It is doubtful Woodruff will pitch before he becomes a free agent. It is also doubtful the Brewers will be able to re-sign Corbin Burnes after this year, so his name is going to keep coming up on the trade rumors.
Fully admitting that I struggle to make it through an entire piece without my eyes bleeding, but the stuff Ethan's been writing about TV deals lately makes it seem like Nutting might actually be crying poor? The amount of space they clear should be a decent indication of how aggressive they plan to be on adding to the club.
It was no secret the White Sox had plenty of good young players around 5 years ago. Personally, I think they went all in too fast acquiring many established veterans that didn't quite mesh and not allowing some of their prospects enough time. Right now they are a mess. As anxious we all are for the Pirates to win, I hope they don't make the same mistakes that the White Sox did.
Seems to me their *lack* of prospects is what killed them.
Those young guys from 5ish years ago are now in their late 20s and have collectively begun their steep decline, once again proving there's no such thing as moving too fast to build around a young core. Couple that with the fact that they've had the worst farm system in all of baseball since graduating that young core and veteran acquisitions seem to be the least of their problems.
More than anything though they're just another data point behind the reality that the vast majority of rebuilds fail. Awful way to build an organization.
They also seem to have had some misfortune with players diving off a cliff, be it injury related or just turning into bad players (Moncada, Eloy, Giolito). Combine that with front office overall incompetence that was always bubbling just under the surface and it isn’t too surprising it went sideways as quick as it did.
How could I have forgotten about Moncada. They were talking like him being a potential 40 40 guy, which might be closer to what his batting averages and on base percentages were.
It’s funny, but I think he had two pretty good seasons bracketing the pandemic season. But it didn’t really align with his scouting report (value mostly in OBP and defense).
Without a doubt, 2021 there was more excitement for White Sox fans than had been for 16 years. Once they got knocked out of the play-offs early, they went into a must-win now mode. They fired Ricky Renteria (who the players liked) and brought it Tony LaRussa. Even thought the prospects they traded away for rentals wouldn't have helped a lot, it added to the must win-now mode. Imo, too many of the prospects had to learn on the fly, but also felt the pressure to get the team to the world series. I think guys like Andrew Vaughn, Oscar Colas, Garret Crochet and Michael Kopech could have benefited from more success in the minors. We have seen at least two of those young guys go through personal issues. Other guys are often hurt. I live 2 hours from there and have many Sox fans as friends. Trust me. The fun stopped after they fired Renteria and hired LaRussa...... when all of the expectations changed, many unrealistic.
I think it was the message sent to a bunch of 23 and 24 year old players by firing Renteria. You need to do better. The young guys that were brought in did not respond to that and the older player that were brought in did not fit the needs of the White Sox.
I imagine Williams got called up due to his sudden hitting spree in AAA. With his glove, it's probably not a bad idea to keep him around to see whether he can tap back into that.
Hatch's photo appears in the dictionary entry for "fungible."
Williams appeared to have the tools but was overly anxious in his MLB debut. Maybe he figures it out with more time. I'd hate to give up on him, especially when I don't think it's a given that Cruz will stick at SS after his injury (it wasn't even a given before the injury, but what if he's lost a fraction of step in his range?).
His first at bat against Hader gave me hope, he looked poised and work himself a walk, it seems that was his peak!!!!! I do t think he should get a 40 spot, but I do hope that if dropped he clears ( light hitting SS normally does.)
In the abstract, he seems eminently unmissable. Looking at the 40 rn, though, the one guy I’d cut before him is Hatch. There’s a ton of guys whose departure probably wouldn’t mean a thing in the standings, but everybody at least seems to have some maybe-could-become-useful sort of profile.
It’s interesting that the guys they cut all got claimed. Used to be their DFAs all disappeared into the post-baseball void.
Agree with all of your projections. Alika Williams was a move made after several rostered players could not adequately handle the SS position after the injury to Oneil Cruz, but the need to keep him has passed. Cruz should be back at SS to start ST, and, IMO, Liover Peguero earned the start at 2B in his almost 200 AB's for the Pirates in 2023. And, Peguero could easily move to SS when Cruz gets a rest or when he is used as the DH. Jared Triolo was excellent in 2023 as the Infield Utility Player for all 4 IF Positions and hit much better than expected at the MLB level. Gold Glover Ke'Bryan Hayes anchors the IF at 3B.
That would be my starting IF on the 26 and would leave enough space to use 1B as a landing spot for different players (Triolo, Joe, Davis, EndyRod). But, what do we do with Ji-Hwan Bae and Nick Gonzales? Both are 2B, and other IF positions, and Bae did well in CF, which continues to be vacant at this time. A very difficult decision, but one that needs to be made soon. And, remember that 2B Termarr Johnson could possibly move very quickly through the minors - excellent OPS numbers at A/A+, 18 HR in 349 AB, K's of 120, but BB's of 101, and all at age 19! .
We'd be really confused if this trade was made 3 years ago. The guys the Braves traded had some pretty high potential. I guess this trade is an example of how much player's values can change in a short time.
The Braves cleared a lot of deadweight off their 40-man and got a player who may be a major contributor. The White Sox dumped some salary and filled several positions on the cheap. Soroka is a longshot bounce-back candidate who will be a free agent after next season. Seems like a fairly good trade for both teams though Atlanta seems to have the better of it. Bummer did not have great value after last season, so at least the Sox got something for him, and Atlanta cleans up its roster while acquiring a major potential bullpen piece with 2 club options.
Hard to doubt any decision made by GM Anthony Anthopoulos. He is very astute and pulls the trigger quickly when he sees a need for his team. Bummer is the LH setup to Iglesias at an inexpensive amount in 2024, and I think he has very reasonable team options for 2025 and possibly 2026. Don't know that any of the 5 players sent to the CWS would have ever seen MLB with Atlanta.
Isn’t it Alex? Deal makes some sense for both sides. Bummer was solid before last year and the Braves clear a lot of 40 man spots for arms. Sox get some interesting pieces for their rebuild.
Yes, it is Alex. I worked with a crazed Braves person that I was talking to yesterday and singing the praises of AA in getting talent and then locking it up long term. Maybe they are that good, or maybe that incentive of "we believe in you" works!
Just shocked to see soroka and shuster go for a dude who had an ERA over 6 last year? We could use those arms and we also have shitty relievers to go around
The Braves, like the Padres, have been great at taking advantage of the absurdly high value currently placed on age-relative-to-level and juiced a bunch of perceived value of out marginal guys just by rushing them to the show.
Braves non-tendered Perdomo. Be nice to get him back. This is definitely the time of year for maximum roster tomfoolery.
they had one look at his medicals
At least BC didn't further embarrass the fan base and tendered Joe and Bru. I had my doubts.
Are the Brewz doing a teardown?
It is doubtful Woodruff will pitch before he becomes a free agent. It is also doubtful the Brewers will be able to re-sign Corbin Burnes after this year, so his name is going to keep coming up on the trade rumors.
No that's not in Arnold's DNA. Can't pay Woodruff 8-figures for being out the whole year. Understandable.
Bido and Stratton non tendered.
According to Stumpf, they're hoping to retain both.
They also agreed to $1.6M with Borucki, avoiding arb.
sources say Toronto will land the big fish Pete Alonso, leaving Vlad Jr as a buy low candidate
Welcome to Chisox on deck.
Proof we're true baseballs fans AND stricken with a beloved franchise that doesn't do shit.
I love it. Diversify.
I have a bit of a soft spot for the Pale Hose. Saw my only spring training game there in 19. We were about five rows up. Eloy is an enormous dude.
Fully admitting that I struggle to make it through an entire piece without my eyes bleeding, but the stuff Ethan's been writing about TV deals lately makes it seem like Nutting might actually be crying poor? The amount of space they clear should be a decent indication of how aggressive they plan to be on adding to the club.
Crying poor or laughing rich?
It was no secret the White Sox had plenty of good young players around 5 years ago. Personally, I think they went all in too fast acquiring many established veterans that didn't quite mesh and not allowing some of their prospects enough time. Right now they are a mess. As anxious we all are for the Pirates to win, I hope they don't make the same mistakes that the White Sox did.
Seems to me their *lack* of prospects is what killed them.
Those young guys from 5ish years ago are now in their late 20s and have collectively begun their steep decline, once again proving there's no such thing as moving too fast to build around a young core. Couple that with the fact that they've had the worst farm system in all of baseball since graduating that young core and veteran acquisitions seem to be the least of their problems.
More than anything though they're just another data point behind the reality that the vast majority of rebuilds fail. Awful way to build an organization.
They also seem to have had some misfortune with players diving off a cliff, be it injury related or just turning into bad players (Moncada, Eloy, Giolito). Combine that with front office overall incompetence that was always bubbling just under the surface and it isn’t too surprising it went sideways as quick as it did.
How could I have forgotten about Moncada. They were talking like him being a potential 40 40 guy, which might be closer to what his batting averages and on base percentages were.
It’s funny, but I think he had two pretty good seasons bracketing the pandemic season. But it didn’t really align with his scouting report (value mostly in OBP and defense).
Without a doubt, 2021 there was more excitement for White Sox fans than had been for 16 years. Once they got knocked out of the play-offs early, they went into a must-win now mode. They fired Ricky Renteria (who the players liked) and brought it Tony LaRussa. Even thought the prospects they traded away for rentals wouldn't have helped a lot, it added to the must win-now mode. Imo, too many of the prospects had to learn on the fly, but also felt the pressure to get the team to the world series. I think guys like Andrew Vaughn, Oscar Colas, Garret Crochet and Michael Kopech could have benefited from more success in the minors. We have seen at least two of those young guys go through personal issues. Other guys are often hurt. I live 2 hours from there and have many Sox fans as friends. Trust me. The fun stopped after they fired Renteria and hired LaRussa...... when all of the expectations changed, many unrealistic.
The WS shot themselves in the foot by bringing in the moldering remains of Tony LaRussa.
Bringing in LaRussa was more than shooting themselves in the foot. More like both feet and several other body parts. Really horrible hire.
I think it was the message sent to a bunch of 23 and 24 year old players by firing Renteria. You need to do better. The young guys that were brought in did not respond to that and the older player that were brought in did not fit the needs of the White Sox.
I think they'll keep Williams around because of his glove with the hope that his bat develops in Indy.
Hatch could easily be dropped, I'm not sure on Kranick after coming back from TJ. They kept him this long so they must see something they like.
I imagine Williams got called up due to his sudden hitting spree in AAA. With his glove, it's probably not a bad idea to keep him around to see whether he can tap back into that.
Hatch's photo appears in the dictionary entry for "fungible."
Williams appeared to have the tools but was overly anxious in his MLB debut. Maybe he figures it out with more time. I'd hate to give up on him, especially when I don't think it's a given that Cruz will stick at SS after his injury (it wasn't even a given before the injury, but what if he's lost a fraction of step in his range?).
Williams did look quite anxious. He actually looked much better when he first came up at San Diego in his approach and swing decisions.
His first at bat against Hader gave me hope, he looked poised and work himself a walk, it seems that was his peak!!!!! I do t think he should get a 40 spot, but I do hope that if dropped he clears ( light hitting SS normally does.)
In the abstract, he seems eminently unmissable. Looking at the 40 rn, though, the one guy I’d cut before him is Hatch. There’s a ton of guys whose departure probably wouldn’t mean a thing in the standings, but everybody at least seems to have some maybe-could-become-useful sort of profile.
It’s interesting that the guys they cut all got claimed. Used to be their DFAs all disappeared into the post-baseball void.
was that the atbat where he fouled off 20+ pitches?
That’s what my worry is with Cruz. Would like to see him in winter league to test it out. Although I get the hesitation on the Pirates side
It’d be weird to keep Kranick all through his rehab, which went fine, then dump him now.
Yea there were plenty of times they could have. I think he’s a dark horse to get a rotation, especially depending on what happens to Oviedo
Just posted the same thought.
Agree with all of your projections. Alika Williams was a move made after several rostered players could not adequately handle the SS position after the injury to Oneil Cruz, but the need to keep him has passed. Cruz should be back at SS to start ST, and, IMO, Liover Peguero earned the start at 2B in his almost 200 AB's for the Pirates in 2023. And, Peguero could easily move to SS when Cruz gets a rest or when he is used as the DH. Jared Triolo was excellent in 2023 as the Infield Utility Player for all 4 IF Positions and hit much better than expected at the MLB level. Gold Glover Ke'Bryan Hayes anchors the IF at 3B.
That would be my starting IF on the 26 and would leave enough space to use 1B as a landing spot for different players (Triolo, Joe, Davis, EndyRod). But, what do we do with Ji-Hwan Bae and Nick Gonzales? Both are 2B, and other IF positions, and Bae did well in CF, which continues to be vacant at this time. A very difficult decision, but one that needs to be made soon. And, remember that 2B Termarr Johnson could possibly move very quickly through the minors - excellent OPS numbers at A/A+, 18 HR in 349 AB, K's of 120, but BB's of 101, and all at age 19! .
Im so confused by this white sox and braves deal, anyone got an explanation?
We'd be really confused if this trade was made 3 years ago. The guys the Braves traded had some pretty high potential. I guess this trade is an example of how much player's values can change in a short time.
The Braves cleared a lot of deadweight off their 40-man and got a player who may be a major contributor. The White Sox dumped some salary and filled several positions on the cheap. Soroka is a longshot bounce-back candidate who will be a free agent after next season. Seems like a fairly good trade for both teams though Atlanta seems to have the better of it. Bummer did not have great value after last season, so at least the Sox got something for him, and Atlanta cleans up its roster while acquiring a major potential bullpen piece with 2 club options.
Nicely said. The guys the Braves traded aren't very useful on a WS contender, but for a rebuilding squad, they have their merit.
Hard to doubt any decision made by GM Anthony Anthopoulos. He is very astute and pulls the trigger quickly when he sees a need for his team. Bummer is the LH setup to Iglesias at an inexpensive amount in 2024, and I think he has very reasonable team options for 2025 and possibly 2026. Don't know that any of the 5 players sent to the CWS would have ever seen MLB with Atlanta.
Isn’t it Alex? Deal makes some sense for both sides. Bummer was solid before last year and the Braves clear a lot of 40 man spots for arms. Sox get some interesting pieces for their rebuild.
Tony Anthopoulos runs a gyro cart dahn in Market Square.
Yes, it is Alex. I worked with a crazed Braves person that I was talking to yesterday and singing the praises of AA in getting talent and then locking it up long term. Maybe they are that good, or maybe that incentive of "we believe in you" works!
White Sox are in rebuild mode.
This is a good trade for them. They received 2 starting pitchers and a starting SS for a setup pitcher that had an era of almost 7!
This starting pitching depth will make it easier to trade Cease to Pittsburgh.
Big brain moves, we can add to their stockpile of posthype prospects
Yeah youre right, hes definitely a GM that I generally would blindly trust tbh I am just shocked in the 5 for 1 mediocre reliever trade
40 man space?
Honestly as good of a guess as any
I think they clear 4 spots.
That is pretty valuable tbh, good call
Braves like their relievers, apparently lol
Just shocked to see soroka and shuster go for a dude who had an ERA over 6 last year? We could use those arms and we also have shitty relievers to go around
Soroka is never healthy and Shuster wasn’t very good. Don’t think they would move the needle for me if the Pirates got them.
Fair, maybe more name value than anything
The Braves, like the Padres, have been great at taking advantage of the absurdly high value currently placed on age-relative-to-level and juiced a bunch of perceived value of out marginal guys just by rushing them to the show.
Marcano was one of those guys.
I think some of it was to clear roster space too. Braves may go hunting for bigger arms in FA.