Cespedes Re-signs with the Mets

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

I would also guess the work ethic stories also go somewhere towards projecting how soon and severe his eventual decline will be coming.

 

What work ethic stories ? Is there one named source who says anything disparaging about his work ethic ? Because I can name Terry Collins as on record saying his game preparation is great. Would you be enlisting the help of a sport psychologist to be prepared mentally to do your best if you were a slacker ? All this stuff keeps getting brought up . It's all innuendo unless you can give me a link to someone going on record , not some unnamed scout or executive or yourself just throwing it out there as if it's fact.

[Soxbadger]

This is the key difference. The Sox obviously disagree that he is worth it. I would agree mostly due to age and inconsistent career.

 

I respect your opinion, just disagree with it.

 

I agree that he probably is not worth it and is cashing in on a walk year (although impossible to predict the future). That being said, for a team like the Sox I think its even more important to be cautious because a big signing that fails is far worse than no signing at all.

[Leonard Zelig]

Someone did a breakdown of all the "impact bats" signed in FA since 2010. Yellow means they were traded during the course of the contract. Green means they lived up to the contract. Looks like he combined all of Cruz's contracts together. Doesn't look good outside of a few.

 

Adam Dunn was traded.

[blackmooncreeping]

This guy said they signed him a few weeks ago. He knows nothing...Jon Snow

He does know someone in the Sox FO, but apparently he's just spitting out 2nd hand info from a low level contact.

[southsider2k5]

What work ethic stories ? Is there one named source who says anything disparaging about his work ethic ? Because I can name Terry Collins as on record saying his game preparation is great. Would you be enlisting the help of a sport psychologist to be prepared mentally to do your best if you were a slacker ? All this stuff keeps getting brought up . It's all innuendo unless you can give me a link to someone going on record , not some unnamed scout or executive or yourself just throwing it out there as if it's fact.

 

No one is going to go on the record except in the most extraordinary of situations. We both know that. But it is out there, and it is something that needs to be investigated and considered when deciding to spend 8 or 9 figures on a guy.

[Whisox05]

not many would turn down 5 years for 3, even 5 with deferrals. but @ynscspds is rare breed. interesting call #nats #mets

https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/690572893235855361

 

So he's supposedly deciding between a 3yr deal with maybe an opt out after 1st and a 5 years deal. The Sox have supposedly been only willing to go 3 yrs but haven't been said for awhile to be in serious consideration. What the hell have they been doing and why haven't they or didn't they move on.

Edited January 22, 2016 by WhiteSoxLifer

[fathom]

not many would turn down 5 years for 3, even 5 with deferrals. but @ynscspds is rare breed. interesting call #nats #mets

https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/690572893235855361

 

So he's supposedly deciding between a 3yr deal with maybe an opt out after 1st and a 5 years deal. The Sox have supposedly been only willing to go 3 yrs but haven't been said for awhile to be in serious consideration. What the hell have they been doing and why haven't they or didn't they move on.

 

No one knows if they have or haven't. The Sox have been under the radar for a month now.

[Whisox05]

Avisail Garcia, Don Cooper, Hawk, Ed Farmer, Ron Kittle, Harold Baines comprise phone sales team for #whitesox season tix customers Thurs.

https://twitter.com/CST_soxvan/status/690577060436271104

 

I'm sure alot of fans want to hear avi calling them asking them to get season tickets lol

[Whisox05]

No one knows if they have or haven't. The Sox have been under the radar for a month now.

 

I think that's what is driving us all nuts is nothing is being said about them except they are only going to 3 yrs.

[Rowand44]

Avisail Garcia, Don Cooper, Hawk, Ed Farmer, Ron Kittle, Harold Baines comprise phone sales team for #whitesox season tix customers Thurs.

https://twitter.com/CST_soxvan/status/690577060436271104

 

I'm sure alot of fans want to hear avi calling them asking them to get season tickets lol

That's just quite the sales team in general. I'd love to hear Harold's sales pitch.

[fathom]

Avisail Garcia, Don Cooper, Hawk, Ed Farmer, Ron Kittle, Harold Baines comprise phone sales team for #whitesox season tix customers Thurs.

https://twitter.com/CST_soxvan/status/690577060436271104

 

I'm sure alot of fans want to hear avi calling them asking them to get season tickets lol

 

Wow, that's just dumb by the org

[Dick Allen]

Avisail Garcia, Don Cooper, Hawk, Ed Farmer, Ron Kittle, Harold Baines comprise phone sales team for #whitesox season tix customers Thurs.

https://twitter.com/CST_soxvan/status/690577060436271104

 

I'm sure alot of fans want to hear avi calling them asking them to get season tickets lol

What would a call from Harold be like? Total silence on the other end I would imagine.

 

Did they have Coop calling fans telling them the Sox don't need them?

[knightni]

Avisail Garcia, Don Cooper, Hawk, Ed Farmer, Ron Kittle, Harold Baines comprise phone sales team for #whitesox season tix customers Thurs.

https://twitter.com/CST_soxvan/status/690577060436271104

They had to dial the phone for Avi and hand it to him because he kept reaching and flailing at the wrong receiver and missing the keypad entirely.

[knightni]

That's just quite the sales team in general. I'd love to hear Harold's sales pitch.

"This is the Chicago White Sox calling, please hold for your special guest operator Harold Baines."

 

"Here's Harold!"

 

"..."

 

"Hello? Harold?"

 

"..."

 

"Hello?"

 

"Buy tickets, please."

 

*Call disconnects*

[fathom]

I love this tweet:

 

keithlawVerified account ‏@keithlaw 3h3 hours ago

Cespedes should demand opt-outs after every week of the contract, just to see if the Mets will say yes

[ChiSoxFanMike]

They had to dial the phone for Avi and hand it to him because he kept reaching and flailing at the wrong receiver and missing the keypad entirely.

Why the hell is Avi doing these phone calls? 99.9% of Sox fans want his ass out the door anyway

[fathom]

BTW, I wonder if the plan all along when they were going after Cespedes was to put him in LF, and move Melky to DH while keeping Avi in RF?

[Chisoxfn]

At the very least, Avi would be in a platoon spot getting plenty of at bats (and probably doing a pretty good job in that role).

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

No one is going to go on the record except in the most extraordinary of situations. We both know that. But it is out there, and it is something that needs to be investigated and considered when deciding to spend 8 or 9 figures on a guy.

 

Then it's just backlash speculative bulls*** not based on anything concrete against a guy who many are envious. Yes it's one of many things to be investigated. But when it get's more attention than is warranted and is cited as if its a fact it's irresponsible .

 

There's one main reason that the Sox won't go longer term and it's that unless you are the Yankees Dodgers Red Sox it is fiscally irresponsible to hand out longer term contracts that pay for declining years. That has been apparent for years that those deals invariably becomes albatrosses to teams that don't have deep pockets.

 

Unfortunately those contracts have been standard practice in MLB for years but the Sox still play the game hoping against hope and getting all our hopes up by playing the game and coming up short most of the time. When they do play the game and actually sign a FA they end up losing because the 2nd tier guys are almost always ore risky than the 1st tier guys Less financially volatile but more volatile as far as being productive on the field.

 

In the last 2 years the Sox have given up 2 draft choices for free agents and possible a third if Desmond becomes a reality. Also 4 minor leaguers last year and 5 this year . Add up all that and it's 11 players from the minors and possibly 12 . Everyone says oh they will never be impact players . Yet Semien is already in the top 10 MLB SS according to MLB network analysis . Who knows who else may become valuable . Shark Lawrie and Frazier , that's 5 years total on the MLB field for 9 minor leaguers and 2 draft choices.

 

I thought recently Hahn spoke of sustained success . How are they going to do that if they have to keep restocking the farm and getting outbid for FA difference makers ? Dumpster diving is pure luck. Relying on the few high end minor leaguers is highly speculative that they will make it. The only way to win the minor league game is have a deep system where more players can surprise you with unexpected development to offset those who disappoint you. The system is even less deep than it was now. In 2 years we start all over again because Melky, Lawrie Frazier are gone. Or we don't compete in those 2 years and trade off pieces. Either way it's starting over.

 

Hahn has been a colossal failure . Getting Abreu and signing Sale Eaton Quintana to great deals doesn' t come close to all the failed money poured into unproductive FA's and prospects traded off. Those are a lot of players and years of control . So far it's his legacy that being below .500 or investing enough to be .500 and having no farm system is about what to expect.

[Rowand44]

BTW, I wonder if the plan all along when they were going after Cespedes was to put him in LF, and move Melky to DH while keeping Avi in RF?

Doubt it. Avi could have platooned at dh with Adam but have to get Garcia out of rf.

[southsideirish71]

Then it's just backlash speculative bulls*** not based on anything concrete against a guy who many are envious. Yes it's one of many things to be investigated. But when it get's more attention than is warranted and is cited as if its a fact it's irresponsible .

 

There's one main reason that the Sox won't go longer term and it's that unless you are the Yankees Dodgers Red Sox it is fiscally irresponsible to hand out longer term contracts that pay for declining years. That has been apparent for years that those deals invariably becomes albatrosses to teams that don't have deep pockets.

 

Unfortunately those contracts have been standard practice in MLB for years but the Sox still play the game hoping against hope and getting all our hopes up by playing the game and coming up short most of the time. When they do play the game and actually sign a FA they end up losing because the 2nd tier guys are almost always ore risky than the 1st tier guys Less financially volatile but more volatile as far as being productive on the field.

 

In the last 2 years the Sox have given up 2 draft choices for free agents and possible a third if Desmond becomes a reality. Also 4 minor leaguers last year and 5 this year . Add up all that and it's 11 players from the minors and possibly 12 . Everyone says oh they will never be impact players . Yet Semien is already in the top 10 MLB SS according to MLB network analysis . Who knows who else may become valuable . Shark Lawrie and Frazier , that's 5 years total on the MLB field for 9 minor leaguers and 2 draft choices.

 

I thought recently Hahn spoke of sustained success . How are they going to do that if they have to keep restocking the farm and getting outbid for FA difference makers ? Dumpster diving is pure luck. Relying on the few high end minor leaguers is highly speculative that they will make it. The only way to win the minor league game is have a deep system where more players can surprise you with unexpected development to offset those who disappoint you. The system is even less deep than it was now. In 2 years we start all over again because Melky, Lawrie Frazier are gone. Or we don't compete in those 2 years and trade off pieces. Either way it's starting over.

 

Hahn has been a colossal failure . Getting Abreu and signing Sale Eaton Quintana to great deals doesn' t come close to all the failed money poured into unproductive FA's and prospects traded off. Those are a lot of players and years of control . So far it's his legacy that being below .500 or investing enough to be .500 and having no farm system is about what to expect.

 

Great post

 

[lasttriptotulsa]

Call me crazy but I'm not ready to give up on Avi yet. Cespedes is very inconsistent on offense and may become complacent with a big contract. I would not be surprised at all to see Avi put up numbers similar or better than Cespedes did in 2013 or 2014. Obviously there are still big differences between their defense and base running abilities but if Avi can improve even marginally in both I think he has a shot to be a useful player this year.

[hogan873]

Call me crazy but I'm not ready to give up on Avi yet. Cespedes is very inconsistent on offense and may become complacent with a big contract. I would not be surprised at all to see Avi put up numbers similar or better than Cespedes did in 2013 or 2014. Obviously there are still big differences between their defense and base running abilities but if Avi can improve even marginally in both I think he has a shot to be a useful player this year.

You're crazy! But seriously, if Garcia ends up being the starting right fielder, he's going to be at a disadvantage with the fans. We (as the fan base) will be expecting him to fail and will probably be extra critical of him because we "could have had Gordon, Cespedes, or Upton". And being extra critical of him wouldn't be fair because it should be the front office we should be criticized. But, we'll also be expecting him to fail because he really hasn't shown that he can tap the purported wealth of talent he has. I'd love to see him succeed, but I think I'd rather see someone else patrolling right field.

 

All of that being said, if the Sox do not sign someone or make a trade, we'll be pissed. And we'll be pissed mainly because we suspected that the Sox were close to getting a better player. We only know what we're told by the media or through a couple of the guys who have sources. Who really knows how serious the Sox are about getting an outfielder.

[EvilJester99]

Thing I keep thinking of with Avi.. He is young and basically only had 1 full year in the majors and he struggled big time.. I think way too early to write him off though.

[Thad Bosley]

Call me crazy but I'm not ready to give up on Avi yet. Cespedes is very inconsistent on offense and may become complacent with a big contract. I would not be surprised at all to see Avi put up numbers similar or better than Cespedes did in 2013 or 2014. Obviously there are still big differences between their defense and base running abilities but if Avi can improve even marginally in both I think he has a shot to be a useful player this year.

One of the objectives in trying to "maximize" the window of opportunity that exists with guys like Sale, Quintana, and Rodon on the staff is to try and put the best defense behind them as possible. Obviously with Avi in right and Cabrera in left, we are nowhere near in a position to accomplish that goal. One or both have to go (Cabrera to DH). I just don't see Avi improving enough on the defense side of his game to justify running him out there again in a year that we are trying to win. That's what I love about Cespedes. The guy is one stop shopping for not only bringing badly needed power to our lineup, but he also represents a massive upgrade defensively to one of the outfield positions.

Edited January 22, 2016 by Thad Bosley