Rutherford.