Samardzija, Masterson rumors and roundtable speculation
/Apparently we need to strike while Matt Adams is hot, and respond to these Samardzija-to-Chicago, Justin Masterson-FA-signing rumors
Read MoreLaRoche signing official and people hate Lucas Harrell
/Why aren't people nice to Lucas Harrell? The 29-year-old former White Sox hurler, who will always have given us those six decent innings vs. the A's on the night right after Daniel Hudson got traded, signed a contract to play in Japan. It's a new opportunity for him but hardly the crowning achievement of any American pitching career.
On May 2, 2013 David Laurila of FanGraphs posted a detailed profile of Harrell, after he had sinkerballed his way to 193 innings of 107 ERA+ ball the previous season. Two days later the Tigers put up eight runs on him and chased him before the fifth inning in a 17-2 romp, and his results have been trash ever since.
Still, this from Brett Anderson is some unexpected shade.
Read MoreThird basemen make tons of money
/On Monday, while you still cared about baseball, three guys who...should be playing third base, made a lot of money.
Read MoreImplications of the Duke & LaRoche Signings
/Zach Duke was added for 3-years and $15 million, and Adam LaRoche joins the White Sox for 2-years, $25 million. Yes, these are mid-level free agents that address areas of need. The lineup needed patience and power, a left-handed bat, and there was room at 1B/DH. The bullpen was very bad last year, and there are very few internal options when it comes to lefty relievers in particular, so Duke makes sense there. But both of these signings have a lot in common, and I think they make a strong statement about where the front office thinks the team is.
Read MoreReport: White Sox sign Adam LaRoche to two-year deal
/According to Bob Nightengale of the USA Today, the White Sox just signed former Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche. Like, just signed. In an ideal world, Nightengale is in the room, watching LaRoche sign the deal, hiding behind a large fern and tweeting.
Read MoreRoster moves and THE MELK
/Cabrera would be an ideal signing next offseason. When the Sox know they are ready, know what they are shooting for, and would be seeking maximum output for the first season of the deal. Instead, they have consider Cabrera's worth as a long-term solution, and consider whether they are at the point in their rebuild/retool to be punting away second round draft picks.
Read MoreScrew it all, just bring Sergio home
/Sergio, who famously embodied the overwhelming nature of career relief and satisfaction that you have spent years steeling yourself for the distinct possibility of never feeling, when he wept on camera even as Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen made a joke out of telling he made the 2010 Opening Day roster. And Sergio, who famously embodied adult realizations that even into your late-20's, personal accomplishments can feel married to a sense of duty to justify the dreams and support of your parents, as he wept on camera telling his father the good news...has been pretty bad of recent and hurt a lot. Look at the distribution of words in this paragraph and guess how much I care about the last sentence.
Read More'Zach Duke & Other Stuff' Offseason Roundtable
/One can never have enough roundtables. In the wake of the Zach Duke signing, Billy Butler leaving the division, and more Alexei Ramirez trade rumors, the staff of The Catbird Seat typed a bit in a Google Doc that James titled "LOOGY LOOGY LOOGY"
Read MoreAlexei Ramirez For Sale
/While Rick Hahn has made it clear he's not eager to part with shortstop Alexei Ramirez, speculation persist, as recently the Los Angeles Dodgers joined the New York Yankees and New York Mets as a team rumored to have interest in acquiring the shortstop who has been a stalwart for the Sox for the last seven seasons.
Read MoreWhite Sox reportedly sign Zach Duke
/Rick Hahn took his first step toward turning the flaming bag of crap that was the 2014 White Sox bullpen into something ... well, less crappy, as the team reportedly agreed to terms with left-hander Zach Duke on Tuesday.
Read MoreNot Breaking: Reinsdorf US Cellular Field Boondoggle Lawsuit Dismissed
/Five months ago, while his White Sox were in full June swoon, Jerry Reinsdorf was celebrating victory in the courtroom. Apparently unreported and unnoticed, with the silent efficiency of a mob hit, the lawsuit against the White Sox chairman brought by an ex-government employee was weighted down and left for dead in a river of motions, minutes, and memorandums.
Read MorePitcher types as dog breeds: A very vital post
/There's a lot of trade rumors and important development for next year's roster going on right now, but it goes without saying that when a veterinary student from a school that recently was ranked 24th out of 25 schools in student satisfaction offers to assign dog breeds to pitcher types, you have to run it.
You have to sit on it for a day, then run it.
Read MoreThe Catbird Speaks - 11.13.14: A crisp, clean, but unprofessional ~36 minutes
/Nick Schaefer, Matt Adams and James Fegan squeezed in their most concise podcast ever, discussing the day's news and rumors in an amount of time that listeners might describe as "enough" and "not too long" or "a little too long but not way too long."
Read MoreWinter Meetings Rumor Thread
/There were a lot of little tidbits that punched out of this week’s Winter Meetings chatter. It’ll take a lot of work to get through it all, and it will feel dumb to dedicate a full post to any one because they’re rumors.
Also, roundtables are a good way to mitigate all of us lacking the desire to write on our own.
Read MoreCheap, low-risk relievers for the White Sox to consider
/Last offseason, Rick Hahn made a decision that made a lot of sense, even if the results didn't pan out on the field.
Lost in the mix of signing Jose Abreu to a monster deal and making crafty trades for Adam Eaton and Matt Davidson was Hahn's decision to rebuild ... sorry, RESHUFFLE ... the White Sox's bullpen with a series of cheap, low-risk signings.
Read MoreLet's make a deal!: Kicking around trade targets, ideas, laments
/We’ve posited some free agent ideas, but ever since our legendary offseason plan last year to trade Hector Santiago for Lucas Duda, which would have totally killed, I’ve thought us overdue to concoct some fun trade packages for some of the guys available on the market.
Since inevitably someone is going to be a snot and say “I don’t even like that guy,” let’s do multiple players.
Read MoreDon't Count On Prospects
/There have been stories about how Alexei Ramirez is drawing interest from various clubs in need of a shortstop. This is unsurprising, seeing as he is one of the better shortstops in the majors. However, I have seen people throw in as a corollary that the White Sox might do it because Tim Anderson is on the way. This is a dangerous line of thinking.
Read MoreThe Sox Stove: 2015 Edition, Part 3 - Michael Saunders
/The first two parts of this offseason series have focused on free agency - but that's not the only way to improve a roster. Last winter we saw two major White Sox trades. One worked out gloriously (Adam Eaton!), and one had a very disappointing initial return (Matt Davidson is still young, but 2014 was a huge step backward). Perhaps the White Sox can take advantage of another dysfunctional organization this offseason.
Read MoreThe Sox Stove: 2015 Edition, Part 2 - Yankees Pitchers
/The Yankees have made a qualifying offer to reliever David Robertson, but evidently that hasn't stopped six teams from expressing an interest and calling regarding his services. Normally one would expect a qualifying offer to absolutely torpedo the market for a reliever - the only teams that should be signing high profile relievers are playoff contenders, and the only teams that have their first round pick protected are the ten worst teams from the past year. As Brandon McCarthy was traded mid-season last year, he was not eligible for the qualifying offer, so all it takes is money. Are either of them worth it for the White Sox?
Read MoreAbreu and Ramirez capture Silver Sluggers, trade interest
/People want Alexei Ramirez. Bruce Levine reports the Sox have been receiving offers from all over the league, including the Yankees, Mets and Dodgers. The most detailed information from Levine comes from the team that should be the least motivated.
Read More