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Targets: OF/DH

Lake Shore Drive

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As the offseason continues to evolve and the likelihood of JD Martinez becoming the next White Sox DH greatly diminished (more on him in a bit), there are still other candidates we can pursue, such as Edwin Encarnacion, whose name has been bandied about since JD opted back in with the Red Sox. But for my wishlist, I'd much rather see us go after Nick Castellanos. He's technically a RF, which doesn't hurt to have this option in our back pocket, but his defense is lousy and gets worse with each passing year. Yet he's a helluva hitter and should do well in bat-friendly GR Field.

For the OF, I like either of two LH options: Corey Dickerson or Kole Calhoun. I know Hahn has stated on several occasions that he'd rather have the best bats out there regardless vs having some RH/LH balance just for balance's sake. But I think that's a bit of not wanting to show his hand. And besides, we're already quite topheavy in RH hitters. Either of these two could fill the bill for handling RF duties. Both are former GGers. Dickerson, whose 2019 campaign ended with a broken foot, is probably the better overall hitter, whereas Calhoun brings more pop with his bat. Both have good clubhouse reputations, especially Calhoun.

Now back to Martinez. There have been a lot of grumblings coming out of Boston that the Red Sox need to dump salary and either Martinez or Mookie Betts is likely to go. The Pale Hose could still end up trading for JD, but I believe his opt out option is good for each year of his remaining contract. So it could end up that we'd be trading for a one year rental. To me that would suck, unless of course we didn't have to surrender any of our top prospects.
 

richig07

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Calhoun is an insanely streaky hitter who goes into lulls during every season where you would have a better chance of putting a fan in for an at-bat. Then, he has seasons like 2017 where he never comes out of it. Not sure I'm ready to deal with that. Seen that from enough White Sox hitters.

Dickerson is a pretty solid player. Some problems with injuries. There's also a hot/cold nature to his hitting (first half 2017 vs second half 2017 as an example) but nothing like Calhoun.
 

Lake Shore Drive

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Calhoun is an insanely streaky hitter who goes into lulls during every season where you would have a better chance of putting a fan in for an at-bat. Then, he has seasons like 2017 where he never comes out of it. Not sure I'm ready to deal with that. Seen that from enough White Sox hitters.

Dickerson is a pretty solid player. Some problems with injuries. There's also a hot/cold nature to his hitting (first half 2017 vs second half 2017 as an example) but nothing like Calhoun.
I'm leaning more toward Dickerson as well, but I'd be satisfied with Calhoun if it turned out to be the Sox choice to man the RF spot. He's a pure RF and plays it well, but can also play 1b in a crunch and of course DH when needed.
 

Jiddy

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I'm leaning more toward Dickerson as well, but I'd be satisfied with Calhoun if it turned out to be the Sox choice to man the RF spot. He's a pure RF and plays it well, but can also play 1b in a crunch and of course DH when needed.

Two guys 30+ that we might be bottled into because the rest of our lineup is so RH heavy. Good Lord...I mean, no doubt both guys would be an upgrade to the absolute sh*tpile we trotted out there at RF this past year...but what suckass limited options. Oh well...more money to keep Abreu and maybe sign a better pitcher and DH...
 

Lake Shore Drive

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Two guys 30+ that we might be bottled into because the rest of our lineup is so RH heavy. Good Lord...I mean, no doubt both guys would be an upgrade to the absolute sh*tpile we trotted out there at RF this past year...but what suckass limited options. Oh well...more money to keep Abreu and maybe sign a better pitcher and DH...
Don't think they're the only two OF possibilities - Ozuna immediately comes to mind - but I singled those two out because of the LH bats and that both are former GGers, which means that would immediately upgrade our OF defensively. Plus neither will break the bank, both in dollar amount and length of contract. And let's not kid ourselves, we all know the Sox will not be going all out in the spending department on any single player.
 

richig07

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Don't think they're the only two OF possibilities - Ozuna immediately comes to mind - but I singled those two out because of the LH bats and that both are former GGers, which means that would immediately upgrade our OF defensively. Plus neither will break the bank, both in dollar amount and length of contract. And let's not kid ourselves, we all know the Sox will not be going all out in the spending department on any single player.

I mean, you keep saying that... but regardless of whether he took it? We did offer Manny Machado almost 300 million dollars. So, let's see. Our spending ceiling on any individual is certainly higher than those two.
 

Lake Shore Drive

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I mean, you keep saying that... but regardless of whether he took it? We did offer Manny Machado almost 300 million dollars. So, let's see. Our spending ceiling on any individual is certainly higher than those two.
And you keep saying THAT, but as we all know, the proof is in the pudding. Until there's a really big contract that the targeted player actually signs, color me skeptical. As of this moment, it's just a bunch of opposing opinions from all of us.
 

Jiddy

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I mean, you keep saying that... but regardless of whether he took it? We did offer Manny Machado almost 300 million dollars. So, let's see. Our spending ceiling on any individual is certainly higher than those two.

Dude...There were 61 players that made more than Abreu last year...and that was the LARGEST salary year of his 6 year deal...which is the largest contract in White Sox history. That's your BABIP salary edition reality check right there...Breathe it in.
 

Lake Shore Drive

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Just so we're all on the same page here, it's not that I'm against the Sox going after a big money target. Hell, I'd LOVE for us to sign someone like Cole. It's just nothing in the Sox history tells me that we would stand a chance of signing him. And I'm not a big believer in the narrative that we almost signed this guy or that guy or that we offered a really big contract but just came up short. That narrative plus 25 cents still amounts to only two bits.

What I'm guessing that Hahn and Co will try to do is to sign a number of 2nd tier FAs to help fill in several gaps in our roster. Not so much as quantity vs quality per se. And after all, we're not just one great player/pitcher away from going to the WS. I'm trusting that they'll go for players with at least decent resumes and more importantly help make our team better. That's kind of the approach the Twins took last year and it worked out quite well for them.
 

Jiddy

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Just so we're all on the same page here, it's not that I'm against the Sox going after a big money target. Hell, I'd LOVE for us to sign someone like Cole. It's just nothing in the Sox history tells me that we would stand a chance of signing him. And I'm not a big believer in the narrative that we almost signed this guy or that guy or that we offered a really big contract but just came up short. That narrative plus 25 cents still amounts to only two bits.

What I'm guessing that Hahn and Co will try to do is to sign a number of 2nd tier FAs to help fill in several gaps in our roster. Not so much as quantity vs quality per se. And after all, we're not just one great player/pitcher away from going to the WS. I'm trusting that they'll go for players with at least decent resumes and more importantly help make our team better. That's kind of the approach the Twins took last year and it worked out quite well for them.

I actually do believe Jerry would sign a big free agent...but not Cole or Strasburg-who are probably the biggest names out there at one of our positions of need. Those guys are not like Manny Machado-a superstar hitter in his prime...so it's just not going to happen. He's not gonna spend on those guys. We talked about this last offseason how THAT was the big offseason to sign a big player. Everything outside of Cole is just meh, as far as I'm concerned-which means he WILL get top dollar and we WILL get outbid even if we bother going after him...which means...a whole buncha nothing on the superstar signing front.

Our team has to be the team that Hahn and Co. are claiming they are. Our core of Anderson/Moncada/Jimenez/Kopech/Giolioto..and yes...Abreu...and then the rest...They are it...They are the core. That is who we are. If they aren't the goods, like, full-on bona fide goods that other teams would go ga ga if they went FA...then this team is going nowhere. And when I say goods, I mean like superstar f*cking players for not one season...but consistently for their careers and most definitely for the next few years...

That's it. That's the reality. Embrace it and hope for the best. We'll sign a few pieces, that will improve us because we were so f*cking bad at the positions that need improving...but the winning...That falls upon the core. The rest of whatever we do in this offseason is just the icing on this cake. I just hope it's not a sh*tty cake.
 

podsox

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You would have thought Kenny would’ve learned to shut his mouth after last yr. nope....
 

Jiddy

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You would have thought Kenny would’ve learned to shut his mouth after last yr. nope....

You forgot the most important part:

QONVIyz.gif
 

Lake Shore Drive

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I still think they're going after quantity, and I'm guessing that's what Williams was hinting toward. And let's hope it's not so much a money thang. In this I mean that by quantity, the X number of players/pitchers they end up signing (4,5?) in total dollarwise will be the equivalent to one mega contract of someone like Cole or Rendon. I think there are some pretty good holes-filling position players/DH, as well as starting and relief pitching out there to make our roster stronger, even making it playoff caliber. I do agree about one thing tho. Williams opened his trap with that statement. We better not hear after the offseason is said and done that "Oh well, at least we tried" bullshit. There has to be results, no questions asked.
 

Jiddy

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I still think they're going after quantity, and I'm guessing that's what Williams was hinting toward. And let's hope it's not so much a money thang. In this I mean that by quantity, the X number of players/pitchers they end up signing (4,5?) in total dollarwise will be the equivalent to one mega contract of someone like Cole or Rendon. I think there are some pretty good holes-filling position players/DH, as well as starting and relief pitching out there to make our roster stronger, even making it playoff caliber. I do agree about one thing tho. Williams opened his trap with that statement. We better not hear after the offseason is said and done that "Oh well, at least we tried" bullshit. There has to be results, no questions asked.

I doubt he was hinting at anything. Sounds like a slough off statement to just get the mediot to leave him alone that he immediately realized would be taken the wrong way...so he about-faced it.
 

Jiddy

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What's really going on in Kenny Williams' head right now:

"How can we spend very little money while still making the fans happy this offseason, because the sharks are circling and will not let us back off the "money will be spent" commentary? Hmmm...Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice..."
 

richig07

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And you keep saying THAT, but as we all know, the proof is in the pudding. Until there's a really big contract that the targeted player actually signs, color me skeptical. As of this moment, it's just a bunch of opposing opinions from all of us.

What are you skeptical on, though? Are you saying the reports about our offer to Machado were lies?

What's the difference on whether or not he signed it? That's not the topic at hand. We're talking about the White Sox willingness to spend. Not a player's willingness to sign here.
 

richig07

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Dude...There were 61 players that made more than Abreu last year...and that was the LARGEST salary year of his 6 year deal...which is the largest contract in White Sox history. That's your BABIP salary edition reality check right there...Breathe it in.

Huh? Clearly, we have an extremely low payroll. That was never the argument. What the hell? lol

This is a weird post and its meaning isn't even evident.
 

richig07

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What's really going on in Kenny Williams' head right now:

"How can we spend very little money while still making the fans happy this offseason, because the sharks are circling and will not let us back off the "money will be spent" commentary? Hmmm...Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice..."

Why? Last year all that went through his head was how to get Machado and we offered him nearly 300 million dollars.

I'll gladly make an avatar bet with you that we make some signings.
 

Jiddy

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Why? Last year all that went through his head was how to get Machado and we offered him nearly 300 million dollars.

I'll gladly make an avatar bet with you that we make some signings.

Of course we'll sign some players...in positions that we are so f*cking bad that we MUST revert to the mean at those positions or we're going to lose a sh*t ton of games again.

But it won't be players good enough to ensure us that we are a legit team...it'll be players to get us, hopefully, back to average to support our core...


...but if our current core isn't the goods...then these outside of the team signings will be pointless and we'll get lambasted again in 2020. Any excitement should be cautionary because of the quality of the free agent signing pool that we will realistically go after.

We keep getting listed for every good free agent like we're always the top choice/team in the running when we most definitely aren't...as has been proven time and again. Even worse, we'll also be the sexy/dark horse pick for God knows how many mediots to "make the jump" after signing...Nick Castellanos? Kole Calhoun? (insert b/c level player here)??? Very very probable we're going to be sold snake oil all offseason...just sayin'.

'Twas Pirelli's Miracle elixir
That's what did the trick, sir
True, sir, true


We'll know in 5 months.
 

Jiddy

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Huh? Clearly, we have an extremely low payroll. That was never the argument. What the hell? lol

This is a weird post and its meaning isn't even evident.

There was a time when we were a top ten team for payroll...and it wasn't that long ago. Granted, we will never be anywhere even remotely close to what the top 5 teams in baseball pay their players now. It is what it is.
 
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