jacksonianmarch

Well, Rasmus is taking my advice and accepting the QO

Scherzer would be an interesting name. The Nats only paid him $15 mil last yr as his back end contract is awful. I was wondering if we would hear his name. I am sure if anyone wanted him and agreed to take on the dead money after the contract, they would have to listen.

Not saying Cueto is an ace. More asking who the opening day starter or the team's "ace" will be for 2016

Back on topic. Everyone must commit here. Who is the "ace" the sox will trot out on opening day this year? I am going with Cueto

All I am asking is a 4th OFer who continues to mash lefties

In August, his Slugging was higher than his OPS for the rest of the yr

Looks like JBJ is generating some interest. Makes a lot of sense to move him while his stock is high.

I always love the questions as to whose fault it was when guys get signed. The fact of the matter remains, 2 people left the organization in Cherington and Lucchino. I think it can be safely assumed that those two guys made the decisions in the baseball ops department. Lucchino was marginalized after 2014 and Ben was going to be marginalized after 2015 until he basically quit. The fact is, there is never just one decision maker. Nobody has pure autonomy. Owners set budgets and need to sign off on basically all financial obligations. Presidents look at the big picture, beyond just personnel. The GM is responsible for player acquisitions within the set budget from above. There was definitely discord among the FO the last 2 years. You have the implosion of a world series team, the firesale of pitchers and the subsequent "failure" of the youth movement. A big market team CAN bring in kids and can get younger. But a big market club basically going full rebuild just doesn't happen. That being said, if you are going to "reload", you need to make sure your big purchases are sound. Pablo and Hanley were the two guys who had the biggest character issues linked to them last off-season. Panda basically got reamed by former Giants on his way out the door and there was an all too public dispute as 2014 ended about how he couldn't make his weight clauses. Hanley was with Boston and basically was hated by everyone. He goes to Miami and plays like a maniac yet everyone and their mother wanted him gone. He goes to LA, spends a few injury plagued but productive seasons there and is basically ushered out without even an offer. Pablo and Hanley were the highly productive cancers. The sox saw how cancers can cause a clubhouse to implode. They got rid of their cancers and won a title. They have a rough hangover 2014 season mostly due to the arrogance that 3 rookies can replace 3 stable vets and then they go out and sign 2 guys who ruin clubhouse chemistry and it showed. The sox played about .400 ball with Hanley in the lineup. They were a playoff level team without him. Pablo declined to the point of embarrassment at 3b and couldn't hit to save his life. Those two signings are the anchor on an otherwise up and coming offensive club. Cherington and Lucchino paid the price for it. Whoever actually pulled the trigger on it is irrelevant

I don't want any of the s*** the DBacks have. We need an ace or at least an innings eating #2. We have plenty of young, high upside arms who are either unproven or haven't been able to stay healthy for the full season. Warren, Tanaka, Severino, Pineda, Mitchell, Eovaldi. They're all young and all have lights out stuff. Only Warren stayed in the bigs all year and didn't get hurt. Severino is likely to be on an IP limit. Eovaldi ended the yr with elbow pain. Tanaka has a tear in his elbow and missed time with a "forearm strain". Pineda had some back issues and also fell apart down the stretch. We need a reliable, 200+IP starter who is at least a 2, and preferably an ace. We have enough upside and our rotation runs 7 deep

And Sanchez punctuated the deal today by hitting his 7th HR and stealing his 4th base of the fall. He isn't a speedster by any means, but he isn't ploddingly slow like Montero was. This is all in 17 games btw. .306/.338/.667, I'll take it

And we don't lose a thing. Gary Sanchez is going to get the Posada treatment. This kid is the goods and is in the process of winning the MVP of the AFL right now. We basically dumped our backup catcher and made room for a better backup catcher, all the while getting a guy who is on the upswing. Hicks is either a good 4th outfielder or a guy who has the potential to be more depending on how his left handed swing takes to the Yankees park. He destroys lefties, btw, and is a switch hitter. Plus, he plays excellent D at all 3 OF slots and has a cannon

It may not be. Who knows, we could get some amazing offer for Sanchez and need to sign a vet backup. For right now, it will be Romine and Sanchez battling it out

Meh, I think this means Sanchez breaks camp in the bigs. This is the perfect grooming scenario with 3 yrs left on McCann's deal

Yanks deal Pirela to SD for AA pitcher Ronald Herrera.

Which is why I think we might have something here in NY. We have a dominant, proven left closer on a sweet 3 yr deal and a perennial 3 win outfielder capable of playing a solid CF who is reasonably under contract for 2 more seasons. I actually think we line up well with the Mets, especially if we add in Refsnyder, who could replace Murphy. That would basically force us to sign Zobrist to play 2b

You guys dealt Lester in the final year of his deal and basically got Porcello for last season, who was awful. This subsequently added to the case for your GM to be removed. Imagine if the CWS did the same thing, dealt Sale for a bunch of prospects and they had a bad year on the farm or fizzled out? The GM would be s*** canned. GM's like their job. If they're going to move a true blue ace who is 26 and has a sweet 4 yr deal, they better get something tangible

Heyward plays phenomenal defense, is an on base machine, steals bases, has some pop and usually has a bunch of extra base hits. He's a perennial 6 win player. Gardner is a perennial 3-4 win player. Also, Gardy is 32 and Heyward is 26. Plus, I'm not advocating giving away Miller and Gardner. I'm advocating packaging the two and getting an ace. We have the pen depth to absorb the loss of Miller. We acquire a front line starter. Then plug in Heyward in LF and we will be a much better team

Acevedo to me is a top 5, maybe top 3 guy. I read an article about his last handful of starts. The guy was SITTING at 100 and topping out at 103. Add to that 2 plus potential offspeed offerings and solid command in a gigantic frame and you have the makings of a lights out ace. Everyone will be asking about him, but I hope he is truly untouchable unless we get a DeGrom or Harvey level pitcher

BTW, everyone and their mother are predicting Heyward to NYY. If he comes to NYY, we would need to offload an outfielder. I could see Miller and Gardner packaged together to a team in need of offense and elite pen help. I wonder if the Mets would be willing to listen should a prospect or two be added to the mix?

I would definitely make that deal. Miller was great, but he is a reliever at 32 yrs old. Strasburg is an otherworld talent with health issues. I would take the risk especially since we have a deep farm when it comes to power arms

It takes the hardest thing to develop in baseball out of the White Sox rotation. It would be a hard sell to the fan base to get guys who are aways off

The QO's are a major boon for team owners. Usually a QO is for a player you would actually like to retain. There is a premium to be paid for guys coming back on 1 yr deals and that premium would be potentially double the amount of money they would otherwise make on the open market on an annual basis. Take Rasmus. The guy should probably take the QO. He is probably looking at $8-9mil AAV on the open market. But he will probably decline and end up in limbo.

Kimmi, the White Sox would deal Sale if they got Swihart plus Bogaerts or something else. It would have to be so insanely in their favor that they couldn't say no. Swihart plus a bunch of prospects doesn't do that. Blake is a good prospect, but he got exposed defensively, which may have soured his return currently. The Marlins are a mess, per se, but they are also run by a businessman. You don't sell your best commodity when the price is at its lowest

Sale has one of the worst negotiated contracts in HISTORY. Assuming the WS GM doesn't have an aneurysm when determining whether to pick up the options, the White Sox have Sale for 4 yrs and $47.15mil. If you deal a young lefty ace who is cost controlled at the rate of a #4 starter for 4 seasons, then you have to get such highway robbery that you MUST re-set your franchise immediately. Any deal for Sale includes Betts or Bogaerts TO START in order to keep the White Sox masses from burning down US Cellular. Jose Fernandez is coming off TJS. His value is a little lower than it should be. Nobody in their right mind will deal him when his value is low. Also, Fernandez is just entering his arb yrs and coming off basically two lost seasons, his cost will be low. If the Marlins move him, it would be next offseason.

Kimmi, you can get a young cost controlled starter without having to give up Betts and Bogaerts. You just wont be able to get a young, cost controlled ace without giving them up or a serious amount of return if they are left undealt. Oakland is your wild card. That being said, everyone is talking about Donaldson. Well, Beane f***ing hated Donaldson. I think part of the deal was spite. Little did Beane know that Toronto would be so good this yr and put Donaldson in such a good situation. Even so, Beane ended up getting a lot of good value in the Donaldson trade. Whenever you trade with Beane when he is dealing away the big talent, you usually get screwed. When he is acquiring the big talent, it is hit or miss. His Samardzija deal looks terrible