The White Sox have expressed interest in acquiring Royals infielder Nicky Lopez, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (Twitter link). There’s no indication discussions have gained traction, as Rosenthal notes that Kansas City isn’t anxious to deal the Creighton product.
Lopez, 28 in March, has spent his entire career with the Royals. He reached the majors in 2019, hitting .240/.276/.325 in 103 games as a rookie. He had a similarly rough offensive showing during his second season but earned elite marks for his second base work. Lopez’s +9 defensive runs saved during the shortened season tied for the league lead at the position, earning him another look in 2021.
The left-handed hitter looked to have taken a step forward offensively that season, at least on the surface. He posted a .300/.365/.378 line over 565 trips to the plate, with that offense checking in a hair above league average. That required a lofty .347 batting average on balls in play which he never seemed likely to sustain, and his batted ball metrics weren’t much different than those of his first two seasons. Lopez’s production indeed fell back last season, as he hit .227/.281/.273 without a home run in 480 trips to the plate.
Lopez was one of two hitters (Myles Straw being the other) who tallied 450+ plate appearances without connecting on a home run. He and Straw tied for the game’s second-lowest slugging output, narrowly topping that of Geraldo Perdomo, while ranking in the bottom 10 in hard contact. That lack of power makes him very reliant on turning grounders into singles to drive his offensive profile. That happened in 2021, but his overall .252/.309/.321 career line checks in 27 percentage points below league average as measured by wRC+.
The White Sox, of course, are eying Lopez for other reasons. While he has only slightly above-average pure speed, he’s an instinctive baserunner who has successfully stolen 36 bags in 40 attempts over the past two seasons. That skillset could take on a bit more value in 2023, as the league is introducing limits on the number of pickoff attempts/step-offs a pitcher can deploy in an at-bat.
More importantly, Lopez has shown the potential for excellent infield defense. DRS bizarrely graded him as eight runs below average at second base in 2022, but that’s an anomaly compared to his strong career marks. Statcast estimated him as three runs above average at the keystone and 5 runs above par through 406 innings of shortstop work last season. Both metrics pegged him as a quality defender at each middle infield spot in previous years.
Chicago obviously views Lopez as a potential target for their uncertain second base mix. Tim Anderson and Yoán Moncada will cover the left side of the infield. Second base is far less settled. Romy González and Lenyn Sosa look the present favorites for reps, with veteran utilityman Leury García also in the mix. Lopez doesn’t bring a ton of offensive upside but would raise the floor with his glove and baserunning.
The Royals have a somewhat questionable second base mix of their own, though, apparently lessening their desire to part with Lopez. Michael Massey is the top option after hitting .243/.307/.376 over 52 games as a rookie. That was a fine but hardly overwhelming debut showing, leaving the possibility that K.C. pivots back to Lopez if Massey scuffles. The Royals already thinned out their overall infield depth this morning by dealing Adalberto Mondesi to the Red Sox.
Lopez and the Royals agreed to a $3.7MM salary to avoid arbitration earlier this offseason. He’s under club control for three years, including the upcoming campaign.
Are the Royals going for the 1st pick even before the season started?
Why are you asking that stupid question?
Probably because that’s what it looks like the Royals are doing with their moves this winter.
Seems they would be better off taking that $3.7MM and the offer of a starting job to start the season and seeing if Andrus, Harrison, or Iglesias will bite.
Certainly Andrus has some punch left I am sure. He played well for a brief time last season
Maybe Andrus or Iglesias, but hard pass on Harrison. One year of Harrison is bad enough to stomach.
Good thing they traded Madrigal for that year of Kimbrel….NOT
Oh yeah and Madrigal will be riding the pine behind Hoerner this year and he’s done basically nothing in years past for Cubs too.
Don’t sleep on Madrigal! Bounce back candidate this year. It does appear that he’s “blocked” in CHI but If he’s healthy and that swing is back to normal, he will get abs. He’s too talented of a contact guy.
You’re right, he’s the odd man out on the Cubs. But I think he still has a long career ahead of him.
He is exactly the kind of player the Pirates should take a chance on.
I do agree he’s a “candidate” for a bounce back, or even break through, year if he can stay healthy, which is a pretty big IF considering his history. Honestly I thought he was even on verge of finding some pop, in addition to his high BA, right before Sox made that awful trade for a 2nd closer. I think he went yard once or twice right b4 that trade and was definitely at least driving the ball more. But he could also be what his short career has been, at or below replacement level.
Correction, showing some pop right before his season ending injury. I don’t know what the stats show for that, but I noticed it at the time
“Madrigal….he’s done basically nothing in years past for Cubs too.” LOL
Maybe he missed being with the Sox. Personally I think he is worth another try. Reasonably priced I am sure
Madrigal could still play a large role with the Cubs. Don’t count out the fact that Hoerner can play 3B if Wisdom flames out and they decide Morel is still better suited to the Super Utility role. Nobody is even mentioning that Hoerner is the most valuable player on that team. Everything revolves around him IMO.
@unclemike
Control yourself Mike. If Madrigal plays ‘a large role for’ the Cubs this year, ‘we’ are in trouble. And I doubt very seriously that anyone in the organization sees Nico at 3B. They have no interest in messing around with so many positions.
If Madrigal can prove he can stay on the field, He’s a good defender at 2B who can be a good contact hitter and top of the order guy. And the Cubs sound like they have no interest in trading him so like it or not, they see him in their future. Of course he has to be on the field first.
@unclemike
I’m not sure you have watched Madrigal play much. Madrigal has never played even decent defense at the MLB level – much less ‘good’ defense as you state. That is just one of the reasons the Chisox were willing to let him go. And Madrigal being a ‘top of the order hitter’? What drugs are you on? He bats 9th in ANY lineup.
I don’t care much for the opinions of Steve Stone – but he was spot on about Madrigal.
Baseball Reference’s dWAR metric begs to differ with your opinion regarding Madrigal’s defense. He has a plus career dWAR in his limited time on the field including his best number of 0.6 in the 59 games at 2B with the Cubs last season. Madrigal didn’t post his first error of the season until game #56.
It’s also best to remember that Madrigal has never been fully healthy yet including playing all but his first 4 games as a White Sox rookie with a bad shoulder that needed surgical repair following the 2020 pandemic season. His injury issues have had to negatively impact all aspects of his game which still includes some impressive offensive stats (high BA, elite low SO rate) with the White Sox in his first two abbreviated seasons.
Dogbone- Nobody has seen Madrigal play much, That’s the problem. But the facts are, He was the #4 pick in the draft. He makes contact and I don’t know what you’re smoking but he is an excellent 2B. I don’t think he can play anywhere else really and if they try to play him at 3rd he will fail miserably. If the Cubs just wanted to dump him they would of done so already. They’re obviously hoping he can prove himself capable of staying healthy even if it’s at AAA. Now that Infielders have to keep their feet on the dirt and have 2 men on each side of the base he can be valuable. I’m guessing everyone is trying to get him cheap and they’re not willing yet. Don’t worry, Somebody will think they can fix him and will take a dive, But until then he’s here and like I said, Hoerner can play ANYWHERE in the Inf and probably outfield so he can still be here. Sorry if you can’t see it. Doesn’t matter what you or I think, It’s what they think that matters. He’s a spray hitter who can find holes if people play him straight up, and he makes contact. Something a lot of guys the Cubs have are bad at.
Madrigal can do exactly one thing – make contact. And now you are upping you bet and now saying that Madrigal ‘is an excellent’ 2B.
Like I was saying, let’s get real. Also if your trying to get into the playoffs, you don’t have a guy leading off for you, that struggles to carry a .600 OPS.
Only the analytic nerds put a high priority on OPS for a top of the order hitter. Baseball flourished for over a century with high OBP as the top benchmark, followed by high contact rate and above average speed. It used to be that leadoff hitters needed to be elite base stealers but somehow in this day and age of boring three outcome baseball, SB’s have become nonessential and even a detriment. Burners led off and the #2 grunts gave them an opportunity to steal and then moved them along for the middle of the order sluggers. Madrigal would fall into the category of a traditional #2 grunt ala White Sox Nellie Fox or Cub Glenn Beckert.
Perhaps the new rule changes including the larger bases will result in baseball gearing back to some favorable traditional aspects that have been neglected in recent years like hit and runs (run and hit!) and hitting behind the base runner.
I’ve always preferred managers who utilized a more aggressive approach when implementing strategy with their hitters and base runners. It tends to drive an opponent’s defense crazy and can definitely throw a pitcher off of his game. In my opinion, the best year Joe Maddon had with the Cubs was his first in 2015 when he had everybody running. The Cubs shocked the NL with a 97 win season and a wild card birth in their first season as a potential contender. They made it all the way to the NLCS and set the stage for their 2016 World Series triumph. By then, it seemed that the eggheads in the front office told Maddon to clamp down on his aggressive style and fall in line with the more conservative approach utilized with advances analytics.
Amen!
Sox could also ask the Cubs about David Bote. Mainly plays 3rd and 2nd, but can play 1st and OF better than Eloy and Sheets. Bote is probably what Burger would be if he hadn’t had the 2 Achilles surgeries. Bote has pop that the Sox need. Probably be cheap get.
If the White Sox wanted David Bote that badly they could have claimed him off of waivers last November. No team claimed him because of his 5 yrs/$15M (20-24) contract which has two more guaranteed years left valued at $9.52MM which his career numbers don’t justify. Bote also had a couple of more expensive team options tacked on to his deal which also including cheaper buyouts each season. Those buyouts up the total guaranteed amount owed Bote to well over $10MM. Once Bote cleared waivers the Cubs outrighted him to AAA Iowa on November 1oth. I haven’t seen any Bote rumors since his outright.
Btw: Jake Burger lacks Bote’s defensive acumen and versatility but has far more potential with his hit tool. Burger is also a whole lot cheaper which is of paramount importance to the White Sox front office.
The answer is pretty simple…all these guys being thrown around as trade targets have a salary attached to them. Lopez $3.7M. So if the Sox are interested in a guy that makes $3.7M, why wouldn’t they be interested in a guy that makes $4M? Bote is obviously not in the Cubs plans, they’d probably be willing to eat some if his salary. The buyout is $1M. Again something they can work around.
Bote is more valuable than Burger, because he can actually play the field. I like Madrigal, but he is so limited.
Either way the Sox could swing a trade for either player. Could easy spare arms from all that rotation and bullpen depth.
I think it’s hilarious that you guys are talking about Bote like he’s something. The Cubs rewarded him with a long contract then he trashed his shoulder and hasn’t been the same since. The Cubs put him on waivers every year but nobody claims him because of the lame deal and he goes to the Minors to keep collecting. Good for him. But the contract isn’t a Luxury Tax Breaker for the Cubs either so they’re both stuck with each other until the deal ends. Move on people, Nothing to see here.
The Sox are probably just sending out feelers because they didn’t realize that the market for the annual Royals trading season is open, but the Saux alerted the Sox
Next is a Nightengale report that the Sox were in on Mondesi but were one reliever short after signing his wife’s cousins dog or something
They already have David Bote. His name is Leury Garcia.
The Royals would just be happy to be rid of the salary. Then again, the White Sox are almost as cheap as the Royals, so this is “irresistible force meeting immovable object” stuff.
The only bright spot of that trade is that Pee Wee Madrigal can go suck at baseball someplace else. Addition by subtraction.
Wonder who the Sox have to offer that would be of any interest to the Royals? It seems like the Sox are also gonna need another starter now. Too bad they never extended Rodon when they had the chance.
The have other starters for the 5th slot, and Nicky Lopez is just a guy. They (Sox) have prospects to trade for him.
I think the OP was asking an honest question. Got any specifics?
Do they have a reliever with control issues? The Royals seem to coveting that type.
Managers and GM’s are often privy to information we aren’t.
Yes, but what they do with that information is what is more important. COUGH**MIKE CLEVINGER**COUGH
Pretty sure if the Sox had that kind of info on Clevinger, they wouldn’t have touched him with a 10-foot pole.
The fact that the Sox didn’t have this apparently available information before they signed him is worrying enough. The little benefit left I gave the Sox office is now gone.
why does it feel like some divisions are willing to trade within but others do not?
NL West never, AL West all the time
I think perhaps it’s the competition within the division that’s one aspect. For example, the ALE is very much like that, but they too (like the NLW/NLE) have a highly competitive division with long-standing rivalries and several teams that are very close in talent. Again, I think that’s one aspect – probably more to it also though.
same reason NYY and BOS, LAD and SF, LAD and LAA, or NYY and NYM rarely make deals. Media pressure on the FO if they get wrecked in a trade would be intense. It could even be the final straw that leads to your replacement, if you gave away a young guy who blossomed against you 20x a year, while your team floundered
Divisional rival is one bar. So is geography
“He posted a .300/.365/.378 line over 565 trips to the plate, with that offense checking in a hair above league average.”
–
This is why I have trouble following the statistics on this site.
I see articles where a position player hits .230-something with an .OBP of .310-something and a .SLG of .530 and I’m told they had a very good year.
Because the triple-slash is three numbers. There’s nuance to league average. Lopez batted .300/.365/.378, enroute to a 105 wRC+. Ian Happ batted .226/.323/.434, enroute to the same wRC+. Then there was Joey Wendle, who was a happy medium and batted .265/.319/.422, again with the same wRC+.
mlb1225;
Did you read what I wrote?
Where in the article did it say what you wrote?
You missed my point. That happens here a lot.
No Samuel your takes are just bad.
WRC+ puts a lot of stock in slugging percentage and a .378 slugging percentage isn’t very good where a .500 plus slugging is considered great because he would have to hit a ton of extra base hits.
wRC+ is just a tool to evaluate players… kind of like WAR though, it has its flaws.
Okay, but you said “This is why I have trouble following the statistics on this site. I see articles where a position player hits .230-something with an .OBP of .310-something and a .SLG of .530 and I’m told they had a very good year.” And I’m explaining why a player can bat like Nicky Lopez and be average, and a player can hit .230/.310/.530 and have a good season.
Samuel somehow always says so much while at the same time saying so little.
@Samuel
Your example is pretty self explanatory. What part don’t you understand.
The second guy has a weak-ish batting average but his OBP is 80 points higher which means he takes a fair number of walks. His slugging percentage is elite (only 7 players in the Majors last year had a Slug% higher than that). He’s a power production bat that every team craves.
Nicky Lopez’s #s from last year are great, if this is the 1960’s. He has nice contact rate and an average walk rate which results in a solid OBP, but he has no power.
Front offices don’t look at players the way they used to. It’s about total production across all aspects of hitting. Batting average without power is no longer of great value. If he wants to be seen as truly valuable without power, he has to be Tony Gwynn. 330+ avg with OBP approaching 400.
Canuckleball;
Fine.
Apparently you too didn’t read what I wrote nor the article.
If OPS or OPS+ or wRC+ is so overriding because that’s how FO’s evaluate players today, then why not just use those statistics? Why do we need to read about BA or OBP or how many doubles, triples, HR’s the guy got? Why do we need to read about how many K’s a position player had? The percentage of time he K’d. The percentage of ground balls…blah blah blah.
It’s been clear to me for over 5 years that MLBTR plays favorites with players and cites selected stats to make a player look good or bad – heaven knows they quote some selected combination of dozens of them but not the same for every player written about. If they’re going to measure players performance against one another then they should use the same statistics…AND THAT’S MY POINT!
I developed and looked at numbers my entire career. I could make them stand sideways and shoot your left ear off if I wanted to. You want to know what MLB FO’s look at? – Statistics we have no clue about. Because each organization has in-house computer people on staff working full-time spending their hours writing snippets of code and running them through files of data trying to find patterns that show what players in American professional baseball and other organized leagues around the world are doing, and try to determine if those patterns will be successful if they play for the individual organizations and work with their coaching staff. It’s why a player can be successful with one team yet unsuccessful with another.
What you’re citing are public statistics that fit well in fan discussions and can be programmed into formulas written by or bought by individual rotisserie leagues.
Okay, but baseball evaluation is more than just OBP, AVG, and SLG. Why use them instead of just wRC+, OPS, and OPS+? Because they all matter to some degree. Stats like wRC+ and OPS+ each give more context. Plus why give K%’s and ground ball rates? Ground balls typically induce the least amount of production. K% can be indicative of a few things. A player who K’s a lot might have a big hole in their swing, something that could be exploited. A high pitcher K% could mean they have some really good stuff.
Yes, teams will always have their own methods in programming models and statistics. I’ve been looking for jobs in baseball now that I graduated college with a sport management degree, and many include that you need to be familiar with some sort of coding language.
It’s because stats like wRC+ and OPS+ use OBP and slugging as part of their calculation. Average is mentioned because many people still care about it. There’s a reason the advanced metrics put little weight into batting average, though. A 230 hitter can take many many forms, as you’ve said yourself
You do realize he can’t read your message, you’ve already been blocked is my assumption
Hey Samuel, I didn’t read what you wrote or the article at all, but have you thought of following a sport with less analytics? Golf is pretty simple to follow. The lower the number, the better the score! …wait that can’t be right.
Would White Sox fans be interested in Santiago Espinal from Toronto?
What’s a legitimate trade proposal from some fans
It’s hard to say how motivated the Jays would be to move Espinal as he their best SS & 3B backup as well as on of their primary 2B. He is a solid defender and a lefty killer, his righty numbers are passable but the defense makes up for it. They do have Barger/Lopez who could fill that role but they are unproven.
Right now someone like Crochet might be the price. They need a lefty in the pen.
That’s the thing. Merrifield is likely the starting 2nd baseman with Espinal as the backup, except Merrifield is right now the primary 4th OF. Given injury histories and Varsho’s inability to hit lefties, Merrifield will spend 90% of his year in the outfield. Thus, Espinal is the defacto starting 2nd basemen for the Jays this year. They can’t really trade him unless they get a legit 4th OF so Merrifield can stay on the infield.
They could trade Biggio, since he’ll spend most of the year at the end of the bench or in Buffalo. But I’m not sure if he could fetch much more than a bag of balls.
I suspect Whit and Espinal get lots of time at 2B but you’re right that when a lefty is on the mound one of Varsho or KK should sit. As well Springer and KK have had injury issues so right now Whit is the primary OF backup. Assuming Lukes isn’t the 4th OF. Even so I don’t think they want to move Espinal, especially since Whit and Chapman are FA after this season.
No one would be shocked if Biggio is traded as he kinda is the odd man out right now but ya he doesn’t really have any trade value. I think they are hoping he is healthy and gets a lift from no shift. Obviously with an injury he could move up into semi regular time.
I would take Merrifield in Chicago anyday. We give you Leury Garcia, Tanner Banks, and Yolbert Sanchez.
Merrifield is certainly unavailable in trade talks unless the price is exorbitant.
Only because he’s integral to the LH/RH splits and CF coverage while someone also needing to be the starting 2B option.
I’ll give them Leury Garcia for free. I don’t even need a bag of balls. Just make him go away.
If the offer is Crochet for Espinal straight up, I do that deal if I’m the Jays.
I put Biggio at 2nd as the starter, keep Whit as the defacto super Utility man 4th OF 2nd base PH and Pinch Run duties, he’s going to play 120 games in CF as Kiermier replacement already.
I use Otto Lopez or Barger to fill Espinal spot expecting both to get time at 2nd /SS and 3B as backups
I really haven’t seen Espinal, just looked at his numbers. Sox bullpen isn’t deep. Crochet is coming off TJS, and unlikely to be back until late season. But even that, Crochet is likely a key piece for the Sox the next couple seasons.
Yes we would love Espinal or Biggio and Kirk in a package for Luis Robert.
Espinal, Biggio and Kirk for Robert. If I were the Sox I’d make that deal. Benintiendi plays CF, Espinal plays 2B and Biggio becomes Danny Mendick. Then trade Jimenez for a decent LF and things work out for Cespedes and Colas and Marisnick can fill in. I’d make that deal ASAP.
From the outside, feels like the Jays almost have to try to get something for Biggio at this point. But gonna be pennies on the dollar compared to his value as a prospect
I don’t think he’s being traded at all, I’ll even go so far as to say he’s probably going to be given every chance to win the starting 2B job.
Even during his lowest point (the first 2 months) when he hadn’t gotten a single hit and was literally batting .000 he still had almost a .200 on base.
Now that the shifts been limited, every LHH can expect a 10-25 point jump in average and probably a few points into slugging.
His rookie year he had a near 250/400/800 line with 16 HR in just about 100 games.
He’s only ever been caught stealing once in like 25 tries, not that he’s a burner, just good acumen on the bases
And he’s a utility guy who actually has the best D at 2nd, which is just slightly above average.
Injuries are what have derailed him, not being able to settle into a defensive position and lineup spot (he was the starting 2B as a rookie and held the leadoff spot because of his above average walk rate, until Springer arrived) the experiment at 3rd probably hurt his confidence.
Don’t fix what’s not broken, He’s the perfect compliment to this lineup at the bottom of the order spacing the LH RH balance, was supposed to be part of the “core”. If he’s healthy and gives you a repeat of his rookie year. He’s the starter, Merrifield is the 4th OF/CF and Espinal probably gets traded to a team like Chicago while Barger/Otto/Orelvis get a good portion of playing time
After getting Varsho it wouldn’t make a ton of sense for them to get Robert. They are more likely to get a part time 4th OF at this point. As well trading Kirk, Espinal and Biggio creates several holes and adds at a position that’s not of need.
They need another SP and some high end RP. The defense and the offense is in very good shape. They need depth beyond the starters but not more starters.
If they want to trade one of Espinal, Whit or Biggio and get a return than Espinal is the guy as he has the most value.
I have long been a very big supporter of Biggio but he is getting near the end of his chances. They have viable depth in AAA now. I don’t think trading him is at the top of the list as they are better to bet on his upside if he is healthy and with the shift boost. If he gets traded I think it’s more because of a roster flexibility as they won’t get much more than a lottery pick back
Royals trying to free up cash for Greinke
It’s worth noting that Lopez, while he did go to Creighton University….is in fact a chicago suburbs product from the powerhouse Naperville Central High School. It’s time to come home!
Why does Donovan Solano never get mentioned as a fit for the Sox? All he does is hit. Simple, cheap, likely productive fit. I feel like playing for the Reds made this guy invisible.
No need to bring Straw into this….
Right. Make it about Lopez lol
What do you think of this move if it happens?
I’m not overly impressed with the White Sox farm system. Seems to be only 2 in the top 100, And they’re not highly ranked in that either. I’m not expecting the Royal’s to get a top 100 guy for Lopez, but if their system is that bare, I’m not sure a trade is worth it tbh. I’d just keep Lopez and let him play. No need to strengthen the White sox defense, just to take a flier on some crap that may or may not ever play at the highest level. The Royal’s need to fire the people making trades anyway. A 3 WAR player, for a couple maybe’s… The Mondesi trade is meh. But they lost the MAT trade. They’re a poorly ran organization, top to bottom. And that is coming from someone that TRIES to watch them every summer, but loses interest after about 2 weeks of bad news bears baseball. I’m shocked they didn’t sign Moustakas and Hosmer and say they won the world.
Agree… From the Sox side, you’d have to give up one of your better prospects, but you’re not dealing from surplus cause the system is so thin. At some point you have to build the system.
“Build” HAHAHAA that’s a good one
MLB stories must be slow that they have to make up deals that make absolutely no sense. CWS aren’t taking on $3.7M for a 2B with one of the poorest slugs in baseball. Sosa, Rodriguez or Sanchez could at least be that bad for 1/6th the cost not to mention they all have higher ceilings.
He was almost a 6 win player in 2021
And he will steal 100 bases in 2023.
Which was the only year in his career he had a wRC+ above 60, which makes me think his 2021 will go down as a career year for him. The White Sox already have an overpaid noodle bat in Leury Garcia who can give them the same non-production.
If the Royals want to dump the salary for a non-prospect reliever or something, then fine. It would be yet another “meh” move in a long list of “meh” moves from the penny-pinching Reinsdorf regime. As far as giving up anything of actual value? Hard pass.
Regarding Clevinger since this is a Sox article, does anyone know if the team has an out? Reportedly the accusations against Clevinger were filed last summer. If a team wasn’t informed about such a claim but it’s revealed after a player is signed, shouldn’t they have the ability to void the deal?
This is a good question. I don’t have the answer, but another question… MLB has been investigating him for 6 months, so how in the world didn’t the Sox know? Didn’t every front office know?
I don’t think it’s a matter of knowing. MLB is a business and has to do due diligence in investigating the matter. It’s like HR. You don’t tell other people when someone goes to HR, it’s investigated first ya know.
Privacy still exists in the legal field?
The team has the responsibility to check into the players they are about to “hire”. If the White Sox did a background check, a police report and complaint would have been discovered. Its on them.
Many are probably too young to remember, but Reinsdorf and the White Sox have a history when it comes to signing an abusive player. They had no qualms signing Wil Cordero in 1998 four months after being jettisoned by the Red Sox and pleading guilty to “assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, making a threat and violating an emergency restraining order..”. The White Sox and Jerry Reinsdorf do not deserve the benefit of the doubt.
I would love to see Reinsdorf have to pay it.
Shop exclusively in the bargain bin, get defective merchandise…
He’s from Naperville! Oh good. Let’s add another mediocre utility player to the heap. They know there is no reward for most players with a negative WAR right?
I truly thought La Stella would end up on the White Sox but now I can see them signing Odor.
Let me guess. For a minor league relief pitcher?
Nicky emerged as a clubhouse leader last year for a young Royal team that had somewhat of a void in that department. Wouldn’t surprise me if Grifol really likes the intangibles he brings.
What the Sox should be looking for is a real good lawyer to get them out of a horrible contract with a certain P who shall be nameless. Which would seem to put their legal staff on a par with their Medical staff. Yikes
When the Guardians jettison a starting pitcher, buyer beware. They know something other teams don’t. Kluber, Bauer, and Clevinger are recent examples. Plesac will be next.
Naw I’ll pass. I’d rather have mandrigal. Lopez has 1 season hitting over .250.
I like Lopez, his k to walk in the minors was great, although hasn’t peaked at MLB. I do like Madrigal better.
Harrison was a better player than Lopez in 2022,,,just say no. In regards to the Clevinger situation its a tough one. There were no charges filed and they stem from an allegation from the second baby momma from June of 2022. It seems the MLPA probably has strong language in their agreements to protect players until the MLB has concluded their investigations. That being said all MLB teams should have a player conduct provision that would protect them from non-disclosure of abuse allegations or charges to allow them to back out of a contract if they weren’t disclosed by the agent prior to signing.
Nicky Lopez stinks. He’s Chris Getz 2.0
I have no faith in the Sox FO making a good move (especially after this Clevinger fiasco), so they will probably pay dearly for Lopez (cause, y’know, he played well against the Sox so… by the Sox logic he will kill it for them…) to watch him flounder.