Corbin has become top target

[southsider2k5]

 

[Bob Sacamano]

If this is legit, then that sucks. But you have to take everything you read with a grain of salt in the off-season.

Edited November 8, 2018 by soxfan2014

[SCCWS]

Drop the word "top" and this is okay. They can use an innings eater. 

[Bob Sacamano]

Just now, SCCWS said:

Drop the word "top" and this is okay. They can use an innings eater. 

I wouldn't pay ~$25m a year for an innings eater.

[CWSpalehoseCWS]

They may feel that the SP market is going to move faster than Machado/Harper. If they think they can get this done faster, then I’m ok with it - although Corbin does worry me a little for that price. I don’t think signing him will remove them from trying on the big two, might help their chances of selling either of them on the team. Going to be a hell of an offseason with all these rumors every other day!

[SonofaRoache]

17 minutes ago, CWSpalehoseCWS said:

They may feel that the SP market is going to move faster than Machado/Harper. If they think they can get this done faster, then I’m ok with it - although Corbin does worry me a little for that price. I don’t think signing him will remove them from trying on the big two, might help their chances of selling either of them on the team. Going to be a hell of an offseason with all these rumors every other day!

I doubt it. I think they see they have no shot at Harper or Machado. 

[iWiN4PreP]

Welp, putting my realistic shades on... Corbin would be a nice get for the White sox. W'sox biggest problem right now is pitching, and he is a youngish (29 yo) pitcher that pitched extremely well last year. 

I haven't looked into his peripheals at all, but man does this scream risk! Lots of money here for him. Wouldn't it be better to grab 2 SP like the Japanese import and say Garret Richards or Gio Gonzales for the price of 1 (Corbin) and even potentially save money? 

 

Either way, I just hope that this still means they are going all out for Harper/Machado. 

[ChiSoxFanMike]

This would be the worst case scenario. Jesus Christ.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

6 minutes ago, SonofaRoache said:

I doubt it. I think they see they have no shot at Harper or Machado. 

If they have no shot at Machado or Harper does it make sense to go after Corbin now? If you can't get Machdo or Harper they might ad well stay the course get another high draft pick and wait for Kopech to heal, Cease and Dunning  to arrive f they need pitching Happ, Poemeranz etc. will be cheaper and others available next year.

[Dam8610]

1 hour ago, southsider2k5 said:

 

[SoxBlanco]

Key phrase is "so far".  Right now, he is the top priority. Sign him, and then it becomes easier to get Machado because you have shown you aren't messing around.

[caulfield12]

Should have kept Sale or Quintana if the plan was to replace them with a lesser but almost equally expensive version of Jon Lester (circa 2014).

 

Edited November 8, 2018 by caulfield12

[Chicago White Sox]

Who is Rob Hill?

[Chicago White Sox]

1 minute ago, caulfield12 said:

Should have kept Sale or Quintana if the plan was to replace them with a lesser but almost equally expensive version of Jon Lester (circa 2014).

?  This makes no sense.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

2 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Should have kept Sale or Quintana if the plan was to replace them with a lesser but almost equally expensive version of Jon Lester (circa 2014).

 

Sale and Quintana are both free agents after the 2019 season . The Sox could go after one or both if they want to next off season. Keeping them would mean no rebuild no Moncada, Kopech, Eloy, Cease and Basabe.

[caulfield12]

7 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

?  This makes no sense.

It equally makes no sense to overspend on a pitcher who is definitely not an ace, is switching from the NL to the AL and nothing resembling a pitcher’s park...and expect anything but typical Sox free agency results.

Its idiotic.

You want pitchers?  Go out and trade guys for Gray that have three years in their prime at much more affordable prices.

We have been down this road before.

Big name free agent acquisition blows up in their face...there’s no payroll flexibility to go beyond $125-135 million, team ends up treading water or going backwards.

There’s just no way in hell they are going to add $80-100 million to the payroll in one offseason.

Even if the Indians traded Kluber, they’re going to get major leaguers or AA/AAA prospects that are going to get playing time as rookies.  Unless you can guarantee 3/5ths of the Indians rotation going down to injury, we’re not within striking distance.

It’s one thing to add Harper or Machado one or two years early.  It’s quite another to overpay on the FA pitching market.

I mean, we couldn’t even survive the John Danks contract blowing up, and that’s half of what Corbin’s going to get.  Let the contending teams overpay. 

Edited November 8, 2018 by caulfield12

[Chicago White Sox]

1 minute ago, caulfield12 said:

It equally makes no sense to overspend on a pitcher who is definitely not an ace, is switching from the NL to the AL and nothing resembling a pitcher’s park...and expect anything but typical Sox free agency results.

Its idiotic.

You want pitchers?  Go out and trade guys for Gray that have three years in their prime at much more affordable prices.

We have been down this road before.

Big name free agent acquisition blows up in their face...there’s no payroll flexibility to go beyond $125-135 million, team ends up treading water or going backwards.

 

Whether you agree with this move or not has NOTHING to do with keeping Sale or Quintana.  There’s literally no connection other than they’re pitchers.

As for Corbin, he’s an ace based on last year’s performance.  Whether that’s repeatable I have no idea.

[caulfield12]

10 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Whether you agree with this move or not has NOTHING to do with keeping Sale or Quintana.  There’s literally no connection other than they’re pitchers.

As for Corbin, he’s an ace based on last year’s performance.  Whether that’s repeatable I have no idea.

Generally, you don’t trade your two high affordable and in their prime high quality lefties for an older and definitely more expensive version...so now we’re putting Corbin in the same category as Darvish, Tanaka and Ohtani...that he’s guaranteed to be the ace and anchor the rotation for the next five years?  That was always the ONLY prior justification provided by Hahn for potentially spending $125 million on a pitcher.

Well, we don’t need THAT exact pitcher for another one or two years...which means the risk is even higher of an injury before 2021.

If we were already going adding Harper/Machado...THEN adding Corbin on top, you could see the logic of it.  But there needs to be a superstar position player to even start dreaming of being competitive the next two seasons.

Seriously, we sign Corbin and maybe get 159 extra season tickets sold.  He doesn’t move the meter...not nearly as much as JD Martinez/Cain/Yelich moves do.

Pitching is way too volatile.  Look at the supposed boy genius Epstein with Darvish and Chatwood.

 

Edited November 8, 2018 by caulfield12

[SoxBlanco]

1 minute ago, caulfield12 said:

Generally, you don’t trade your two high affordable and in their prime high quality lefties for an older and definitely more expensive version...so now we’re putting Corbin in the same category as Darvish, Tanaka and Ohtani...that he’s guaranteed to be the ace and anchor the rotation for the next five years?

Well, we don’t need that pitcher for another one or two years...which means the risk is even higher.

If we were already going adding Harper/Machado...THEN adding Corbin on top, you could see the logic of it.  But there needs to be a superstar position player to even start dreaming of being competitive the next two seasons.

How about signing Corbin in order to improve your chances of landing Machado/Harper?  

[bmags]

This is one of those things where it’s hard not to recognize that our free agent acquisitions have been garbage under Hahn, and now they are targeting one of the riskier free agents. If he signs this guy and he ends up regressing to a 4.5 era pitcher, you can’t keep him on for rest of rebuild.

[caulfield12]

10 minutes ago, SoxBlanco said:

How about signing Corbin in order to improve your chances of landing Machado/Harper?  

And what if that fails and Arenado re-signs with Colorado?

Then you have to go ahead and add Donaldson/Moustakas, Nelson Cruz, McCutcheon/Adam Jones and at least two veteran bullpen guys for this to make any sense.  We still don’t have a clue what the Indians will actually do, either.

At any rate, to answer your question, there was a domino effect with LaRoche, Robertson and Cabrera, but those were still Tier 2 guys...not the cream of the crop.   Same with Frazier or Samardzija.   

They’re playing in a totally different ballpark right now with the names being bandied about.

 

Unless you had 20/20 hindsight, the odds of hitting a top tier free agent pitcher over the last decade and being completely satisfied with that contract can’t be better than 15% odds...who actually believes we are going to buck those odds, and why?  

Edited November 8, 2018 by caulfield12

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

2 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Generally, you don’t trade your two high affordable and in their prime high quality lefties for an older and definitely more expensive version...so now we’re putting Corbin in the same category as Darvish, Tanaka and Ohtani...that he’s guaranteed to be the ace and anchor the rotation for the next five years?

Well, we don’t need that pitcher for another one or two years...which means the risk is even higher.

If we were already going adding Harper/Machado...THEN adding Corbin on top, you could see the logic of it.  But there needs to be a superstar position player to even start dreaming of being competitive the next two seasons.

Problem is we have no idea when Machado will sign or even if he will give us the time of day unless we prove to him that we are legit contenders. Yes that is putting the cart before the horse and that's a huge gamble but we might need more pitcher anyway since all our starters will be so young or hurt or not what we expect them to be in 2 years. Double the risk if Corbon's lack of a track record and past injuries reappear.  I can't say I'm aboard if all this is the case but if it's the plan to speed up the rebuild it's worth considering.

 

[SoxBlanco]

2 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

And what if that fails and Arenado re-signs with Colorado?

Then you have to go ahead and add Donaldson/Moustakas, Nelson Cruz, McCutcheon/Adam Jones and at least two veteran bullpen guys for this to make any sense.  We still don’t have a clue what the Indians will actually do, either.

At any rate, to answer your question, there was a domino effect with LaRoche, Robertson and Cabrera, but those were still Tier 2 guys...not the cream of the crop.   Same with Frazier or Samardzija.   

They’re playing in a totally different ballpark right now with the names being bandied about.

I look at it like this:  The number one priority is obviously signing Machado/Harper. Therefore, you do everything in your power to improve your chances. If it doesn't work and those two big fish sign elsewhere, is Corbin's contract really going to hurt us? We will still have a low payroll. 

[Dick Allen]

Does anyone really believe Patrick Corbin is the signing that would convince one of these guys the Sox are on their way?

 

Who knows if this tweet is even accurate, but if it is, as Geddy Lee once sang, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

[caulfield12]

1 minute ago, SoxBlanco said:

I look at it like this:  The number one priority is obviously signing Machado/Harper. Therefore, you do everything in your power to improve your chances. If it doesn't work and those two big fish sign elsewhere, is Corbin's contract really going to hurt us? We will still have a low payroll. 

I would have said this same exact thing about Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Jose Contreras...in the past.  You look at your payroll and all of a sudden, you’re the Seattle Mariners and stuck in no man’s land again.