Levine Article: Sox Rebuilding

[BlackSox13]

The problem isn't Levine, its that most Sox fans do not know how to speak Levine. An interpretation of this article can be much different if one learns to read between the Levine lines. What I got from the article is that the Sox trade LaRoche and minor league scraps for Arenado, trade Melky/Cream of Sumyoungguy + prospects for Trout, Danks/ EJ and more minor league scraps for Correa/McCullers/ Keuchel, SD gives the Sox Norris for cash considerations, Thompson/Robertson to Wash for Harper/Turner (plays 2B for Sox), Sox sign Heyward to an 8/200M contract, Sox also sign Chris Davis to a 4/league minimum contract just because Davis is in " win now" mode and finally the Sox sign Mark Buehrle to go on a whirlwind magic mystery tour for his final MLB season where he shakes hands with the masses and kisses babies in White Sox onesies.

 

Y'all just don't understand Levine.

[southsider2k5]

On the contrary - that's exactly the message he's conveying. When he talks about a template to "praise" or "emulate" that involves a record below .500 for a "minimum of five years", then that's him realigning our expectations, big time.

 

Gladly (if you can actually use that word this way), to your point, we are not starting that rebuild right now. Many aspects of a rebuild started in 2013, stalled only by last offseason's activity. But in resuming those rebuild efforts now, by the time this team is competitive again, given the current state of the team, "half of a decade" and maybe then some will have been "punted". Think 2013 to whichever the next year is that we'll be competitive after this rebuild is complete. Unless you think rebuild efforts involving obtaining young, cost-controlled players will somehow make us competitive in the next couple of years.

 

I am not surprised at all that is what you read in there. You totally ignored the parts about those other teams finishing under 500 for 5 straight years, and trying to move the time line forward as much as possible. For perspectives sake, that would mean finishing under .500 each of the next two years.

[LDF]

The problem isn't Levine, its that most Sox fans do not know how to speak Levine. An interpretation of this article can be much different if one learns to read between the Levine lines. What I got from the article is that the Sox trade LaRoche and minor league scraps for Arenado, trade Melky/Cream of Sumyoungguy + prospects for Trout, Danks/ EJ and more minor league scraps for Correa/McCullers/ Keuchel, SD gives the Sox Norris for cash considerations, Thompson/Robertson to Wash for Harper/Turner (plays 2B for Sox), Sox sign Heyward to an 8/200M contract, Sox also sign Chris Davis to a 4/league minimum contract just because Davis is in " win now" mode and finally the Sox sign Mark Buehrle to go on a whirlwind magic mystery tour for his final MLB season where he shakes hands with the masses and kisses babies in White Sox onesies.

 

Y'all just don't understand Levine.

 

hahaha.....

 

the comedy is on tonite.

[klaus kinski]

5 years? Many of us could do it in that time. I imagined Hahn was better than this.

[Flash Tizzle]

Re-reading the article I think he is obviously trying to put things into perspective. All of these other teams that people want to emulate took between 5 and 10 years of being awful to get to where they are now. The Sox are trying to speed that time line up.

 

He is trying to realign expectations a bit, but still send the message that they aren't punting for a half of a decade.

 

At no point does he say they are starting a new rebuild, only continuing what they started a few years back.

It's time to speed things up quite a bit, we've completed our 7th straight season without a playoff appearance. What we're doing isn't working, obviously. And what's maddening is NO ONE has learned anything. I wish we would f***ing rebuild, not "on the fly" but a FULL rebuild. Will it work? Who knows, but I'd atleast like a comparison to draw off of. I have years of evidence that suggests the current group and their philosophies for constructing ballclubs has been disasterous

 

Just look at Minnesota. Last playoff appearance in 2010, god awful for a few years, now come 2016 better positioned to compete. That's honestly how we should go about it. We're well behind KC and no better than Cleveland. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if come 2020 Detroit makes it back to the playoffs before us.

 

Otherwise, we should atleast be critical of Hahn as fans and start putting high expectations on him to turn this around immediately. We need to stop shoulder shurgging mediocrity. Every move has to work; every trade, every signing, everything. Why bother going through another 2015 season in 2016? We know the problems, now Hahn has to address them

Edited November 12, 2015 by Flash Tizzle

[Thad Bosley]

I am not surprised at all that is what you read in there. You totally ignored the parts about those other teams finishing under 500 for 5 straight years, and trying to move the time line forward as much as possible. For perspectives sake, that would mean finishing under .500 each of the next two years.

Can you spend just a little more time in thinking about how to debunk everything I say, because your retorts are getting weaker and weaker as we go along. This is one of your sadder efforts, and that's saying something.

 

I did not "ignore the parts about those other teams finishing under .500 for five straight years". I actually called out how Hahn not only acknowledged that's what a rebuild takes, but actually how he "praised" that approach and found it one to "emulate". What I did in my last post was simply try and tie in a point you made that we had started the rebuild a "few years ago" - your words - and therefore if this approach is one that Hahn now prefers, at least we are a few years into it. In other words, with our three consecutive years at under .500 already under our belts now, we should only have 2-3 years more of the results we've recently experienced before our fortunes turn. And given the current state of the team with its league-worst offense and near-worst defense, it's going to take 2-3 years to improve on that with an approach that involves avoiding free agency and favors acquiring young talent.

 

One more time, SS2K5, just to make sure you get it. If Hahn is now in favor of the approach that Houston, KC, Pittsburgh and the Cubs took,,one that in his words requires a "minimum of five years with a record under .500", then at the very least that's good news, because we now have three of those under .500 done with. But it's going to take another couple of years to turn it around based on where we are today, and so your point that Hahn was not suggesting this organization wasn't "punting away half of a decade" in order to get things right was, well, wrong. Wrong and very inaccurate.

[dpd9189]

Levine always seems like a type to me who's always been a microphone for whatever the Cubs/Sox FO's message to the fans is.

 

The Sox spent how much last offseason and now he's trying to spin it as they are "rebuilding"? Sorry, no way. Rebuilding is what the Cubs and Houston have done. This a garbage message from Levine and possibly the Sox too saying "we blew it last year with all the signings, so we're just going to say we're rebuilding to make people feel better". If the Sox are going to rebuild then rebuild the right way.

[spiderman]

Re-reading the article I think he is obviously trying to put things into perspective. All of these other teams that people want to emulate took between 5 and 10 years of being awful to get to where they are now. The Sox are trying to speed that time line up.

 

He is trying to realign expectations a bit, but still send the message that they aren't punting for a half of a decade.

 

At no point does he say they are starting a new rebuild, only continuing what they started a few years back.

 

I agree with this; he's not saying the White Sox are going to take the same rebuilding path that the other teams that were mentioned are; in fact, he said the opposite in that he wants the White Sox to compete as soon as possible. This is also a completely different situation; the White Sox just spent heavily in free agency one off-season ago. That is not the path of a team that is about to enter a full blown rebuilding project.

[Dick Allen]

Can you spend just a little more time in thinking about how to debunk everything I say, because your retorts are getting weaker and weaker as we go along. This is one of your sadder efforts, and that's saying something.

 

I did not "ignore the parts about those other teams finishing under .500 for five straight years". I actually called out how Hahn not only acknowledged that's what a rebuild takes, but actually how he "praised" that approach and found it one to "emulate". What I did in my last post was simply try and tie in a point you made that we had started the rebuild a "few years ago" - your words - and therefore if this approach is one that Hahn now prefers, at least we are a few years into it. In other words, with our three consecutive years at under .500 already under our belts now, we should only have 2-3 years more of the results we've recently experienced before our fortunes turn. And given the current state of the team with its league-worst offense and near-worst defense, it's going to take 2-3 years to improve on that with an approach that involves avoiding free agency and favors acquiring young talent.

 

One more time, SS2K5, just to make sure you get it. If Hahn is now in favor of the approach that Houston, KC, Pittsburgh and the Cubs took,,one that in his words requires a "minimum of five years with a record under .500", then at the very least that's good news, because we now have three of those under .500 done with. But it's going to take another couple of years to turn it around based on where we are today, and so your point that Hahn was not suggesting this organization wasn't "punting away half of a decade" in order to get things right was, well, wrong. Wrong and very inaccurate.

Which is great for you, at least 2 more years of the same post b****ing about how Reinsdorf has ruined White Sox fans' lives.

 

And it's not just being under .500 for 5 years, it is being god awful for 5 years or more. The Cubs had Schwarber and Bryant on the field as their draft picks this year. That is a #4 overall and a #2 overall. KC had Gordon, Moustakas and Hosmer, a #2, #2, and #3.

 

 

Edited November 12, 2015 by Dick Allen

[Hatchetman]

Levine always seems like a type to me who's always been a microphone for whatever the Cubs/Sox FO's message to the fans is.

 

Agree 100%. He's been buddying up to the teams for 30 years. He gets some scoops to reward his favorable treatment.

[LDF]

Which is great for you, at least 2 more years of the same post b****ing about how Reinsdorf has ruined White Sox fans' lives.

 

And it's not just being under .500 for 5 years, it is being god awful for 5 years or more. The Cubs had Schwarber and Bryant on the field as their draft picks this year. That is a #4 overall and a #2 overall. KC had Gordon, Moustakas and Hosmer, a #2, #2, and #3.

 

don't get me wrong, i am not trying to be antagonistic about this, but what are your opinion on this and the sox fo???