Mike Tauchman to White Sox

[Chicago White Sox]

25 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

He checks the box for “local area product” role

I like him a lot better than Nicky in that role.

[Bob Sacamano]

This won't be official until after the Rule 5 Draft, right? I still want them to grab an arm and a bat to plug at DH. Currently 2 open spots left.

[Chicago White Sox]

14 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

Oh!! Oh!! Ooooooohhhhh!!! I know this one. NOBODY.

If Robert's traded and Benny's moved to DH, they have 3 OF spots to cover. As you correctly inferred, Fletcher, Colas and DeLoach will not be the title of the hit song about the White Sox 5-Championships-in-a-row dynasty. Zavala and Wolkow might be longshots at being prospects in a couple years. Most of the 2027 starting OF isn't even in the organization, yet. 

Honestly, I think we could end up with Benintendi in LF, Fletcher in CF, Tauchman in RF, & DeLoach at DH (but ultimately a rotation) with Slater filling in against LHP.  Colas theoretically competes against Fletcher & DeLoach for their spots during camp.  The only issue I see there is I’m not a believer in Fletcher being able to handle CF on an everyday basis and not sure there is a good backup CF option there.

[Bob Sacamano]

6 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Honestly, I think we could end up with Benintendi in LF, Fletcher in CF, Tauchman in RF, & DeLoach at DH (but ultimately a rotation) with Slater filling in against LHP.  Colas theoretically competes against Fletcher & DeLoach for their spots during camp.  The only issue I see there is I’m not a believer in Fletcher being able to handle CF on an everyday basis and not sure there is a good backup CF option there.

Yeah, that's the thing too. Guy seems good in the corners but definitely not a CF it seems. I guess it doesn't really matter in a lost year but you still want some defense out there for your pitchers you want to make look good.

Edited December 10 by Bob Sacamano

[WhiteSox2023]

19 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Honestly, I think we could end up with Benintendi in LF, Fletcher in CF, Tauchman in RF, & DeLoach at DH (but ultimately a rotation) with Slater filling in against LHP.  Colas theoretically competes against Fletcher & DeLoach for their spots during camp.  The only issue I see there is I’m not a believer in Fletcher being able to handle CF on an everyday basis and not sure there is a good backup CF option there.

That’s gotta be the worst outfield and DH situation in all of baseball.  Good thing for Getz that Benintendi was a Hahn signing.

[Bob Sacamano]

Trade Robert for a (hopeful) haul, trade Benintendi for Walker, sign Kepler.

LF: Dominic Fletcher

CF: Zach DeLoach (or whoever the f*** makes sense in CF out of him and Fletch. Looks like DeLoach played a lot of CF in AAA last year)

RF: Max Kepler/Mike Tauchman

DH: Mike Tauchman/Max Kepler

Edit: Looking for a stop gap CF in free agency is....daunting 

 

Edited December 10 by Bob Sacamano

[Chicago White Sox]

11 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

That’s gotta be the worst outfield and DH situation in all of baseball.  Good thing for Getz that Benintendi was a Hahn signing.

It probably will be, but that’s what will happen if you trade Robert and give playing time to all the AAAA OFs.

[Chicago White Sox]

10 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Trade Robert for (hopeful) haul, trade Benintendi for Walker, sign Kepler.

LF: Dominic Fletcher

CF: Zach DeLoach (or whoever the f*** makes sense in CF out of him and Fletch. Looks like DeLoach played a lot of CF in AAA last year)

RF: Max Kepler/Mike Tauchman

DH: Mike Tauchman/Max Kepler

Edit: Looking for a stop gap CF in free agency is....daunting 

 

I think DeLoach is more of a LF.  Fletcher should probably be put out in CF as it’s the best (perhaps only) chance of his bat actually playing up.

Personally, if we’re able to move Benintendi, I’d rather find a way to trade for Ben Rice for DH and stick with Tauchman / Slater in RF.

[Dam8610]

12 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Even if mediocre vets like Slater and Tauchman have good first halves, you aren’t getting back much of anything for them.  These aren’t true one year “flip” candidates.  Flip candidates are guys who have been good in the past and had a down year.  These are cheap vets that were never really good players.  Instead of signing these two scrubs, sign Austin Hays to a one year deal and see what he can do.  Hays is a flip candidate.

Giving the younger outfielders that you mentioned above those at bats is worth more than the lottery tickets you are going to get back for Slater and Tauchman, if you even get anything for them at all.

What the hell is Getz’s game plan here?  Does he even have a strategy?

Is "field a terrible product" a strategy?

[Bob Sacamano]

Tauchman actually looks like a decent leadoff option. Hopefully he has a best career half of baseball and some injuries on other teams lead to him getting traded for something decent. Or packaged with a reliever. Whatever.

[Chick Mercedes]

12 hours ago, Ozzie for Manager said:

World series here we come.  34 years old.  Would have been one of our better hitters last year at. 248

I think we should stop being disappointed. They are not trying right now. They are years away from putting together an actual real team. If ever.

[Nardiwashere]

Yeah, the team sucks.  I don't mind the signing. 

[Balta1701]

56 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Not one of those guys played on the 2023 White Sox.  I think your programming may be off this morning.

You're right. I got the years wrong.

But you know what's fun? You know why I missed this? We have tried this every year! AND IT NEVER WORKS!

2020: Kenny Williams quote describing DALLAS KEUCHEL: "There is a very real leadership and motivational component. And presence will always remain something that is very hard to quantify. You know it when you see it." Does anyone here want to talk to me about the benefits of Dallas Keuchel's leadership?
2021-2022: Jose Abreu, the greatest internal leader ever is here. Was 2022 a well led team? This is a joke right? 
2023: Thank god Elvis Andrus is back, this is the leadership we need. Also a veteran leader in Benintendi. Was 2023 a well led team?
2024: We spend the entire offseason adding leadership. It's basically the only thing that is added other than Fedde. Was 2024 a well led team?

2025: Tauchman: "Well at least he's a leader, this will surely be the year that the leadership will kick in."

We keep signing guys who fit this profile precisely, declaring them to be leaders, then being astounded that every year is a poorly led group of players.

The lesson from Mike Tauchman should not be to sign Mike Tauchman for leadership. It's that the Cubs signed a guy out of Korea, got a couple of years of cheap control and production from a guy in his early 30s. That's what we should be doing! Give me a guy who has a couple of years of control remaining, or who might be tradable. Dylan Carlson or Austin Hays or Bryan De La Cruz from the guys non-tendered this year, they're 5 years younger, they don't provide "That veteran leadership", but they have >1 year of control and if they have a good first half could be tradable for something. Or maybe find a guy from Korea, like the Cubs did, I'm not sure if there's a guy who has been over there who could do the same thing this year. Or hell, just play the AAAA guys from our system, it's cheaper and they have years of control, just not "leadership".

[kitekrazy]

34 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Trade Robert for a (hopeful) haul, trade Benintendi for Walker, sign Kepler.

LF: Dominic Fletcher

CF: Zach DeLoach (or whoever the f*** makes sense in CF out of him and Fletch. Looks like DeLoach played a lot of CF in AAA last year)

RF: Max Kepler/Mike Tauchman

DH: Mike Tauchman/Max Kepler

Edit: Looking for a stop gap CF in free agency is....daunting 

 

The biggest myth in baseball. 

Best off reserving ideas for fantasy baseball. 

Even Getz could get fleeced in a fantasy league.

For Sox fans they need to create a misery league along with other fans of habitual small market teams.

Here's looking to a 130 loss season.

[Bob Sacamano]

13 minutes ago, kitekrazy said:

The biggest myth in baseball. 

Best off reserving ideas for fantasy baseball. 

Even Getz could get fleeced in a fantasy league.

For Sox fans they need to create a misery league along with other fans of habitual small market teams.

Here's looking to a 130 loss season.

Yeah, I don't expect it to happen. I think when he gets traded it's somewhere between their current asking price and getting fleeced. Like maybe one blue chip prospect and a couple lesser prospects.

[Chicago White Sox]

33 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

You're right. I got the years wrong.

But you know what's fun? You know why I missed this? We have tried this every year! AND IT NEVER WORKS!

2020: Kenny Williams quote describing DALLAS KEUCHEL: "There is a very real leadership and motivational component. And presence will always remain something that is very hard to quantify. You know it when you see it." Does anyone here want to talk to me about the benefits of Dallas Keuchel's leadership?
2021-2022: Jose Abreu, the greatest internal leader ever is here. Was 2022 a well led team? This is a joke right? 
2023: Thank god Elvis Andrus is back, this is the leadership we need. Also a veteran leader in Benintendi. Was 2023 a well led team?
2024: We spend the entire offseason adding leadership. It's basically the only thing that is added other than Fedde. Was 2024 a well led team?

2025: Tauchman: "Well at least he's a leader, this will surely be the year that the leadership will kick in."

We keep signing guys who fit this profile precisely, declaring them to be leaders, then being astounded that every year is a poorly led group of players.

The lesson from Mike Tauchman should not be to sign Mike Tauchman for leadership. It's that the Cubs signed a guy out of Korea, got a couple of years of cheap control and production from a guy in his early 30s. That's what we should be doing! Give me a guy who has a couple of years of control remaining, or who might be tradable. Dylan Carlson or Austin Hays or Bryan De La Cruz from the guys non-tendered this year, they're 5 years younger, they don't provide "That veteran leadership", but they have >1 year of control and if they have a good first half could be tradable for something. Or maybe find a guy from Korea, like the Cubs did, I'm not sure if there's a guy who has been over there who could do the same thing this year. Or hell, just play the AAAA guys from our system, it's cheaper and they have years of control, just not "leadership".

Are you actually arguing that leadership isn’t a thing?  I guess I don’t get what your crusade is even about.  This is like a $2.5M signing for a guy who put up about 1 fWAR in a part-time role.  The leadership he provides is a bonus.  Having a couple veterans around a young team is a normally a good thing.  Blaming the past players for not being able to overcome the incompetency of a sleepy Tony La Russa and a weak Pedro Grifol is absolutely ridiculous.

If you prefer a different OF option I am 100% open to that conversation, but that’s a completely different debate.

[greg775]

13 hours ago, fathom said:

I found it funny how Getz today said they need to acquire a RF after all the resources they’ve put into Colas, Fletcher and Deloach

Baseball is a simple game. Play Colas now. He sinks or swims on a 110-loss team. Forget these older guys unless we are a .500 team. Colas baby!

[Balta1701]

24 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Are you actually arguing that leadership isn’t a thing?  I guess I don’t get what your crusade is even about.  This is like a $2.5M signing for a guy who put up about 1 fWAR in a part-time role.  The leadership he provides is a bonus.  Having a couple veterans around a young team is a normally a good thing.  Blaming the past players for not being able to overcome the incompetency of a sleepy Tony La Russa and a weak Pedro Grifol is absolutely ridiculous.

If you prefer a different OF option I am 100% open to that conversation, but that’s a completely different debate.

If there was any lesson, any single lesson we should take from 2024, it's to never, ever, ever look at a signing and count "leadership" as a justification for it again. The concept should be one that everyone points at while laughing after 2024. It should be a word that is so triggering that we all collapsed in tears when it was first mentioned in this thread. In 2024 Getz  tried to import guys specifically to be leaders, brought in numerous players who were poor fits and overpaid some of them for no other reason other than their leadership, he brought in a dozen veterans to help out during spring training, and the end result was 121 losses. It has never been clearer. You cannot sign leadership. You cannot import leadership. This concept is flawed.

This will not be a team of 22 year olds, and even if it was, there's a coaching staff. Stop spending extra money on leadership. Stop using that as a justification for bad moves. Your 2024 team's results are what you get when you try to. Guys who you bring in for leadership keep being guys who are problems, both here and elsewhere. The guys who ripped the White Sox in the press were repeatedly their supposed leaders. The worst problems in the White Sox's messes have been the supposed imported leaders. The Astros are not a big fan of the leadership of great leader Jose Abreu, and it was an expensive lesson for them.

Spend money on guys who fill roles on your baseball team. Understand your roster and what can fit on it. Bring in a good coaching staff. Provide your players with the resources they need. Develop your culture over time with a consistent message, resources, and accountability. Stop hoping for a quick fix with a cheap signing that somehow makes everyone better through leadership. Do not sign generic Getz clones for leadership and expect them to paper over other issues.

[Chicago White Sox]

4 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

If there was any lesson, any single lesson we should take from 2024, it's to never, ever, ever look at a signing and count "leadership" as a justification for it again. The concept should be one that everyone points at while laughing after 2024. It should be a word that is so triggering that we all collapsed in tears when it was first mentioned in this thread. In 2024 Getz  tried to import guys specifically to be leaders, brought in numerous players who were poor fits and overpaid some of them for no other reason other than their leadership, he brought in a dozen veterans to help out during spring training, and the end result was 121 losses. It has never been clearer. You cannot sign leadership. You cannot import leadership. This concept is flawed.

This will not be a team of 22 year olds, and even if it was, there's a coaching staff. Stop spending extra money on leadership. Stop using that as a justification for bad moves. Your 2024 team's results are what you get when you try to. Guys who you bring in for leadership keep being guys who are problems, both here and elsewhere. The guys who ripped the White Sox in the press were repeatedly their supposed leaders. The worst problems in the White Sox's messes have been the supposed imported leaders. The Astros are not a big fan of the leadership of great leader Jose Abreu, and it was an expensive lesson for them.

Spend money on guys who fill roles on your baseball team. Understand your roster and what can fit on it. Bring in a good coaching staff. Provide your players with the resources they need. Develop your culture over time with a consistent message, resources, and accountability. Do not sign generic Getz clones for leadership and expect them to paper over other issues.

No, the single biggest lesson from 2024 is teams completely devoid of talent and lacking a serious manger will suck massive balls.

Also, what is it you do for a living?

[Balta1701]

8 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

No, the single biggest lesson from 2024 is teams completely devoid of talent and lacking a serious manger will suck massive balls.

Also, what is it you do for a living?

1. But they brought in leadership. That's always a good thing. How could it suck massive balls when there was leadership? That's the benefit of this signing, right? Leadership. Why else would it keep getting mentioned? It's always a positive. They brought in leadership and 2024 was the successful result.

2. What does that matter?

[nrockway]

he was pretty much the only free agent worth signing IMO. I think Dylan Carlson could've been a bigger boom/bust type of signing (someone might actually trade for him) plus a more competent defender.

[Texsox]

We need to sign more guys that are honest and will admit they aren't trying. 

[Chicago White Sox]

24 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

1. But they brought in leadership. That's always a good thing. How could it suck massive balls when there was leadership? That's the benefit of this signing, right? Leadership. Why else would it keep getting mentioned? It's always a positive. They brought in leadership and 2024 was the successful result.

2. What does that matter?

1. 🤣🤣🤣 - Again, you continue to make up fictitious arguments.  No one has ever said that leadership can make up for lacking talent.  It can help prevent a full on mutiny amidst the worst season in baseball history.
2. Because I find your views on leadership fascinating and would like to know how they came to be

[Balta1701]

6 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

1. 🤣🤣🤣 - Again, you continue to make up fictitious arguments.  No one has ever said that leadership can make up for lacking talent.  It can help prevent a full on mutiny amidst the worst season in baseball history.
2. Because I find your views on leadership fascinating and would like to know how they came to be

Oh so last year the leadership "prevented a full mutiny"?

Name a business where you actually bring in people from other businesses successfully just for leadership, but without putting them in managerial roles or giving them any instructions, support, or training from the corporate level. Your, I dunno, stock person in a warehouse driving a forklift is supposed to be the leader that the organization needs.

[PaleAleSox]

3 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

Oh so last year the leadership "prevented a full mutiny"?

Name a business where you actually bring in people from other businesses successfully just for leadership, but without putting them in managerial roles or giving them any instructions, support, or training from the corporate level. Your, I dunno, stock person in a warehouse driving a forklift is supposed to be the leader that the organization needs.

I don't think there was a mutiny last year. Clubhouse seemed pretty good overall for a historically bad season.