Merkin: Colas figures to be Sox 2023 RF

[Harold's Leg Lift]

1 hour ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

I just don’t think requiring him to play home games in Charlotte to start the year is meaningful for anyone. 

Well they are the White Sox. 

[Timmy U]

I don’t understand the Merkin hate in this thread. The article is about how hard Colas is working to earn a shot in the majors. He sounds super humble, saying he got back to work almost immediately after the season because he hates sitting around and he hasn’t accomplished anything. This article is a long way from saying that Colas is definitely the opening day rf. It points out, as we all can see, that Robert is the only outfielder on the roster. I know everyone is frustrated, but this is a pretty innocent piece.

[maxjusttyped]

1 hour ago, ShoeLessRob said:

Even this organization’s beat writers blow. 

Fegan's one of the best in baseball but otherwise it's bleak.

[GradMc]

16 hours ago, Bob Sacamano said:

So you're saying they are adding a left-handed bat. Same as us. Replace the name "Conforto" with "any left-handed bat." It's gonna happen. They can't be stupid enough to run Eloy as primary LF and Sheets as the primary DH.

Wanna bet ?

[Buehrle>Wood]

It made 0 sense not to call him up last year

[ChiSox59]

25 minutes ago, Buehrle>Wood said:

It made 0 sense not to call him up last year

It certainly doesn't if they don't do the right thing and keep him in AAA to start the year.

Here's the thing.  Colas is currently the 2nd best OF in the organization.  There is little argument there.  The problem is, we don't really know what we're going to get from him at the major league level as a rookie.  Relying on him as Plan A in RF is well....a terrible plan.  If he flops, Sox have absolutely nothing behind him.  It is unlikely he is going to rake from the get go.

Sign Conforto/Gallo for one corner or acquire an above average LH OF via trade.  Sign Frazier/Profar/Drury to cover the other corner for the first month.  Then, once Colas earns his everyday spot in Chicago, Frazier/Profar/Drury become super utility players - a guy like Frazier could factor into 2B everyday - Profar and Drury occasionally.  All three can cover the OF and play IF, some more than others (which is why I actually like the Frazier fit). 

Then sign a RH 4th OF like Pillar and go to battle.  Does Conforto + Frazier + Pillar require Sox to dump some money?  It shouldn't - it would put the Sox almost exactly where they were in 2022 payroll wise.   Its unlikely the Sox don't make any trades.   Perhaps the LH OF comes via trade as the means of saving the ~$18M you'd have to pay Conforto.  

[Bob Sacamano]

59 minutes ago, GradMc said:

Wanna bet ?

With one current OF on 40-man + Colas? Yes.

[southsider2k5]

11 minutes ago, ChiSox59 said:

It certainly doesn't if they don't do the right thing and keep him in AAA to start the year.

Here's the thing.  Colas is currently the 2nd best OF in the organization.  There is little argument there.  The problem is, we don't really know what we're going to get from him at the major league level as a rookie.  Relying on him as Plan A in RF is well....a terrible plan.  If he flops, Sox have absolutely nothing behind him.  It is unlikely he is going to rake from the get go.

Sign Conforto/Gallo for one corner or acquire an above average LH OF via trade.  Sign Frazier/Profar/Drury to cover the other corner for the first month.  Then, once Colas earns his everyday spot in Chicago, Frazier/Profar/Drury become super utility players - a guy like Frazier could factor into 2B everyday - Profar and Drury occasionally.  All three can cover the OF and play IF, some more than others (which is why I actually like the Frazier fit). 

Then sign a RH 4th OF like Pillar and go to battle.  Does Conforto + Frazier + Pillar require Sox to dump some money?  It shouldn't - it would put the Sox almost exactly where they were in 2022 payroll wise.   Its unlikely the Sox don't make any trades.   Perhaps the LH OF comes via trade as the means of saving the ~$18M you'd have to pay Conforto.  

There it is.  Relying solely on a unproven rookie is classic lack of depth and asking for a disaster.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

8 minutes ago, ChiSox59 said:

It certainly doesn't if they don't do the right thing and keep him in AAA to start the year.

Here's the thing.  Colas is currently the 2nd best OF in the organization.  There is little argument there.  The problem is, we don't really know what we're going to get from him at the major league level as a rookie.  Relying on him as Plan A in RF is well....a terrible plan.  If he flops, Sox have absolutely nothing behind him.  It is unlikely he is going to rake from the get go.

Sign Conforto/Gallo for one corner or acquire an above average LH OF via trade.  Sign Frazier/Profar/Drury to cover the other corner for the first month.  Then, once Colas earns his everyday spot in Chicago, Frazier/Profar/Drury become super utility players - a guy like Frazier could factor into 2B everyday - Profar and Drury occasionally.  All three can cover the OF and play IF, some more than others (which is why I actually like the Frazier fit). 

Then sign a RH 4th OF like Pillar and go to battle.  Does Conforto + Frazier + Pillar require Sox to dump some money?  It shouldn't - it would put the Sox almost exactly where they were in 2022 payroll wise.   Its unlikely the Sox don't make any trades.   Perhaps the LH OF comes via trade as the means of saving the ~$18M you'd have to pay Conforto.  

How much are you expecting Conforto, Pillar and Frazier to cost that would put the Sox at the payroll the had last year ?

There a lot of competition for OFers now. Conforto may get way more than you are expecting just based on dearth of OFers available and the money being thrown around.

Meanwhile you are stuck waiting to sign him. When would you expect all this to get done and why do you repeatedly trust the JR will pony up for any of this ?

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

2 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

There it is.  Relying solely on a unproven rookie is classic lack of depth and asking for a disaster.

Just like Houston with Pena right ?

[Quin]

1 minute ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

Just like Houston with Pena right ?

I love Colas as a prospect, but Houston was less relying on Pena and more "supplementing a loaded lineup with Pena."

[southsider2k5]

1 minute ago, Quin said:

I love Colas as a prospect, but Houston was less relying on Pena and more "supplementing a loaded lineup with Pena."

Not to mention I could generate a list of Hall of Famers who had terrible starts to their careers.  MLB is tough, and it is tough for a reason.  Lots of guys struggle right off of the bat.  Smart organizations understand that.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

1 minute ago, Quin said:

I love Colas as a prospect, but Houston was less relying on Pena and more "supplementing a loaded lineup with Pena."

Wouldnt it make more sense for a .500 team to rely on a rookie ?  I suppose if you think the Sox are loaded then sure but they aren't . Loaded teams don't have every single position player either play very badly or injured 40% of the season.I mean I understand the need to think JR will spend money but so far it hasn't materialized and Chisox59 seems to be one of the few thinking it will happen.

[Balta1701]

Just now, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

Wouldnt it make more sense for a .500 team to rely on a rookie ?  I suppose if you think the Sox are loaded then sure but they aren't . Loaded teams don't have every single position player either play very badly or injured 40% of the season.I mean I understand the need to think JR will spend money but so far it hasn't materialized and Chisox59 seems to be one of the few thinking it will happen.

What is this .500 team trying to do? Is this a .500 team that has plans to stay .500 over the next year or two while they bring up a series of well thought of prospects that they then hope will carry them to playoff births? This was what Cleveland did in 2021. That makes sense. That would make sense for Baltimore this year, they were a nearly .500 team last year that just brought up a ton of talent and has more on the way.

Is this .500 team trying to convince themselves that they're going to take a huge step forwards next year? Because the rookie probably won't help too much there. They might, rookies sometimes do, but it's a gamble more likely to fail than succeed. 

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

4 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Not to mention I could generate a list of Hall of Famers who had terrible starts to their careers.  MLB is tough, and it is tough for a reason.  Lots of guys struggle right off of the bat.  Smart organizations understand that.

ANd I could bring of a lot of guys who were impact rookies  and helped there teams immensely. Were those teams not smart ? Stop pretending it's just smart when it could be the best thing ever. You're just playing the odds and disguising it as the smart and right thing to do.

[Quin]

Just now, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

Wouldnt it make more sense for a .500 team to rely on a rookie ?  I suppose if you think the Sox are loaded then sure but they aren't . Loaded teams don't have every single position player either play very badly or injured 40% of the season.I mean I understand the need to think JR will spend money but so far it hasn't materialized and Chisox59 seems to be one of the few thinking it will happen.

I mean, Gordon talks a lot about how he let mental pressures get to him.

I'd just like to see the Sox get some extra outfield help and not place the task of replacing Jose Abreu on Colas' shoulders. I think Colas could be that guy some day, but I'd like to see them give him some room to struggle if he does.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Just now, Balta1701 said:

What is this .500 team trying to do? Is this a .500 team that has plans to stay .500 over the next year or two while they bring up a series of well thought of prospects that they then hope will carry them to playoff births? This was what Cleveland did in 2021. That makes sense. That would make sense for Baltimore this year, they were a nearly .500 team last year that just brought up a ton of talent and has more on the way.

Is this .500 team trying to convince themselves that they're going to take a huge step forwards next year? Because the rookie probably won't help too much there. They might, rookies sometimes do, but it's a gamble more likely to fail than succeed. 

I don't know what they are trying to do. Do you think the Sox are going to try and sign Conforto, Pillar and Frazier ? Because that's my problem.

Does anybody know what they are trying to do ?

Whats the best we can reasonably expect ?

If you don't think they are going to compete no matter what why keep spending money and just play the young guys.

[ChiSox59]

18 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

How much are you expecting Conforto, Pillar and Frazier to cost that would put the Sox at the payroll the had last year ?

There a lot of competition for OFers now. Conforto may get way more than you are expecting just based on dearth of OFers available and the money being thrown around.

Meanwhile you are stuck waiting to sign him. When would you expect all this to get done and why do you repeatedly trust the JR will pony up for any of this ?

Approximately $25M.  Conforto $16-18M, Frazier $3-6M, Pillar $2-3M. 

As for your last sentence, what I am "stuck on" means absolutely nothing.  Believe it or not, we're all die hard Sox fans talking a message board.  What we are stuck on means absolutely nothing and has no bearing on what actually happens, you included.  

[southsider2k5]

5 minutes ago, Quin said:

I mean, Gordon talks a lot about how he let mental pressures get to him.

I'd just like to see the Sox get some extra outfield help and not place the task of replacing Jose Abreu on Colas' shoulders. I think Colas could be that guy some day, but I'd like to see them give him some room to struggle if he does.

Jared Kelinic was supposed to be a surefire superstar, and MLB has kicked his ass up one coast and down the other.

[Balta1701]

1 minute ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

I don't know what they are trying to do. Do you think the Sox are going to try and sign Conforto, Pillar and Frazier ? Because that's my problem.

Does anybody know what they are trying to do ?

Whats the best we can reasonably expect ?

If you don't think they are going to compete no matter what why keep spending money and just play the young guys.

I have no idea what the White Sox are trying to do. The lanes still available are - sign Benintendi and go with what's there, sign guys like Conforto and Frazier and go with what's there, pretend a trade will appear that isn't there yet, or pretend Eloy and Sheets are outfielders and go with what's currently here.

The longer that this drags on the more the last one on the list seems plausible? Because this team on paper should be so desperate for another outfielder that they should be willing to pay to bring one in, in terms of either prospect talent or money. The fact that they haven't yet is troublesome as the market for guys who could give you 500 quality plate appearances is genuinely dwindling. 

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

4 minutes ago, Quin said:

I mean, Gordon talks a lot about how he let mental pressures get to him.

I'd just like to see the Sox get some extra outfield help and not place the task of replacing Jose Abreu on Colas' shoulders. I think Colas could be that guy some day, but I'd like to see them give him some room to struggle if he does.

The guys that fail to live up to the pressure are many . There's no doubts about that. But the history of baseball is filled with guys who produced right away, guys that produced right away and then flopped and those who struggled then produced and guys that struggle for multiple years and then produced. 

There's absolutely know way to know unless you start their careers. As the 2nd best OF the Sox currently have and the likelihood is that it will remain that way. Might as well get that train moving now.

Pressure is created in your head. Some people just tune it all out, roll with the punches and make adjustments

[ChiSox59]

1 minute ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

The guys that fail to live up to the pressure are many . There's no doubts about that. But the history of baseball is filled with guys who produced right away, guys that produced right away and then flopped and those who struggled then produced and guys that struggle for multiple years and then produced. 

There's absolutely know way to know unless you start their careers. As the 2nd best OF the Sox currently have and the likelihood is that it will remain that way. Might as well get that train moving now.

Pressure is created in your head. Some people just tune it all out, roll with the punches and make adjustments

So let's just say the Sox stand pat, because in your opinion, this team isn't good enough to compete for a playoff berth with Conforto + Frazier + Pillar.  Which, by the way, pretty sure the Sox would be the favorites in the ALC by a good bit with that offseason.  I will just remind you that the Conforto + Frazier + Pillar scenario still leaves a very large hole in RF for Colas to take once he earns it.  The difference is that...if Colas doesn't earn it, or he gets hurt, or he comes up and hits .150 in his first month, the Sox still have 3 other major league quality players they can play in the OF that aren't currently on the roster.  If you don't sign anyone, you don't have any of that.  We're looking as Cespedes and Sheets as our starting corners.  

IF the Sox pencil Colas into a corner from day 1 and he flops, or gets hurt...they're fucked.  We can all have our opinions on where this team currently shakes out in this division, but I can promise you that the organization thinks the team is good enough AS IS to win the division.  So certainly supplementing the roster with major league caliber players won't make it worse.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

6 minutes ago, ChiSox59 said:

Approximately $25M.  Conforto $16-18M, Frazier $3-6M, Pillar $2-3M. 

As for your last sentence, what I am "stuck on" means absolutely nothing.  Believe it or not, we're all die hard Sox fans talking a message board.  What we are stuck on means absolutely nothing and has no bearing on what actually happens, you included.  

Of course and I'm glad you made that point. You could be right just as I could be right but I'll discuss it rather then lead some kind of charge against you with TLR emojis and making fun of my posts because I believed in getting youngish players now rather than retreads like Payton. Sooner or later after treading mediocrity again for a couple of year the Sox may just realize damn we need some new blood.

We've already been treading mediocrity for 1.5 years. The clock is ticking very quickly on any contention window . How long it takes  the FO to realize it's over and stop trying to save face is anyones guess. This may be the last year.

[ChiSox59]

2 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

Of course and I'm glad you made that point. You could be right just as I could be right but I'll discuss it rather then lead some kind of charge against you with TLR emojis and making fun of my posts because I believed in getting youngish players now rather than retreads like Payton. Sooner or later after treading mediocrity again for a couple of year the Sox may just realize damn we need some new blood.

We've already been treading mediocrity for 1.5 years. The clock is ticking very quickly on any contention window . How long it takes  the FO to realize it's over and stop trying to save face is anyones guess. This may be the last year.

Yawn. You take this stuff way too seriously.  I have no "charge" against you.  Your Outman bit just became a meme you wouldn't stop posting about 15x a day.  Talk about being stuck on something.  I've even outwardly stated that Outman would be a solid supplementary piece in a trade with LAD.   Just move on from it dude.   

 

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Just now, ChiSox59 said:

So let's just say the Sox stand pat, because in your opinion, this team isn't good enough to compete for a playoff berth with Conforto + Frazier + Pillar.  Which, by the way, pretty sure the Sox would be the favorites in the ALC by a good bit with that offseason.  I will just remind you that the Conforto + Frazier + Pillar scenario still leaves a very large hole in RF for Colas to take once he earns it.  The difference is that...if Colas doesn't earn it, or he gets hurt, or he comes up and hits .150 in his first month, the Sox still have 3 other major league quality players they can play in the OF that aren't currently on the roster.  If you don't sign anyone, you don't have any of that.  We're looking as Cespedes and Sheets as our starting corners.  

IF the Sox pencil Colas into a corner from day 1 and he flops, or gets hurt...they're fucked.  We can all have our opinions on where this team currently shakes out in this division, but I can promise you that the organization thinks the team is good enough AS IS to win the division.  So certainly supplementing the roster with major league caliber players won't make it worse.

My opinion is the Sox have a 10% chance of being a playoff team in a weak division if a lot of things fall the right way which is mostly incumbent on about 11 guys being better or some combination of those players being much better.

I think we are actually in the same place . Sox are going to mostly stand pat. I think amything they do will likely result in failure. Your plan my plan, doesn't matter. The Sox cant help but be medicore.

It's sickening watching Hahn constantly picking guys that flop and spending the money poorly and I'm really sorry if I dont think Gallo or Conforto or Frazier or Pillar are any better than what Hahn has already attempted. AT least with  young players with control I can adjust my expectations from instant success with short term pieces did have continually failed to they just need a little more time.

We keep getting set up by the FO that this time their latest fix will work if only the guys we put our faith in finally all have one good year at the same time under our amazing new manager. I just don't see much difference between their plan and yours.