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Random Thoughts 2.1

Lake Shore Drive

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OK baseball fans - what do we talk about today?

What to do with Vaughn and Sheets?

I think Sheets is the rare kind of player who is especially locked in at the plate during big moments in a game. If Sheets is on the MLB roster - he ought to be the primary backup for Jose at 1st. Sheets can also use some time back at AAA proving he can hit Lefties.

Vaughn is developmentally ahead of Sheets at the plate. He can play a corner OF. He needs more work on hitting Righties. I'm really impressed with Vaughn's professional approach to the game. I expect he will show up this year - having worked on his game this winter and improve his numbers.

I wouldn't trade either of these guys this year.
I agree on all of this. And especially how I don't want to see either of these two traded. I still have that sour taste in my mouth over losing Nicky Two Strikes. Not sure what the Sox long term plan is for Pito, being this year is the last on his contract. I'd hate to just see him walk. He's still an RBI machine and defensively he's better than ever. But we continue to have somewhat of a logjam at 1B/DH. Obviously, either Sheets or Vaughn can step in at 1st as well as play the OF. So for the time being, assuming we don't pick up a starting RFer this offseason, we can actually play all three fairly regularly at 1B/RF/DH. 2023 might be a different story, but at least we can keep all three active if there are no further developments.
 

Mingo

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I agree on all of this. And especially how I don't want to see either of these two traded. I still have that sour taste in my mouth over losing Nicky Two Strikes. Not sure what the Sox long term plan is for Pito, being this year is the last on his contract. I'd hate to just see him walk. He's still an RBI machine and defensively he's better than ever. But we continue to have somewhat of a logjam at 1B/DH. Obviously, either Sheets or Vaughn can step in at 1st as well as play the OF. So for the time being, assuming we don't pick up a starting RFer this offseason, we can actually play all three fairly regularly at 1B/RF/DH. 2023 might be a different story, but at least we can keep all three active if there are no further developments.

I think it is imperative not to trade Vaughn or Sheets.

This makes Jake Burger and Miker Adolpho the top MLB ready trade commodities.

Two elements of the labor negotiation can be helpful to the White Sox in trade value after the labor agreement:

1) If the labor agreements include the DH for the National League - then guys like Adolpho and Burger will have more value in trades as guys - "next up" ready for the MLB.

2) If the labor agreement brings a minimum salary requirement -then teams attempting to rebuild like the Sox did - will have to add salary. This makes Keuchel and Kimbrel have a little more value - as they could go to a team wanting to hit the salary target - and perhaps get a guy they can trade at the deadline for prospects.

On another topic - Rey Lopez finished the season with some sensational numbers. His numbers - though more limited - were comparable to Rodon's. Lopez may be good trade bait - he has no particular Sox fan following, but he can be sold as fixed and experienced - ready to contribute as a #3 -#4 starter.

Lopez doesn't offer anything much different the other White Sox starters - the Sox are solid with Fast ball - Slider guys - that fits Gilolito, Lynn, Cease and Kopech. Lopez is also a fast ball/slider guy. The acquisition of Graveman in the bullpen helps break up the fastball slider guys in the pen. Keuchel was supposed to bring that type of pitching change up to the rotation but crashed and burned last season. The Sox are stuck paying Keuchel $20 million this year - nobody is expecting a Keuchel resurrection. Anyway - the guy who is said to be available who can break up the White Sox Fastball/slider rotation -would be Sonny Gray of the Reds. Gray is an innings eater - .500 win/loss type. If he can generate enough ground balls he might do very well pitching at the Rate.
 

Lake Shore Drive

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I think it is imperative not to trade Vaughn or Sheets.

This makes Jake Burger and Miker Adolpho the top MLB ready trade commodities.

Lopez doesn't offer anything much different the other White Sox starters - the Sox are solid with Fast ball - Slider guys - that fits Gilolito, Lynn, Cease and Kopech. Lopez is also a fast ball/slider guy. The acquisition of Graveman in the bullpen helps break up the fastball slider guys in the pen. Keuchel was supposed to bring that type of pitching change up to the rotation but crashed and burned last season. The Sox are stuck paying Keuchel $20 million this year - nobody is expecting a Keuchel resurrection. Anyway - the guy who is said to be available who can break up the White Sox Fastball/slider rotation -would be Sonny Gray of the Reds. Gray is an innings eater - .500 win/loss type. If he can generate enough ground balls he might do very well pitching at the Rate.
I kept those three items to discuss a bit further. YOU don't want to see Vaughn or Sheets traded. I don't want to see Vaughn or Sheets traded. But will the brass listen to us? I wouldn't bet the farm on that. The Sox have a history of trading guys who hadn't yet realized their potential at the time, but went on to do so with other teams, usually with the clubs who traded for them. I'd never rule out Hahn/Williams placing Vaughn or Sheets on the block to acquire a specific player or pitcher. In fact, said history almost dictates this very action.

Again, we're in agreement with Burger and Adolfo as consideration for trade bait. I've admired Jake's successful battle with those terrible Achilles injuries. Micker has also gone thru some painful rehab as well resulting from TJ surgery. Unfortunately, neither would garner much in return. My guess is if we're going after some big name, be it a SP or a top positional player, we'd need to add at least a couple more bodies or perhaps substitute accordingly. We have a glut of right handed SP holding fort on our top prospects list. I'd imagine at least a couple of them would be dangled as bait if the Sox are seriously pursuing a quality vet.

And yet again we're in agreement in offering ReyLo as trade bait. He's expendable, altho he did have a bit of a resurgence last season, and brings experience to both the rotation and the pen. Not sure we'd get much for him as is, but put together in a package, who knows.....
 

Lake Shore Drive

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As Random Thoughts 2.1 slowly draws to a close, I present this for answers to our 2b dilemma:


One word to describe the remaining batch of FA 2b: Yikes!!! Based on those names, I'd say that unless there's some type of trade brewing and just waiting for the CBA issues to be resolved, Leury's job as the primary at the position is quite safe.

I understand why we didn't seriously pursue Semien. That was one monster of a contract he was handed. This is not a case of sour grapes when I say the Rangers way overpaid him. He'll definitely help the club a lot, I don't doubt this one bit. But that was too much coinage for what's amounted to perhaps 2-3 years of worthy seasonal performances. Now OTOH, the Mets nabbing Eduardo Escobar for a 2/$20m contract was a relative steal. I see no reason why the Sox couldn't or perhaps better said, wouldn't top that.

So in the event this is my last original post for 2021, I can only conclude with best wishes for two of our local teams.

GO WHITE SOX!!
GO BULLS!!
 

Mingo

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White Sox top ten players going into 2022:

1) Robert
2) Cease
3) Grandal
4) Giolito
5) Hendriks
6) Anderson
7) Moncada
8) Jimenez
9) Abreu
10) Andrew Vaughn

Vaughn will get his 500 ABs by playing LF - RF - 1st Base (maybe even some 3rd base) and DH. A Leury Garcia counterpart.
 

Lake Shore Drive

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White Sox top ten players going into 2022:

1) Robert
2) Cease
3) Grandal
4) Giolito
5) Hendriks
6) Anderson
7) Moncada
8) Jimenez
9) Abreu
10) Andrew Vaughn

Vaughn will get his 500 ABs by playing LF - RF - 1st Base (maybe even some 3rd base) and DH. A Leury Garcia counterpart.
Not sure that you can leave Lynn off this list. He may have slipped from his midseason dominance, but I'd still have him easily in the top ten. And as much as I like Dylan's potential and who knows, maybe by the end of this season he'll be our #2 overall, his inconsistencies to date doesn't allow me to rank him this high. The exact reverse for Pito. Leading the majors in total ribbies over the last 3 years is the very model of consistency. So while I never gave serious thought to ranking our best ten, I guess now is as good a time as any to do so as well.

1. Robert
2. Abreu
3. Anderson
4. Hendriks
5. Lynn
6. Giolito
7. Grandal
8. Jimenez
9. Moncada
10. Cease

Honorable mentions: Kopech and Garcia. Kopech has the goods, but needs to get past the mental aspects of the game. Leury Legend deserves a nod simply due to his incredible versatility.

I'd like to see Jimenez and Moncada move up this list. We have them signed long term, so my hopes lie with them breaking out and realizing their potential. When I've posted in the past about the Sox having the ability to be an annual playoff team for a number of years, I've had these two in mind as key contributors to that success. As I previously mentioned about Dylan, I agree with everyone who feels he might have the best stuff on the pitching staff, but he needs to string 3,4,5 quality starts together before I elevate his ranking. I'd love to see this happen.
 

Lake Shore Drive

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If I was to add one more comment, it's that I think our top 3 are interchangeable. A sensible argument could be made for each one deserving a #1 ranking. Robert showed this past season why he's been tabbed as a future superstar. He brings it all to the table and it seems like the sky's the limit for him. Pito is Pito, the team leader who is an annual ribbie machine and now definitely a better than average defender at the bag. Timmay of course is the straw that stirs this team's drink. His defense and range get better every year and he's turned into a perennial .300+ hitter with some pop.
 

Mingo

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@Lake Shore Drive I was picking the top ten prospectively to the 2022 season - you very ably picked the top ten as we stand now. I need to be a better communicator. :)
 

Lake Shore Drive

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@Lake Shore Drive I was picking the top ten prospectively to the 2022 season - you very ably picked the top ten as we stand now. I need to be a better communicator. :)
Gotcha bud. And as I also mentioned, nothing would make me happier than to say at the end of this coming season that Cease was our #2 overall player on this talented ballclub. Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!
 
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