Certainly seems the Sox didnt want the Swanson type players around because guys like that apparently have zero “ fun “ playing baseball and inhibit the joy others get from playing with their try hard , hustle , accountability bullshit .

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

You said you can win with Moncada being part of the "heart of the order." He's not a heart of the order bat. Also, Jimenez would not be one of the two, and possibly three, best hitters on a championship team.

They had a shortstop already

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Let's put it another way.

Describe how the White Sox should create the plan with the best chance to win the World Series in the next 10 years. The only parameters are that they aren't going to be a top 5 payroll team. They will only be a top 10 payroll team to improve a team that is already a team capable of winning 90+ games.

I'm no baseball genius but I still think it would be roughly what they did at the start of the previous tank job by trading away anyone with value, being bad for a few years, signing a few free agents with high upside, and then hoping it all works out. As Theo said, there is no value in winning 80 games.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I think that is really the only option. The other option would be to spend a crap ton of money on pitching and a 2B and hope the stars align for a year. But they have shown no willingness to spend that type of money.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Right. Nas will say Jerry wants to win and will spend, but he had chances to spend in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 and largely didn't.

The Sox will "compete" and try to cobble together a team to win 83-86 games next season so they can be in the hunt for the division title. Which as Rick alluded to above is no value. Win a pennant, win the World Series. That is the bar for success.

I would love to give Getz the benefit of the doubt for this off season, but I don't have high hopes. Nothing will change until Jerry dies or sells.

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It’s not like a Swanson type FA is a viable option for Jerry.

Guy got $177m. That’s $100m+ more than the largest contract in team history.

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Right, but Swanson is making $14 mil this year and $26 mil thereafter.

Yoan Moncada is making $17.8 mil this year and $24.8 mil next year. There is a $25mil option and a $5mil buyout for 2025.

Who would you rather have? I know the Cubs are going to be paying Swanson a shit ton of money when he is 34-35 but still.

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I’d rather have better, younger, cheaper players if given the option. But they’re going to pay Swanson substantially more than Jerry would ever pay a guy. So I don’t know that annual salary comparisons matter given the totality of the contracts.

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Its the total dollar and long deal that scares JERRY, sure. But if somebody can show him how foolishly he spends every year ($18mil for 0.9 WAR Moncada, $8.6mil and $17mil thereafter for 0.4 WAR Benintendi, etc) maybe he would act a little differently.

Not to mention the millions wasted on bad relievers over the year.

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Maybe Jerry just can't afford to field a winning team.

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General Jim wears Fort Bragg down... to get it!

Can’t or won’t, result is the same.

Although he does spend money, he just does it in a really bizarre way.

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Didn't they spend around $195M in 2023? That seems like it's enough to be competitive and probably to be winning, especially given that they were able to lock up so many players to longer term deals.

They don't seem to be a team that will be willing though to sign Swanson or anyone even remotely the same cost. If they are to develop a star player, it would have to be through their system and they would only sign them to a cost control deal. They don't appear to be willing to ever give a free agent a long-term market value deal.

Along with not developing their own talent the last few years, they also didn't complement the major league roster with star talent. They added complementary players like Grandal and trade for veteran starters like Lance Lynn who are very good, but they don't just buy top talent the way others do. As long as that doesn't change, it will be on them developing their own talent and spending money on lower end free agents on more team friendly deals for the most part.

FAs like Melky, Done, and LaCucaracha.

The way the White Sox spend money is a bit odd, but you can certainly win with their strategy. As long as you have a strong system for player development...or a shitload of luck.
Unfortunately, the Kenny William and Rick Hahn Center for Baseball Players Who Can't Play Baseball Good and Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too produced nothing for decades... and they lucked out once.

Invest in player development, not just acquisition.

I think we've seen time and time again that spending money wildly on free agents is no guarantee of success. Case in point, this year's Mets.

The Rays pay about 40 analysts and find good cheap players. The Sox have about five analysts.

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General Jim wears Fort Bragg down... to get it!

Yeah, but Jerry is going to have Getz out there assembling a dream team of old cocksucking scouts who judge prospects by the relative hotness of their girlfriends.

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Kopech is now in the bullpen

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Michael Farnsworth. Great physical tools, Ten-cent brain.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

This is where they need to start.

Moncada getting hot in the last month of a season of 100 losses does nothing for me.

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Hopefully that means we can at least see him form tackle a guy that charges the mound!

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Its more likely he tears an ACL trying to kick a box fan

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Increases his trade value.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

We were at that game in Cincy. The best part is Farnsworth and other Cubs players were out all night the day before at Have a Nice Day Cafe (now closed), which was a night club.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

These outfielders are so dumb.

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He makes too much money. They would have to retain a fair amount if not half.

Yeah, I don't think anyone is take on that deal and the White Sox aren't eating half of that. If anything, they should look at bringing in a dependable IF who can play multiple positions. You have to assume durability issues with Moncada and 2B is still probably going to be an internal hole that they try to force a solution from.