Anybody else left feeling a little disappointed?

[ron883]

Hahn went out there and made a ton of dynamite moves. The moves they were making all pointed towards going all in. This team can contend for the division now IMO. I just feel he is ONE more move away from making this team a world series contender. Reinsdorf has let him go all out so far. IMO he needs to let Hahn make one more big signing. Reinsdorf is getting old. The chairman wants another title. He needs to give Hahn the signal for 15 to 20mil more to spend.

 

I just feel if they have done this much so far, they really need to make one more move and contend for this title. I hate saying i feel disappointed after all these moves they made, but it will be a major disappointment if they just miss the division title or wild card. Missing out on Donaldson is brutally painful. That would have been the move to make.. An upgrade at 3B, 2B, or SP would be what pushes this team over the edge.

[BigHurt3515]

No...

 

It would be nice to get another pitcher but no, not disappointed

[daggins]

You have to balance success this year against success in coming years. The Sox aren't able to spend any more based on their talk. Getting an upgrade at this point is increasingly difficult. 4/5 starter and another bullpen guy, but those will be cheap in a few weeks. All this team needs now is depth, and then to see how the first couple months shake out.

[ShandyMan]

We're lucky he's done this. What business owner invests ~30 million to a horrible team. We can't expect nor desire any more.

[LDF]

We're lucky he's done this. What business owner invests ~30 million to a horrible team. We can't expect nor desire any more.

 

he spent the money based on the owners discussed profit margin.

 

Hahn even mention how much JR will spend. now later Hahn mention that they

might go over. the money is there, Hahn and JR mention that the fans needs to

come out and support the team. if the fans via ticket sales are there, then

the Sox will spend more.

 

the Sox are talking about spending what is on the books of commitment made

by the fans, via advance ticket sales.

 

this is the same kind of BS that he did during the 90's when the sox really had

a group of players tied up with good salary.

 

all i am saying is 1 more SP is needed. the fans will come out in droves to watch

this team, a team that the fans saw build first hand for this next season. there

already hype going on with this team.... can anyone imagine how much more

if the sox invested and got Zimmerman.

[Jose Abreu]

I agree, we've made many moves that make us a contender for the AL Central. Spending some more to acquire/sign a Zimmerman, Scherzer, or Shields would move us from division contenders to World Series contenders. We've gone this far, so why not finish it off?

[Balta1701]

I agree, we've made many moves that make us a contender for the AL Central. Spending some more to acquire/sign a Zimmerman, Scherzer, or Shields would move us from division contenders to World Series contenders. We've gone this far, so why not finish it off?

The 2 teams who went to the world series last year won wild card play in games. If you're a division contender, you're a world series contender.

[LDF]

I agree, we've made many moves that make us a contender for the AL Central. Spending some more to acquire/sign a Zimmerman, Scherzer, or Shields would move us from division contenders to World Series contenders. We've gone this far, so why not finish it off?

 

i am going with the idea that Zimmerman will not be a long term solution and getting

him in a walk yr will be just dandy.

[LDF]

The 2 teams who went to the world series last year won wild card play in games. If you're a division contender, you're a world series contender.

 

there is really ideal formula that can be used to get a team to the playoff and more.

[lvjeremylv]

Yes, disappointed is accurate.

 

I agree with those that say we could have gone from division contenders to legit World Series contenders if we added Scherzer to the mix. Sox could still get there if a lot of things break their way, but that could be said of a lot of other teams as well.

[Bigsoxhurt35]

Yes, disappointed is accurate.

 

I agree with those that say we could have gone from division contenders to legit World Series contenders if we added Scherzer to the mix. Sox could still get there if a lot of things break their way, but that could be said of a lot of other teams as well.

Ya no thanks to 7 yrs 180 mil for scherzer.

[Rowand44]

The 2 teams who went to the world series last year won wild card play in games. If you're a division contender, you're a world series contender.

And with the way this team is currently constructed they're better equipped for the playoffs than they are the regular season. Like you said, if someone thinks they're a playoff contender then they're absolutely a World Series contender.

[ShandyMan]

Obviously Shields would make this team instantly a favorite for the pennant. But its not going to happen, as much as i would love to see it.

[southsider2k5]

Disappointed? Really? After this winter, that is what you got? Sounds like the kid who got the five big things he asked for at Christmas who is crying that they didn't get #6 on their list.

 

Hahn and the White Sox knocked it out of the park this winter. Between last year and this year they have moved the rebuild up at least one year, if not two. Even if they don't win this year, they have set themselves up with a really nice window to be contenders, and they didn't hurt the future to do it. This off-season has been beyond my wildest dreams, and I couldn't be more happy about it.

[lvjeremylv]

Why do people think signing guys for their prime value for the back end of their career is somehow the right course of action? That's not how the Braves, Cardinals, Rays and A's won all those games.

Braves haven't won a World Series in 20 years, the A's haven't since McGwire and Canseco were sticking needles in each other's asses, and the Rays have never won a Series. So let's follow their model. Great thinking.

 

Scherzer won't be elite in 7 years. No 30 year old will be unless they're cheating. But for the next 3-5 years, he's going to be a top pitcher in the game, and would make the Sox virtual locks for the playoffs every year. But let's not do that. Instead, let's hope the stars align perfectly and we never have to go out and spend some major money for a pitcher.

[hi8is]

Braves haven't won a World Series in 20 years, the A's haven't since McGwire and Canseco were sticking needles in each other's asses, and the Rays have never won a Series. So let's follow their model. Great thinking.

 

Scherzer won't be elite in 7 years. No 30 year old will be unless they're cheating. But for the next 3-5 years, he's going to be a top pitcher in the game, and would make the Sox virtual locks for the playoffs every year. But let's not do that. Instead, let's hope the stars align perfectly and we never have to go out and spend some major money for a pitcher.

I sure like the sound of Shark, Sale, Q, and Rodon. The impact Rodon has on this rotation for the next 6 years is SO freaking forgotten/ downplayed here. Thanks, hi8is.

[Marky Mark]

Yeah.... I think disappointed is not the right way of describing your feeling. You just feel nervous that if we're going this far in, it might be in vain because we need one more guy to put ourselves in a position that we are appear to be definitively the best looking team.

 

We aren't that sure how much more we can stretch payroll at this point, so its a little hard to really give an opinion, but think about if an opposite offseason happened.

 

We keep the salary low, trade a few high money guys, hope for prospects in return. Will we really ever have the money to go all in as far as you would like? If so, how long would that take? 4 years? If we have stretched as far as we can go, I'd rather try this for a year, then if it completely fails, sell the farm and wait those 4 years.

 

Scherzer is definitely not the right choice if we were gonna add another high caliber player unless he all of a sudden decides he doesn't want to sign any contract more than 3-4 years....which aint happening. What was the last super contract that you remember seeming worth it once it actually occurred?

[hi8is]

Also, if we're in it at the trade deadline... We're getting another RHSP if needed and Rodon should be firing.

 

Edit: Thanks, hi8is

Edited January 19, 2015 by hi8is

[greg775]

Not disappointed because they made an attempt to improve the disastrous bullpen and added Shark to the rotation. Can't really ask for too much more in addition to the two good hitters they got.

 

Signing everybody off the free agent list doesn't guarantee squat as the Red Sox and Yankees and Angels and Dodgers will tell you.

[lvjeremylv]

Let's not look at things in a vacuum. You also completely left out the Cardinals because they didn't fit your narrative.

 

MLB is about making it to the playoffs, something the Braves did fifteen seasons in a row. I guess I get that they don't fit your standard because they never won a ring in that span, but that doesn't mean other teams who emulate their philosophy, in this case, procuring young talent, will have the same fate. The Royals just made it to Game 7 of the World Series.

The Cardinals are a different character, because they have had payrolls much higher than the Rays and Athletics over the past 10-15 years (some years, the Cardinals had nearly the same payroll as both teams COMBINED). So let's not compare apples & oranges and call them the same thing. And the Braves did win a World Series in that span (1995 I think). As for the Royals, they caught lightning in a bottle and had a Cinderella season. If you expect that to repeat itself in 2015, well, more power to you. I see them as a 1 and done fluke, and I would like more from my favorite team than that. I want them to be perennial contenders for the World Series, and I'm pretty sure everyone reading this feels the same in that regard.

 

I think the original poster is disappointed that the Sox may have ran 25 miles of the marathon, and may have taken their foot off the gas instead of finishing the job. I'm ecstatic with what Hahn, Williams, and Reinsdorf have been able to pull off in the past 18 or so months. They took the 3rd worst team in baseball in 2013, and now have them in a spot where they're legit contenders for a playoff spot. All while drafting very well and retaining the top names in a much-improved minor league system. That's not an easy task to achieve, and as a fan it's a very exciting time indeed.

 

Someone else pointed out that a rotation of Sale, Samardzija, Quintana, and Rodon (in the near future) could be one that would be dominant for the next 5-7 years to come. That's very true, which is why the Sox need to lock up Samardzija to a long-term deal. Doing that is going to require the Sox to do something they've never done - pay big time money to a pitcher over a multi-year period. Something that many people in here were opposed to doing for Scherzer. So what should we do with Samardzija? Keep him for a year, then let him walk and take the comp pick? I say give him the $20-$22M a year it's going to take, and have one of the best 1-4 rotations in the league for the next half dozen years.

[lvjeremylv]

MLB is about making it to the playoffs, something the Braves did fifteen seasons in a row. I guess I get that they don't fit your standard because they never won a ring in that span, but that doesn't mean other teams who emulate their philosophy, in this case, procuring young talent, will have the same fate.

Also, the Braves had a payroll in the upper 25% of baseball for most of the late 90's and early 2000's. So while it's very important to home grow your own young talent and then lock them up while they're young and relatively cheap, it's also imperative that teams pony up the money when necessary to bring in the pieces needed to finish the puzzle. I think the Sox spent their money very wisely this off-season, and as a result they're going to be a lot better off for it.

[Boopa1219]

Disappointed? Really? After this winter, that is what you got? Sounds like the kid who got the five big things he asked for at Christmas who is crying that they didn't get #6 on their list.

 

Hahn and the White Sox knocked it out of the park this winter. Between last year and this year they have moved the rebuild up at least one year, if not two. Even if they don't win this year, they have set themselves up with a really nice window to be contenders, and they didn't hurt the future to do it. This off-season has been beyond my wildest dreams, and I couldn't be more happy about it.

 

Completely agree with this, how can you be disappointed? I don't understand that.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

I think disappointed would be just about the last emotion anyone should have after this offseason. I mean, it's pretty consensus across baseball that Rick Hahn has had one of the best offseasons in baseball this winter. How can anyone be upset about that/!?!?!?!?!?

[Brian]

I think disappointed would be just about the last emotion anyone should have after this offseason. I mean, it's pretty consensus across baseball that Rick Hahn has had one of the best offseasons in baseball this winter. How can anyone be upset about that/!?!?!?!?!?

 

I'm a glass half empty guy and Hahn has me feeling my White Sox commemorative cup is half full.

[ewokpelts]

How can you be disappointed? The team has addressed major issues, and is set up to compete for the next few years. They look really good in a winnable division.