The $$$$ will be spent!

[Lip Man 1]

2 hours ago, SonofaRoache said:

Teams who compete year end and year out spend big bucks. It doesn't always work out, but they are mostly in the contention conversation. Those frugal spenders tend to be the one hit every 5 to 8 year wonders and playoff flameouts. 

It always comes down to talent.

[Boopa1219]

I need Will Smith on this team next year regardless of what happens with Colomé.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

3 hours ago, SonofaRoache said:

Teams who compete year end and year out spend big bucks. It doesn't always work out, but they are mostly in the contention conversation. Those frugal spenders tend to be the one hit every 5 to 8 year wonders and playoff flameouts. 

Not to mention fans can really get behind great players. It adds excitement and helps sell tickets.

[Eminor3rd]

No chance the White Sox get a top of the market guy. 

I’m an NPB fanboy, so take it with a grain of salt, but there’s a 75+% chance that Shogo Akiyama will be available as a true free agent this offseason. I think he’s exactly the type of player the Sox need, and I think the fact that he’s already a bit past his prime will make him affordable. 

He’ll be 30 or 31 going into next year. He was an elite defender in CF in his prime, and has definitely lost a step, but would definitely still be average or above in a corner. The arm strength is fringey but the accuracy is excellent. As a hitter, he’s extremely disciplined and complete; a high-contact doubles hitter who will run into 15-20 homers naturally, although he’s had more the past couple years. And he’s still fast, if not quite as fast as he used to be. 

And he’s a left-handed hitter.

I think he can be a sneaky 2-3 win player in the MLB right away, and I think he’ll be affordable because his upside is behind him. 

[Lillian]

43 minutes ago, Eminor3rd said:

No chance the White Sox get a top of the market guy. 

I’m an NPB fanboy, so take it with a grain of salt, but there’s a 75+% chance that Shogo Akiyama will be available as a true free agent this offseason. I think he’s exactly the type of player the Sox need, and I think the fact that he’s already a bit past his prime will make him affordable. 

He’ll be 30 or 31 going into next year. He was an elite defender in CF in his prime, and has definitely lost a step, but would definitely still be average or above in a corner. The arm strength is fringey but the accuracy is excellent. As a hitter, he’s extremely disciplined and complete; a high-contact doubles hitter who will run into 15-20 homers naturally, although he’s had more the past couple years. And he’s still fast, if not quite as fast as he used to be. 

And he’s a left-handed hitter.

I think he can be a sneaky 2-3 win player in the MLB right away, and I think he’ll be affordable because his upside is behind him. 

Bingo!!! Sign him,  put him in RF next year and bat him between a couple of RH hitters, in the top sixth of the lineup. He has averaged about a .400 OBP in his last 5 seasons. He had 216 hits in 2015, a record, at the time.

How are his splits vs. RH pitching? Would his arm play in RF? How lively is the ball they're using in Japan? If it's not the same as the juiced ball in the Majors, he may hit for more power than his history.

The Sox shouldn't need a huge power bat in RF, with Robert, Eloy, Moncada, Vaughn, Anderson and Abreu and Collins/McCann. They need a guy who can play good defensive RF, with plus range and preferably hit LH, with a good OBP. Spend the money on pitching. 

2020 (Second Half Lineup:)

CF Robert

2B Madrigal

LF Eloy

3B Moncada

DH Abreu

RF  Shogo Akiyama

1B Vaughn

C   Collins/McCann

SS  Anderson

Edited June 21, 2019 by Lillian

[BackDoorBreach]

10 minutes ago, Eminor3rd said:

No chance the White Sox get a top of the market guy. 

I’m an NPB fanboy, so take it with a grain of salt, but there’s a 75+% chance that Shogo Akiyama will be available as a true free agent this offseason. I think he’s exactly the type of player the Sox need, and I think the fact that he’s already a bit past his prime will make him affordable. 

He’ll be 30 or 31 going into next year. He was an elite defender in CF in his prime, and has definitely lost a step, but would definitely still be average or above in a corner. The arm strength is fringey but the accuracy is excellent. As a hitter, he’s extremely disciplined and complete; a high-contact doubles hitter who will run into 15-20 homers naturally, although he’s had more the past couple years. And he’s still fast, if not quite as fast as he used to be. 

And he’s a left-handed hitter.

I think he can be a sneaky 2-3 win player in the MLB right away, and I think he’ll be affordable because his upside is behind him. 

Yeah, I'd be infuriated if guys like this and Cole Hamels are who the Sox targeted.

[poppysox]

19 hours ago, Eminor3rd said:

No chance the White Sox get a top of the market guy. 

I’m an NPB fanboy, so take it with a grain of salt, but there’s a 75+% chance that Shogo Akiyama will be available as a true free agent this offseason. I think he’s exactly the type of player the Sox need, and I think the fact that he’s already a bit past his prime will make him affordable. 

He’ll be 30 or 31 going into next year. He was an elite defender in CF in his prime, and has definitely lost a step, but would definitely still be average or above in a corner. The arm strength is fringey but the accuracy is excellent. As a hitter, he’s extremely disciplined and complete; a high-contact doubles hitter who will run into 15-20 homers naturally, although he’s had more the past couple years. And he’s still fast, if not quite as fast as he used to be. 

And he’s a left-handed hitter.

I think he can be a sneaky 2-3 win player in the MLB right away, and I think he’ll be affordable because his upside is behind him. 

Nice out of the box suggestion.

[Moan4Yoan]

19 hours ago, BackDoorBreach said:

Yeah, I'd be infuriated if guys like this and Cole Hamels are who the Sox targeted.

Agreed.  No reason to get older.

[SonofaRoache]

14 minutes ago, Moan4Yoan said:

Agreed.  No reason to get older.

I wouldn't mind Hamels on a one or two year deal as a last option at the right price. He is still pretty good.  

[soxfan49]

20 hours ago, Lillian said:

Bingo!!! Sign him,  put him in RF next year and bat him between a couple of RH hitters, in the top sixth of the lineup. He has averaged about a .400 OBP in his last 5 seasons. He had 216 hits in 2015, a record, at the time.

How are his splits vs. RH pitching? Would his arm play in RF? How lively is the ball they're using in Japan? If it's not the same as the juiced ball in the Majors, he may hit for more power than his history.

The Sox shouldn't need a huge power bat in RF, with Robert, Eloy, Moncada, Vaughn, Anderson and Abreu and Collins/McCann. They need a guy who can play good defensive RF, with plus range and preferably hit LH, with a good OBP. Spend the money on pitching. 

2020 (Second Half Lineup:)

CF Robert

2B Madrigal

LF Eloy

3B Moncada

DH Abreu

RF  Shogo Akiyama

1B Vaughn

C   Collins/McCann

SS  Anderson

Why do you care so much about having LHH's?

[caulfield12]

Or just hope the Twins are mostly one year wonders, too.

The Twins will lose Cruz, Schoop, Odorrizi, Perez and Parker...and need to eventually start thinking about locking up extensions for their core of 5-6 young guys.

 Berrios, in particular, seems like he will be an extremely tough get.

[Eminor3rd]

22 hours ago, BackDoorBreach said:

Yeah, I'd be infuriated if guys like this and Cole Hamels are who the Sox targeted.

It's the best they're ever going to do. It's just reality.

[chitownsportsfan]

30 minutes ago, Eminor3rd said:

It's the best they're ever going to do. It's just reality.

I don't agree but as for the specific signing you mentioned I'd be all for it.  Getting 2-3 WAR veterans on reasonable deals is going to be huge the next decade.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

On 6/21/2019 at 1:16 PM, Eminor3rd said:

No chance the White Sox get a top of the market guy. 

I’m an NPB fanboy, so take it with a grain of salt, but there’s a 75+% chance that Shogo Akiyama will be available as a true free agent this offseason. I think he’s exactly the type of player the Sox need, and I think the fact that he’s already a bit past his prime will make him affordable. 

He’ll be 30 or 31 going into next year. He was an elite defender in CF in his prime, and has definitely lost a step, but would definitely still be average or above in a corner. The arm strength is fringey but the accuracy is excellent. As a hitter, he’s extremely disciplined and complete; a high-contact doubles hitter who will run into 15-20 homers naturally, although he’s had more the past couple years. And he’s still fast, if not quite as fast as he used to be. 

And he’s a left-handed hitter.

I think he can be a sneaky 2-3 win player in the MLB right away, and I think he’ll be affordable because his upside is behind him. 

It's always good having an NPB fan on here to give us interesting news . It's definitely an option that should be explored. It's about time the Sox dipped their toes back into the Pacific.

[Bananarchy]

On 6/22/2019 at 11:55 AM, soxfan49 said:

Why do you care so much about having LHH's?

It's an old-timey theory about LH vs RH which at this point is basically superstition.

[Moan4Yoan]

2 hours ago, Eloy Jiménez said:

It's an old-timey theory about LH vs RH which at this point is basically superstition.

I’m sure she was excited about Alonso too.  We see how that one went.  Acquire good young hitters, regardless of which way they bat.  Don’t acquire old washed up veterans like Alonso who were never even good to begin with.

[SoxBlanco]

On 6/21/2019 at 3:16 PM, Eminor3rd said:

No chance the White Sox get a top of the market guy. 

This question is for anybody, but which guys are considered “top of the market” guys? Are we just talking about Cole, Grandal, and Rendon?

[Moan4Yoan]

34 minutes ago, SoxBlanco said:

This question is for anybody, but which guys are considered “top of the market” guys? Are we just talking about Cole, Grandal, and Rendon?

Yes, yes, and yes.  A couple more that you could arguably include would be Bumgarner and Ozuna.

[SoxBlanco]

1 minute ago, Moan4Yoan said:

Yes, yes, and yes.  A couple more that you could arguably include would be Bumgarner and Ozuna.

I’ve seen a lot of people say that based on our history, they don’t expect us to land any big names. If we end up with Ozuna, Wheeler, and Hamels, would you guys be happy with the offseason? Or do we have to land one of the top three guys mentioned above for the offseason to be considered a success?

[Moan4Yoan]

26 minutes ago, SoxBlanco said:

I’ve seen a lot of people say that based on our history, they don’t expect us to land any big names. If we end up with Ozuna, Wheeler, and Hamels, would you guys be happy with the offseason? Or do we have to land one of the top three guys mentioned above for the offseason to be considered a success?

I’d rather target a second pitcher younger than Hamels but yes.

Edited June 23, 2019 by Moan4Yoan

[soxfan49]

1 hour ago, SoxBlanco said:

I’ve seen a lot of people say that based on our history, they don’t expect us to land any big names. If we end up with Ozuna, Wheeler, and Hamels, would you guys be happy with the offseason? Or do we have to land one of the top three guys mentioned above for the offseason to be considered a success?

I'd be excited for that

[Chicago White Sox]

1 hour ago, Moan4Yoan said:

I’d rather target a second pitcher younger than Hamels but yes.

Wheeler & Wood (assuming Cole is a no go).

[Lillian]

On 6/22/2019 at 10:55 AM, soxfan49 said:

Why do you care so much about having LHH's?

I care because it's desirable to have a good balance of both RH and LH hitters, especially in the heart of the order, which I assume you recognise. This team has not had that balance, for a long time. They have tried to achieve it, but almost everyone, whom they have acquired has not solved the problem. Right now, the only dangerous LH Sox hitter is Moncada and the best middle of the order prospects, who are expected to join this young team are Robert and Vaughn, 2 more RH hitters. Hopefully Collins will become a guy who might help establish a little better balance, but I'm not holding my breath. If they are going to sign one big offensive free agent, I'm confident that Hahn will not sign another RH hitter. He recognises the need for some balance and has so stated, on many occasions. I didn't intend to belabour this point, any further, but you asked.

[soxfan49]

1 minute ago, Lillian said:

I care because it's desirable to have a good balance of both RH and LH hitters, especially in the heart of the order, which I assume you recognise. This team has not had that balance, for a long time. They have tried to achieve it, but almost everyone, whom they have acquired has not solved the problem. Right now, the only dangerous LH Sox hitter is Moncada and the best middle of the order prospects, who are expected to join this young team are Robert and Vaughn, 2 more RH hitters. Hopefully Collins will become a guy who might help establish a little better balance, but I'm not holding my breath. If they are going to sign one big offensive free agent, I'm confident that Hahn will not sign another RH hitter. He recognises the need for some balance and has so stated, on many occasions. I didn't intend to belabour this point, any further, but you asked.

How have the Astros been so successful, for the most part, without any lefties then?

Correa, Bregman, Springer, Altuve

The Cubs 4 best hitters are all RH except Rizzo

Middle of the lineup for the Yankees is all RH (Torres, Stanton, Judge, Encarnacion, Sanchez)

I think you're overthinking this. Were you excited for Alonso?

[caulfield12]

It seems every single veteran hitter who could switch hit or hit left-handed who they have brought on board has been a huge disappointment.

In the 2000’s, Joe Borchard was going to solve the problem.

Then the Dunn signing in 2011, the closest to a superstar in terms of name recognition for ages.   A Nick Swisher here, a LaRoche or Cabrera there from the second tier...simply feels like that inviting RH porch has been waiting for someone to put up a 40+ homer season for ages and it has just never come to fruition.  In fact, just having a hot spring training stretch and a sweet looking swing (a universal aspect of the allure...) could make you envision Ryan Sweeney as a poor man’s Mark Grace or John Olerud, the desperation was so thick.

It’s almost one of those areas now such as 3B for a generation, catcher and CF that the White Sox completely have whiffed on, at least in terms of internal development.

Edited June 24, 2019 by caulfield12