White Sox Mailbag - Is This The Week Machado Signs?
I don’t particularly care to answer this question. At this point, we should be devastated if the Sox don’t land Machado. I *hope* it wraps up this week. All of my people think the Sox are in the best possible situation to land him. As far as Sanchez… he is a fine utility guy, but I couldn’t stomach another year with him starting 120+ games. At most he should be playing in 100 games with 50ish starts as a swing man. But, for all intents and purposes, say the Sox do whiff on Machado… I don’t want Mous. He’s a solid enough player, but it’s just too much of a “White Sox” move to want them to go that route. I have PTSD from the 2008-2018 seasons, and that’s a move that would have happened over those years.
I do think the Joc Pederson rumors have some level of correlation to a Machado addition. He’d be relatively cheap considering the production he provides and would immediately be one of the best offensive players on the team. If (when) they do land Machado, they might as well go for it to some extent. I’m not talking about trading prospect capital yet, but if Pederson only costs a few bullpen arms and a high ceiling 19 year old (Bryce Bush?) then you make that move right now. The lineup and pen would still be awesome, and if the rotation grows accordingly, that would be a team on paper that could sneak into the playoffs if all things go perfectly. This is the perfect scenario and I hope it happens this week. Go out and get another SP (Gi0 Gonzales?) and call it an offseason.
No, we can’t. Because he should be manning SS or 3B for the Sox this year. He’s so highly thought of, that in an alternative universe, the Sox wouldn’t even really need Machado this winter, because they’d have a newer version of him this year playing at $550K a year starting in 2019. Maybe if they didn’t trade him for JAMES SHIELDS, they’d be able to put the full court press on Bryce Harper this winter instead. Sucks, but it’s reality.
Whatever. Nobody on planet earth knew Tatis would turn into what he has turned into. He wasn’t a highly thought of signing, as he was rated the 27th best international player and only signed for $825K at the time. Ya win some, ya lose some. And the Sox lost this one badly. AJ Preller, that little snake in the grass, fleeced Hahn here. No denying that. BUT WITH THAT SAID… who knows what Bryce Bush is. Sure he dominated rookie ball and held his own in LoA, but that doesn’t mean he’s gonna be a future top 5 prospect in the game at a premier position. If you don’t want to trade him because of Fernando Tatis Jr., then you’re an idiot. Bush might very well be a stud in the future, but there is so much variation with HS players that trading him for an established player like Pederson should be a no brainer, IMO. He’s at least 3-4 years away from even sniffing The Show. If they can trade someone else in his stead, then sure, but if LA is hellbent on taking him, then have at it.
But watch him turn into Mike Trout. Puke
If the Sox do in fact land both Machado and Pederson, I’d put their O/U at 82.5 wins, and that number could swing 5 games in either direction. The lineup will mash. It’d be close to as good as Cleveland’s, maybe even better. The pen will be excellent; maybe the best in the division. But then there’s the rotation. Giolito will have to take a massive jump, Rodon needs to stay healthy, Lopez needs to build on his solid-ish 2018 and Nova will have to anchor the rotation and get as close to 200 innings as possible.
That said, I would be stunned if the Central gets 2 playoff teams this year. The AL East is stacked. Boston, NYY and Tampa could all be playoff teams. If the Sox make the playoffs, it’ll be because they won the division. Do I think that happens? Not this year. But for the first time in years, there’s a non-zero chance it happens. I’d put the chances that happens at about 10% right now though. So no, I don’t think they could win the wild card. Not unless the rotation takes a massive leap and stays healthy. It’s very thin right now. But Cease and Dunning, Kopech and Rodon, Lopez and Giolito should make for an extremely talented 2020 rotation, so we’re only a year away from completely dominating the central for at least the next half decade.
Greetings? What kind of psychopath starts an email with greetings? Someone call the police on Joey P here, he’s about to chop someone up and stuff them in his freezer.
But to answer your question, Luis Basabe. That kid has tools on tools on tools on tools. I lived in Scottsdale for 6 weeks last winter and fell in love with him. He does it all. He has power:
Casually turning on a 102.3MPH fastball, nbd
Speed, 106 stolen bases in 5 MiLB seasons
Arm strength, video below:
Absolute peashooter to cut down Gordon Beckham of all people, LOL
Patience with a career ~11% walk rate in MiLB
And so on and so forth. He’s a scout’s wet dream. His one glaring question is *drum roll* will he make enough contact to be an impact player in the bigs. That remains to be seen. He had a 28% K rate in AA Birmingham last year, an that’s not gonna cut it. He’s either gonna be a defensive replacement in the show or someone who is a 20/20 guy who routinely has an OPS north of .800 that hits a million doubles. Oh yeah, he’s a switch hitter too. If he refines his hit tool, he has serious potential. I’d start him in AA again this year, give him 2020 in Charlotte and reassess him from there. I would expect him to start cracking top 100 lists this season as well based on his package of high ceiling tools alone. I have said this time and time again, I LOVE his potential.
Hello Zach, thanks for the email. To answer your question yes, it is weird that grown men look for autographs. The only thing weirder is grown men who wear jerseys of 20 something year old baseball players. I’m of the opinion that there is only one instance when men should get autographs or wear jerseys: when they’re old school/throwback players. I have a Joe Crede jersey and that’s it. Wouldn’t catch me dead wearing a Moncada or Machado jersey should he sign. Grow up. Leave the autographs and jerseys to fat meatheads like Kenwo.
EXCELLENT QUESTION.
Off the top of my head, The G Spot is already one of the oldest stadiums in baseball. Only KC, Oakland, Wrigley, Anaheim and Boston are older. That said, I love it. The stadium itself is great. Open concourse, tailgating, easy access off the highway and public trans, etc. But… the location itself isn’t conducive to garnishing excess “fans”. I’m talking the spillover fans. So as soon as the stadium lease is up in 2029, here are the locations I propose they move the new stadium to. Now I’m not a civil engineer, but I’m an expert in looking things up on google maps so these would be primo spots for a new stadium in booming areas of the city. They’d sell out every game. I have two perfect spots for a new stadium 10 years from now:
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Meigs Field
Now Northerly Island. Can keep hosting concerts there throughout the summer, just inside the stadium. Perfect spot. Make it so you can hit balls into the lake. Bam. Best stadium experience in baseball:
Corner of Clark and Roosevelt
I’ve driven by that lot like 100x and swear it’s just empty and not even a park or anything. Put a stadium there and put it there now. This would be my second choice. I don’t want the Bridgeport Bombers hitting balls into Lake Michigan, I need it and I needed it yesterday.
Hi Molly. Sup? Anyways yeah this has been brought to my attention a few different times. Honestly, I couldn’t care less. He can do as he pleases. Athletes have every right to try and get laid like the rest of us.
First off, what the fuck kinda name is Stavro? Next, the Tigers are going to be grade A TRASH for years to come. What an awful email. Next, I find it lol funny a Detroit fan is making fun of Chicago. I’d rather live in Baghdad than Detroit. What a JV city. Just sell it to Canada for peanuts. Also, “your” Tigers dominate the Sox right now because the White Sox are actively trying to get dominated. They have a team of about 9 big leaguers and the rest place holders until these prospects matriculate into the system. Fuck. You.
Another Tigers fan. The fuck? Anyways, come to the G Spot. If you can get a crew, get a tailgate going and blast music on a Saturday afternoon. A+ time. Then get inside and enjoy the food. It’s the best in the league, and that’s not bias talking, that’s facts. Consistently ranked 1st in baseball in stadium food.
Other than that, my favorite ballpark I’ve been to is Busch Stadium oddly enough. The stadium is fantastic, the bar scene surrounding the stadium is a blast, and you have a casino 2 blocks away to make awful late night decisions at. Miller Park is also a good time too, because of the reasons I referenced for the Sox. Tailgating and great food.
So that wraps up this week’s Sox mailbag. Enjoy Soxfest this weekend – I will be there and will definitely hit more than 68 MPH on the speed pitch. If you see me come say hi. And fucking Machado better be there for the induction ceremonies.
Go White Sox