12:15am: Both teams have announced the trade.
11:05 pm: The Rangers and White Sox have agreed on a trade that will send outfielder Nomar Mazara to Chicago, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Outfielder Steele Walker is going to Texas in return, per MLB.com’s TR Sullivan (via Twitter).
This move represents a bet on Mazara’s long-lauded talent for the South Siders, who’ll hope he can finally break out at the plate after languishing just shy of league average to this point of his career. Mazara is just 24 years of age but is already in his second-to-last season of arbitration eligibility. MLBTR projects a $5.7MM salary.
Mazara has received ample opportunity ever since breaking into the bigs in his age-21 campaign. But through more than two thousand plate appearances at the game’s highest level, he’s hitting just .261/.320/.435 with a steady diet of ~20 home run seasons. That’s certainly not what you’d like to see out of a corner outfielder who isn’t a standout in the field. Mazara has yet to reach 2 WAR for his career. If you’re looking for evidence that Mazara is about to hit his stride, his power did jump in 2019, with a .469 SLG and .200 ISO both career highs. As he approaches his age-25 seasons, there’s certainly time for another developmental leap.
The Chicago organization has announced its intentions to press towards contention in 2020, upping the stakes for this move. Mazara will presumably be asked to handle the lion’s share of the time in right field, joining Eloy Jimenez as a corner outfield regular. No doubt the front office has visions of a breakout, youthful trio emerging when Luis Robert is deemed ready to man center field. Leury Garcia could hold down center to open the season and then step back into a reserve role.
As for the 23-year-old Walker, he’s a recent second-round pick who reached the High-A level last year with the Chicago organization. The former Oklahoma University star slashed .269/.346/.426 in 441 plate appearances for Winston-Salem in 2019. Walker is viewed as a high-quality hitting prospect who has a shot at sticking up the middle. He’s generally considered one of the ten best prospects in a strong White Sox farm. Walker will begin the season in Double-A, per John Blake, the Rangers’ Executive VP of Communications.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Oh damn…
I wanted Mazzara to be with the Cards, but it’s fine. We can probably find another player via trade or free agency.
Why would you want Mazzara? The Cardinals already have two outfielders who can’t play defense
The Cards can have Choo and his full contract as their consolation prize.
The cards have 3-4 guys in the minors that would surely be better than Mazara not to mention the log jam on the mlb roster.
Let’s just hope opposing batters hit the ball into center. And the Sox’ best bet for a defensive late-inning replacement in the outfield is Adam Engel, the best outfielder for the Sox since Jim Landis. They need someone who can catch the ball, and someone who knows what to with it thereafter.
As an older Sox fan, I appreciate the mention of Jim Landis. I personally would put him behind Ken “the bandit” Berry as my centerfielder….but either one works!
“One Dog” the best
And let’s not forget Aaron Rowland!
Well that was unexpected, wonder who TX gets in return
Steele Walker is who the Rangers got
Baseball America has Walker ranked as the White Sox’s 8th best prospect
That ain’t much.
ChiSox have a good farm, so it’s not that bad.
It was a salary dump by the Rangers, pure and simple.
Already at $5.7m and rising in arbitration.
Rest assured that unless Mazara plays as good as he looks, the Sox will sooner non-tender him then get stuck with his future contracts.
Mazara bears a bit of a resemblance to Jason Heyward – who also under-performed what appeared to be his physical talents in Atlanta. The difference is that Heyward has always been able to play defense.
Not a salary dump. More like “punting” on Mazara. Grabbing a good prospect while doing so
I agree. What does that tell us about Texas’ evaluation of Mazara’s potential?
As someone who has watched Mazara for the past four years, I assure you, all he had going for him was potential. Five years of potential is waiting too long.
Hope one day he finally delivers – just don’t expect it.
You are ignorant. It’s not 2007 anymore. The White Sox have a top 3 farm system.
Myaccont, no, the white Sox HAD a good farm system. This upcoming year, pretty much depletes it.
At least they’re not giving Marza $188 mil like the Cubs gave Hayward.. brutal mistake by Theo
Bad move, I think. We get another project,and the Rangers get a guy who can be one of the faces of the Rangers. Too bad they couldnt have taken a perennial project like Blake Rutherford.
Mazara S U C K S !!! plain and simple lets call a spade a spade. Just imagine how Whitesox fans feel a top prospect traded for what falls off the Texas Ranger scrap heap. This rebuild is entering year 4 how in the world do you put Jiminez fair at best in left Engel who is a double hitter at best in center and this ridiculous stiff in right and expect to contend? Texas is a perennial cellar dweller ran by a analytical buffoon and the Sox trade for whats scraped off his boot. You can plainly see Kenny Williams cursed fingerprints all over this cant wait to get the news Kole Calhoun is on his way to Chicago. WTF is going on in Jerry Reinsdorf brain that he allows this to happen.
It’s so fitting…..Steele Walker, Texas Ranger lol
This…
sir…you win lol
Dunno if that’s a win… I’m pretty sure it’s the very 1st thing everyone thought when they read the who and the where.
Ugh i hope the Sox didn’t give up anything worthy.
Why is it all happening so late
Winter meetings. It’s not that late on the west coast.
Yeah, it’s barely 9:00 here.
I’m wide awake.
It hides the disappointment better
Stove is burning RN
He’ll probably have a career year in 2020!
Surprising the Sox were willing to give up on Mazara. He’s still so young.
You mean Texas
You mean Texas? Chicago just acquired Mazara.
The Rangers**
You mean Rangers?
Wow they just got him, highly doubt they’ve already given up on him.
This post will age well
Potentially a good move for CWS… depends what the return is.
More exciting news than Cole to the Yankees?
Initially yes, but that contract pays him until he’s 38. That’s a hefty price to pay for a guy approaching 30 already. We have to see the provisions in the contract though to see how they break it down.
1 WAR players don’t get you to the playoffs.
Sox terrible pro scouting and multi-year preocupation with former top prospects continues.
This is what Rick Hahn is doing while the Yankees sign Cole.
This move does nothing for the Sox except give them the excuse they want to not bid on Mookie Betts next year.
It’s not bad at all. Mazara, while streaky, can go on very productive stretches throughout the season. I think it’s a quality add!
He’s RF platoon bat who can’t play D or get on base.
Raise your standards to players who will add a meaningful #of wins.
If you’re going to use him as a platoon bat, he can get on base… He can’t get on base vs lefties.
Yes. Nomar Mazara has put up significantly better splits versus RHP in his career with a .271/.337/.462 triple slash. He was even better this past season with a .288/.344/.500 line. The White Sox will be wise to utilize a right-handed hitting platoon partner with Mazara who can also play plus defense in RF and become a late inning defensive replacement for him or LF Eloy Jimenez next season.
The White Sox actually have an in-house candidate in CF Adam Engel who could fit the bill. Engel is a right-handed hitter with great speed, some pop who also plays Gold Glove caliber defense. He posted an impressive .313/.360/.482 slash versus LHP in 89 PA’s as the White Sox primary 4th OF in 2019.
Leury Garcia hits lefties better as well and can play RF on occasion along with some other places. Not overly excited about Mazara, but as awful as our RFs were last year, simply getting someone slightly above league average can be an exceptional upgrade. Mazara and Engel/Garcia is above league average, so I am coming around (assuming they use some cash to get a couple starting pitchers still).
On the surface this is a solid add. If the thought by Rick n Co is to not sell out on their deepest position prospect-wise, then I’ll agree with this as long as some big dollars are spent on bullpen or rotation. Its smart not to go crazy on all needs in one season if your goal is to extend you competitive window. What wouldn’t be OK is if they don’t consider spending the money they saved (luckily?) by missing out on Machado. I think their Garrit Cole is still out there, just not this year, and rightly so.
Dealing prospects, or international bonus $ for replacement level platoon bats with 2 years of team control does not extend cempetitive windows.
You are correct! It’s not spending your all your allowance on the biggest shiniest things at once that keeps the breeze comin
Don’t get to watch the rangers as much as I would like, but I see similarities to Bryce solely in that he has a sweet LH swing when he’s hot, but it gets really inconsistent for prolonged stretches. Obviously bryce has had a couple full seasons where that’s never happened and there is no way to count on Mazara for that, but he has a really good swing.
Apparently neither do 10 WAR players. How many playoff wins does Trout have?
Or could it be that WAR has nothing to do with making the playoffs?
That’s just asinine. It could be that the rest of Trout’s team doesn’t post enough “WAR.” AKA— his team simply isn’t good enough. A team starting a bunch of 1 WAR guys isn’t going to be a very good one.
Last year the top 5 teams by position player fWAR were the Astros, Dodgers, Yankees, Twins and A’s. The top 5 teams by pitching fWAR were the Rays, Dodgers, Twins, Astros and Nationals.
Let me know if you see any similarities between the teams at the top of the WAR leaderboard and the playoffs last year.
He’s going to start next year at age 24, I’m guessing the White Sox are hoping they can unlock something in him. Could easily see him breaking out with a change of scenary
Exactly.
Sox hoping to catch lightning in a bottle again as happened with McCann last year.
Steele Walker is at least a year or two from the bigs, whereas Mazara is ready to go now, and poised to improve his skills.
Hes been with the Rangers since 2011. He was rated a top 5 prospect in 2014, and a top 25 prospect in 2016….and the Rangers traded him. Maybe his average arm, average speed, 220 BA against lefties told them he wasnt the shining star they thought he was. Seems like more of a great pickup for KC or the Tribe.
Whine if they dont do anything. Whine if they do do something. Whine whine whine. Must be a barrel of laughs at your household
As much as I didn’t want it to happen and him become a really good player, I think this is best for him. I hope he becomes the player the Rangers thought he would be.
Which is another way of saying he’s not a good player now. Typical Sox move.
If you hate on the Sox so much, they why comment on the Sox articles?(I mean other than being a pathetic troll)
Eloy, Robert, Mazara – not a bad outfield. Guess this means they’ve cooled on their Joc Pederson man crush.
I feel blessed as a Sox fan the baseball gods saved Jerry, Kenny n Rick a boatload of cash after missing on Wheeler a #3-4 SP at best. Early discussions about Castellanos not fruitful presumably. I sure as he!!ll hope this isn’t their starting RFer, better be strict platoon option. Hopefully our lifelong Cub fan GM is saving funds to outbid the competition for Ryu or Madbum or preferably Rendon. I would of traded Steele Walker before i drafted him b/c we aren’t filming an episode of Dallas were trying to build a team. Didnt hear Hahn talk about Madrigal’s arrival in 2020 just Robert. Such a waterdowned division, how can you not be in win now mode 2020. Lets go ChiSox
The fact that the Sox don’t have a starting 2nd baseman on the roster points to Madrigal being on the roster.
No, I very much doubt it. Danny Mendick will likely start at 2nd with Leury RF/CF depending on the pitching matchup. Unless the Sox lock up Madrigal and Robert like they did with Eloy, you won’t see them til June.
Leury Garcia plays 2B.
He plays most ALL positions.
P&C not so much.
You Grebek, are a realistic CWS fan, sir.
Sorry, Cardinals
this is sad…
Dude… what?
Let’s just say, they better get Rendon, and Chirinos! I’m hoping they’re getting a decent return for Mazara, even though he hasn’t been too hot for us.
I’m hoping we get Rendon, Castellanos and Chirinos.
Brain-genius Hahn strikes once more
Please elaborate. The Sox got a lefty OF bat would will still be head and shoulders better over the options from last season (and is only 24 as well) and only had to give up a guy that likely had not place on this club when he would be ready as Robert will be in CF, and Walker was not looking like he would put of corner OF type numbers.
Sorry if you like to have clubs throw buckets of money at an issue and still do no better than getting a solid OF who will be an upgrade over the existing guys currently available on the roster and in the farm now.
Is it a blockbuster deal? No but it is an improvement for the Sox over last season for sure.
And they dealt from a position of surplus with about a half dozen other OF prospects in their system for a young player who’s already contributed at the major league level. What’s Steele’s realistic upside? Best of all, they didnt have to tap into any of their pitching prospects. A pretty savvy move- worst case buying time until one of the other OF prospects emerges.
Improvement …yes. Stunning…hardly. Been with the Rangers since 2011.. Beats the tar out of lefties to the tune of ..200 ba.. Most say average speed, and average arm.2014 he was a top 5 prospect, and 2016 a top 25, and now the Rangers have traded him. This would be a great pickup for KC or Cleveland.
Im hearing its Steele walker
*hoping
That’d take it from an intriguing move to a stupid one real quick.
I mean if Walker was 21 in A Adv then yeah but he’s 23 and did decent in a A Adv last year. He’s far from a sure thing while Mazara at least gives you major league production now. Being with Abreu or another set pf eyes may turn his career around who knows.
Also it helps to keep in mid the ZERO chance Steele turns into a bonanza fide 5 tooler
It was his first year of professional baseball. Nobody is saying he’s a sure thing; just that buying low on Mazara should’ve costed less than a top 10 organizational prospect.
And I like Mazara more than most Sox fans. I’ve been saying since the trade deadline that I’d be cool with him in RF for the Sox…
Steele a better Sox prospect, hoping they would have giving them of prospect Rutherford aka lumpy last name in leave it to beaver tely series
And they replace their top 10 organizational prospect with…another top 10 organizational prospect. #11 on their list becomes #10. Isn’t that how lists work?
@omaha;
See you at the old salt mine Ward.
Kopech or Madrigal and Walker.
You’d never get a top prospect for him. He’s not a superstar
They got Walker for him…
Was aiming high but we got Walker. It’s a fair deal. And the White Sox might win this trade. Mazara is capable of 30HR/100RBI if he can put it together for the whole season.
Wait, you were serious? Sure, we know the return now, but no way on earth Mazarra was bringing back Kopech or Madrigal, much less one of those guys with anything else.
Agreed, how it’s not just the scouts. It’s the management all the way down to Ricky. They don’t look at Sabremetrics whatsoever and this trade regardless of the return proves it. This is proven based on how Ricky was raving about his defense when the defense is suspect at best. The lack of research has me suppressing my excitement for the rebuild because I feel like it’s going to be a massive let down if it does t work out as they advertised.
Dude strikes out way too much
For Steele Walker?
Oh my
TR is confirming it’s for Steele Walker.
there must be some kind of big trade or signing coming for this to go down
Why? He has never been even an average player on offense or defense.
Trade simulator agrees this is a massive overpay by the Sox. Ugh,
It also say the White Sox can trade Reynaldo Lopez and Luis Alexander Basabe for David Price, Mookie Betts, and Andrew Benintendi…
It also says Kelvin Herrera would be a massive overpay for Price and Benintendi.
Hahn should get on the phone ASAP.
Not hating on acquiring Mazara, I actually still think he can get better but I dont really like the cost, Just think they could have used Walker as part of a bigger trade. Mazara is obviously a gigantic upgrade from last year at a reasonable price. Leaves plenty of money for SP. Spend it!
Not gonna happen. Just, not gonna happen.
WTF is a trade simulator? You can’t be serious that you’re using a fake tool to determine whether actual human beings made the right move or not… especially when one of the players involved hasn’t even seen ML-ready pitchers yet.
Come on, guy!
Why White Sox?
Um, the Sox needed a RF and lefty bat, and did not have to fork over millions and millions for him. Seems simply enough to me.
It’s basically a 2 for 15 million dollar contract For Mazara but ok
They did this for the same reason they do everything, they are an extremely cheap organization.
Coming from a fan of an organization that “prints money” but has been crying broke all offseason… Never mind, I guess you do know something about a cheap organization.
Because in a trade the player can’t say no. There’s been too many higher profile guys they go after that they miss out on even when they offer more. They keep getting publicly dissed. They can at least claim success here I think. Maybe? Regardless mostly just a yawn move.
Ok so now we have: Walker Texas Ranger. Has a ring to it.
Disappointing signing when they could’ve gotten Dickerson or Calhoun for only money. This move screams Kenny Williams bs. 24 year old never became who the Rangers thought he would so Kenny says,”Oh yeah change of scenery will turn him into a star.”
It’s a trade, not a signing. Maybe you should learn basic baseball terms before bashing someone who knows far more than you for his decision-making.
They probably could have signed Calhoun for $10-15 million and kept Steele.
As it is, they are going to be paying roughly $6 million for Mazzara.
Calhoun is a better player than Mazzara.
Steele will likely not have any place on this club by the time he is ready (if he ever gets to that place).
With the way contracts are being dolled out Calhoun could get a big payday. Even if it is your estimate last I checked 6 mil is less that 10. Just because a team has money does not mean they should over pay for someone. Walker is not an overpay.
Still, if he’s a good prospect he can be traded for players of value down the line.
Calhoun plays great defense, has a cannon for an arm, and is strait with the bat. Better to have him and Steele than just Mazara, IMO.
Well, it worked for JD Martinez… Here’s to hoping for the best.
Enough already.
Hahn has been GM for nearly a decade. They have zero winning seasons under him.
This screams of Rick Hahn, because Hahn has pursued the same type of one-tool players for the last several seasons.
Stop making KW the whipping boy for all of Hahns dumb mistakes.
Dickerson has been passed around like a 3 dollar bill in his young career & Calhoun isn’t even above replacement level. They would be throwing money away signing those guys. Mazara is possibly a yr away from 30/100. We aren’t filming a Stepbrothers 2 movie here in Chicago are we? He!!ll No, ship Walker & his bro Texas Ranger back to where he’s from. Cmon now this trade is a no brainer
As a Rangers fan i am upset.
Steele is just a year younger than Mazara putting up the same numbers… biggest difference is one is in A ball.
Yeah the Whitsunday Sox won this one but we had a surplus of left handed bats and even though he was one of my favorites he was the most expendable.
Steel Walker is a 22-23 year old in A ball. What am I missing here? Why all the angst about trading him?
I’m wondering the same thing. It’s funny seeing Sox fans lose their minds over trading a soon-to-be-24-year-old A ball player who is No. 6 in their system for a guy who was once a consensus top-25 prospect in the game.
Mazara hasn’t broken out yet, but he’s still young and the talent is there. As a Rangers fan, I never liked the thought of selling low on Mazara, and that’s exactly what they’ve done here.
Steele Walker won’t be missed. Anyone who thinks the Sox gave up a prospect is cluelessly scouting stat lines.
I’m bashing the trade because Mazarra as or solution in RF does nothing to get this team closer to contention.
The Sox gave up nothing and got nothing.
The Sox got nothing out of the RF spot last season, so even if Mazara hits his averages from his career he is doing far better, Go troll somewhere else
So… a fair trade?
The Rangers were really running out of time.2 more years. He hasn’t shown really any improvement over 4 full seasons.
CF’s are in short supply too. If walker can develop into a decent one that has value.
That just means you had two more years of cheap arbitration left. I’d have rather waited it out, especially since the outfield glut everyone’s talking about solves itself next year when Choo goes off the books. And with Calhoun likely to settle into the DH spot at that point, you’re left starting DeShields in center or looking for two replacements in the outfield next offseason. Neither is a great place to be if you’re trying to contend.
I get it. I guess they wanted to get rid of a lefthanded outfielder and Mazara had the most appeal. This is at least a pretty solid return. There’s plenty of RH corner OF bats on the market right now. Castellanos, AVi Garcia etc.
Because, he hit pretty well in high A, plays great defense in CF and RF, and was considered one of the best college hitters when drafted 2 years ago.
LOVE this trade for the Rangers! Mazara was not improving, and isn’t very good defensively. Rangers managers insisted on batting him 3-4-5. Actually getting him off the team improves the Rangers. I’m shocked by the return he brought. Nice job Daniels!
Best of luck to Mazara Though. Really good guy. Hopefully he can take a step forward for the White Sox.
He has a ton of potential. just very streaky. if he can adjust to pitching during season better he will be a superstar
This is what we’ve been saying for several years and there’s been no change. I love Maz and I genuinely hope reaches his potential with the Sox but he wasn’t going to do it with us.
He won’t ever be a superstar with his current approach at the plate, even if he does have a lot of talent.
His approach isnt bad. K% is goods. makes a ton of contact
He won’t be a superstar with that approach though. Ben is absolutely correct. It’s a similar approach to Mike Moustakas. Mazara could be a productive corner outfielder with the approach but never a superstar. The OBP of a superstar would never be there.
Walker, Texas Ranger.
Mazara, White Sox.
Low risk move for the Sox. Like it. Mazara is only 24 and can still improve mightily. Sox have a number of Stealers and Walkers in the minors.
Castellanos seemed like a clear fit for the White Sox and they could have just signed him and held onto Walker. Seems like a weird move
He’s not a lefty, and he’ll probably get $100M based on how contracts are being handed out this offseason.
I don’t know if Castellanos will get that much unless he gets 5+ years because of his defense and he might be a DH long term. I get what you’re saying though
I don’t actually think he’ll get that much either. But contracts appear to be going back to their ridiculous “normal.”
Castellanos is severely overrated and will probably sign for close to $100m if not more.
Steamer projections for 2020
Castellanos .275/.331/.490. 112 wRC+, 1.5 fWAR, 149 games
Mazara .269/.331/.477, 101 wRC+, 1.2 fWAR, 136 games
It might seem crazy what I’m ’bout to say
Sunshine she’s here, you can take a break
I’m a hot air balloon that could go to space
With the air, like I don’t care, baby, by the way
[Chorus]
(Because I’m happy)
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
(Because I’m happy)
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
(Because I’m happy)
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
(Because I’m happy)
Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do
Maybe the Sox plan is to go after Betts next year in free agency without giving up the farm this year as a 1 yr rental. Mazara becomes a low cost filler for 2020 in rightfield with the potential trade value in 2021 if Betts is the target in 2021.
I wouldn’t hold your breath.
I’m not. That’s the reason why I started with “Maybe”
Do hold your breath. Because Mookie will be changing the color of his Sox in 2021 – BOOK IT!!!
How do I know this? Mookie’s dog is named Guaranteed Rate Field and he’s real close friends with Tim Anderson – they both played high school baseball in Las Vegas together.
Also, Mookie drives a Lincoln.
Which of course Illinois is ‘The Land of…’
I’m not. That’s the reason I started with the word “Maybe”. Just trying to put a cheerful spin on a questionable trade.
If the Rangers can get Walker in a deal for Mazara, I have to think the Mariners could get Varsho back in a deal for Haniger.
Snakes are losing their backup C, an IF (Ahmed), and an OF (Peralta) at the end of this season, pretty sure they’re not trading Varsho for Haniger for the reason that he has reps at C and CF (and pretty much every scouting report says that he’s athletic enough to play 2B), and is almost MLB ready.
I could see a Mazara/Engel platoon next year.
Mazara against righties
.288/.344/.500
Engel against lefties
.313/.360/.482
And I believe Walker is destined to play left field which of course is filled by Jimenez. It still leaves the White Sox with Rutherford/Adolfo/Basabe as future right fielders if Mazara doesn’t take another step in his development.
IMO Walker does not look to have the kind of hitting numbers to be in a corner OF spot, he is more of a CF, which will likely be occupied by Robert for some time.
If Mazara hit only meets his career stats he is still far better than what the Sox had in that position last season, even if playing as RF all season
Last 3 seasons at the Cell Mazara has averages .285 OPS .870. I guess they figure he’ll be a stud at the Cell. I do hope they acquire another bat though.
If the Sox scouting is based on how well players hit their garbage rebuilding rotation the last 3 years, they’ll be mired in mediocrity forever. Mazarra is bad. The Sox don’t make good use of platoons or rejuvinate stagnant careers. This is a terrible answer for RF in ’20 and ’21
Definitely not what i hoped for either.
If you hate the Sox so much, why do you post in Sox articles, other than a pathetic rise for your troll score?
Because his Cubs haven’t made and won’t make any news. He’s pissed off that the tides in Chicago are quickly shifting. The Cubs dynasty that never was has a lot of sCrUBS fans very angry these days. Petty crime rates are up in Wrigleyville – lots of stolen toilet paper from the local bars.
You can’t defend the team using their limited prospect capital on a .5 fWAR player who doesn’t fit the window of contention so you name-call.
I’m upset because I’m a Sox fan who refuses to bury his head in the sand while Hahn makes the pain of this 3+ year rebuild all-for-naught.
No, I do not think you are a Sox fan. I get that every fan has the right to gripe, but it seems that is ALL you do, which is just troll-ish behavior and far worse if you really are a fan of the team you constantly bash. .It is also a marker of a troll that makes snarky comment after snarky comment, then plays a victim about it when someone calls them out on it. Go outside and take a walk in the sunshine or something.. please.
You don’t sound like a Sox fan. Not saying you should agree with every move but it sounds like you’ve disagreed with every move also. So… not sure I believe that you’re a Sox fan.
That aside, the Sox have a top 3-5 farm system based on which publication you follow. “Limited prospect capital”? Come on, now.
IMO, true rebuilds should take 3-5 years but not more. We’re right at that mark now and the team is moving on to the “acquire ML-ready talent only” phase – which is exactly what they should be doing.
Guys like Walker won’t help us in 2021, 2022, or 2023. If he’s lucky, he’ll be contributing on a ML roster by 2023.
I trust Fangraphs more than most other sites and here is what they have for him:
Team Rank: 11
ETA: 2022
Hit: 30 / 40
Power: 30 / 50
Raw Power: 60/60
Speed: 50/45
Field: 45/50
Future Value: 40+
We have 23 prospects with future values of 40 or higher… Walker is one of 23. And he’s 5’11”, 190… I seriously doubt that 60/60 raw power ever develops, especially in the majors.
My money is on us not missing him and Hahn betting on Nomar being better than a .754 OPS guy (in the Majors) vs. Walker ever seeing the big leagues is a very safe bet.
Don’t get me wrong, we need to make more moves and this isn’t a huge move by any stretch. We should still be pursuing Bumgarner, Keuchel, Ryu, etc.
Totally agree with you, nrd1138. This guy is a Cubs fan posing as a Sox fan so his BS comments are viewed as anything other than BS comments.
The White Sox have a top system because Robert, Madrigal and Kopech have not graduated.
Once they do, possibly by the All-Star break, this system will be in the bottom half of rankings.
Exactly!
I actually like the deal for the Sox, low cost low risk option in RF with a ton of hitability, but they have to do something about his approach and OBP. I think what White Sox fans are actually upset about is they aren’t going to land any major impact pieces again. After Machado last year, now the big dogs mostly gone this year. Sox fans walked into this offseason thinking their money was as good as everyone else’s. That’s what has people upset. Especially to the ones that talk trash to the Cubs fans, they’ve started to realize that they’re still considered the little brother by the major players and always will be, that’s the frustration..
Nope
Yup.
See how that works? It doesn’t. Pointless actually.
Go to bed. You’re awfully pissy tonight. Did you actually think the Cubs would get Cole? You couldn’t even keep Cole Hamels. Team is broke. Complete rebuild starts in 2021.
That ain’t it. Good try though.
Marte is a much better player with the same amount of control, but would cost substantially more money. This is yet another example of not willing to pay for production, but instead roll the dice on “upside.” And to let it come out at the same time as cole signed as if either team were in, irritating.
Rick Hahn just traded one of his most valuable pieces for a platoon DH who will be a free agent in two years.
This does little to solve the team’s holes.
But at least he got this year’s mediocre LH slugger.
I’m a die hard Sox fan and barely know how to spell Stealer Walke.
This is not one of our “most valuable pieces.” Relax, overreacter guy.
Aww, that was cute.
Robert and Kopech are off limits.
Madrigal and Kopech are expected to contribute this year. They aren’t being traded.
After that, the top prospects are Vaughn, Dunning, Stiever and Walker. Vaughn is also probably not up for a trade.
The fact is, the White Sox took one of the three or four top guys they are willing to trade, and got in return a subpar hitter and subpar fielder.
There were probably other trades they could have executed to get .a better player, so long as they were willing to package Walker.
This is a waste of an asset.
How well must Mazara hit for you to admit you were wrong?
Wishing him the best, but as a Rangers fan, I can’t remember a more frustrating player to watch from the hitting side of things (Martin Perez tops him in frustration for pitching). Kept hearing all these great things about his potential and how this will finally be when he makes meaningful strides only for it to be more of the same, year after year. If the White Sox think they can unlock his potential then great, but he was never going to tap into that upside as a Ranger. So glad they finally ripped the band-aid off and traded him.
Rangers next trade.
Rougned Odor and Kolby Allard for Will Myers and Logan Allen
dang allen is gone i forgot.
He won’t be the everyday right fielder, but could see his bat in the DH. The man has some power. Seen him crush balls at Globe Life.
Never hit more than 20 home runs. Never hit league avg. OPS+.
Neither of those things mean he doesn’t have power. They mean he hasn’t been able to get to his power consistently for whatever reason. He has plenty of power. Hopefully they can help him tap into it more frequently. If you think he doesn’t have power, you haven’t seen him hit a baseball.
If the Sox had a track record of fixing swings, fine. They don’t.
He doesn’t hit homers because he hits too many grounders and oppo flies. Has for over 2000 plate appearances. + bad defense, low walks and too many K’s.
So his OPS+ and hr totals do matter more than his muscles.
When can we, as Sox fans, stop having to hope player acquisitions magically fix themselves and start being excited about the expected performance they bring?
“Fingers crossed” is not aplayoff making strategy.
Well, it’s a good thing they have a new hitting instructor.
And I don’t know when we can stop having to hope player acquisitions magically fix themselves and start being excited about the expected performance they bring. All I know is that some people are going to complain no matter what they do – and they’re generally the same people that were screaming bust at Moncada and Giolito up until last year. If they signed Castellanos for 4yr/$70M, people would’ve been screaming overpay. If they offered Castellanos 4yr/$70M and he signed somewhere else, people would’ve been screaming about how cheap they are. It is what it is.
If they’d gotten Castellanos for 4/$70M, I’d be jumping for joy. He was the guy I was hoping they’d go after. A move like this just shows they’re not serious about, “The money will be spent.”
Cool. I would’ve been fine with it too. 10 other people would’ve been saying it’s an overpay for a DH-only player.
I see this as a solid deal for both sides. Even if Mazara only does what he has been doing it still is a big upgrade for what the White Sox have now, and is a Lefty to boot (and he is only 24 yrs old, people act like he is 30 and hit his ceiling). For the Rangers, they got a guy who could be a good CF in a few years (and for the Sox he had likely no where to go if Robert plays up to his potential).
That is a stupid trade for the White Sox. Sign Dickerson, Calhoun, Ozuna or Castellanos. Don’t trade Walker for a 1 WAR player.
I find it interesting all of these people bashing Mazara at 24 yrs old. I guess those same people were crying about Moncada two years ago?
Mazara is only 24 yrs old, and his numbers last season are better than the Sox had on their roster or in the farm for RF. Walker is a guy who may or may not make it (he is in A ball and not hitting .320 with 20 homers in triple A or did I miss a season where he got promoted and did that?), and he has no place on this team as Robert is likely patrolling CF for a long long time.
Finally Mazara is not going to cost anything like those options you mentioned. Just because you have money does not mean you burn it.
Did you look at Moncada’s age 24 season compared to Mazara’s? There’s a reason Moncada signed for a $31.5 million bonus as a teenager. Mazara signed for $5 million. The talent difference is real.
Moncada was traded for Chris Sale, who doesn’t just gets Cy Young votes, he gets MVP votes.. Or, at least, got. Mazara was traded for a dude in A ball.
Moncada adjusted last year. Mazara didn’t. As a Ranger fan I would argue that he couldn’t. At our fan fest last Jan., I heard Mazara say what he needed to do to get better. Never happened. I feel bad for the guy because it’s not like he’s in the dark about his weaknesses. He simply has been unable to overcome them.
If he’s an improvement over what was in Chicago last year, more power to him. I wouldn’t expect anything other than what he’s done already.
2019 WARs and projected salaries based off of MLBTR’s predictions:
Ozuna = 2.6 WAR, $15M per and $45M total
Castellanos = 2.8 WAR, $16.5M per and $58M total
Dickerson – 1.0 WAR, $7.5M per, $15M total
Calhoun – 2.5 WAR, $6M per
Calhoun is the only guy who is projected to cost the same as Mazara while the other three, especially the top two, would cost a lot more.
Don’t think you can call this a stupid trade if you’re comparing him to guys who will command a lot more financially and who may or may not be better than him going forward. I’m not even factoring in age!
This is a challenge trade plus a minor salary dump- which only speaks to how far Mazara has fallen. I don’t expect him to find another gear here, but I do expect the Sox to waste some time figuring that out.
Career .754 OPS in total, BUT…
.800 OPS vs. the AL Central (not including the White Sox) and that covers almost an entire 2/3 of a season’s worth of PAs (406). That means 47% of his ABs will come against teams which he has had solid success against.
Plus I think he will fit into the White Sox clubhouse quite better – which can only help.
An individual’s stats vs AL central teams is 99% likely to be noise. I wouldn’t put any weight into that whatsoever.
The Sox are going to have to fix his approach to extract value. If he comes in with the same type of approach he has in Texas you’re going to get similar results. It’s that simple. He’s only 24 and was a top prospect, so there’s hope it can happen.
I don’t know, man. When the Cubs acquired Cole Hamels two years ago one of the first data sets used was his track record vs the NL Central. And he actually pitched very well for the Cubs.
So his approach and results vs the AL Central are already solid (hence the .800 OPS). You are right in that the Sox will try to change his approach so his performance vs our division might get worse… or it might get better. But I can’t agree that his previous performance vs a team and its staff 99% doesn’t matter.
400 abs spread across 4 seasons isn’t really reliable info in my opinion. I couldn’t put a whole lot of stock into that.
Good upside buy here, didn’t give up much and hopefully Mazara finds a grove in Chicago. Hats off to Hahn too, I can believe he’s trying to lure top FA to Chicago but if they don’t want to come here he still has to try and get better. I could see us still being in on Castellanos, Ryu, and Keuchel. Trade I would like to see is for Jon Gray, Daniel Murphy and Scott Oberg of Colorado. Murphy could keep 2b warm for Madrigal while offering veteran leadership and then slot into DH backup Fb, 2b, 3b, role. Oberg would be bullpen depth with these moves giving Colorado payroll relief
Yeah, Nomar will find an orange grove to hide in alright.
Glad the Padres didn’t trade for him.
Better jump in that Adam Jones to Japan thread to let us know about all the guys you’re glad you Padres didn’t sign.
How are those Hosmer and Machado contracts looking? Yikes…
It certainly happens from time to time that a team gives up on a player too soon, only to see him thrive in a new environment. But more often than not, a team is willing to move on from a player because they’re intimately familiar his flaws. It would be interesting to find out what the Rangers believe to be Mazara’s limitation(s), especially in light of the fact that he’s still quite young.
Interestingly, Mazara has the same birthday as Aaron Judge, and he’s entering his age-25 season–the same age Judge was as a rookie. Obviously, the Yankees didn’t think Judge was MLB-ready before his age-25 season, just as the Mets didn’t think Pete Alonso was ready prior to his age-24 season. And when you consider the argument that Mazara might have been rushed to the Majors, having tallied only 101 plate appearances at Triple-A when he made his MLB debut before his 21st birthday, then there’s definitely reason to believe Mazara has some significant upside at the plate.
Maybe the new environment will help. Maybe the jolt of being traded from the only organization he’s ever know will have a positive impact on his psychology/mindset. Maybe new voices, such as Jose Abreu’s, is what he needs.
Regardless, it’s a good gamble by the White Sox.
Nooooooommmmmmaaaaahhhhhhhh!
LOL love this. I did the same thing when I heard the news. My wife asked me what part of my body was hurting.
“Your what hurts?” – Hawk Harrelson
Hawk to get special honor/award in Cooperstown next summer. July 25. Book ur tickets and hotel rooms!
After some review, what’s not to like? Mazara came into the majors at age 21. We have 2 more guys making their MLB debut at age 22. He’s a power left handed bat, who’s young enough to gel with this team. And defensive substitution could involve Engel.
I wanted Puig, but he is a gamble. Nomar seems like a stand up guy who should fit very well with this super young team.
Whats not to like? How about Mazara is not that good. Who cares that he came up at 21? What does that have to do with anything? He will be 25 in April so 4 disappointing seasons offensively and defensively he stinks. Good deal by the Rangers!
I think just about anyone would take 25 and 4 years MLB experience over 25 and no experience. Not our fault Texas brought him up in an older clubhouse. Now Mazara gets to play with a bunch of fighters his age who will appreciate his experience. Better than just shrugging his shoulders when guys like Cabrera, Mathis and Choo are talking about going to the doctor to get a T shot.
generally not a good idea to trade a known prospect for a replacement level player but whatever
Another “meh” move. Mazara is just a warm body in RF, doesn’t put them closer to contention. Starting to worry the Sox are sliding back into their MO of dead weight roster moves. Wth happened to Puig?
Walker was totally blocked by Luis Robert and does Texas save a spot on 40man now? It seems to be a good “baseball trade” for both sides. They can’t all be blockbusters people.
What’s good about Mazara? Can’t hit, Can’t field.
he’s gotten to the Majors and is more than just a warm body
Four years in the majors, not one 1-WAR season. Mazara is a BELOW AVERAGE player. The White Sox are F’in joke if this is the best they can do.
He’s consistent from year to year. Lol.
I think his bat still has time to improve, he flashes Dave Justice on occasion. It is his defense that worries me more, as the team in general needs defensive improvement. I wonder if his future is eventually at 1B.
He is 24 with left-handed power. He isn’t one of the bums the Sox trotted out in RF last year.
good bet by the Sox
White Sox fans waiting on potential have a short memory.
Mazara is literally a LH version of Dayan Viciedo.
They were both about the same age when they entered the league, and both were poor fielding, low contact guys that were touted as power bats, but couldn’t get hit more that 20+ bombs. They literally have similar OPS+ numbers throughout their careers, and Career WAR of under 2.
Yet people say back every year and said, no, he is one year away from the big season. Until he wasn’t.
I have more faith that in three years, Walker will be a viable fourth outfielder, while Mazara is playing with The Tank in Japan.
But every year,
This is their great offseason plan to contend?? Mazara for RF? GTFOH.
I’m still hoping they go after at least Puig, and kick Mazara to DH/corner backup but I’m not holding my breath sinceHahn labeled him as a RF in release.
The Sox have better options than Mazara for DH. He’s useless.
And when did Steele Walker enter the HOF? You hold him in such high esteem it’s puzzling.
Finally, this relatively minor deal has brought to life a childhood dream of mine….there is now and will be forevermore a Walker, Texas Ranger…
I always thought it would be Larry, but Steele will do just fine.
Thanks to both front offices for getting this done.
Funny, very funny!
This is a great move by the White Sox. I still think they could grab a Corey Dickerson type for the OF, which could give Mazara time at DH. They do need to get One of the top remaining SPs though and some bullpen help. Rendon would be nice, but not likely.
They’re not getting a top SP or anybody that costs money. Sorry sob’s.
This was a great move by the White Sox since it only cost them Steel Walker. Walker did show some major improvements in the second half of last season in A ball but he still had another a year or two competing against other outfielders in the Sox’s system (Adolfo, Basabe and Rutherford). Plus, the Sox are not giving up a draft pick by overpaying for Ozuna or Castellanos.
What has Mazara shown?
Mazarra did have 100 RBIs in 2017. Mazarra did miss some time in 2019 where his numbers were not the same but he can definitely benefit with batting in this line up. Too many Sox fans complain then change their minds (Giolito and Moncada from 2018 to 2019).
I agree, since there’s so many outfielders still in play, I have to assume Hahn had a plan for Mazara for some time now. Nice trade. Steele will have better opportunity to move up in Texas, and we got our beast-zilla Lefty!!
I can understand if the Sox gave up Robert or Madigral or Vaughn for this guy! That’s when us Sox fans have to question the front office’s decisions. Walker had too many outfielders ahead of him and he was not getting any younger.
Yeah, I’ve been doing some social media research and it appears the possibilities for an increase in online White Sox content and mass support is right around the corner. Problem is, most beat writers and chat participators have more skeeth than you’d find at any local dive bar.
Can’t get into the big time with a bunch of booze hounds smelling up the place.
I still Kuechel or Bumgarner are in play if that’s what you mean by mass support. I have been off of Facebook and Twitter for years yet my friend sends me screen shots of people’s posts about Mazarra. Negative nonsense with no facts.
Yeah, White Sox fans can be awful. It’s a shame, because what I meant by Mass was a growing number of popularity beyond the normal haunts in the Chicagoland area. There’s just very little allowing or even welcoming to this growing fandom prospect when the current representation online as CWS fans is some cabal-clique of whining.
I personally feel some in-house PR changes need to be made in expectation of the upcoming team. And perhaps some sway with Comcast to get some better representation/interviews, etc.
Not to sound overly idealistic, but I think this is a chance of a lifetime for CWS. Left to the status quo I feel it’s a huge opportunity missed.
The deal for Mazara is not some new idea (or the only thing we poor chaps could get), they have planned this for weeks. Mazara is a serious threat vs. RHP and not figured to be in the middle of the order unless these conditions are met. “If Mazara stays the same player he was in Texas, he will still be a considerable upgrade for us in the lower third of the lineup”, Hahn, roughly.
This is clearly a 40 man roster move. They are pushing hard for Rendon, amongst others, and did not have any space on the 40.
Daniels got what he thought was either the best piece available, or a piece for a trade later on, without having to add them back to the 40 man roster.
Good move for all involved. I hope Maz takes off. He’s a good guy!
It’s a salary dump. They traded a career 1.8 war player in 4 full seasons that is going to make 15 million dollars in the next two season. The decent prospect is a bonus. Texas did really well here.
Mazara has never produced a 1 WAR season in four years with Texas. He’s a dog.
I’ll say this… white sox are turning themselves into a team to keep an eye on. They aren’t there yet…. but…. they are a move or two away (or a player or two taking their game to the next lvl) from being a legit playoff contender
Yeah, and they’ll stay that way too.
This is what the Sox always do under Jerry Reinsdorf. 40 years of one or two players away. He bought the team for $19M, and hasn’t put a dime into making them a championship club. It’s embarrassing.
Why didn’t anyone tell me? I’ve been sitting at O’Hare waiting tho pick Ozuna up for like a day!
He ain’t coming!
Take a look at Christian Yelich’s progression. He entered the league at the same age as Mazara and took a few years to become an impact player, let alone one of the elite players in the game.
Now, Yelich was a little better in his first few years than Mazara has been, but he really didn’t take off until he was 25. And then he reached his current level after being traded to Milwaukee.
Mazara probably won’t be an MVP candidate, but he’s shown flashes of power and an aptitude with RISP to suggest he could be a 30HR/100RBI guy. He probably won’t ever put up a 1.000 OPS, but if he can do .786 (as he did in ‘19), then why wouldn’t he be able to get to the .825-.850 range with a little more maturation?
Yelich wasn’t a little better. He was a lot better.
Before his power developed, he was still a high OBP player with an above average OPS+. And he can actually field.
Mazara is a beer leaguer who has actually gotten worse the past several years in terms of contact.
And has been noted, the White Sox aren’t exactly known for taking struggling players and making them better hitters. At best, Mazara may hit a few more home runs, but it will come at the expense of defense and OBP.
They pretty much traded for 2018 Daniel Palka.
If Mazara is ultimately their everyday RF, that is a big time whiff after listening to Rick Hahn’s puffery re: spending $ and competing since lowballing Machado. Let’s see where they stand when the dust settles. In isolation, not impressed w/ this move.
“Lowballing Machado”
Lol ok. They offered him more guaranteed money than any team besides the one that paid Eric Hosmer $150M. That ain’t lowballing.
What?
I don’t know how to make this anymore clear. They offered Machado more money than 28 other teams thought he was worth. The only team that offered more money is a team that valued Eric Hosmer at $150M.
And?
Machado got more guaranteed money from the Padres. If the White Sox were serious, they would have done the same. They did not because of the tight$@& owner and his silly incentives.
I don’t blame Machado one bit. Who wants to play for someone like that? Get bent Reinsdork.
This is about as lame a move as you could get for the Sox. Dan Pasqua II anyone? The guy does not walk at all and is basically a hack at the plate. I hope they are not unaware that there is absolutely ZERO top pitching available in next years free agent class. I believe Quintana may wind up being close to the best pitcher available. This move does nothing to make them better… I sure hope they land Bumgarner, or Ryu, or both.
“This move does nothing to make them better…”
Well, at least we know you didn’t watch any White Sox baseball the last few years.
Move does nothing to make them better. Just a Gamble (Oscar).
People don’t realize how deep the Sox farm is. Walker o.k. Of. He’s 23 playing A ball with 19 year olds. Hit .260. Goodbye
The average age in high A ball is about 22 or 23. According to baseball reference, Walker was 0.6 years YOUNGER than the average player in the Carolina league last year when he was at Winston-Salem.
How does Mazara make them better than last year?
With a name like ChiSoxCity, I’d like to believe you actually watched a few Sox games last year. Do you not remember who they played in RF? I shouldn’t have to spell this out for you. A replacement level player is significantly better than the crap they’ve been throwing out there since they traded Eaton. As I said many times before, they could’ve done better, but he’s absolutely an improvement.
Also, the Sox had a top 10 offense vs LHP last year and a bottom 10 offense vs RHP. He clearly helps that.
I watch enough baseball to know that a guy who resembles Dan Pasqua or Nick Swisher in terms of their numbers (actually Swisher at least took walks) is not going to add much to a team, no matter how bad their RF has been. An improvement? Ok. Is he going to contribute much on a team that wants to win? No, or at least very unlikely – or Texas would have kept him. He is below league average for a rightfielder… go around the league, and you can’t find 4 teams with worse options in right field. Bottom line is that it would be inexcusable for Grandal to be their best addition this offseason, with the best FA class in years and as few payroll commitments as they have. After this morbid decade of Sox baseball, fans deserve better than more of the same. There is still time for them to make reasonable moves that include getting someone that there is more reason to be excited about than Grandal.
The only reason it makes them better is because they easily had the worst production in RF. That said, it still technically does make them better for next year, just not *nearly* as much better as they could have gotten.
I’m looking at his highlights. What interests me most is his inside out swing contact. He can get his hands in for a big guy and make things happen.
i just Christmas to arrive so i can go on vacation. Good bye unpleasant weather and hello pleasant weather.
Another outstanding move by slick Rick and the White Sox front office, in my opinion.
I hate this move so much. If Castellanos, Ozuna, and Puig were all off the market and the price for Haniger was sky-high, fine, but the first three can be had for just cash, which the Sox have plenty of (and they can actually hit). Meanwhile, Walker was climbing their prospect ranks and was one of their best OF prospects. The *only* way this makes any sense is if Menechino has looked at tape of him extensively and sworn to the front office that he knows exactly how to fix his swing, but even then, they’d be left with essentially Castellanos, whom they could have signed and kept Walker to let him build value or grow into a 4th OF. Such an unbelievably stupid move.
This move doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t still sign Castellanos, Ozuna, Puig, or someone else.
It’s a low risk trade. Walker is a year younger and hasn’t played higher than A+ ball.
Mazara is 24 and 2,000 ABs says his bottom is .260 20Hrs 70RBI’s a year. CWS will have Jimenez, Robert and Mazara under control and he is the lefthanded bat they needed to balance the line up. Just because Grandal signed (because they paid the $$’s and he had a relationship with Renteria) doesn’t mean the Southside is a place where Free Agents want to play. You were in on Wheeler and Machado one chose east coast for the wife and Machado like anyone would preferred San Diego. You now have Rutherford, Basabe, Adolfo, Gonzalez, Collins and Sheets basically blocked at the MLB level. They will have to assess their value to trade for controllable starting pitching. Archer (PITT), Gray (COL), Ray (ARZ) or salary dumps like Price (BOS), Happ (NYY) or dare say Quintana (CHI).
No way they take Price or Quintana back. Ray would be possible. As for Mazara, lol at your using RBI’s as a stat. OPS+ pegs him as a below-average hitter and he’s a poor defender. 4 years and still hasn’t reached 2 WAR cumulatively. What does he bring to the table? Some power, but he can’t make solid contact often enough to tap into it. He doesn’t walk, strikes out a lot, and isn’t even durable. I have no idea what Hahn was thinking on this one.
They would 100% take Quintana back.
I have a great feeling about him. Ready to break out. A change of scenery is perfect
Extrapolate this guy’s numbers for 162 games and he projects to 24 bombs and 93 rbi. I’m a Cub fan but I think this is a decent add for the Sox for a prospect at least 2-3 years away.
Eloy, Robert, and Mazara in the OF. Not to shabby. Guess there was no way they were getting Betts
Perhaps Mazara is a one year place holder until they can try to acquire Betts next off season.
The Sox have a bigger need in the rotation than they do in RF and they weren’t even in on Strasburg or Cole. They cost too much for Jerry. Betts’ deal could be around $300M. There’s not a chance in hell Reinsdorf opens his wallet that wide.
I think Mazara has room to grow, even if I don’t like the Sox dealing one of their better prospects to gamble on that growth. Still, it’s not a huge gamble given what Mazara makes and the fact that Walker’s only a year younger and still in A ball.
I guess, as a Sox fan, it would’ve been nice to have signed one of those bigger names like Ozuna or Castellanos, especially since they seemed linked to the latter for a while. But who knows. Maybe this leaves them with the opportunity to go for Betts next year (doubt it), or trade for some starting pitching this offseason, which they absolutely need to.
Sox continue to dumpster dive from other teams garbage pile. This why they are still Mired in Mediocrity.
Until there is new ownership / front office this team will not nake the playoffs.
This is such a low risk/high reward move. If he plays based on past performance – he is a good stable player (much better than anything weve had in RF). If he matures and exceeds expectations we found gold. If end of year were not happy – so long. It is a good risk. Doesn’t impact our goals for 2021 and beyond – what did we lose? Steele – not much.
Also outfielders are easy to
White Sox should make an offer on Price. There’s many scenarios that could play out. One thought, is take on the entirety of Price’s contract, and ask for Benintendi (who the White Sox wanted all along, but the Carmines picked one spot before, so the White Sox got Fulmer) flip Mazara to the Red Sox, throw in Fulmer, and Hansen as reclamation projects, and perhaps one more prospect not in the top tier? The Red Sox get their much “needed” salary relief, the White Sox get a potentiality good starter, & a player they’ve coveted. Red Sox also get some intriguing pitchers who the White Sox haven’t been able to get the most out of yet. Perhaps Fulmer, and Hansen never pan out? Perhaps the Red Sox tap into their potential? Mazara (albeit no Benintendi) fills an outfield spot, and only makes around 6 million, a fifth of Price’s salary. Plus Mazara is still only 24. He could have some real potential to mash with the short wall, and pesky pole in right field. Sorry to be long-winded.
Does seem like a bit of an overpay for the White Sox if they’re taking on all of the salary though.
You aren’t getting either Price or Benintendi for Hansen and Fullmer, much less both. It doesn’t matter how much salary you take on. You can’t get good players for garbage, and offering MORE garbage doesn’t make the deal more attractive.
You’re not going to get top prospects and expect teams to take on 93 million either. Especially when said “good player” is questionable. Good luck unloading that contract and getting premier players in return. Thanks for the insight though.
Benny can’t hit!
If they were willing to pay that much salary, they’d have just gone in harder after Wheeler and gotten more years at a lower rate for a better pitcher. Even getting Benintendi doesn’t help. The guy worth eating the salary of would be JDM, who is likely to be a rental. I honestly can’t see anyone taking on Price without Boston eating at least 1/3 of that salary.
I don’t know if Mazara is the answer but the Sox got him for a 23 year old who played 100 games at high A ball. He hit .269/.346/.426 not exactly eye popping numbers for a guy whose hitting is his only above average tool.
He also had a BABIP in the .280s I believe… I don’t know enough about the type of contact he made to dig much deeper, but I’d imagine that number is only going to go up. He can hit. He can also take a walk and doesn’t strike out a lot. He doesn’t have the tools to turn into a superstar, but he can play.
I don’t mind losing Steele, actually like other prospects more ( Basabe/Rutherford/Adolfo ) but why not sign Kole Calhoun and keep Steele? Doesn’t Calhoun mark the same boxes? Hits left handed, has power but can actually play quality defense. Is the money for Calhoun going to be that much more than the money for Mazara?
Enjoy people throwing out OPS out as the true defining measure of future success. Let’s not forget Mazara was usually batting ahead of Odor of Calhoun in the line up.. Have to believe having an Abreu, Grandal, Jimenez or Moncada surrounding you will give you better pitches to hit.
” msqboxer ” right on man. Those teams in Texas were a group of players, these ChiSox are a team. Nomaaah should fit right in, add a stick like E.E. to that lineup
watchout. Sox sitting on their hands here
Nomaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
So… how many Walker Texas Ranger comments did I miss ?