WestEddy Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 2:26 AM, caulfield12 said: Well, even Julks and DeLoach are still around, that's a bit mystifying...obviously, more for AAA depth/filler, but you think could find SOMEONE/ANYONE better on the waiver wire. Worst case, it's simply a change of scenery trade. Mitchell's not doing anything so far, and Veras has looked pretty terrible...just no quality depth in the OF until you get to Braden Montgomery. Expand The White Sox have no attachment to Julks and DeLoach, at this point, beyond the point of having control of their careers. They're barely taking up space, right now. Julks and DeLoach have nothing to do with waiver wire acquisitions, as they're not on the 40-man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 2:35 AM, WestEddy said: The White Sox have no attachment to Julks and DeLoach, at this point, beyond the point of having control of their careers. They're barely taking up space, right now. Julks and DeLoach have nothing to do with waiver wire acquisitions, as they're not on the 40-man. Expand The point of the matter is SOMEONE has to play if Taylor, Benintendi and Slater are out... Who's left? Robert might be traded any day, you have Tauchman Fletcher and Colas left to fill 2-3 spots. Pretty much nobody is left in the scouting world believing in either Fletcher or Colas. Baldwin to the OF? Behind that, Veras? Drury, I guess could play RF or LF in an emergency but that wouldn't be ideal. Gallo looks cooked. Mitchell hasn't impressed. Terrell Tatum, I guess. Surely we can do better than THAT, at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSox2023 Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 2:20 AM, Chicago White Sox said: What makes you think Getz is loyal to these guys? Expand I think he still has some faith in Fletcher but it seems pretty clear that Getz isn’t a fan of Colas, and definitely not his glove. Yet he is still here when there have been other guys out there to give a test drive to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestEddy Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 3:00 AM, caulfield12 said: The point of the matter is SOMEONE has to play if Taylor, Benintendi and Slater are out... Who's left? Robert might be traded any day, you have Tauchman Fletcher and Colas left to fill 2-3 spots. Pretty much nobody is left in the scouting world believing in either Fletcher or Colas. Baldwin to the OF? Behind that, Veras? Drury, I guess could play RF or LF in an emergency but that wouldn't be ideal. Gallo looks cooked. Mitchell hasn't impressed. Terrell Tatum, I guess. Surely we can do better than THAT, at least. Expand Obviously, we can do better than an outfield of Tauchman, Fletcher and Colas. If Robert is traded, and Slater, Taylor and Benintendi are out for extended periods, ANOTHER outfielder will come across the waiver wire. Brandon Drury can play left field. Tauchman has neutral platoon splits. Baldwin and Fletcher can back up the outfield. Not a huge concern for a 100 loss team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestEddy Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 3:07 AM, WhiteSox2023 said: I think he still has some faith in Fletcher but it seems pretty clear that Getz isn’t a fan of Colas, and definitely not his glove. Yet he is still here when there have been other guys out there to give a test drive to. Expand GMs don't cut guys just because they're "not a fan". They wait until they have to make a move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 3:16 AM, WestEddy said: Obviously, we can do better than an outfield of Tauchman, Fletcher and Colas. If Robert is traded, and Slater, Taylor and Benintendi are out for extended periods, ANOTHER outfielder will come across the waiver wire. Brandon Drury can play left field. Tauchman has neutral platoon splits. Baldwin and Fletcher can back up the outfield. Not a huge concern for a 100 loss team. Expand The concern is being AT LEAST semi-competitive in late 2026 and then a .500ish team going into 2027. Braden Montgomery is the ONLY solution at this point that will address the future. But that's a long two years. All those names (other than Baldwin, maybe) are completely irrelevant. And next year (2026) they need to up their win total into the 60's or low 70's...they'll have another year where all they can do is draft in the 10-15 range anyway. This year, playing for the best possible draft position DOES make sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago White Sox Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 3:07 AM, WhiteSox2023 said: I think he still has some faith in Fletcher but it seems pretty clear that Getz isn’t a fan of Colas, and definitely not his glove. Yet he is still here when there have been other guys out there to give a test drive to. Expand Which guys are you referring to in regard to the test drive comment? The reason Colas and Fletcher are still around is they have options. My guess is Colas will be one of the first guys cut in the coming months if Fuller can’t find a way to quickly unlock his potential. Fletcher probably sticks around longer since he has some defensive value and could factor into the CF mix with Taylor in the event of a Robert trade, but if he fails to hit in Charlotte he too could be shown the door. I don’t really see any evidence that Getz is loyal to these kids given he added three veteran OFs to guaranteed contracts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago White Sox Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 2:24 AM, ChiSoxFanMike said: Because neither of them deserve to have a spot on the 40-man at this point. Yet they are still here. Expand I disagree on Fletcher. Zero reason to cut bait on him. Colas is probably next on the chopping block if I had to guess. Who would you replace them with on the 40 man roster? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago White Sox Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 3:21 AM, caulfield12 said: The concern is being AT LEAST semi-competitive in late 2026 and then a .500ish team going into 2027. Braden Montgomery is the ONLY solution at this point that will address the future. But that's a long two years. All those names (other than Baldwin, maybe) are completely irrelevant. And next year (2026) they need to up their win total into the 60's or low 70's...they'll have another year where all they can do is draft in the 10-15 range anyway. This year, playing for the best possible draft position DOES make sense. Expand Why do we need our long-term OF solutions on the 2025 roster? It’s clear that OF is going to require serious additions via free agency even if Braden hits. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiSoxFanMike Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 (edited) On 3/5/2025 at 3:24 AM, Chicago White Sox said: I disagree on Fletcher. Zero reason to cut bait on him. Colas is probably next on the chopping block if I had to guess. Who would you replace them with on the 40 man roster? Expand You make a lot of fair points. On one hand, the fact that they signed so many stopgap outfielders this offseason indicates that they really don’t believe in Colas and Fletcher that much. Yet at the same time, they believe in them enough to favor them over other external fringe options like Canario, Stone Garrett, etc which feels like some degree of loyalty. I really don’t know what their plan is. Edited March 5 by ChiSoxFanMike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSox2023 Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 4:27 AM, ChiSoxFanMike said: You make a lot of fair points. On one hand, the fact that they signed so many stopgap outfielders this offseason indicates that they really don’t believe in Colas and Fletcher that much. Yet at the same time, they believe in them enough to favor them over other external fringe options like Canario, Stone Garrett, etc which feels like some degree of loyalty. I really don’t know what their plan is. Expand 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lip Man 1 Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 It is really incredible that you have to go back literally years when the White Sox had competent, productive players at all three outfield positions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 (edited) On 3/5/2025 at 3:26 AM, Chicago White Sox said: Why do we need our long-term OF solutions on the 2025 roster? It’s clear that OF is going to require serious additions via free agency even if Braden hits. Expand What I mean is we should be looking for the type of players who at least theoretically COULD BE options down the line for when the team's decent again. Thinking here of guys in the past like an Alejandro de Aza or Daniel Palka (defense was too poor, too much hit and miss) or whatever were rewarded with available playing time (in the past) for these two upcoming seasons. If we admit to ourselves that none of the current options on the 40 man roster...and none of the veterans (other than MAYBE Benintendi) will still be around after July 2026... Veras, Tatum, Mitchell, etc., seemingly aren't legitimate options. Maybe maybe Baldwin if he's not yet found a home in the middle infield...? George Wolkow's probably another year behind Braden, thinking mid to late 2028 coming from his raw Midwest high school profile. Of course, he could just as easily end up at 1B. Andre Lipcius is one of the few hitters early this spring that's been impressive, but he's more of an infielder at this point. And he's already 26...so a bit of a long shot for the corners based on previous profile. positions 3B (224) ... 2B (156) ... 1B (127) ... LF (15) ... SS (9) ... dh (2) ... RF (1) Bonemer if someone holds SS consistently at the major league level before he's ready? Edited March 5 by caulfield12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago White Sox Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 4:27 AM, ChiSoxFanMike said: You make a lot of fair points. On one hand, the fact that they signed so many stopgap outfielders this offseason indicates that they really don’t believe in Colas and Fletcher that much. Yet at the same time, they believe in them enough to favor them over other external fringe options like Canario, Stone Garrett, etc which feels like some degree of loyalty. I really don’t know what their plan is. Expand Canario doesn’t have options so he’s really not a 40 man substitute and Garrett was worse than Fletcher & Colas in AAA last year and is approaching 30. Both guys have absurd contact issues and it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s why Getz has no interest in them because he knows it’s very unlikely he can fix them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago White Sox Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 5:38 AM, caulfield12 said: What I mean is we should be looking for the type of players who at least theoretically COULD BE options down the line for when the team's decent again. Thinking here of guys in the past like an Alejandro de Aza or Daniel Palka (defense was too poor, too much hit and miss) or whatever were rewarded with available playing time (in the past) for these two upcoming seasons. If we admit to ourselves that none of the current options on the 40 man roster...and none of the veterans (other than MAYBE Benintendi) will still be around after July 2026... Veras, Tatum, Mitchell, etc., seemingly aren't legitimate options. Maybe maybe Baldwin if he's not yet found a home in the middle infield...? George Wolkow's probably another year behind Braden, thinking mid to late 2028 coming from his raw Midwest high school profile. Of course, he could just as easily end up at 1B. Andre Lipcius is one of the few hitters early this spring that's been impressive, but he's more of an infielder at this point. And he's already 26...so a bit of a long shot for the corners based on previous profile. positions 3B (224) ... 2B (156) ... 1B (127) ... LF (15) ... SS (9) ... dh (2) ... RF (1) Bonemer if someone holds SS consistently at the major league level before he's ready? Expand We don’t have credible options in the upper minors which is why we signed three veteran stopgaps. And I’m not sure why you’re naming guys in the lower minors when you’re arguing we should be giving playing time in 2025 to OFs who could be part of the future. Those aren’t related at all. The reality is we will likely rotate some of the IFs in the OF this year. Baldwin has plenty of OF experience and should be an option in the corners. They have already talked about Ramos getting some playing time in LF. I could see the same apply to Sosa potentially. Just because we don’t know their exact plans doesn’t mean they have one. And again, free agency is going to be a solution whether we long-term additions or as a bridge to Wolkow, Zavala, Saucke, etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 (edited) On 3/5/2025 at 12:09 PM, Chicago White Sox said: We don’t have credible options in the upper minors which is why we signed three veteran stopgaps. And I’m not sure why you’re naming guys in the lower minors when you’re arguing we should be giving playing time in 2025 to OFs who could be part of the future. Those aren’t related at all. The reality is we will likely rotate some of the IFs in the OF this year. Baldwin has plenty of OF experience and should be an option in the corners. They have already talked about Ramos getting some playing time in LF. I could see the same apply to Sosa potentially. Just because we don’t know their exact plans doesn’t mean they have one. And again, free agency is going to be a solution whether we long-term additions or as a bridge to Wolkow, Zavala, Saucke, etc. Expand Zavala needs to OPS at least 775-825 to be back on the radar again, and play above average CF defense...and neither of those other two guys are likely to be much to write home about. One year from now we might have already moved on... Wilyer Abreu was a 3 fWAR outfielder last year for Boston...and nobody was all that excited about acquiring him. So many things would have to go perfectly for Baldwin or Ramos to approach that number. Edited March 5 by caulfield12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiSoxFanMike Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 11:57 AM, Chicago White Sox said: Canario doesn’t have options so he’s really not a 40 man substitute and Garrett was worse than Fletcher & Colas in AAA last year and is approaching 30. Both guys have absurd contact issues and it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s why Getz has no interest in them because he knows it’s very unlikely he can fix them. Expand The way I see it, they need to figure out what they have in guys like Colas and Fletcher by the end of the season. Either they can be part of the long term plans or they’re not. If Getz is intent on keeping them, they both need substantial MLB at-bats this season for evaluation purposes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted March 5 Author Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 3:26 AM, Chicago White Sox said: Why do we need our long-term OF solutions on the 2025 roster? It’s clear that OF is going to require serious additions via free agency even if Braden hits. Expand We won't. 100% we won't. It's why experimenting with players is able to happen, and necessary. As an investor, I look at the guys we signed this year as minimal money market accounts with near zero interest rate. Some of these other guys are shot in the dark stocks or crypto who probably won't break out and will remain worthless, but if they did figure it out, could be a huge return on investment. The Sox need those lottery ticket types instead of a money market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago White Sox Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 4:36 PM, ChiSoxFanMike said: The way I see it, they need to figure out what they have in guys like Colas and Fletcher by the end of the season. Either they can be part of the long term plans or they’re not. If Getz is intent on keeping them, they both need substantial MLB at-bats this season for evaluation purposes. Expand They also need to prove themselves in AAA before they deserve another major league opportunity. Hopefully one of them starts the year strong and forces the issue, but there is zero reason to expect them to be successful this year in the majors when they were bad in AAA last year. Honestly, the only reason Colas is probably even around is he has serious power potential and perhaps Fuller wanted a few months with him to see if there is any hope they can fix him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestEddy Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 4:36 PM, ChiSoxFanMike said: The way I see it, they need to figure out what they have in guys like Colas and Fletcher by the end of the season. Either they can be part of the long term plans or they’re not. If Getz is intent on keeping them, they both need substantial MLB at-bats this season for evaluation purposes. Expand Fletcher pretty much started until he played his way out of a job and was optioned on 4/26. He was recalled 5/15 played every few days until he hurt his shoulder 6/2. He came off the IL 7/29, played sporadically, but started regularly from 8/14. His minor league stints were two weeks in April/May, probably to recalibrate his swing, or something, then three weeks in July to rehab from injury while they shopped Pham. I believe Fletcher got a full look in 240 PAs in 2024, enough for the brass to "see what they have". Some of these guys are looking more comfortable at the plate this spring, like Sosa, Ramos and Fletch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiSoxFanMike Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 4:40 PM, Chicago White Sox said: They also need to prove themselves in AAA before they deserve another major league opportunity. Hopefully one of them starts the year strong and forces the issue, but there is zero reason to expect them to be successful this year in the majors when they were bad in AAA last year. Honestly, the only reason Colas is probably even around is he has serious power potential and perhaps Fuller wanted a few months with him to see if there is any hope they can fix him. Expand And all that reinforces my original point. These guys aren’t super young anymore. They are what, 26 or 27? If they are still at the point where they have to prove themselves in AAA, then why are they on the 40-man? Surely some other teams scraps have to be a better option to take up space on the 40-man than mid 20’s players who can’t even hit in AAA. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestEddy Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 5:00 PM, ChiSoxFanMike said: And all that reinforces my original point. These guys aren’t super young anymore. They are what, 26 or 27? If they are still at the point where they have to prove themselves in AAA, then why are they on the 40-man? Surely some other teams scraps have to be a better option to take up space on the 40-man than mid 20’s players who can’t even hit in AAA. Expand So a 30-year-old LF with swing and miss issues comes across the waiver wire - why does Stone Garrett, or Alexander Canario deserve a spot on the 40-man? They're all projects. It's the devil you know. Fletcher has less swing and miss in his game, and is a better fielder. And they've worked with him for a year to know what they have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSox2023 Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 (edited) On 3/5/2025 at 5:35 PM, WestEddy said: So a 30-year-old LF with swing and miss issues comes across the waiver wire - why does Stone Garrett, or Alexander Canario deserve a spot on the 40-man? They're all projects. It's the devil you know. Fletcher has less swing and miss in his game, and is a better fielder. And they've worked with him for a year to know what they have. Expand I just see it this way — Fletcher is already old enough that I doubt he is a significant contributor to the next competitive Sox team. I would rather use another season of losing to give at bats to a 24 year old outfielder who could potentially be a contributor to the next competitive Sox team, even if said 24 year old outfielder doesn’t pan out. Edited March 5 by WhiteSox2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestEddy Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 On 3/5/2025 at 5:40 PM, WhiteSox2023 said: I just see it this way — Fletcher is already old enough that I doubt he is a significant contributor to the next competitive Sox team. I would rather use another season of losing to give at bats to a 24 year old outfielder who could potentially be a contributor to the next competitive Sox team, even if said 24 year old outfielder doesn’t pan out. Expand Fair enough. I'm actually positive Fletcher won't be contributing to the next "contender". I also don't think Canario or Garrett will either. If Slater, Benny and Taylor are slow to return, I'd bet somebody more interesting, yet, comes across the wire, or there's a crunch where they can trade a pitcher at the end of or just off of their 40-man for a Meidroth of the outfield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSox2023 Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 (edited) On 3/5/2025 at 5:51 PM, WestEddy said: Fair enough. I'm actually positive Fletcher won't be contributing to the next "contender". I also don't think Canario or Garrett will either. If Slater, Benny and Taylor are slow to return, I'd bet somebody more interesting, yet, comes across the wire, or there's a crunch where they can trade a pitcher at the end of or just off of their 40-man for a Meidroth of the outfield. Expand Definitely possible and perhaps even likely. Since none of the three are sure-fire talents, I just see no reason not to try the youngest guy with the supposed big power in what will likely be a losing season. But it is possible that a more interesting outfielder becomes available. I just hope Getz jumps on that guy rather than hang onto guys like Slater, Colas, Fletcher, etc. if they aren’t performing. Edited March 5 by WhiteSox2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.