Speaking Friday with reporters – including Kyle Newman of the Denver Post – general manager Jeff Bridich revealed that the Rockies and Nolan Arenado have had “honest” discussions about a contract extension over the past couple years. Bridich added that he expects the two sides to continue talking in the coming months, and suggested the team’s unlikely to trade the superstar third baseman this offseason. “There’s not a perfect timeline or a specific timeline, but we’d love to have him here, and he knows that,” Bridich said. “We’ll see what happens … We expect him to be on our team next year.” Arenado has been a speculative trade candidate because he’s facing his last year of team control in 2019, when he’s projected to rake in a whopping $26.1MM via arbitration. But the 27-year-old is integral to the Rockies, who have earned two straight playoff berths and, with Arenado’s help in 2019, figure to aim for another postseason trip in what could be his last hurrah with the club.
Here’s more from around the majors:
- Yoan Moncada has called second base home since the White Sox acquired him from the Red Sox in 2016, but it’s possible he’ll head to a new position next season. General manager Rick Hahn said Friday (via Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicag Sun-Times) that Moncada’s open to switching spots, “but we’re going to wait to see how this offseason plays out before we fully commit to any reconfiguring of the infield. It’s a possibility and if it were to happen we’d likely firm that up before we head to spring training.” Shortstop, third base and even center field have come up in the past as potential long-term landing spots for Moncada, whose athleticism has been a key selling point since his days as a star prospect. Now, if Chicago’s truly considering moving the 23-year-old Moncada off second, it could help inform its offseason plans.
- In addition to discussing Moncada’s status, Hahn highlighted which areas the White Sox will try to upgrade this winter. “We need to augment both the starting rotation and the bullpen,” he said (per Van Schouwen), though he cautioned that the White Sox must keep their “long-term focus” in mind. At the moment, Chicago has the payroll room to make substantial upgrades, but it’s also coming off a 62-win season – its sixth straight sub-.500 campaign. As such, it’s unclear just how aggressive the White Sox will be this winter, but Hahn noted that he hasn’t ruled out pushing for contention in 2019. “It’s not unintentional having the flexibility we enjoy going forward,’’ Hahn said. “That was a secondary goal of the rebuild, to make sure we had flexibility and economic strength when the time was right to spend and add on to what we’ve accumulated. Whether we use it this offseason or next we’ll see.’’
- The Rangers addressed their rotation Friday by acquiring left-hander Drew Smyly from the Cubs, though Texas still has plenty of work remaining to bolster its starting staff for 2019 and beyond. With that in mind, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News examines a dozen free-agent pitchers the Rangers could target this offseason. Among the candidates, longtime Angels right-hander Garrett Richards stands out as a “perfect fit,” opines Grant, who argues the Rangers should offer him a two- or three-year contract with incentives. Given that Richards underwent Tommy John surgery in July, he might not be able to contribute at all in 2019. However, that’s not necessarily a problem for the Rangers because they’re unlikely to win next season, Grant notes, adding that Richards may be able to help them in 2020 – when they could be closer to contention.
Richards would get obliterated in Arlington. I think the Giants should make him an offer, I think he’d do well in San Fran and he’d be able to replace Bum once he leaves for Free Agency.
By the time Richards is able to pitch they will be indoors in a new ballpark..
Um Arlington will have a new indoor stadium by the time Richards is ready to pitch again.
You can’t say that because you don’t know how the new park in Arlington will play yet. It’s supposed to be more pitcher friendly.
How so? It’s basically Minute Maid Park but newer and nicer
MMP is pitcher friendly. Check the stats
.987 Park Factor for those of us keeping score at home.
26 million! that’s crazy high for an arbitration. they need to bring it down. not right for small market teams to have to dump players in the best year
His arbitration figure isn’t the issue. Every single team in baseball would happily take a year of Arenado for $26M. It’s his impending free agency that they’re trying to navigate.
Also, players are criminally underpaid during the course of club control. Why baseball fans side with billionaire owners on this issue is beyond me.
because when a player leaves over money, it’s easier to believe he’s simply greedy than that he had some legitimate reason to leave (like the owners being cheap).
there’s also the ‘old crank’ contingent who long for the days of the reserve clause so they can pretend baseball was never a for-profit business, but they usually hate everyone instead of just the players….
Anyone who sides with owner over a player is an outright moron. Never ever ever do that.
Exactly, it’s like rooting for Walmart.
I think Arenado is the most underrated player in baseball because he plays in Denver but it’s not really the launching pad it used to be.
PS he’s followed closely by Goldschmidt for most underrated players even though they’re both in the top 5 in MVP every year.
Look at his career OPS. It’s almost 200 points lower away than at home. He’s a good fielder, but he’s only a slightly above average hitter when he plays closer to sea-level.
Not the same player away fro Coors, his splits are eye opening
baseball-reference.com/players/split.fcgi?id=arena…
Arenado West Division Road Triple Slash:
LA: .253/.318/.465
AR: .273/.332/.485
SD: .277/.343/.467
SF: .280/.336/.525
look at his att park stats I assume they’re excellent he wrecks the giants year in year out.
There was a study a few years back showing how difficult it was for Rockies hitters adjusting to road ballparks. In Denver the ball breaks differently and when they go on the road they must adjust to the break again. This is also one big factor in home road splits for Rockies players.
You can say the same for virtually every player on the Rockies. Manny Machado also has a fairly significant split advantage at a hitter-friendly home park in Baltimore. It’s not as pronounced as Arenado’s but you might also factor in road ballparks in their respective divisions. Arenado’s road splits aren’t helped by pitcher-friendly venues in LA, SF and SD while Machado gets more PA’s in Boston and NY. I think the majority of players fair better in the familiarity and routine of playing in their home cities. The best of them all, Mike Trout is one exception. He’s great home and away but slightly better on the road.
Saying Arenado is a good fielder is like saying Ozzie Smith was a good fielder. Arenado is as good a third baseman as I have seen in my 60 years of watching baseball.
He’s definitely under rated. If he played in the east he’d be much more known.
His defense is superb.
I’d add Andrelton Simmons to your list.
“I think Arenado is the most underrated player in baseball because he plays in Denver but it’s not really the launching pad it used to be.”
Ahhhhh, another example of Climate Change?
Is the air now thicker at that altitude then it used it be?
lol
That’s going to be the record for an arb salary right?
Yes
Just learned that a prospect from cincinati got killed in a car accident in the Dominican… ;(
It feels like a tragedy happens atleast once a year so sad..9
…and they all seem to be in the DR……or most of them……
Gotta be something bad going on there….
Roads in the DR are dangerous if they aren’t by the resorts. Poorly lite, poorly maintained.
“We’re going to wait to see how this offseason plays out before we fully commit to any reconfiguring of the infield.” Translation: We’re going hard after Machado, and will move Moncada if and when we strike out.
When
Easiest upgrade is sscond base with the amount of available free agents at the position. Now that their top pitching prospect is on the shelf with tj, they’ll push their rebuild for one more year.
Madrigal’s future is at second.
This White Sox rebuild is now finishing it’s sixth year? When are they going to start seeing results?
How is it six years? That’s like as long as the Phillies have been rebuilding.
Where the heck you get six years? They traded Chris Sale on Dec. 6 2016, that’s when the rebuild started. Happens to be my b-day.
Counting the first 4 years of sucking as a rebuild is not fair. They were merely just bad. Then they went in a full rebuild in 2016, realizing they had no chance as they were. In 2 or 3 years from now, if they are still struggling to get above .500, then the criticism will be legitimate.
Now, were you a Reds fan and wondering what the hell is going on, you’d be justified.
It’s hard to imagine a Reds fan not wondering what the hell is going on with them. They have some nice pieces, but no apparent plan.
Reds still have no pitching. It’s been a horrible rebuild so far on that end.
Interesting last paragraph to the Daryl Van Schouwen Chicago Sun-Times article concerning the potential move of Yoan Moncada off of 2B as early as this coming season. Clearly this would be to make room for last June’s top pick Nick Madrigal to play the position as early as 2020. Madrigal was a college player who has advanced skills in all facets of the game and is being fast-tracked to the South Side as a core top of the order bat and potential Gold Glove defender at 2B.
GM Rick Hahn’s quote, “but we’re going to wait to see how this offseason plays out before we fully commit to any reconfiguring of the infield,” is key to when Moncada might be moved to a new position. It suggest the possibility that the White Sox might actually kick the tires on FA Manny Machado this offseason. If they shocked the baseball world and signed him to be their core third baseman for the next decade this would either delay Moncada’s shift off of 2B for the 2019 season or perhaps get him into the CF picture where light-hitting Gold Glove candidate Adam Engel is the current starter. Of course the White Sox might also make a play for a free agent CF this offseason instead of an upgrade at 3B which would leave the hot corner open for Moncada. I would love to see the White Sox make a play for free agent CF A.J. Pollock but that is less likely now that he was extended a qualifying offer by the Diamondbacks. Even though the White Sox have a protected first round pick (#3) next June I doubt that they would want to forfeit their second round pick while they are still rebuilding. Another factor in passing on Pollock would be the depth the White Sox have in their outfield in the minors which includes two OF’s among their top 4 prospects and 7 in their top-14. Top prospect Eloy Jimenez is expected to make his MLB debut in LF this coming April while #4 Luis Robert could do likewise in CF as soon as 2020.
Even if the White Sox fail to upgrade either 3B or CF externally this offseason Moncada could still be moved since Yolmer Sanchez can also keep 2B warm until Madrigal debuts. The likeliest scenario come opening day would be no Machado, no Pollock, Moncada at 3B and Sanchez at 2B. If Moncada continues to struggle in 2019 the White Sox could then make a play for 3B Nolan Arenado next offseason assuming he hits the FA market.
They are definitely not in on Machado. The most available free agents are at second base this year. They’ll get a bridge player to man it while waiting for more prospects to develop.
The White Sox don’t need a “bridge” for 2B. For one, Moncada grades out as a slightly above average defender at 2B. If he is moved to 3B then an elite defensive 2B in Yolmer Sanchez will keep the position warm for Nick Madrigal until 2020.
LeMahieu is a free agent. He can hit and play excellent defense. He is also a class guy but likely has only 1-2 good years left. If a bridge at 2B is needed, he is the man for that job.
DJ LeMahieu would be a better fit on the North Side of Chicago if recent reports are true that the Cubs may not be looking to sign either Manny Machado or Bryce Harper this offseason. The Cubs have needed a proper leadoff hitter the past two seasons and LeMahieu could fit the bill while also providing Gold Glove caliber defense at 2B. This is assuming that the Cubs do wind up launching Addison Russell this offseason, perhaps with a non-tender later this month. Javier Baez would slide to SS while Ben Zobrist could remain as the Cubs supersub as he enters his final contract year in 2019.
AJ Pollock might also be a possibility for the same leadoff role on the North Side where he could provide GG defense at any of the OF spots including CF. LeMahieu figures to come cheaper as a FA provided that Pollock doesn’t accept the Diamondbacks qualifying in the coming days. If he does opt into free agency then the Cubs would stand to lose lose its second-highest selection in next summer’s June Draft, as well as $500,000 from its international bonus pool for the upcoming signing period if they were to sign him.
Why would Chicago dedicate money and years to Pollock? They have Almora/Happ/Heyward/Schwarber/Bryant who can play the outfield. They need to find a 2nd basemen
Maybe because a healthy AJ Pollock would be the best bet to solve the Cubs leadoff woes and also provide Gold Glove defense to any of the three OF positions. I see a couple of GG caliber outfielders on the Cubs roster but none who have had any consistent success batting at the top of the batting order since Dexter Fowler left following their 2016 World Series championship.
If the Cubs can reportedly consider adding an impacting OF like Bryce Harper to their roster and middle of their batting order why not invest in Pollock instead for a whole lot less dollars and years? Both have had their issues staying healthy but each would be considerable upgrades to a different part of the Cubs lineup if they actually played a full season. You are talking about two elite talents who posted incredible WAR numbers in 2015 when they did play full seasons. Pollock posted a 7.2 metric along with a Gold Glove in CF while Harper achieved an incredible 10.0 WAR and was the NL MVP winner.
Well Harper’s what, 5 years younger? Less surgeries, a significantly better hitter and player over his career. They aren’t in the same group of players.
The White Sox have a ridiculously low payroll – in part because most of the players on it aren’t very good. They traded what little talent they had. Dombrowski fleeced them with highly overrated Moncada and TJS in-waiting Kopech. They basically traded Eaton for Lopez. They’ll have to hang their hat on the Quintana trade. Jimenez and Cease may be the real deal.
This owner has gotten away with operating the White Sox as a minor league affiliate since he bought them for peanuts in 1982.
He could sign Machado and Harper and still not be any close to his North Side rivals in payroll commitments.
The White Sox would be instantly relevant again but he won’t do it. Nor is he going to sell while he is still alive because his ego won’t be able to withstand what people really think of him – which ain’t much.
The White Sox have a ridiculously low payroll mostly because they are rebuilding and their players are very young. Kind of like the rebuilding 2014 Cubs that current White Sox manager Rick Renteria skippered before they started adding FA’s like Jon Lester the following offseason for Joe Maddon.
It’s way too early to grade any of those White Sox trades. Chris Sale has one World Series ring in Boston and an opportunity for one more next year before becoming a potential FA. Get back to us when Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech and Luis Alexander Basabe are no longer employed by the White Sox.
Adam Eaton has 3 more years of control in Washington providing the Nationals pick up his last two option years. It figures to be significantly longer before a final verdict is reached regarding Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito and Dane Dunning.
You already seem to be giving the White Sox a victory in the Jose Quintana trade. Fact is, “Q” still has two more years of team control on the North Side while top prospects Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease had yet to debut at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Bottom line: If the three ex-White Sox perform as well as they did for their new teams as they did on the South Side it will be a good trade for the each of those organizations. Contributing to playoff teams and ultimately winning championships like Sale has already done will be the cherry on top of the sundae or perhaps the celery salt on top of the red hot!. If the White Sox can get production approaching their ceilings from just one of the prospects in each of those trades it would also be deemed a solid deal from their perspective. Anything more and also accompanied by perennial contending status/championships will be deemed a great success.
Odds are that with the caliber of players involved, be they All-Star veterans on one hand and highly rated prospects on the other, the ultimate judgement will be a win-win for all parties involved. As a long time Cub and White Sox fan that is exactly what I am hoping for. Clearly I am hoping all of the young White Sox talent succeeds as well as “Q” helping the Cubs to another World Series title or two. As a Sale fan I’m thrilled that he finally got to the postseason as a Red Sox and claimed a ring in the process. I hope the same for Spanky in Washington provided it isn’t at the expense of either Chicago team.
Btw-I seriously doubt that Jerry Reinsdorf has any ego problems in Chicago considering he has overseen 7 championship clubs between the Bulls and White Sox. He has also won as many World Series titles on the South Side of Chicago during his reign as their minor league affiliate owner as the Wrigley’s, the Tribune Co. and Ricketts have managed with those “glamorous” Cubs on the North Side…one each! I’d also venture to say that the W-L records of both teams since 1982 are pretty comparable,at least before each team undertook their most recent rebuilds. The Cubs reached the postseason 6 time before Theo Epstein was hired to remake the team following their last previous playoff appearance in 2008 while the White Sox had 5 playoff clubs through that same season before Rick Hahn assumed the GM post, Epstein has overseen 4 straight postseason clubs since 2015. Time will tell if Hahn can match or exceed that accomplishment in the coming years. My hope is that the October baseball will become a regular phenomena on both sides of town in the next decade and that I will have an opportunity to witness at least one crosstown World Series before my ashes are split between both venues.
“we’re rebuilding” doesn’t excuse having a ridiculously low payroll in a big market. You can rebuild with a high payroll too…you just have to spend the money on short term contracts (to older players, who can add value both on and off the field).
Get a grip, sf52. Like it’s already been explained to you why the payroll is low. It’s been only two tears simce they started rebuilding. Rebuilds take time because you have to accumulate, develop and assess young talent before you the spending phase begins. Your Cubs, the Astros, Nationals and Phillies have done it the same way. So pipe down already.
The White Sox tried to sign those older players (like Dunn and LaRoche) and traded for Samardzija and Shields. We know how all four of those deals turned out. Also, while the White Sox may be in a big market, they don’t have the fan base to support big-market spending. The Cubs simply have more, and more devoted, fans, making the White Sox effectively a mid-market team. I would love to see the White Sox intelligently aggressive in this year’s (or at least, next year’s) FA market to round out the rebuild, but short-term contracts to older players they don’t intend to flip is senseless because they’re not in their window of contention yet. That would waste money and give them worse draft picks for the rest of their rebuild. It should be contracts that go well into their window, short-term flip contracts (mostly for relievers), or nothing.
Stansfield, no reason any owner should spend lots of money to rebuild. You can rebuild and still spend? Why? How does that make any business sense whatsoever. “You can still rebuild and be competitive” sure if you want the rebuild to cost more, take longer and possibly not work. The blueprint has been laid, trade away all vets, tank and get the most draft money. Until mlb puts in anti tank rules, and THAT DOESNT MEAN a salary floor as that won’t do anything, will just make Ellsbury or David Wright contracts valueable somehow.
In no way shape or form is Moncada “highly overrated”. Kopech looked fine too before TJ. You don’t know what youre talking about.
Sf52 you clearly don’t know how baseball works. Players on minor league contracts make less money. Why would the White Sox spend on free agents when they aren’t going to win anyway? Their highest paid player, James Shields, pitched like ass. What does throwing money at players accomplish?
with you as a yankee fan you should be able to figure that one. like NY and Boston do, buy a playoff appearance. Stack the team whatever the costs. SF52 is correct
100% correct
I think that with Moncada, if he was hitting, they wouldn’t be switching anything. “switching spots” is code for “he hasn’t shown enough with the bat to be a major league starter, so maybe we can extract some value out of him in a utility role”.
Or, it could mean rebuilding teams must find the best fits for young players on the roster, and those projected to come up from the minors. Moncada’s defensive metrics indicate he might be better at 3rd base. He’s only got one full season under his belt, and the haters (Cubs fans) want to dismiss him as a bust. You realize how ignorant you people sound?
It’s so insane to expect all under 25 year olds to be Sotos, Acunas and Harpers. Moncada was a solid 2 WAR player in his first time in the league. Only can grow from here.
Madrigal will be at 2B because of his well above average defense. Tim Anderson significantly improved his defense at SS last year, though he needs to hit better. Meanwhile the Sox have a hole at 3B with no clear long-term answer in the minors. Moncada getting moved has nothing to do with him not hitting. I believe it’s more about getting him reps at 3B so when Madrigal comes up, he already knows the position and isn’t learning on the fly as their window is opening. And, as ChiSoxCity said, some believe he profiles better at 3B anyway.
LOL-If “switching spots” is code for bad hitting why would the White Sox consider moving Moncada to the hot corner where a big bat is generally preferred over one at 2B? This move is strictly about getting Madrigal to his best position which is 2B due to in part to his his 5’7″ height. After just having completed his first full season in the big leagues the White Sox are hardly dismissing Moncada’s enormous ceiling as MLB’s top rated prospect so they can make him into a utility player.
Btw-Moncada was hardly a butcher at 2B either. Despite his high error total of 29 in 202 games at the position he still managed to put up slightly above average defense per his o.9 dWAR metric. If the White Sox didn’t have a Gold Glove caliber prospect on he way the organization would be just fine with keeping Moncada at 2B where he also possesses all the physical tools to become an elite defender.
Well, there’s no “wrong” time to add a player like Machado. He fits perfectly with White Sox, and should be a priority for them. If Jerry’s unwilling to bid $325MM, then they obviously never were serious to begin with. Machado + Corbin would energize the fanbase set the Sox up for a bright future.
Corbin’s probably gotten fitted for his Yankees jersey already. Yankees are very motivated to add a good starter behind Severino and they have such deep pockets that it’s hard to see him going anywhere else. Machado would be a huge upgrade, especially if he’s willing to play 3B (I think I read that he wanted to switch just to boost his FA market value; with a contract in hand, he shouldn’t care anymore), but I think the Phillies win him in the end. I want to believe what Hahn says about the team being willing to spend money, but their biggest contract in team history didn’t even top $70M, so I’ll believe it when I see it.
Depending on who you listen to the Phillies might be more hesitant on Machado after the postseason. But hey, sportswriters seem to put out more opinions than actual facts.
I agree on the yankees getting Corbin, if they want him bad enough they’ll just bid high
We all hope they do bid as high as possible. Haha
Are ado would be a difference maker on the South Side. Adding his bat along with Jimenez & Robert would really juice the offense. Huge upgrade with Arrenado vs. Sanchez, Robert vs.Engle & Jiminez vs. whatever we’ve been throwing out there in LF.
Away from Coors, Arenado is just a slightly above average hitter. It’s true that a significant portion of his away games are in pitcher-friendly parks in NL West, but I don’t think that explains the entirety of the nearly 200-point OPS gap he has in his career. He’ll be an above average player getting paid like a superstar. He’d still be an upgrade, just not as big of one as some people think.
If there’s any player that’s more of a “Face-of-the-Franchise” guy than Arenado…….I’m not sure who that would be. He’s become their leader….and as long as they are “in the playoff mix”…….I think Arenado will stay put. They’ll find a way to pay him. They know how valuable he is to their lineup (and therefore their success). If they found $70 mil for a guy like Desmond……they’ll find $300+ Million for Arenado. They’ll back load it until payroll is freed up. (3 years….after 2021)….plus there will be a couple Opt-Outs after years 3 & 4….in case they aren’t competetive).
Other than Blackmon, there’s nothing on the books after that. They have several prospects who will be under team control until after that.
Sure they could get a Haul for Arenado this winter……but the Fan base would explode. We’ll see………
There’s a relatively significant amount of guaranteed money in pretty terrible spots (Jake McGee/Bryan Shaw/Wade Davis/Ian Desmond) on that roster.
Ya know, if the Red Sox had just kept Moncada and Kopech, they probably would have won the World Series………oh……
They might have anyway. Chris Sale had his typical late season falloff due to physical issues and has been less than stellar in the postseason with the Red Sox. Sale has only had one dominating start of his 4 in the playoffs in 2017 and 2018.
David Price was the Red Sox postseason saviour in 2018. He turned around his generally miserable career playoff performances by dominating the Astros and Dodgers in his last 3 postseason starts.
Meanwhile, the Yankees have seemingly built a juggernaut for the next 5-10 years with their retooling and emphasis on acquiring and developing elite young talent. We all know that they will throw money at whatever holes remain, likely in the starting rotation, to finish the job. By then, Sale could be long gone as a FA as he enters his final guaranteed season in Boston in 2019.
If I’m the Red Sox I’m doing everything in my power to lock up Sale with a huge contract extension this winter because if he does hit FA next offseason he would be the ultimate final piece in the Bronx as an ace southpaw in Yankee Stadium.
The AL Central is pretty bad, some smart moves could put the White Sox right in the thick of it especially with the Indians talking of trading stars, If any of the bad teams in the AL central can just routinely beat the other 3 bad teams they could maybe compete with an Indians team being indecisive.
I think we are almost at the time where barely any players play a set position all year anymore – the versatility of Boston and LA was evident that is the future and soon, everyone will play anywhere they physically can – which has always kind of been how things were until players hit MLB anyway, it was just outdated tradition to have a singular assigned position, and most players care more about the ABs than where they line up on defense anyway, the fact that they’re in the lineup is more important than position.
Right on. Moreover, the powers that be love versatility, since it will keep rosters at 25, tough to do with 13-man staffs and “openers”.
Defense has suffered along the way, but there’s less a value on that these days. In the AL East, besides Tampa’s IF (which is, at best, OK) and Boston’s OF (arguably the best in MLB) , the rest of the defenses are borderline hideous, with Baltimore’s being historically so. It’s little wonder the Rays led MLB in BABIP, with their contact-oriented approach and 47% of their games against the stone gloves in their division. The Red Sox added power to that equation, and…..
The next logical move is to mobilize your off-day starters as defensive replacements. Easily done; many are really good athletes. An inning or two in RF won’t kill them.
Defence matters less now than it ever has, so it’s made certain configurations possible. Less balls in play means less opportunity to accrue value on batted balls.
Moncada is young enough to switch to the OF, although he has no professional experience there. It may help him offensively as well. His league leading strikeout total was awful and his fielding is not good in the infield. He definitely remains a top-notch prospect and clearly needs more time to develop his skills. Playing outfield along side Eloy would be fun to see next year.
Luis Robert, another highly rated Cuban prospect who already possesses an elite CF pedigree would be more fun to watch alongside Eloy Jimenez come 2020 and beyond. I don’t think it will serve Yoan Moncada well to have him keep switching positions ever year or so. 3B is open on the South Side and that’s where Moncada ought to be given his next assignment. If he sucks at the hot corner in 2019 then Nolan Arenado will surely be on the White Sox radar come next offseason.
Really, Moncada is not needed in the White Sox outfield. Prospects like Robert, Basabe, and Rutherford can play CF plus Engle is brilliant defensively. I would like to see the improving Davidson get another year to develop at 3B. Good luck with your Arenado concept. You will need it.
Rockies (Bridich) need to move Desmond in a trade. Will have to basically “sell” a couple of top prospects to get a team to take him, but that really needs to happen to both free up salary space for an Arenado extension as well as opening up playing time for younger players who are going to be more productive.
The Blue Jays ought to welcome this cash dump. I’d love if they purged Colorado’s system.
Some are wondering why the White Sox would pay big money for free agents. Normally you’d be right. But we’re talking about 26 year old free agent superstars. Chisox are the right team in the right payroll situation to make a splash.
Can’t win in 2019? Tell me, is the AL Central locked down by Cleveland? No. They may be the team to beat with a stellar starting rotation, but the AL Central is vulnerable. It would not take much for the White Sox to make a move in 2019 and take over in 2020. Signing a Machado, Harper, or both plus an arm would put them in a position to be the AL Central leader within 2 years, maybe sooner.
Chisox are in the right division with the right number of rebuilding teams to take full advantage if they so choose. This is the offseason to take advantage of the gifts they may not have available next year or the year after.
Why would Harper or Machado want to sign with the White Sox when they could go to ready made contending teams? It’s not like they won’t get paid.