notin

Because Apple watches > trash cans?

I don't think that's what reverse is for. You might even be scary by Florida driving standards...

Also because the White Sox don't need starting pitching...

Doubt happens. They are human. But I would be very surprised if it happened as often for them (in baseball situations at least) as we think and at a frequency we could relate to. Even taking extreme examples, like facing Randy Johnson in his prime. Or Nolan Ryan. Or Hoss Radbourne, depending on your age and era of preference. We think players get intimidated, and they might be more so than if they were facing any of 1,000 other pitchers. But they still dig in. And they still have enough faith in their abilities to swing the bat. and none of them are swinging to get it over with and go sit back down, not even the lowliest utility infielder; they're swinging because they think they can hit this guy...

Yes, I think much of their confidence is justified. I call it "overconfident" because it involves a level of confidence I cannot even begin to comprehend. It's also why I don't believe we can relate to the concept of "choking" and throw that label around way too quickly...

That's why pencils have erasers and keyboards have backspace keys...

I can't see Sanchez being tendered a contract. He's almost completely untradable, and he has no position with the Yankees...

Depending on how he is recovering from being stabbed. He's obviously a good player, but my logic was his frequent health issues prevent him from being worth $8mill to San Diego. I was very close to applying similar logic to Jameson Taillon. But as he is a pitcher with potential ace ability, he is very tradable at his projected price...

So my guess is nothing happens until after teams tender/non-tender contrats by December 2nd, when we see the real free agent pool. The sox have pre-emptively released a lot of their players who would have been non-tendered. The only two candidates left that I can see are Austin Brice, Ryan Weber and Kevin Plawecki, and I would only expect maybe Brice to actually be non-tendered. But as he is only projected to get $700-900K, he might well not be. Now other teams might fill the free agent pool. If I had to guess as toi who will become free agents on December 2nd, do any of these names intrigue anyone? Matt Andriese Cam Bedrosian Almedys Diaz Travis Shaw Johan Camargo Orlando Arcia Alberto Almora Ryan Tepera Junior Guerra Tyler Anderson Darin Ruf Donovan Solano Delino DeShields Jr. Tyler Naquin Jose Urena Richard Bleier Guillermo Heredia Chasen Shreve Tommy Pham Seranthony Dominguez Adam Morgan Steve Brault Adam Frazier Chad Kuhl Danny Santana Nick Tropeano Hunter Renfroe Michael Lorenzen Maikel Franco Michael Fulmer Matt Wisler Adam Engel Nomar Mazara Carlos Rodon Gary Sanchez I don't suspect them all to be, but I suspect a significant amount of the players who are non-tendered are found on this list. I am gambling with a few surprises (Pham, Frazier, Sanchez) as well...

So you're argument that MLB players are not overconfident in general rests on facing one pitcher? And hey, I bet you'd be surprised how many players were up for the challenge of trying to hit Randy Johnson, even ones who were previously 0 for 12 against him. When you see guys like Yairo Munoz walk away from an MLB team because he thought/knew he was good enough to be starting, you get some sense of how confident a lot of these players really are in their own abilities. And they have to be. Confidence and overconfidence might the biggest actor separating the worst Major Leaguers from the best minor leaguers. I think too often fans try to superimpose their own feelings on some of these guys, but very, very few of us can identify with what it is like to be publicly acknowledged as one of the best 750 people in the world at anything...

You're right. Maybe he will mature a bit in his 80's...

Yeah that doesn't mean anything except that Manfred was too big of a wimp to tackle the issue properly...

Except pet birds and dead fish...

He might be a non-tender candidate. If every team in baseball is passing on Brad Hand at $10mill, the chances one team is going to do the Yankees a favor and give up talent for Gary Sanchez at $6mill is very small. That said, the White Sox declined Edwin Encarnacion's option and might not mind accommodating Sanchez. A trade of Sanchez plus $4mill for Reynaldo Lopez actually makes sense for both teams. (And would irritate me, as Lopez is one of the bounceback guys I think whose numbers vastly underepresent him. He's a guy the Red Sox need to target.)

I'm not so big on the influence of confidence. Every player in MLB has that, and I would doubt it is even possible to make MLB without a certain amount of confidence. There's only 750 jobs, and the separation with that small amount will NOT be based on talent alone. In fact, I would bet overconfidence is a bigger problem than under-confidence among Major Leaguers....

In some states. a third DUI is a felony...

Hey show some respect!!! That drunk won a World Series in 1989!! And hey, maybe when he got fired by Reinsdorf is when LaRussa started his drinking ...

An odd defense, considering nearly half the guys on that list (Gonzalez, Peacock, Fiers) have the exact same baggage as Cora...

The New York Post - the only newspaper in America whose primary competition is Charmin...

Hey sometimes it helps to just get your name in the papers...

I say go for the All-Baggage team and sign Osuna, Kela, Yasiel Puig, Marwin Gonzalez, Justin Turner, Ryan Braun, Mike Fiers, Matt Harvey, and Brad Peacock. All potential bargains and none of them will be unpleasant surprises. And hey, if you endorse Cora, you already endorsed baggage

With Bogaerts having an aversion to 3b and a No Trade Clause, it’s an obstacle...

The big obstacle being Atlanta doesn’t need a shortstop...

And by being owed $40 mill over the next two seasons, he’s really not a great trade chip. Again, Brad Hand passed through waivers unclaimed. If not one team will take a $10mill All Star closer for free, how many are willing to give up significant talent for two years of a $20 mill shortstop?

Hendriks over Osuna? And I think you overlook the potential biggest bargain in Keone Kela. Also, I actually expect there to be a Workman reunion...