2024-25 MLB Hot Stove

[GB Warrior]

As a Brewers fan, these short deals, make me angrier than I usually would be about their quiet off-season.

Rumblings of owners taking a hardline in the next bargaining session feels likely.  If Mark isn't spending for 1-3 year deals, I'm buying he's one of the guys pushing for the hardline stance of a salary cap

On the other hand, our last short term deal was Hoskins, who is why Mark can't afford more sand infield upgrades

[Shaka Shart]

White Sox are the kings of signings that would have made me happy five years ago. Joey Gallo come on down!

[MU82]

They want a salary cap. As usual.

Good luck!

[Pakuni]

White Sox are the kings of signings that would have made me happy five years ago. Joey Gallo come on down!

It's actually a decent, no-downside move. It's a minor-league deal, so if he flops, they haven't spent much money or a spot on the 40-man roster. If he has a resurgence, you flip him at the deadline for a prospect or two. A lefthanded power bat could be in demand come July.
This is the kind of signing they should be making right now.

[Jockey]

It's actually a decent, no-downside move. It's a minor-league deal, so if he flops, they haven't spent much money or a spot on the 40-man roster. If he has a resurgence, you flip him at the deadline for a prospect or two. A lefthanded power bat could be in demand come July.
This is the kind of signing they should be making right now.

There will be zero demand for a career .194 hitter. And that .194 average actually makes him seem better than he is.

Just one more broken down hitter signed by the worst organization in professional sports.

This is the kind of signing they ARE making - not what they should be making.

[Pakuni]

There will be zero demand for a career .194 hitter. And that .194 average actually makes him seem better than he is.

Just one more broken down hitter signed by the worst organization in professional sports.

This is the kind of signing they ARE making - not what they should be making.

Imagine thinking batting average is an important stat.
Are we back in 1987?

[Jockey]

Imagine thinking batting average is an important stat.
Are we back in 1987?

So, Gallo has been traded a couple toiled. How did they help the teams that traded him? 

He will not even bring a top-30 prospect in return. That's in the unexpected scenario that another team would want him.

[Shaka Shart]

It's actually a decent, no-downside move. It's a minor-league deal, so if he flops, they haven't spent much money or a spot on the 40-man roster. If he has a resurgence, you flip him at the deadline for a prospect or two. A lefthanded power bat could be in demand come July.
This is the kind of signing they should be making right now.

Doesn't change what I said

[Pakuni]

So, Gallo has been traded a couple toiled. How did they help the teams that traded him? 

He will not even bring a top-30 prospect in return. That's in the unexpected scenario that another team would want him.

Never has so much angst been created by a minor-league deal.
Again, if he sucks - as you're certain he will - it costs the team nothing.
Explain the downside.

[Uncle Rico]

Never has so much angst been created by a minor-league deal.
Again, if he sucks - as you're certain he will - it costs the team nothing.
Explain the downside.

There is none.  He produces?  Great.  He doesn't? Ok.  Best case scenario?  You catch lightning in a bottle.  Worst case?  You cut him on a minor league deal

[Jockey]

Never has so much angst been created by a minor-league deal.
Again, if he sucks - as you're certain he will - it costs the team nothing.
Explain the downside.

Optics. Continuing an off-season of accumulating useless players.

It doesn't matter at all, though. There is no more inconsequential team in professional sports than the White Sox.

[The Sultan]

Optics.

Oh come on...

[Pakuni]

Optics. Continuing an off-season of accumulating useless players.

It doesn't matter at all, though. There is no more inconsequential team in professional sports than the White Sox.

I see. You're new to the concept of a rebuild.
The Sox hope to someday be as relevant as the Miami Marlins and Sacramento As.

[Hards Alumni]

Optics. Continuing an off-season of accumulating useless players.

It doesn't matter at all, though. There is no more inconsequential team in professional sports than the White Sox.

I see you've decided to double down again.

[dgies9156]

SO who will take Nolan Arenado?

[Shaka Shart]

I see. You're new to the concept of a rebuild.
The Sox hope to someday be as relevant as the Miami Marlins and Sacramento As.

Hey the A's spent more this offseason than any team in either central division!

I don't hate the signing, like you said: "why not?".

Keep loading up the farm system, you got a whole slew of guys in the top 50 prospects now. Keep going.

[Shaka Shart]

SO who will take Nolan Arenado?

Criollos de Caguas In return for manager Yadi

[Jockey]

I'm octo-ing down.

Gallo, Taylor, Drury, Narvaez, Slater, Thaiss, Dalbec, Perez

That is adding -3.2 WAR to a team that lost 121 games.

The only value the Sox have is as a punchline. I for one will enjoy that. Even if they catch lightning in a bottle with their farm system, it doesn't matter. Reinsdorf will never, ever spend the money to augment those young players.

My entire point was that signing Gallo doesn't matter. He won't help the team as a player or as a trading chip. Think Hollywood awards shows. Gallo is a seat filler so the place looks full for TV.

[Uncle Rico]

SO who will take Nolan Arenado?

That no-trade makes him hard to move

[The Sultan]

I'm octo-ing down.

Gallo, Taylor, Drury, Narvaez, Slater, Thaiss, Dalbec, Perez

That is adding -3.2 WAR to a team that lost 121 games.

The only value the Sox have is as a punchline. I for one will enjoy that. Even if they catch lightning in a bottle with their farm system, it doesn't matter. Reinsdorf will never, ever spend the money to augment those young players.

My entire point was that signing Gallo doesn't matter. He won't help the team as a player or as a trading chip. Think Hollywood awards shows. Gallo is a seat filler so the place looks full for TV.

You mentioned "optics" for why it is a bad deal. No front office should be not making deals because of how it looks.

Yes we all know the White Sox organization is bad. But even bad organizations do low-risk with high potential upside moves all the time. Especially at the start of Spring Training.

[tower912]

The essence of negotiation.  Detroit has some pieces in the farm system, a need, and the money.  Does Arenado want to play in Detroit?  What is the asking price?  I can see it and I think Detroit will sniff around.  But a whole bunch of things have to work out perfectly.

If I gambled, my money would go on not Detroit.

[Uncle Rico]

The essence of negotiation.  Detroit has some pieces in the farm system, a need, and the money.  Does Arenado want to play in Detroit?  What is the asking price?  I can see it and I think Detroit will sniff around.  But a whole bunch of things have to work out perfectly.

If I gambled, my money would go on not Detroit.

Deals like his rarely age out well and why no-trade clauses are bad ideas for the teams

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Often discussed on NYC sports talk radio.  Consensus seems to think he will end up on the Yankees and in return St. Louis gets Marcus Stroman.  Along those lines or it may turn into a 3-team trade kind of thing.

[WhiteTrash]

Optics. Continuing an off-season of accumulating useless players.

It doesn't matter at all, though. There is no more inconsequential team in professional sports than the White Sox.

Yeah, I still favor the under on the 49.5 win total.

[Pakuni]

I'm octo-ing down.

Gallo, Taylor, Drury, Narvaez, Slater, Thaiss, Dalbec, Perez

That is adding -3.2 WAR to a team that lost 121 games.

The only value the Sox have is as a punchline. I for one will enjoy that. Even if they catch lightning in a bottle with their farm system, it doesn't matter. Reinsdorf will never, ever spend the money to augment those young players.

My entire point was that signing Gallo doesn't matter. He won't help the team as a player or as a trading chip. Think Hollywood awards shows. Gallo is a seat filler so the place looks full for TV.

Not to get all facts-y on you, but the White Sox had the 10th highest payroll in the league in 2023 and the 7th in 2022, years when they thought they had a window to compete.
In the decade after the 2005 WS team, their payrolls ranked: 4th, 5th, 5th, 12th, 7th, 5th, 11th, 8th, 20th, 15th.

Since 2001, the payroll has been in the top 10 twice as often (8 times) than bottom 10 (4 times).

There's lots to criticize about the way that organization has been mismanaged for most of the past 20 years. They've made terrible free agent decisions, bad draft picks, disastrous managerial hirings and allowed a completely dysfunctional front office in which people were literally sabotaging one another.
"Jerry is cheap and never spends money" is lazy and not really true. He's never going to spend like the Yankees and Dodgers, but been in the upper half of the league or so for most of the last 20 years.