I think the Sox are going to attempt what the Cubs would not...fill in with free agents and try to be competitive WHILE they rebuild. I could see them TRYING to contend by 2018, for sure. They will spend. The Cubs would not.

da fuck are you talking about? that was the past 3-4 years!

rebuilt with young guys in Sale/Quintana/Abreu/Rodon/Eaton

and then tried filling in with free agents/trades - Melky, Robertson, LaRoche, Shark, Frazier, Lawrie

Attempting to be competitive = trying to fill out as many holes in your roster as possible. It does not mean bringing up 5 guys in their first or maybe 2nd year of MLB and having nothing else.

Let's be clear. Are you disagreeing with Rick Hahn and saying that the team already is three years ahead of schedule?

Did you not see Rick's post? They will make a dozen big signings next summer and be geared up to go in 2018!

they're rebuilding their farm system with other people's draft picks. This is different. I think they'll trade the minimum they need to flush new talent in the system, suck for a year, evaluate their system and start plugging holes they still have in the minors with a free agent or two.

So?

Your post isn't a rebuttal to mine. If you wanted it to be, please elaborate so I can respond to something.

Quantify it though. That is incredibly vague. Does it mean spending in free agency?

To me, attempting to be competitive is putting your best roster out there rather than having them sit in the minors, and not having an abnormally low payroll. I think the minors will not have MLB ready talent by the middle of 2018, and by 2019 the payroll will be at the level you would expect for a team like the White Sox if not by 2018 if the talent in the minors looks good and can be added to with guys on a 3 or 4 year deal.

So, the answer is they start to try and be competitive by 2018, with them really doing it by 2019 based on how well the minor league players work out.

So I guess you just want to whine and complain. Good luck!

Once the 2016 season ended, the White Sox’s brass -- led by owner Jerry Reinsdorf, president Ken Williams and GM Rick Hahn -- decided they would go into full rebuild mode and were expecting to accept the five- to six-year timetable it takes to get turned around, as proven recently by teams like the Cubs, Astros and Nationals. However, within a 24-hour period, they made two blockbuster trades that many are calling the best rebuild trades in the history of baseball, with almost unanimous views from the 30 GMs that they couldn’t have done any better in their trades for Chris Sale and Adam Eaton. Those trades were so good, many think they’ll take two years off their expected rebuild timetable. These are Hahn’s best two trades of his career, and they probably solidified his long-term future as the White Sox GM.

You asked when will they attempt to be competitive. They are attempting to be competitive in 2018. In their minds (and that is what an attempt is) they are going to be set in 2018 up the middle with Collins, Anderson and Moncada and Tilson. In their minds they will have a rotation of Rodon, Giolito, Lopez, Kopech and Fulmer. The bullpen will be staffed by Burdi at the back end. None of these are stretches for 2018 according to scout ETA.

The indefinites at this moment are Quintana, Abreu, Robertson and Frazier and the 2017 draft. My scenario leaves open the corners of the IF and OF. I think they believe they will acquire players through trades and draft to fill those positions. The positions not filled for 2018 can be filled with FA because of the low salaries of the rest of the team.

Now, these are all rookies and young players, so they will not be championship caliber but I do think the sox believe they will be competitive.

Have at it

and who the hell picked Rizzo, Russell, Hendricks???

Sox nation seems to think most of those prospects are going to hit. Seems realistic .

Spencer Adams will be part of the future rotation. Lopez and Hansen (if he makes it at all) will be in the bullpen.

Sox nation seems to think most of those prospects are going to hit. Seems realistic .

I think there's a pretty good chance Lopez starts this season in the rotation.

Depends on the rest of the division as well.

How long is Cleveland's window? Do the Tigers and Royals do their own tear downs in the next year or two as well? How far away is Minnesota?

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Fair enough.

Tilson is trash. If he is part of any type of core that is a major problem, but I dont think he is.

The entire starting 5 you named are all wild card lotto tickets ( Rodon, Giolito, Lopez, Kopech and Fulmer. ). As is Collins, and to a lesser degree Moncada, although he better be damn good.

So you are trying to tell me they are attempting to be competitive 17 months from now without one proven top of the line starter, zero other starters who have shown any MLB success, almost no outfield, and half the infield(outside of Anderson and Moncada) are up in the air. Who knows if Collins can turn out as a Catcher also, but I doubt it given what I've read.

On top of this, the GM responsible for this entire plan says it will be 2020 or later.

I wish you a lot more than luck on your dreams here, my friend.

Sox nation seems to think most of those prospects are going to hit. Seems realistic .

I find it disheartening that the Sox fanbase, who I have always respected, is content with just being competitive.

I disagree. It doesnt really get much less vague than "trying to fill out as many holes in your roster as possible". That is done via trades and free agency. Let's not overcomplicate this. It simply means putting the best team on the field as possible. That doesn't happen without trading your best prospects or else be willing to, neither of which the Sox will do next winter.

You asked when they will attempt to be competitive. I am giving you a scenario where they are attempting. You don't agree with it but it IS an attempt to be COMPETITIVE (and remember what that standard is).

You get the benefit of being able to both eliminate Quintana from the discussion AND any return he might bring. This heavily skews things. What if they choose to keep him. Now you have a front line starter, another who has shown a lot (including an AL pitcher of the month last year), the top pitching prospect in MLB, a guy who just dominated the minor league showcase league and a host of other very good options. If they choose not to keep him, I fully expect that they will be getting an MLB ready prospect + in return.

Think about how the Joe Sheehan types were hailing the Cubs as the team of the 2010s, with fewer quality players who were at lower minor league levels.