Free Agency - How confident are you?

[Sarava]

12 hours ago, Jack Parkman said:

Kopech spending 8 weeks in AAA could be the difference between making the playoffs in 2020 and sitting at home. Same for Robert and Madrigal spending an extra 8 weeks of the roster this year. Again, I want them to all be firing on all cylinders simultaneously. That is how you win championships. 

Kopech is unlikely to be firing on all cylinders coming out of Tommy John surgery. Leaving him at AAA is the best idea for a few different reasons. And yes the extra control is one of the reasons. But the chances of him killing it on the Sox in April or May is probably very low.

[poppysox]

9 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

Grandal has been a huge disappointment the second half, and is reaching the zenith of his everyday catching days.

Ozuna isn't left-handed, isn't ideally suited for RF and is getting more and more expensive, and BORAS.  He's also picking his numbers back up to where they're nearing 900 OPS, which means he would be the first player the Sox ever signed for over $65 million because of his relatively young age. 

Castellanos has been the definition of a 1.5ish RF who is going to be marketed as a 2.5-3 fWAR quasi-superstar because of his run with the Cubs after the trade.

 

I'm just not sure what really good fits there are right now....there's a bunch of guys like Corey Dickerson, Justin Smoak, Moreland, Adams, but those aren't really difference-makers.

 

If Leury Garcia was available... he might be the best bet.

[Chicago White Sox]

8 hours ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

It's more about the fact that pitching now will probably be the biggest need and Reinsdorf has always been particular frugal with handing out more than 3 years to a pitcher. I actually think they will sign positions players over pitchers or the pitchers just might be the kind you spend 3/$50M on. Now who that might be I don't know. Maybe he gets crazy and gives a 4/75 to a pitcher and a 3/60.

I think this narrative is overblown.  Do I think Reinsdorf would go seven or eight years for a pitcher?  Definitely not.  But we have done five year deals in the past (John Danks) and were rumored to have offered Tanaka a seven figure contract which implies at least five years.  Like I said previously, I truly believe anyone other than Cole and probably Strasburg should be on the table on the pitching side of things.  My guess is that Wheeler & Bumgarner are our top two pitching priorities and my assumption is the Sox will come out aggressive to land one of them and avoid even playing the long game with Cole & Strasburg.

[Chicago White Sox]

8 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

Right, the odds are low for Castellanos and Ozuna.

Puig, Dickerson, Domingo Santana, Gennett all make sense to certain degrees, but it's really going to put a lot of pressure on Robert defensively with some of these names we keep mentioning.

Wil Myers is out there for salary relief alone, and has the most upside depending on how much the Padres were willing to eat to get him off the roster (the other problem there is Taylor Trammell has been woeful, so they might choose to hold onto him for 2020.)

Why are the odds low for Castellanos & Ozuna?  Like where do you even come up with this stuff.

[Flash]

7 hours ago, RTC said:

Since I started this goat rodeo I should probably contribute, so here’s a couple outside the box ideas:

- there’s been talk at times about what TA would look like in the OF, and I’ve seen more speculation after some recent errors from him.  Didi Gregorious do anything for anybody?

- same line of thinking, but could Yoan handle RF or is that ridiculous to even consider?  Idea would be Rendon at 3B.

Both of these probably make no sense but in the name of generating discussion......

 

Love the idea of Gregorious. LH hitter with some pop and huge defensive upgrade at SS. Yankees might let him walk due to Gleybar and Lemahieu. Might be had for 2-3 yrs. for $12M/per. The question is can TA handle OF. If yes, we would be close to done positionally.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

12 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

I think this narrative is overblown.  Do I think Reinsdorf would go seven or eight years for a pitcher?  Definitely not.  But we have done five year deals in the past (John Danks) and were rumored to have offered Tanaka a seven figure contract which implies at least five years.  Like I said previously, I truly believe anyone other than Cole and probably Strasburg should be on the table on the pitching side of things.  My guess is that Wheeler & Bumgarner are our top two pitching priorities and my assumption is the Sox will come out aggressive to land one of them and avoid even playing the long game with Cole & Strasburg.

Lol OK I'll try another narrative. How bout this one ? The Sox seem to come in 2nd an awful lot when they supposedly offer big money to FA's. Machado and Tanaka come to mind . Sorry if I can't remember more. You of all people shouldn't be arguing to have faith in the FO . Even Hahn said he gets it why people don't trust the Sox front office doing things they don't usually do.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

7 hours ago, RTC said:

Since I started this goat rodeo I should probably contribute, so here’s a couple outside the box ideas:

- there’s been talk at times about what TA would look like in the OF, and I’ve seen more speculation after some recent errors from him.  Didi Gregorious do anything for anybody?

- same line of thinking, but could Yoan handle RF or is that ridiculous to even consider?  Idea would be Rendon at 3B.

Both of these probably make no sense but in the name of generating discussion......

 

I love these ideas Why ? Because I have been saying Rendon is a target if we just move Moncada back to 2nd base which is where he always wanted to be anyway considering Cano was his idol. I never thought of Moncada playing RF but I like it. There's your left handed power hitting RF'er.

I know most people will hate the idea but one aspect of exploring market inefficiencies that doesn't get a lot of play with the Sox and the board doesn't seem to like it either is POSITIONAL VERSATILITY. One of the best organizations in baseball Tampa Bay uses it a lot and so do the Cubs. The Sox, not so much. But if the Sox are going to act like a mid or even small market team then they need to act more like the Tampa Bay Rays. If they are always going to cry poor when they fail to sign FA's then start acting like you know how to use positional versatility to create payroll flexibility.

Edited August 27, 2019 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

[Moan4Yoan]

46 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Why are the odds low for Castellanos & Ozuna?  Like where do you even come up with this stuff.

Castellanos is a Boras client and Ozuna will be the top OF free agent available.  How often do the Sox land a Boras client after a hot season or land the top free agent player at a position in an offseason?  It’s not like caufield is making up stuff here.  He just didn’t list his reasoning.

[GermanSoxFan]

Just now, Moan4Yoan said:

Castellanos is a Boras client and Ozuna will be the top OF free agent available.  How often do the Sox land a Boras client after a hot season or land the top free agent player at a position in an offseason?  It’s not like caufield is making up stuff here.  He just didn’t list his reasoning.

How many suitors will Castellanos realistically have?

The Cubs are in payroll hell and won’t be able to afford him. How many NL teams in general will put up with his defensive shortcomings?

How many AL teams ready to contend need a DH?

I see Castellanos signing in the 4/60 to 5/75 range.

[Moan4Yoan]

59 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

I think this narrative is overblown.  Do I think Reinsdorf would go seven or eight years for a pitcher?  Definitely not.  But we have done five year deals in the past (John Danks) and were rumored to have offered Tanaka a seven figure contract which implies at least five years.  Like I said previously, I truly believe anyone other than Cole and probably Strasburg should be on the table on the pitching side of things.  My guess is that Wheeler & Bumgarner are our top two pitching priorities and my assumption is the Sox will come out aggressive to land one of them and avoid even playing the long game with Cole & Strasburg.

And the way the Danks contract turned out likely only bolstered Reinsdorf’s view on handing out long-term contracts for free agent starting pitchers.

Does anyone else find it funny that a defense of Reinsdorf being willing to spend money is the guys he DIDN’T end up signing?  Like A-Rod before he went to the Rangers, Tanaka before he went to the Yankees, and Machado before he went to the Padres.  ?

It’s like some guy showing off how he is going to buy some hot sports car in the near future.  He may impress some of his buddies by talking about it but he never actually buys the car.  Just like the Sox impressing fans by talking about dishing out a $200+ million dollar contract when the highest contract they have given out in history is still only $68 million.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Moan4Yoan

[Moan4Yoan]

7 minutes ago, GermanSoxFan said:

How many suitors will Castellanos realistically have?

The Cubs are in payroll hell and won’t be able to afford him. How many NL teams in general will put up with his defensive shortcomings?

How many AL teams ready to contend need a DH?

I see Castellanos signing in the 4/60 to 5/75 range.

If you think AL teams only view Castellanos as a DH you are mistaken.  Our very own team is fine with Eloy’s awful defense in LF.  The Cubs have played Castellanos mostly in RF.  That should tell you all you need to know.  Teams wouldn’t hesitate to add Castellanos’s bat in either LF or RF.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Moan4Yoan

[Springfield Soxfan]

Rendon and a starter or burst for me.  

[Moan4Yoan]

2 minutes ago, sox71 said:

Rendon and a starter or burst for me.  

Enjoy the burst.

[SonofaRoache]

9 hours ago, Moan4Yoan said:

I’m warming up to this idea as well.  I don’t see the Sox paying Ozuna and Castellanos is a Boras guy.  Puig will likely be overpaid as well and is always looking to be a clubhouse clown.  Save some money with Dickerson for RF and spend the majority of your money on free agent pitchers and bullpen.

This is how you don't start competing. No need to go cheap when we have the money. Sign these people to 4 year deals and let's get rolling. 

[Moan4Yoan]

15 minutes ago, SonofaRoache said:

This is how you don't start competing. No need to go cheap when we have the money. Sign these people to 4 year deals and let's get rolling. 

Honestly, of the three top free agent outfielders available, I only see Puig being realistic.  I’d rather sign a stop-gap like Dickerson at that point and spend the rest of their money on starting pitching and bullpen.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Moan4Yoan

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

18 minutes ago, SonofaRoache said:

This is how you don't start competing. No need to go cheap when we have the money. Sign these people to 4 year deals and let's get rolling. 

Cheaper is not necessarily bad when a guy like Dickerson has an OPS+ of 125. It's not ideal that he doesn't have a lot of AB's but if he did and still had that 125 OPS + then he probably wouldn't be cheap,The guy has a career .502 Slg. and .829 OPS and 119 OPS+.

In his 200 AB's this year with 2 teams he has a .300 BA .341 OBP .555 Slg. .896 OPS and 128 OPS+ .

Edited August 27, 2019 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

1 hour ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

I love these ideas Why ? Because I have been saying Rendon is a target if we just move Moncada back to 2nd base which is where he always wanted to be anyway considering Cano was his idol. I never thought of Moncada playing RF but I like it. There's your left handed power hitting RF'er.

I know most people will hate the idea but one aspect of exploring market inefficiencies that doesn't get a lot of play with the Sox and the board doesn't seem to like it either is POSITIONAL VERSATILITY. One of the best organizations in baseball Tampa Bay uses it a lot and so do the Cubs. The Sox, not so much. But if the Sox are going to act like a mid or even small market team then they need to act more like the Tampa Bay Rays. If they are always going to cry poor when they fail to sign FA's then start acting like you know how to use positional versatility to create payroll flexibility.

Yoan was a 3rd baseman in Cuba and has never said he wanted to play 2nd base. Based on his lack of interest and amount of errors at 2nd, I'd say he's much more interested in playing 3rd.

The Sox should not move Yoan Moncada.

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

53 minutes ago, Moan4Yoan said:

If you think AL teams only view Castellanos as a DH you are mistaken.  Our very own team is fine with Eloy’s awful defense in LF.  The Cubs have played Castellanos mostly in RF.  That should tell you all you need to know.  Teams wouldn’t hesitate to add Castellanos’s bat in either LF or RF.

He's arguably worse than Eloy in the outfield. He's a 2-3 WAR player and you're sitting here calling him unsignable. Pretty hilarious.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

1 minute ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Yoan was a 3rd baseman in Cuba and has never said he wanted to play 2nd base. Based on his lack of interest and amount of errors at 2nd, I'd say he's much more interested in playing 3rd.

The Sox should not move Yoan Moncada.

What he wants is besides the point. The main point was to explore positional versatilty more like TB does do to create payroll flexibility. For a board that prides itself on modern thinking that idea is used to great advantage by a team like TB . If the Sox keep crying about future payroll obligations whenever they miss out on a FA then start acting more like a mid to small market team and do something that's been around since the moneyball era to diversify how the payroll is used.

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

10 hours ago, Moan4Yoan said:

I’m warming up to this idea as well.  I don’t see the Sox paying Ozuna and Castellanos is a Boras guy.  Puig will likely be overpaid as well and is always looking to be a clubhouse clown.  Save some money with Dickerson for RF and spend the majority of your money on free agent pitchers and bullpen.

Your takes are hilarious.

Puig will likely be overpaid? By who? Castellanos too? Wtf.

Bat first bad defensive outfielders are bot getting paid huge dollars. JD Martinez was traded for junk and then had to fight and claw for 100+ million - he is one of the 5 best hitters in the game when he's going. 

You thinking 2 WAR puig and bat only Catellanos are going to net some huge contracts literally goes against everything the market has been telling you for the past three years.

Your negativity at this point is just comical and I honestly feel bad for you. You spend all day on here, a sox message board, talking about how bad and shitty the Sox are. Hopefully you can find something that doesnt make you so miserable.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Look at Ray Ray Run

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

4 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

What he wants is besides the point. The main point was to explore positional versatilty more like TB does do to create payroll flexibility. For a board that prides itself on modern thinking that idea is used to great advantage by a team like TB . If the Sox keep crying about future payroll obligations whenever they miss out on a FA then start acting more like a mid to small market team and do something that's been around since the moneyball era to diversify how the payroll is used.

He's the best player on the team and that's where he plays best so it does matter. 

[Moan4Yoan]

11 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

He's arguably worse than Eloy in the outfield. He's a 2-3 WAR player and you're sitting here calling him unsignable. Pretty hilarious.

Not because of his talent.  Because of his agent and the Sox history of not negotiating with said agent via free agency.  Try reading sometime.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Moan4Yoan

[Moan4Yoan]

8 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Your takes are hilarious.

Puig will likely be overpaid? By who? Castellanos too? Wtf.

Bat first bad defensive outfielders are bot getting paid huge dollars. JD Martinez was traded for junk and then had to fight and claw for 100+ million - he is one of the 5 best hitters in the game when he's going. 

You thinking 2 WAR puig and bat only Catellanos are going to net some huge contracts literally goes against everything the market has been telling you for the past three years.

Your negativity at this point is just comical and I honestly feel bad for you. You spend all day on here, a sox message board, talking about how bad and shitty the Sox are. Hopefully you can find something that doesnt make you so miserable.

I guess we will see what happens in the offseason.  History is on my side.  Hope and a boatload of money to spend is on yours.  However, the Sox had a boatload of money to spend last offseason and ended up signing mostly junk.

You can say I told you so to me once the Sox actually sign a top free agent for more than $68 million.  I will still be around.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Moan4Yoan

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

1 minute ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Your takes are hilarious.

Puig will likely be overpaid? By who?

Bat first bas defensive outfielders are bot getting paid huge dollars. JD Martinez was traded for junk and then had to fight and claw for 100+ million - he is one of the 5 best hitters in the game when he's going. 

You thinking 2 WAR puig and bat only Catellanos are going to net some huge contracts literally goes against everything the market has been telling you for the past three years.

Your negativity at this point is just comical and I honestly feel bad for you. You spend all day on here, a sox message board, talking about how bad and shitty the Sox are. Hopefully you can find something that doesnt make you so miserable.

Look MoanforYoan knows I have come down on him hard also for being overly negative but that hasn't stopped us from having decent baseball discussions. ANd yes the market has been shitty for FA's lately so you are right there. There's really no telling who get's what offers at this time. But Moan is far from the only one on the board who keeps thinking FA's are going to be more expensive than they end up being.  MLBTR runs a whole website talking about who is going to get what and from who and every year people buy into it.

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

2 minutes ago, Moan4Yoan said:

Not because of his talent.  Because of his agent and the Sox history of not negotiating with said agent via free agency.  Try reading sometime.

This is nonsense. They just negotiated with Harper who was making significantly more.

Sometimes you make nice points that are negative. Sometimes you make absurd assumptions about things that make no logical sense.