My/Your Off Season Plan

[LDF]

I agree. Depending on what they do at third, I see this team finishing with a top 10 draft pick for 2017.

 

really, i really hope not. i really want to see an huge improvement next yr.

 

but that is me and being selfish of wanting the sox to do good.

[bjm676]

I keep thinking that the Cubs would be a good trade partner this offseason. Sox has surplus of pitching (Beck, Danish, etc.) Cubs have surplus of infielders. Trade pitching to Cubs for Baez or Castro or even LaStella.

[OmarComing25]

For DRS, we actually look much better, but still bad. We're 26th in the majors in defense by this metric, ahead of the Yankees and Mariners in the AL. Interestingly, our total DRS number this year (-21) is significantly better than last year's number (-41), despite Eaton being our worst defender this year (-14) and our best defender last year (+12). Going by this metric, it's easy to see where the improvements were made:

 

Micah (-7 in just 33 games, yikes)

Sanchez (+6)

Gillaspie (-8)

Saladino (+10 in just 61 games)

Thompson (+2)

 

For some reason DRS really loves Flowers (+14), though I'm not sure why.

[OmarComing25]

I keep thinking that the Cubs would be a good trade partner this offseason. Sox has surplus of pitching (Beck, Danish, etc.) Cubs have surplus of infielders. Trade pitching to Cubs for Baez or Castro or even LaStella.

Cubs don't need pitching, they'll sign one of the top SP this offseason and then Hendricks and Hammel will be their #4/#5, why do they need pitching?

[southsider2k5]

Thanks for that.

[Hatchetman]

For some reason DRS really loves Flowers (+14), though I'm not sure why.

 

How are catchers evaluated I wonder? It's not very obvious how to measure their defensive performance.

[Y2Jimmy0]

How are catchers evaluated I wonder? It's not very obvious how to measure their defensive performance.

 

 

Flowers is top 5 in the league in pitch framing. Along with past White Sox targets, Miguel Montero, Jason Castro, and Yasmani Grandal

[Hatchetman]

I can't help but think losing about 25 pounds would help Flowers' game. He's pretty rotund.

[OmarComing25]

Flowers is top 5 in the league in pitch framing. Along with past White Sox targets, Miguel Montero, Jason Castro, and Yasmani Grandal

That's not factored into the defensive metrics though.

[LDF]

I can't help but think losing about 25 pounds would help Flowers' game. He's pretty rotund.

 

nice choice of words.....

 

i like it .

[bmags]

The upgrade offensively at catcher from flowers to average is just not as exciting to me as other positions.

[Jose Abreu]

The upgrade offensively at catcher from flowers to average is just not as exciting to me as other positions.

Agreed. The upgrade is very minor. We have bigger problems.

[Jose Abreu]

I keep thinking that the Cubs would be a good trade partner this offseason. Sox has surplus of pitching (Beck, Danish, etc.) Cubs have surplus of infielders. Trade pitching to Cubs for Baez or Castro or even LaStella.

If the White Sox trade for Starlin Castro, I will seriously question whether Rick Hahn/KW/whoever made the trade should keep his job. Castro sucks, as does his contract. If we're trading for him, LaRoche and Danks better be going back in the deal, i.e. it's not happening.

[Jose Abreu]

Or we can trade from our strength (Quintana/Fulmer/Montas) and sign a starter to fill the hole. I know Montas/Fulmer aren't in the rotation now but there's no reason the Sox can't spend money in the one area they have a track record in.

I'm all for trading Montas. I believe his future is as a closer or reliever, as I don't think he has the endurance to be a starter. However, other teams may believe that he can start, which I think would increase his trade value. The return for him, however, would be nowhere near the return for Quintana.

[southsider2k5]

Or we can trade from our strength (Quintana/Fulmer/Montas) and sign a starter to fill the hole. I know Montas/Fulmer aren't in the rotation now but there's no reason the Sox can't spend money in the one area they have a track record in.

 

This is exactly why the evaluation of Erik Johnson is so important right now. Montas and Fulmer are realistically not ready for the big time, because of their lack of innings. If a deal is made, Johnson is the leader to take that spot in the rotation.

[southsider2k5]

The Sox should keep Montas because I doubt there are teams thinking he can start. He's overweight, has bad knees, can't get past the 6th inning and isn't consistent enough with his changeup. He can be elite in the bullpen though.

 

Everyone has gotten really scared about trading Quintana but there is certainly a scenario where he could bring back a big return that changes the offensive landscape of the organization. For that reason, I believe the team must entertain trading him. All this conjecture,"We can't trade him he's undervalued" is irrelevant. You see what the market responds with and then make the decision. Quintana is a darling of analytics and some team will very likely give up real assets for him that are collectively comparable. I am looking at you Boston, Cincinnati, Houston, Los Angeles (NL), Arizona and dare I say the Cubs?

 

Unless you are getting back a true starting position player at a position of weakness, there is no good reason to trade Montas.

[Balta1701]

This is exactly why the evaluation of Erik Johnson is so important right now. Montas and Fulmer are realistically not ready for the big time, because of their lack of innings. If a deal is made, Johnson is the leader to take that spot in the rotation.

The insistence on getting Montas big league starts this season makes me wonder if they're not thinking of him as the 5th starter.

[Dunt]

Fangraphs doesn't let you do seasonal splits by UZR, but it does let you do it by the overall defensive number they have.

 

Overall:

April: -11.3

May: -13.0

June: -9.7

July: -8.0

August: -8.2

September: -12.8

 

 

OF:

April: -5.4

May: -9.2

June: -7.5

July: -8.3

August: -8.7

September: -9.2

 

Fangraphs allows you to split by OF but not by IF, but it looks like the infield defense actually had positive numbers in July and August (just going by the difference between the two numbers), but fell off considerably in September. I'd be interested to see our DRS values, but by UZR we were still by far the worst defensive team in baseball in the 2nd half.

 

I wonder if those September numbers correlate to Olt seeing the bulk of the playing time over Saladino?

 

[GGajewski18]

I was pondering this yesterday. Would a Frankie Montas for David Dahl make sense?

[southsider2k5]

The insistence on getting Montas big league starts this season makes me wonder if they're not thinking of him as the 5th starter.

 

In a lost year, I have no problem with the team getting guys like Montas a taste of the big leagues. Especially if they are worried about guys like Sale and Rodon on innings limits, there is nothing wrong with a guy like Montas sucking up a couple of starts.

 

It isn't like Johnson who they have put on a regular turn through the rotation.

[LDF]

In a lost year, I have no problem with the team getting guys like Montas a taste of the big leagues. Especially if they are worried about guys like Sale and Rodon on innings limits, there is nothing wrong with a guy like Montas sucking up a couple of starts.

 

It isn't like Johnson who they have put on a regular turn through the rotation.

 

what you bring up is very intereisting

[LDF]

I wouldn't put too much stock into it. Are they entertaining Mike Olt and JB Shuck as starters too? I think it's more of a "Why not?" thing. Looking towards the offseason, maybe Montas can get his life together and lose all of the excess weight he carries on his 22-year-old body and make himself into someone capable of being a starter in the MLB.

 

i would mind giving him a invite to spring training for a look see.

[harfman77]

While I agree, I think Johnson replaces Samardzija and a FA would ultimately replace Quintana if he were to be moved. Fulmer can make his way into the rotation in a season where Danks in his last year of his contract. If the Sox are running with Sale/Rodon/FA/Johnson/Danks and are in the race and Fulmer is tearing up Charlotte you can move Danks to the bullpen because he's an impending FA.

 

I dont think you would want a free agent to fill in the final hole in the rotation. At this point the team is still likely to be third in the division next year if not worse and one FA starter isn't going to make the difference. I would rather use Beck in the rotation to start the season and go from there when either Montas or Danish are ready. Save money in FA and use it in signing some of the young Cubans coming over.

[OmarComing25]

I dont think you would want a free agent to fill in the final hole in the rotation. At this point the team is still likely to be third in the division next year if not worse and one FA starter isn't going to make the difference. I would rather use Beck in the rotation to start the season and go from there when either Montas or Danish are ready. Save money in FA and use it in signing some of the young Cubans coming over.

Using a stop-gap free agent SP for a year or two until the younger guys are ready isn't really a bad idea. Wouldn't cost that much money, and if he performs well he becomes a trade asset at the deadline if you fall out of contention.

Edited September 29, 2015 by OmarComing25

[harfman77]

My off-season plan would be to just sit back and take our lumps next offseason in attempt to rebuild the roster in a more competitive manner.

 

 

Offer Shark a QO

Exercise option on Alexei

Trade LaRoche and $6.5M to the Marlins for Marcel Ozuna

Eaton to the Padres for Jose Rondon and Ryan Butler

Quintana to the Red Sox for Rafael Devers, Henry Owens and Andrew Benintendi

 

C Flowers

1B Abreu

2B Sanchez

3B Davidson

SS Ramirez

LF Garcia

CF Ozuna

RF Thompson

DH Cabrera

 

UTL Saladino

BE Olt

BE Shuck

BE Brantly

 

SP Sale

SP Rodon

SP Thompson

SP Danks

SP Samardjzia/Owens/Beck

 

RP Robertson

RP Petricka

RP Jones

RP Duke

RP Jennings

RP Webb

RP Putnam

 

As the season goes on I would try and move Melky and Alexei if they put up attractive numbers also Shark if he accepts the QO. I would start working Devers at 2B and Anderson in LF. The team maybe wins 70 games and nets another high draft pick to add to the cause.

 

In two year your lineup is:

 

C (Trade)/Flowers

1B Abreu

2B Devers

3B Michalzewski

SS Rondon

LF Anderson

CF Benintendi

RF Thompson/Free agent

DH Garcia/free agent/trade/Draft Pick

 

 

SP Sale

SP Rodon

SP Fulmer

SP Johnson

SP Draft pick/Montas/Danish