If you had to put your house on it...(Offseason predictions)

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

If you had to bet everything you had on 2 deals the Sox would make this season, 1 being a player they sign, 1 being a player they acquire through trade, what would those 2 moves be? Not the deal you want the most (signing Shields maybe?), but the 2 moves you see the most likely to happen.

 

 

 

-- Sign Brandon McCarthy. (3 yrs/$39M)

 

Need some depth after Sale, Quintana, and Rodon, and McCarthy was drafted and came up w/ the Sox, maybe he'd like to come home. He'd be a nice #3-#4 starter.

 

-- Trade for Jay Bruce (Carlos Sanchez and Frank Montas)

 

He will be a nearly-28-year-old lefty OF coming off his worst season of his career. I'm hoping that given the Reds slew of OF top prospects, they may be fine dealing Bruce. Bruce is a .250+, 30 HR bat who has actually been a very good defensive RF over his career. He is also signed at a decent contract if you assume he can bounceback from his 2014 season. He is set to make $12M in 2015, $12.5M in 2016, and has a $13M team option for 2017. He has easily been worth those figures in every other season in his career. He is a player I think the Sox could really use.

Edited November 1, 2014 by Chilihead90

[cabiness42]

If you had to bet everything you had on 2 deals the Sox would make this season, 1 being a player they sign, 1 being a player they acquire through trade, what would those 2 moves be? Not the deal you want the most (signing Shields maybe?), but the 2 moves you see the most likely to happen.

 

 

 

-- Sign Brandon McCarthy. (3 yrs/$39M)

 

Need some depth after Sale, Quintana, and Rodon, and McCarthy was drafted and came up w/ the Sox, maybe he'd like to come home. He'd be a nice #3-#4 starter.

 

-- Trade for Adam Lind (Carlos Sanchez, Chris Beck, and Rangel Ravelo)

 

Sox have a hole at DH, and need some left-handed power. Lind saw a dip in his HRs, but I would expect he can still hit 10-15 HR, 270+ with a decent walk rate and a very solid K rate in a platoon role. The best part about Lind may be his sweet contract. He will earn $7.5M in 2015, and $8M in 2016 (option year). Since he has been a platoon player of late, and is exceptional at hitting RHP, he may be platooned with Dayan Viciedo at the DH spot if the Sox can acquire an OFer.

 

Did the Brewers get your house as part of their deal for Lind?

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

Did the Brewers get your house as part of their deal for Lind?

 

I wouldn't give the Brewers anything in that trade with the Blue Jays.

 

EDIT: Now I see not even 10 minutes after this thread was made the the Brewers are getting Lind. I'll change my player then.

Edited November 1, 2014 by Chilihead90

[GreenSox]

If you had to bet everything you had on 2 deals the Sox would make this season, 1 being a player they sign, 1 being a player they acquire through trade, what would those 2 moves be? Not the deal you want the most (signing Shields maybe?), but the 2 moves you see the most likely to happen.

 

 

 

-- Sign Brandon McCarthy. (3 yrs/$39M)

 

Need some depth after Sale, Quintana, and Rodon, and McCarthy was drafted and came up w/ the Sox, maybe he'd like to come home. He'd be a nice #3-#4 starter.

 

-- Trade for Jay Bruce (Carlos Sanchez and Frank Montas)

 

He will be a nearly-28-year-old lefty OF coming off his worst season of his career. I'm hoping that given the Reds slew of OF top prospects, they may be fine dealing Bruce. Bruce is a .250+, 30 HR bat who has actually been a very good defensive RF over his career. He is also signed at a decent contract if you assume he can bounceback from his 2014 season. He is set to make $12M in 2015, $12.5M in 2016, and has a $13M team option for 2017. He has easily been worth those figures in every other season in his career. He is a player I think the Sox could really use.

We could also use young righthanded pitchers who throw 100.

Bruce's season wasn't simply his worst - it was a horrible season by any measure. His acquisition should be at a deep discount.

Edited November 1, 2014 by GreenSox

[Buehrle>Wood]

Santos is back with the Sox

[BlackSox13]

We could also use young righthanded pitchers who throw 100.

Bruce's season wasn't simply his worst - it was a horrible season by any measure. His acquisition should be at a deep discount.

I'm with ya. If I'm trading Montas it sure as hell won't be for a player that batted .217, 18HR and 149K's. I don't care what the players track record is.

[peavy44]

Santos is back with the Sox

 

 

the white sox didnt sign him did they.

[Chicago White Sox]

We could also use young righthanded pitchers who throw 100.

Bruce's season wasn't simply his worst - it was a horrible season by any measure. His acquisition should be at a deep discount.

Montas & Sanchez would be a huge discount. The guy would have cost us three of our top five prospects prior to last season.

[GreenSox]

Montas & Sanchez would be a huge discount. The guy would have cost us three of our top five prospects prior to last season.

He wasn't worth that last year - for us (high K, mediocre OBP); and he's not the 1 top 5 and 1 2nd 10 this year.

Old habits die hard.

Edited November 1, 2014 by GreenSox

[BlackSox13]

Alright, I'll play along.

 

Sox sign Headley and trade for Carl Crawford + cash.

 

Now, I'm off to Vegas to lose my house...

Edited November 2, 2014 by StRoostifer

[2nd_city_saint787]

I'm betting the house on Andrew Miller....I continue to think money won't be an issue and with the payroll where it is they throw big money (big for a reliever) at Miller.

 

Edit of the edit.... A trade??

 

I'm going with a name that hasn't been talked about here....Chris Davis.

Edited November 2, 2014 by scs787

[GGajewski18]

Signing- Adam LaRoche

Trade- Carlos Gonzalez

[Chicago White Sox]

He wasn't worth that last year - for us (high K, mediocre OBP); and he's not the 1 top 5 and 1 2nd 10 this year.

Old habits die hard.

I don't care how we may have valued him (which I disagree with), I stated what he would have cost us if we wanted to acquire him. The Reds would of had suitors lining up left and right prior to last season.

 

And guys don't lose all their value by having one bad season due to injury. His value will be down, which is why we should pursue him, but it will not completely disappear. If the Reds can't get package like Montas & Sanchez now, then they'll simply wait and then him rebuild his value.

[GreenSox]

And guys don't lose all their value by having one bad season due to injury. His value will be down, which is why we should pursue him, but it will not completely disappear. If the Reds can't get package like Montas & Sanchez now, then they'll simply wait and then him rebuild his value.

If they can rebuild his value.

It's a big if, with the flaws in his game that he's always had.

Edited November 2, 2014 by GreenSox

[Quin]

None of Danish, Montas or Anderson are traded for anything short of a superstar.

[chitownsportsfan]

I bet my house the Sox don't bump payroll more than 20 million.

[LittleHurt05]

Neither Chicago team makes the playoffs next year

[chitownsportsfan]

None of Danish, Montas or Anderson are traded for anything short of a superstar.

 

Depends on what you mean by "superstar". Fact of the matter is their aren't many 5+ war players ever on the trading block. I'd trade Montas AND Danish for a 3 war, cost controlled OF right now however. At best Montas is a elite reliever (don't think he sticks as a starter) and Danish is a 3rd starter.

[Quin]

Depends on what you mean by "superstar". Fact of the matter is their aren't many 5+ war players ever on the trading block. I'd trade Montas AND Danish for a 3 war, cost controlled OF right now however. At best Montas is a elite reliever (don't think he sticks as a starter) and Danish is a 3rd starter.

 

Well, at best Montas is a #2 and Danish is a #2

[Chicago White Sox]

I bet my house the Sox don't bump payroll more than 20 million.

I'd bet my house you're way wrong on this one.

[Dam8610]

This is more of a strategy than a prediction. It was meant to go in the Offseason plan thread, but that was closed, so this is the closest thing to that that I can find...

 

If I were Hahn, I would target the following players in Free Agency, in order of importance, ranked in categories of hitters, relievers, and starters:

 

Hitters

1) OF Melky Cabrera - He's a solid hitter, and would fill a hole in LF with a productive hitter who could hit near the top of the lineup and provide a tough out in front of Abreu as well as a little pop. He will likely go for a higher price tag than what I would have the White Sox give him, and Toronto will likely make a high level effort to keep him, but he would be a good bat to have in the lineup.

2) OF Nick Markakis - I've seen comparisons of Markakis on this board to Alejandro De Aza, and if you completely ignore the value in walking more, striking out about half as much, and having much better defense, they're valid comparisons. If you consider these things to be valuable, though, you can see why Markakis is generally the more valuable player by .5-1.5 WAR. Markakis is a solid bat with some power from the left side that is likely to hit the market and get something in the range of 3-4 years and $30-48 million, making him an affordable option.

3) OF Nelson Cruz - If you want to provide Jose Abreu protection in the lineup, there won't be a better 4 hitter on the market than Cruz. His 40 HRs would certainly give opponents a reason to give Abreu more pitches to hit, and he'll obviously get his own production as well. He likely will have a very high price tag, and Baltimore will be making every effort to keep him, but if they can get him on a 3 year deal, he would appreciably improve the White Sox lineup.

4) 3B Chase Headley - I'm not a big believer in Gillaspie, but I do think if his defense is not factored in, he could be a valuable piece. If you can get Headley, it upgrades the defense and provides a switch hitter with the potential to be a middle of the lineup bat, which at worst would be a 6 or 7 hitter. He'll likely get a contract in the same range as Markakis, which to me makes him affordable to the White Sox

5) 1B Adam LaRoche - The White Sox need left handed power, and LaRoche would provide that, though the downside would be that he would pretty much be the DH. If he can be had on a 2 year deal for a reasonable price, it wouldn't be a bad acquisition, and he could provide Abreu some protection in the lineup.

 

Relievers

1) CL Francisco Rodriguez - The White Sox need a closer, and if they miss out on Robertson, K-Rod would be the best option on the market. His HR rate and declining K rate are concerning, however.

2) RP Luke Gregerson - He has either improved or stayed at the same level of performance every season he's been in MLB, and he has shown closing ability in limited use. Seems like the White Sox also currently have him on their radar.

3) CL Casey Janssen - Prior to 2014, has had some very impressive numbers as a closer, then his performance fell off drastically last year, though he was still successful in save situations. This might be a bounceback candidate that could provide good value.

4) RP Andrew Miller - Miller is a guy who might be able to close, and would definitely fill a need for a left handed arm in the White Sox bullpen. He has impressive peripherals, which likely means he will command a premium on the market, and while some don't see him as worth it, I think he might be depending on what the end cost would be.

5) RP Sean Burnett - Quality left handed arm that could work the 6th or 7th. It seems as though he could be had for relatively cheap as well.

6) RP Zach Duke - This is the type of player that can provide great value. He had a great year last year that pretty much came out of nowhere. This means that if he hits the market, he will probably get a "prove it" type of deal, which could mean getting 2-3 years of a low end cost reliever that could give you a much higher value, potentially even a late inning type of reliever. He also fills a need by being a left handed bullpen arm.

7) RP Tim Stauffer - Could be a very high quality right handed reliever, doesn't allow many HR (though Petco likely plays into that), strikes out a little over 9 per 9 and has about a 3:1 K:BB rate.

8) RP Tom Gorzelanny - He would provide a left handed reliever that could potentially be a late inning reliever. He has nearly 10 K/9, a good ground ball rate, and doesn't allow many HRs. He also probably won't get a premium contract on the market, so is likely a good target.

9) RP Luke Hochevar - Why not? He had TJ surgery, but that means he'll come cheap because he's an unknown at this point. If he can regain most of his previous form, he could be a steal.

 

Starters

1) RHP Chad Billingsley - If he can recover from injury, he will likely provide 2 starter value at 3-4 starter price.

T2) RHP Brandon McCarthy - He's a quality starter who can give you quality innings, even if he's not going to give you 200. He's worth a #3 starter contract for 2-3 years.

T2) RHP Ervin Santana - He's put up #2-4 starter numbers for around 200 innings in 4 of the last 5 seasons. There's not much buzz around him, either, he could be a good value signing.

 

After identifying the targets, the next step would be to choose a strategy. The way I see it, the options are:

 

1) Add a lot of payroll and attempt to compete for a playoff spot in 2015. To do this, I see 6-7 new acquisitions as necessary, which means an additional $50-60 million in payroll.

 

2) Make a few additions to improve in 2015 with the goal being consistently competing for the playoffs for 2016 and beyond. This would still take acquiring 3-5 new players and adding $30-45 million in payroll

 

My ideal roster under strategy #1 (new additions in bold):

 

Lineup

CF Eaton

LF Cabrera

1B Abreu

DH Cruz/LaRoche

RF Garcia

SS Ramirez

2B Semien

3B Gillaspie

C Flowers

Bench - Viciedo, Sanchez, Phegley, Danks

 

Rotation

1) Sale

2) Q

3) Billingsley

4) Noesi

5) Danks

 

Bullpen

CL Rodriguez

Gregerson

Miller

Putnam

Petricka

Guerra

Bassitt

 

My ideal roster under strategy #2 (new additions in bold):

 

Lineup

CF Eaton

2B Semien

1B Abreu

LF Garcia

RF Markakis

SS Ramirez

3B Headley

DH Gillaspie/Viciedo (depending on opposing SP)

C Flowers

Bench - Sanchez, Phegley, Danks

 

Rotation

1) Sale

2) Q

3) Billingsley

4) Noesi

5) Bassitt

 

Bullpen

Gregerson

Petricka

Putnam

Guerra

Duke

Stauffer

Danks

 

Personally, I like the second option better, as I think it plays out better for the long run, and gives the team some flexibility in trading pieces like Gillaspie, Viciedo, etc. that might bring a decent return in a package without forcing the team's hand. Also, I've pretty much accepted that the White Sox are going to have to eat Danks's contract, and with Bassitt potentially being capable of being a quality starter, I'd much rather see if that can play out than try to dump $5-10 million of Danks's contract. If you sign Billingsley and he performs, you figure out Bassitt can provide at least 3 starter quality, and Rodon takes Noesi's rotation spot, that is a highly cost controlled, extremely effective rotation. Pair it with an offense that can put up decent numbers, a bullpen that doesn't consist of a gas can and matches, and a defense that can perform at at least an average level, and you have a postseason competitor.

 

The above only considers free agency, mostly because trades are very difficult to predict. That said, looking at trades, my top targets would be:

 

1) Braves players - Apparently Atlanta wants to get rid of Justin Upton and Evan Gattis, and would be willing to listen to offers on Jason Heyward. All 3 of these players would look very good in a White Sox uniform immediately.

2) Reds players - The Reds are apparently looking to rebuild, and have several players that would be interesting in a trade. Jay Bruce, Mat Latos, Mike Leake, and Aroldis Chapman are all names I would be interested in being involved in a trade. I would say Cueto, but he is likely untouchable, or would require too much to get. Realistically, Chapman likely is similarly situated as well.

3) Justin Morneau - He can likely be had for cheap, looks like he's rounding into his pre-injury form, and would make a great LH power bat behind Abreu.

4) Ben Zobrist - Apparently Tampa wants to trade him, and his ability to play most defensive positions well and hit well from both sides of the plate are very attractive. Also allows some flexibility in trading Alexei and being able to bridge the gap to Anderson.

 

Thoughts?

[chetkincaid]

This is more of a strategy than a prediction. It was meant to go in the Offseason plan thread, but that was closed, so this is the closest thing to that that I can find...

 

If I were Hahn, I would target the following players in Free Agency, in order of importance, ranked in categories of hitters, relievers, and starters:

 

Hitters

1) OF Melky Cabrera - He's a solid hitter, and would fill a hole in LF with a productive hitter who could hit near the top of the lineup and provide a tough out in front of Abreu as well as a little pop. He will likely go for a higher price tag than what I would have the White Sox give him, and Toronto will likely make a high level effort to keep him, but he would be a good bat to have in the lineup.

2) OF Nick Markakis - I've seen comparisons of Markakis on this board to Alejandro De Aza, and if you completely ignore the value in walking more, striking out about half as much, and having much better defense, they're valid comparisons. If you consider these things to be valuable, though, you can see why Markakis is generally the more valuable player by .5-1.5 WAR. Markakis is a solid bat with some power from the left side that is likely to hit the market and get something in the range of 3-4 years and $30-48 million, making him an affordable option.

3) OF Nelson Cruz - If you want to provide Jose Abreu protection in the lineup, there won't be a better 4 hitter on the market than Cruz. His 40 HRs would certainly give opponents a reason to give Abreu more pitches to hit, and he'll obviously get his own production as well. He likely will have a very high price tag, and Baltimore will be making every effort to keep him, but if they can get him on a 3 year deal, he would appreciably improve the White Sox lineup.

4) 3B Chase Headley - I'm not a big believer in Gillaspie, but I do think if his defense is not factored in, he could be a valuable piece. If you can get Headley, it upgrades the defense and provides a switch hitter with the potential to be a middle of the lineup bat, which at worst would be a 6 or 7 hitter. He'll likely get a contract in the same range as Markakis, which to me makes him affordable to the White Sox

5) 1B Adam LaRoche - The White Sox need left handed power, and LaRoche would provide that, though the downside would be that he would pretty much be the DH. If he can be had on a 2 year deal for a reasonable price, it wouldn't be a bad acquisition, and he could provide Abreu some protection in the lineup.

 

Relievers

1) CL Francisco Rodriguez - The White Sox need a closer, and if they miss out on Robertson, K-Rod would be the best option on the market. His HR rate and declining K rate are concerning, however.

2) RP Luke Gregerson - He has either improved or stayed at the same level of performance every season he's been in MLB, and he has shown closing ability in limited use. Seems like the White Sox also currently have him on their radar.

3) CL Casey Janssen - Prior to 2014, has had some very impressive numbers as a closer, then his performance fell off drastically last year, though he was still successful in save situations. This might be a bounceback candidate that could provide good value.

4) RP Andrew Miller - Miller is a guy who might be able to close, and would definitely fill a need for a left handed arm in the White Sox bullpen. He has impressive peripherals, which likely means he will command a premium on the market, and while some don't see him as worth it, I think he might be depending on what the end cost would be.

5) RP Sean Burnett - Quality left handed arm that could work the 6th or 7th. It seems as though he could be had for relatively cheap as well.

6) RP Zach Duke - This is the type of player that can provide great value. He had a great year last year that pretty much came out of nowhere. This means that if he hits the market, he will probably get a "prove it" type of deal, which could mean getting 2-3 years of a low end cost reliever that could give you a much higher value, potentially even a late inning type of reliever. He also fills a need by being a left handed bullpen arm.

7) RP Tim Stauffer - Could be a very high quality right handed reliever, doesn't allow many HR (though Petco likely plays into that), strikes out a little over 9 per 9 and has about a 3:1 K:BB rate.

8) RP Tom Gorzelanny - He would provide a left handed reliever that could potentially be a late inning reliever. He has nearly 10 K/9, a good ground ball rate, and doesn't allow many HRs. He also probably won't get a premium contract on the market, so is likely a good target.

9) RP Luke Hochevar - Why not? He had TJ surgery, but that means he'll come cheap because he's an unknown at this point. If he can regain most of his previous form, he could be a steal.

 

Starters

1) RHP Chad Billingsley - If he can recover from injury, he will likely provide 2 starter value at 3-4 starter price.

T2) RHP Brandon McCarthy - He's a quality starter who can give you quality innings, even if he's not going to give you 200. He's worth a #3 starter contract for 2-3 years.

T2) RHP Ervin Santana - He's put up #2-4 starter numbers for around 200 innings in 4 of the last 5 seasons. There's not much buzz around him, either, he could be a good value signing.

 

After identifying the targets, the next step would be to choose a strategy. The way I see it, the options are:

 

1) Add a lot of payroll and attempt to compete for a playoff spot in 2015. To do this, I see 6-7 new acquisitions as necessary, which means an additional $50-60 million in payroll.

 

2) Make a few additions to improve in 2015 with the goal being consistently competing for the playoffs for 2016 and beyond. This would still take acquiring 3-5 new players and adding $30-45 million in payroll

 

My ideal roster under strategy #1 (new additions in bold):

 

Lineup

CF Eaton

LF Cabrera

1B Abreu

DH Cruz/LaRoche

RF Garcia

SS Ramirez

2B Semien

3B Gillaspie

C Flowers

Bench - Viciedo, Sanchez, Phegley, Danks

 

Rotation

1) Sale

2) Q

3) Billingsley

4) Noesi

5) Danks

 

Bullpen

CL Rodriguez

Gregerson

Miller

Putnam

Petricka

Guerra

Bassitt

 

My ideal roster under strategy #2 (new additions in bold):

 

Lineup

CF Eaton

2B Semien

1B Abreu

LF Garcia

RF Markakis

SS Ramirez

3B Headley

DH Gillaspie/Viciedo (depending on opposing SP)

C Flowers

Bench - Sanchez, Phegley, Danks

 

Rotation

1) Sale

2) Q

3) Billingsley

4) Noesi

5) Bassitt

 

Bullpen

Gregerson

Petricka

Putnam

Guerra

Duke

Stauffer

Danks

 

Personally, I like the second option better, as I think it plays out better for the long run, and gives the team some flexibility in trading pieces like Gillaspie, Viciedo, etc. that might bring a decent return in a package without forcing the team's hand. Also, I've pretty much accepted that the White Sox are going to have to eat Danks's contract, and with Bassitt potentially being capable of being a quality starter, I'd much rather see if that can play out than try to dump $5-10 million of Danks's contract. If you sign Billingsley and he performs, you figure out Bassitt can provide at least 3 starter quality, and Rodon takes Noesi's rotation spot, that is a highly cost controlled, extremely effective rotation. Pair it with an offense that can put up decent numbers, a bullpen that doesn't consist of a gas can and matches, and a defense that can perform at at least an average level, and you have a postseason competitor.

 

The above only considers free agency, mostly because trades are very difficult to predict. That said, looking at trades, my top targets would be:

 

1) Braves players - Apparently Atlanta wants to get rid of Justin Upton and Evan Gattis, and would be willing to listen to offers on Jason Heyward. All 3 of these players would look very good in a White Sox uniform immediately.

2) Reds players - The Reds are apparently looking to rebuild, and have several players that would be interesting in a trade. Jay Bruce, Mat Latos, Mike Leake, and Aroldis Chapman are all names I would be interested in being involved in a trade. I would say Cueto, but he is likely untouchable, or would require too much to get. Realistically, Chapman likely is similarly situated as well.

3) Justin Morneau - He can likely be had for cheap, looks like he's rounding into his pre-injury form, and would make a great LH power bat behind Abreu.

4) Ben Zobrist - Apparently Tampa wants to trade him, and his ability to play most defensive positions well and hit well from both sides of the plate are very attractive. Also allows some flexibility in trading Alexei and being able to bridge the gap to Anderson.

 

Thoughts?

 

Thats a long ass post.

 

[Chicago White Sox]

I don't think we need to add more than two arms to the pen this offseason. Sure, offer some guys spring training invites, but in terms of guaranteed commitments, I think one RHP and one LHP is all we need.

 

Honestly, if I have to pick one player I think we'll sign in free agency it's Luke Gregerson. Guy has been a very solid reliever for years and is from Chicago originally. I could see him taking slightly less to come back home. He would be part of the closing mix and provide a nice veteran arm for the pen.

 

Then say you add Zach Duke on a short-term deal to fill the left-handed need. You're looking at pen like this:

 

CL Gregerson/Petricka

SU Petricka/Gregerson

SU Zach Duke

MR Putnam/Guerra/Webb/Bassitt

MR Surkamp/Snodgress

MR Putnam/Guerra/Webb/Bassitt

LR Carroll/Rienzo/Noesi (if Rodon in rotation)

 

There's enough talent and depth there for that to be a very effective pen. Pretty much every spot would have competition in spring training and the losers would be waiting in AAA for their opportunity. I think it's a vast improvement over last year's pen and we're only looking at adding about $10M in salary, which would leave us with a good $35M or so to fill other needs IMO.

[LDF]

 

I wrote this up with the understanding that there were no trades and no

prospects making the team. there will be some adjustments come spring

training. but right now there is uncertain question marks.

 

SP Sale

SP Quintana

SP Noesi

SP Danks

SP ??? >1, - Carlos Villanueva, Josh Johnson, Edinson Volquez

 

RP Petricka

RP Webb

RP Putnam

CL ??? > 2, - Rafael Soriano, Sergio Romo

RP Bassitt

RP ??? > 3 - Tim Stauffer Luke Gregerson

RP Maikel Cleto

RP Eric Surkamp

RP Guerra

 

C Tyler Flowers

C Josh Phegley

1 Jose Abreu

2 Carlos Sanchez

SS Alexei Ramirez

3 Conor Gillaspie

 

DH ???? > 4 - Adam LaRoche, Kendrys Morales

 

CF Adam Eaton

OF Avisail Garcia

OF Dayan Viciedo > 5 - Ichiro Suzuki

 

ref:

1. Rodon is the queston mark. the sox need a 5 sp even if Rodo make it

it will be great for a pitcher to have just in case. the prob I have is in the

beginning of the season, doesn't the team go with a 4-man rotation until

the 3 or 4 week? Villanueva can also relieve.

 

2. closer. this yr fa class has a lot of option for closer. I took a look at who will be

on the other side of 32 yo and be helpful for 2 yr. a bridge of some kind.

 

3. the other pen, I looked for someone who can start or relieve. I am looking at

a strong pen who can provide help elsewhere in pitching.

 

4, DH - there is no doubt about it, the sox need a dh. if Adam will not work out a

deal, then KM. but I am having some issues here. (agent and $$$) but then last

case Nelson Cruz. if needed.

 

5. this is my unknown. I have a feeling that the sox will be in the bidding for several

of the int'l players that can be sign as Free Agents. but last yr should have taught the

sox a lesson. never assume. Suzuk can still hit, 41 yr so he won't want a huge amount of

salary and is going for 3,000 hit. he is maybe 1 yr away or maybe 2. this signing will

be a good short term.

[GreenSox]

Thoughts?

a)Do not trade our top prospects. We will be in the position we are in 2 years from now probably without a playoff appearance if we do that. The farm simply isn't there yet. It's improving quickly though.

b)No rents that cost any talent to acquire - ridiculous for a 73 win team.

c)No good prospects for veterans off of bad years unless at a severe discount.

d)Get a good reliever(s). "Proven closer" Closer is not that important. Petricka and Putnam, both virtual rookies, have the stones to close and are likely to improve. Sox need 7th and 8th inning guys to get out of jams.

e)Be wary of giving up top draft choices for a FA. The hit rate for #1s is higher than people think, if the club does a good job scouting. This actually is a good year to do it, if a player warrants it.

Otherwise, looks okay.

Edited November 2, 2014 by GreenSox