Offseason Part 3 - Because Part 2 Was a Dud

[Vote4Pedro]

Last major free agent left now is Conforto…ugh 

[Vote4Pedro]

 

[Vote4Pedro]

 

[Rey21]

I really wish the White Sox had some more out of the box thinkers in their front office.   Like how did the Red Sox come to the conclusion that they would make Trevor Story work at 2B? I’m sure lack of a market didn’t help Story and having an owner willing to go above and beyond helps but nothing this FO does has shown they can be creative. 

[Tnetennba]

 

[southsider2k5]

 

[reiks12]

Sox could have filled a massive hole with Story and/or Conforto but will sign neither and settle on a AAA platoon and a 35 year old on the downtrend.

[Tnetennba]

47 minutes ago, EloyJenkins said:

Fluff article from Merkin today...it's not happening boys...

"Finding that confident approach at DH should serve Sheets well in 2022 within the current configuration of the White Sox roster. The club will use a combination of Andrew Vaughn, Sheets, Leury García and Adam Engel in right field and won’t have one set player at DH."

BARF

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

2 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

 

This is a really creative structure, I like it.

Lot of money for a guy who has been declining but maybe he was just banged up

[Tnetennba]

 

[EloyJenkins]

1 minute ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

This is a really creative structure, I like it.

Lot of money for a guy who has been declining but maybe he was just banged up

This is a horrible total money value though. No one should be mad at White Sox for staying away at this price. But yeah, pretty creative contract. Kinda outta control with all the variations this blitz 

[ChiSox59]

That is alot of $ for Trevor Story. Hopefully removes 1 of 3 realistic options for Conforto other than us. 

[Chicago White Sox]

1 hour ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Out of these teams, the Rangers make the sense. They've already forfeited their 2nd and 3rd rounders as well so giving up the 4th isn't a huge deal. 

Yeah, the loss of a draft pick shouldn’t be a big deal.  I guess the big question for them is do they want to lock up Conforto now or wait a year and hope to bring back Gallo.  Even with all the moves they’ve made this offseason, I don’t see the Rangers competing this year.  Might be better to save their financial flexibility for another year and pursue what they may deem the safer player.  No idea there, but I do agree they are one of the bigger risks alongside theoretically the Padres.  Looks like the Red Sox should be out now.

[Sarava]

2 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Alright, let’s go through Conforto’s market team by team with any connection to him.  IMO, there are four primary factors to consider: 1) Payroll / CBT implications | 2) positional need | 3) readiness to win | 4) local vaccine mandates.

• Yankees: 1) ~$4M away from 2nd CBT threshold | 2) already have Judge, Gallo, & Stanton to cover RF, LF, & DH | 3) championship roster already in place | 4) local vaccine mandate poses significant risk | Conclusion: NOT HAPPENING
• Red Sox: 1) ~$19M away from 1st CBT threshold | 2) upgrade possible but already have four guys to cover three OF spots | 3) ~2 wins away from 6th playoff spot per FG | 4) Canada vaccine mandate poses some risk | Conclusion: POSSIBLE THREAT
• Blue Jays: 1) ~$49M away from 1st CBT threshold | 2) already have Springer, Gurriel, Hernandez, & Grichuk to cover OF / DH | 3) championship roster already in place | 4) local vaccine mandate could be a deal killer | Conclusion: NOT HAPPENING
• Guardians: 1) No CBT concerns / payroll down ~$15M vs. 2021 | 2) could use OF help / LH power | 3) ~6 wins away from 6th playoff spot per FG | 4) vaccine concerns are minimal | Conclusion: POSSIBLE THREAT
• Diamondbacks: 1) No CBT concerns / payroll down ~$20M vs. 2021 | 2) upgrade possible, but already have multiple guys to cover OF / DH | 3) 2nd lowest projected win total per FG | 4) vaccine concerns are minimal | Conclusion: NOT HAPPENING
• Padres: 1) ~$9M away from 1st CBT threshold | 2) could desperately use a corner OF upgrade over Myers or Profar | 3) championship roster already in place | 4) vaccine concerns are minimal | 5) POSSIBLE THREAT
• Rangers: 1) No CBT concerns / payroll down ~$20M vs recent trends | 2) have options but could use a corner OF upgrade | 3) ~10 wins away from 6th playoff spot per FG | 4) vaccine concerns are minimal  | Conclusion: POSSIBLE THREAT

That’s four possible threats for Conforto, but I think Cleveland is a massive long shot given their ownership group’s past spending habits.  Boston could use an upgrade, but I’m not convinced they will want to blow their remaining CBT space on Conforto when they have other decent options.  As for the Rangers, the big question to me is do they want to lock in another $20M per year in long-term commitments when competing in 2022 is very unlikely.

Ultimately it’s the Padres that scare me the most.  They could really use an OF upgrade, the Tatis injury puts more pressure on their offense, and they’ve shown they’re willing to spend big & go into the tax to maximize their chances of winning.

Good post.

I'll add one threat, that to me is by far the biggest threat. The White Sox. The threat is that they just don't want to fill the RF hole with a championship caliber piece. The threat is that they've blown their load on relief pitchers and utility infielders and don't want to spend further. The threat might even be that they are content being a contender and don't want to take the steps to be one of the actual favorites.

I hope I'm wrong. I don't care about being right. I just want the Sox to win the World Series.

[Chicago White Sox]

36 minutes ago, reiks12 said:

Another AL team getting better, im really looking forward to that vaughn/sheets/engel platoon and Harrison's 700 OPS this season!

I still think there is hope for Conforto, but if Hahn ignores RF and his only lineup addition is Josh Harrison at 2B then he’s completely failed this offseason.

[Lillian]

21 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Hopefully that means he’s already got a deal in place with the Sox and they’re just waiting for Hahn to free up a roster spot by trading Kimbrel ?

That seems to be the most plausible suggestion, I've heard yet. It would explain a lot. If it is indeed a fait accompli, Boras would have no reason to be pulling his usual tricks, in order to create more interest. They may all have a hand shake agreement, and will announce the deal, once Kimbrel is dealt. One might ask; "Yes, but what if they don't find a taker?" Perhaps there is some time limit, and Hahn is merely waiting to see which team has the best offer. It's likely that he could certainly, at least, find some team to simply take him and the contract. That would clear the money and the roster spot. 

[SoCalChiSox]

8 minutes ago, Rey21 said:

I really wish the White Sox had some more out of the box thinkers in their front office.   Like how did the Red Sox come to the conclusion that they would make Trevor Story work at 2B? I’m sure lack of a market didn’t help Story and having an owner willing to go above and beyond helps but nothing this FO does has shown they can be creative. 

I'm not sure the issue is lack of creativity. 

I think the issue is JR says ok fellas there is X left to spend and TLR says get me these two relievers and RH/KW say we need a SP or RF and 2B.

JR then says sign the relievers.

RH/KW: What about our primary needs now?

JR: Sorry guys now we are maxed out. Graveman and Kelly weren't cheap. How bout trade a bad contract for a bad contract?

RH/KW: Doesn't really address the need though. Just puts a new warm body in that spot. Fans will be irate. 

JR: Well...can't pay a dollar when we only have 50 cents. A warm body will have to do. The fans are doing fine  and we have Scott Merkin on the case.

KW/RH: Were falling further and further behind Jerry. Even Minnesota is nipping at our heels. We need a SP and RF. 

JR: Tony says we're fine guys. I remember back in 83 we got to the ALCS against Baltimore. Damn....heck of a manager. I think our team is on the field.

TLR: (wry smile)

 

[CentralChamps21]

1 minute ago, Lillian said:

That seems to be the most plausible suggestion, I've heard yet. It would explain a lot. If it is indeed a fait accompli, Boras would have no reason to be pulling his usual tricks, in order to create more interest. They may all have a hand shake agreement, and will announce the deal, once Kimbrel is dealt. One might ask; "Yes, but what if they don't find a taker?" Perhaps there is some time limit, and Hahn is merely waiting to see which team has the best offer. It's likely that he could certainly, at least, find some team to simply take him and the contract. That would clear the money and the roster spot. 

It's pretty clear at this point the Sox have offers for Kimbrel. It's just a matter of whether they choose any of those offers over keeping him. If Conforto really is an option, then they'll definitely get something worked out with one of the suitors.

[Lillian]

If Story's home/away splits are indicative of how he will fair, away from that mile high Colorado air, the Red Sox just overpaid, "bigly". Maybe the "Green Monster" will help offset the heavier air disadvantage, and allow him to maintain some similarly great numbers, at home. Just seems like a lot of money, considering the question marks.

[Balta1701]

2 minutes ago, CentralChamps21 said:

It's pretty clear at this point the Sox have offers for Kimbrel. It's just a matter of whether they choose any of those offers over keeping him. If Conforto really is an option, then they'll definitely get something worked out with one of the suitors.

It’s also equally clear that those offers involve the white Sox sending along some money with.

[CentralChamps21]

Just now, Balta1701 said:

It’s also equally clear that those offers involve the white Sox sending along some money with.

Yes, and if the Sox were done spending elsewhere, it wouldn't be a big deal to eat some money. The fact that they're waiting to minimize how much they have to eat tells me that they might have plans for that money.

[Balta1701]

1 minute ago, Lillian said:

If Story's home/away splits are indicative of how he will fair, away from that mile high Colorado air, the Red Sox just overpaid, "bigly". Maybe the "Green Monster" will help offset the heavier air disadvantage, and allow him to maintain some similarly great numbers, at home. Just seems like a lot of money, considering the question marks.

Yes it is a lot of money to risk on a player. 

But first of all, it is possible to do more in-depth scouting of a player to assess that risk. Secondly, there is a big risk for a team like Boston in missing the playoffs - compared to making the ALCS last year, that’s tens of millions of dollars in ticket and ad revenue they could be out.

[Balta1701]

Just now, CentralChamps21 said:

Yes, and if the Sox were done spending elsewhere, it wouldn't be a big deal to eat some money. The fact that they're waiting to minimize how much they have to eat tells me that they might have plans for that money.

…a cigar just tastes better when it’s lit using a $100 bill. 

[ChiSox59]

9 minutes ago, Lillian said:

That seems to be the most plausible suggestion, I've heard yet. It would explain a lot. If it is indeed a fait accompli, Boras would have no reason to be pulling his usual tricks, in order to create more interest. They may all have a hand shake agreement, and will announce the deal, once Kimbrel is dealt. One might ask; "Yes, but what if they don't find a taker?" Perhaps there is some time limit, and Hahn is merely waiting to see which team has the best offer. It's likely that he could certainly, at least, find some team to simply take him and the contract. That would clear the money and the roster spot. 

I don’t think this is really how transactions work in real life. Sox wouldn’t risk losing Conforto to another team over trying to negotiate a couple million out of the Kimbrel sweepstakes. 
 

Jimmy says Sox offered Conforto 4/$75M range. I’m sure Conforto is still trying to get 5/$100M Castellanos got. It’s a game of chicken right now waiting for someone to blink. Thankfully Sox don’t appear to have much competition. 

Edited March 20, 2022 by ChiSox59

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

10 minutes ago, CentralChamps21 said:

It's pretty clear at this point the Sox have offers for Kimbrel. It's just a matter of whether they choose any of those offers over keeping him. If Conforto really is an option, then they'll definitely get something worked out with one of the suitors.

Conforto, Manea and Montas all still available, keeping the candle of hope burning ,although the wax is almost gone. 1st move is Kimbrel, nothing happening until that gets done. Maybe 2 moves at once or in quick succession.

Edited March 20, 2022 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside