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02 Mar 2025 19:24:19
2025 MLB Predictions

AL East
New York 98-64
Boston 92-70
Baltimore 87-75
Toronto 81-81
Tampa Bay 79-83

AL Central
Cleveland 93-69
Detroit 86-76
Kansas City 84-78
Minnesota 71-91
Chicago 53-109

AL West
Texas 94-68
Houston 88-74
Seattle 82-80
Athletics 65-97
Los Angeles 62-100

NL East
Philadelphia 97-65
New York 92-70
Atlanta 89-73
Washington 66-96
Miami 51-111

NL Central
Chicago 92-70
Milwaukee 89-73
Cincinnati 83-79
Pittsburgh 76-86
St. Louis 67-95

NL West
Los Angeles 102-60
Arizona 87-75
San Francisco 85-77
San Diego 84-78
Colorado 55-107

Wild Card Round:
Cleveland over Baltimore
Boston over Houston

Chicago over Atlanta
New York over Milwaukee

Division Series:
Cleveland over Texas in 5
New York over Boston in 4

Philadelphia over Chicago in 3
Los Angeles over New York in 5

League Championship:
Cleveland over New York in 7
Philadelphia over Los Angeles in 7

World Series:
Philadelphia over Cleveland in 5

AL MVP: Jose Ramirez
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani

AL Cy Young: Max Fried
NL Cy Young: Zack Wheeler

AL Rookie: Roman Anthony
NL Rookie: Dylan Crews

1.) 25 Mar 2025 16:27:40
FWIW, I'm being incredibly generous by suggesting the White Sox will only lose 109 games.

I seriously had them at 123 losses, but I backed off because I wanted to value Chi Sox's mental health.

12 Nov 2024 13:12:48
Let's find the Giants a pitcher via trades:

Idea #1:
Giants get: RHP Chris Paddack
Twins get: RHP Landen Roupp, SS Walker Martin

Paddack is owed $7.5M and is a free agent after 2025. Minnesota is looking for some salary relief, but also guys they can build with. Roupp gives them 6 years of team control.

Idea #2:
Giants get: LHP Garret Crochet, INF Nicky Lopez

White Sox get: SS Marco Luciano, OF Rayner Arias, RHP Hayden Birdsong, 2B Brett Wisely

I have no idea how the White Sox would feel about this (I'm sure Chi Sox will hate it LOL), but the White Sox would be getting a former top 50 prospect who needs a change of scenery (Luciano), a budding OF prospect in Arias, a solid young pitcher (Birdsong) and a super-utility player to replace Lopez. I think that would be one of the better packages offered for Crochet, honestly.

Idea #3:
Giants get: LHP Jesus Luzardo
Marlins get: Same package as above.

The Marlins may be more willing to take on such a deal as Assistant GM Gabe Kapler would be more than familiar with the Giants team. As would new hitting coach Pedro Guerrero. The names might change, but I think it'd be something similar. Luzardo's health is going to be a serious question mark, still.

Idea #4
Giants get: RHP Sonny Gray, OF Lars Nootbaar.
Cardinals get: LHP Taylor Rogers, RHP Trevor McDonald, OF Rayner Arias, OF Wade Meckler

The Giants would be saving the Cardinals around $50M here, after all the salaries clear, but that's going to cost the Cardinals something in the form of Nootbaar. The Cardinals also get a slew of young talent to help in their soft rebuild.

Idea #5
Giants get: RHP Brandon Woodruff
Brewers get: OF Dakota Jordan, RHP Mason Black

Woodruff is only paid $5M in 2025, but he has a $20M mutual option (a mutual option hasn't been exercised since 2015) with a $10M buyout. That's $15M for Woodruff, a guy who hasn't thrown a pitch in the majors since 2023. The Brewers may like to have some salary relief there.

New Giants GM Zack Minasian would be well-familiar with Woodruff, as he was in the Brewers' front office while Woodruff was making his way through their system.

The Brewers are shedding a lot of salary, so the return is minimized, as well as the risk of what Woodruff will be post-surgery, but they could do a lot worse picking up someone like Dakota Jordan, a phenomenal athlete (also played WR at Mississippi State, along with baseball).

1.) 13 Nov 2024 00:35:13
Well, I guess the Giants can just sign Nicky Lopez. I think the White Sox could have received *something* for him.

2.) 13 Nov 2024 02:47:05
This is a solid troll.

3.) 13 Nov 2024 12:17:15
Sorry, I didn't include a trade where the White Sox get Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and eleventy billion dollars for Justin Anderson.

I'll do better next time.

4.) 13 Nov 2024 12:22:36
But if you think that the White Sox getting a 50 FV MLB-ready pitcher, a 45 FV outfielder, a former 50 FV SS (who probably needs a change of scenery) plus a super-utility infielder with 5 years of team control remaining for Garrett Crochet is "trolling" then I think you're going to be super disappointed with the return the White Sox get for him.

But hey, speaking of being "brash" and "off-putting". Hello, pot, please meet kettle.

5.) 13 Nov 2024 17:23:40
I don't know, wild concept, but maybe one of the bats the Sox get back would be coming off at least a league average season in return for their ace pitcher?

Marco Luciano needs a lot more than a change of scenery. Learning how to hit in the upper minors and at least put up competitive MLB at-bats would be a good start.

Giants don't really match up well for Crochet. Eldridge would need to headline, but they'll likely seek an up-the-middle-bat. If the best asset coming back is a "50 FV MLB-ready pitcher", that's not what the White Sox are looking for.

That fact that you think Luzardo and Crochet have the same trade value currently is laughable.

6.) 13 Nov 2024 20:00:37
I didn't expect you to agree with the trade, and I'll vehemently disagree both about the return and about Luzardo & Crochet's values.

That we disagree on a player's value doesn't make one "trolling" it just means you disagree. You've become even more unhinged.

For the record, I seriously doubt the Giants are remotely interested in giving up Hayden Birdsong. He showed he has frontline starter potential in several games last season. But I also recognize for a player like Crochet, it'll take a legitimately good prospect. If they can turn 2 years of Crochet into 6 of Birdsong (plus others), they probably win that trade long term.

7.) 13 Nov 2024 20:18:09
I think we also have a very recent trade comp for Crochet: Dylan Cease. Crochet will also have 2 years of team control, but Cease had a longer track record of sustained success as a starter.

The trade proposed above is better in almost every way than what the White Sox got for Cease last year. I also think teams who wanted Cease had far less leverage last winter, with the SP market being a whole lot weaker.

Teams that don't like the asking price for Crochet have a dozen equal or better options to turn to this winter. They didn't have those options last winter, and the White Sox still didn't get a tremendous value for the better pitcher.

Do I think the trade happens? No. I don't think the Giants let go of Birdsong. But I think it's pretty similar to what you'll see the White Sox get for him, and realistically, it'll probably be less inspiring than what I suggested.

I would be very surprised if anyone gave up an MLB-ready power hitter for 2 years of Garret Crochet. Maybe someone overpays, but I think it's best you temper your expectations.

8.) 13 Nov 2024 20:24:37
And looking back at what you thought the White Sox could get for Dylan Cease is really, really funny. You legit thought the White Sox would get Coby Mayo AND Joey Ortiz for him.

Or Jasson Dominguez AND Luis Gil.

As a bit of friendly advice, you have no right to tell people their trade returns are "laughable" or be insulting/ condescending about it.

Those were awful, and frankly, not even remotely close to the reality of what the White Sox got. So yeah, maybe dial it back a bit, eh?

9.) 14 Nov 2024 00:10:44
I know publications are different, but the Sox got 2 top-100 prospects, an OF that put up a 140 wRC+ stateside at 18 years old, and a solid MLB reliever for Cease coming off a 3.70 FIP.

Crochet has the same control and is coming off a season that was more than a FULL RUN better than that - 5th best in MLB (min. 100 IP) .

"The trade proposed above is better in almost every way than what the White Sox got for Cease last year. "

See this is why I say that you're trolling. You can't honestly believe this, can you? Crochet is objectively better than Cease was with the same control. Even if Crochet only matched Cease's package (he will beat it), who are the 2 top-100 prospects in your Giants package?

The Baltimore package was an over shot, Yankees package for Cease pre Gil's '24 wasn't too bad. The Sox went with 2 back half top-100 arms instead of a stronger headliner (Dominguez) and a wild-card (Gil) . In hindsight, Cease was easily worth both of those packages in 2024.

"Teams that don't like the asking price for Crochet have a dozen equal or better options to turn to this winter. They didn't have those options last winter, and the White Sox still didn't get a tremendous value for the better pitcher. "

What? Goodness, lol. Who are 12 starting pitchers better than Garrett Crochet that are reasonably available this offseason? The average fWAR of the top 10 FA SP was 3.4 in 2023. This year it's 3.0. The only comparable SP that has a good shot of being traded is Sonny Gray, who you'd have to pay $65 million over the next two seasons of age 36 and 37 vs. something like $15 million TOTAL for Crochet for his age 26 and 27. C'mon man, the SP market was literally better last year.

Cease's "track record" does not outweigh the disparity between him and Crochet in terms of the season they were coming off of.

And yes, saying that Jesus Luzardo has the exact same value as Crochet is flat-out laughable. That's not being brash or condescending. Just look at like, literally any stat/ metric and you have no argument. Be serious.

I don't doubt Birdsong could be a very good player, it's just not what the White Sox have publicly told us they're looking for. They need bats. I also had the misfortune of checking Brett Wisely's Statcast page. Ouch.

10.) 14 Nov 2024 15:01:04
Do your calves hurt from all the backtracking you're doing?

"But, but they were Top 100 prospects"

A 22-year-old MLB who logged 72 innings with an 11.00 K/ 9 is more valuable than both Thorpe and Iriarte, probably combined. Iriarte was incredibly high variance.

Zavala and Arias are probably similar, but you're looking at Arias' numbers with a pretty rough wrist injury that caused him to miss a decent amount of time.

FWIW, the scouting reports clearly like Arias' upside a whole lot more, with literally 50+ upside at every major tool (hit, game power, raw power, speed, fielding) . I'd be curious to see what he does now that his wrist injury is supposedly healed up.

11.) 14 Nov 2024 15:32:55
Let me ask this:

Which elite, middle-of-the-order bat do you think a team would ACTUALLY give up in a trade? I'm curious to see what kind of value you think Crochet has. Let's see your trade idea, since you know, you totally nailed Dylan Cease's value last winter LMAO (defending the value in hindsight, by looking at his 2024 numbers has to be the worst, laziest argument you've made yet, which is really impressive, honestly. )

I'm eager to see your: Samuel Basallo and Coby Mayo, or Matt Shaw and Owen Caissie for Crochet trade ideas LOL.

12.) 14 Nov 2024 15:38:45
Again, Birdsong is a good prospect, but it does not matter in this context. It's not what they're looking for. They're also not looking to headline the trade with a guy that just put up a 98 wRC+ in the complex league with a wrist injury that we're banking on getting healthy. Getz will simply take the handful of better offers that he probably has on his desk right now.

K/ 9 is also a fantastic stat to use for someone that also walked 43 in those 72 IP.

13.) 14 Nov 2024 16:53:03
Yes, everyone is aware of what the White Sox desire in such a trade. They also said they were looking for "three premium prospects" last year for Dylan Cease. (Source: Joel Sherman, Jan 5, 2024).

According to Jon Heyman, it was the "sun and the moon" (Source: Jan 25, 2024)

They did not, in fact, get "three premium prospects" for Cease. They also did not get the "sun and the moon". They got one premium prospect and some interesting players with upside, which is still a good trade.

So yes, I'm aware of what the White Sox want in such a trade. I'm just proposing that they will not get what they fully desire in any such trade, as was also the case in the Cease trade and literally any trade in the history of baseball. I expect Getz to set his sights high and then come back to reality.

I would wait for you to do the same, but sadly, I'm learning that day has still not come, nor will it ever.

14.) 14 Nov 2024 17:04:25
"K/ 9 is also a fantastic stat to use for someone that also walked 43 in those 72 IP. "

Yes, because you know, the K-BB% for Thorpe and Iriarte is so great LMAO.

Thorpe - 2.1 K-BB%
Iriarte - -6.7 K-BB% (Yes, that's a negative) . A 12.2% in AA.

But yes, Hayden Birdsong carrying a 14.3 K-BB% rate in his first stint of Major League Baseball isn't good. I mean, it certainly wasn't the same number or better as Dylan Cease, Zack Wheeler (for, like 3 seasons), Cole Ragans, Logan Webb, Corbin Burnes.

I used K/ 9 to denote that a guy walking into the league and striking out batters at such a rate is pretty solid, and Birdsong would immediately be a top 2 pitcher in that team.

Again, I agree, such a trade wouldn't happen, mostly because I don't see the Giants giving up Birdsong in that deal. I think they'd prefer to pay for a pitcher in FA and keep Birdsong, but I think it's more than a fair deal for Crochet, even if it's not what Chicago claims they want initially.

15.) 14 Nov 2024 18:11:32
I'd note that attempting to set Cease's value/ asking price through the media is much different than saying "we are looking for hitters in exchange for Garrett Crochet".

16.) 14 Nov 2024 21:24:49
I'd note that I literally gave the White Sox three hitters in exchange for Garrett Crochet, along with one very, very, very good pitcher (who, without Crochet in their rotation, would probably be the White Sox #1 or #2 pitcher immediately) .

If you don't like those specific hitters, cool. I don't care. Your track record of assessing hitters isn't exactly great, so you shouldn't be surprised that I've largely ignored them. Have a greater track record on that front and maybe you'll be worth listening to.

I should also note that I even pointed out you wouldn't like the trade. As is the case, you don't really like trades that don't involve the White Sox getting 150% more than the max value of a player, so yeah, I knew you wouldn't like it.

But as was the case with the Cease trade, I told you, matter of factly, that Cease wasn't going to get anything close to the offers you predicted. I'm telling you: prepare to be disappointed in the return for Garrett Crochet.

I suspect you'd be wishing they even get the return I proposed for him when all is said and done.

17.) 15 Nov 2024 07:21:13
"I'd note that I literally gave the White Sox three hitters in exchange for Garrett Crochet"

Yeah, so the thing is, my sources tell me that the White Sox are in fact looking for *good* hitters in exchange for their bonafide ace, super cheap young SP with multiple years of control. Shocking, I know.

Your package was a high ceiling, low floor SP that some project to wind up in the bullpen due to a lack of control/ command (not sure how we've gotten all the way up to a "very, very, very good pitcher", but I digress), a former top prospect that's done little-to-nothing above high-A (albeit still young, has mightily struggled on both sides of the ball in MLB), a guy who just put up a 98 wRC+ in the complex league that has solid looking tools but no record of those manifesting into on-field production - banking on an injury healing in 2025, and finally a AAAA utility guy.

If you're confused as to why this would get Buster Posey's number blocked if this was his offer for Garrett Crochet, then I'm not sure you have even the slightly idea of what you're doing here (the years of evidence is certainly growing to support that) . It's not about getting 150% of Crochet's value, but this is something like 25-50%. It's not close.

"I suspect you'd be wishing they even get the return I proposed for him when all is said and done. "

Oh sure, we will revisit this.

Lastly, I was very directly told by you that K-BB% was not a great stat and that it was bad at predicting YOY progression in regards to Craig Kimbrel. You even discounted it's usefulness because Craig Kimbrel has a similar K-BB% to Hoby Milner, Scott Effross and Jason Adam - who all hilariously broke out the next season. You literally owned yourself. At least you've learned though! It's now apparently a useful stat for ya.

18.) 17 Nov 2024 06:43:27
omg, I am just now noticing the Cardinals trade.

What in the world?

19.) 18 Nov 2024 12:41:13
"Your package was a high ceiling, low floor SP that some project to wind up in the bullpen due to a lack of control/ command"

Nice of you to quote Eric Longenhagen without citing him. Not that it matters, because that was something Longenhagen wrote about him back in April, something he offered a sort of "mea culpa" about later on, stating he's proven he can be effective against a Big League lineup. He was so good that Longenhagen jumped him from 40 FV to a 50 FV prospect, literally overnight.

Or take Eno Sarris' word for it:
"On the other hand, he has two really good breaking balls, a feel for spin and sits 96 on the fastball. This is the kind of package you can dream about, with elite upside"

If Buster Posey dangled Hayden Birdsong around other front offices, I'm sure he could begin a package for whatever he damn well pleases.

Wanna know why the White Sox would absolutely take a package featuring Birdsong?

Because Brian Bannister and Ethan Katz would push for it. They literally have dudes on the White Sox changing their pitch grips and leg kicks to the way Birdsong does it LOLOLOLOL. (Source: Eno Sarris on X/ Twitter, August 17, 2024) If you don't like Eno's word, you can take the words of Davis Martin himself.

So yeah, I'm not the only one who thinks Birdsong is "very, very, very, very good. " Even the White Sox own pitching coaches think so, as evidence of them using Birdsong as the model for their own pitchers! (Hey, speaking of someone emulating someone. )

Bottom line: no, the White Sox would not be "blocking Buster Posey's number" for them headlining a pitcher they literally model their own pitchers after.

20.) 18 Nov 2024 17:24:04
Hitters Nate - the White Sox need hitters in their system.

Hayden Birdsong could be Paul Skenes.

The White Sox are very openly seeking hitters to headline a deal for Garrett Crochet.

Hope this helps!

21.) 18 Nov 2024 18:07:36
Yes, we've established what the Chicago White Sox have publicly stated they are looking for in a Garrett Crochet trade.

We've also established that they sought a specific return for Dylan Cease and they did not, in fact, receive it.

"Hayden Birdsong could be Paul Skenes. "

If the White Sox turn down "Paul Skenes" because they are prioritizing hitters (by the way, they aren't going to get "Jackson Merrill" in any such trade, not even close), they are far more incompetent than even I suspected.

The White Sox will take the best deal they get offered. If that's a couple solid pitchers, they will take that return, ten times out of ten.

Hope this helps!

22.) 18 Nov 2024 18:09:02
You've still not answered my question. I suspect, at this point, it's because you don't want to look foolish like you did with your Dylan Cease trade ideas:

What hitting prospect (s) do you think the White Sox can reasonably land for Crochet? Let's see those Mayo + Basallo + Gunnar Henderson ideas!

23.) 18 Nov 2024 21:59:59
Again, your Cease comparison makes zero sense. It's not a question of whether or not they receive the quality of prospect that they seek, it's literally the type of player. They already have a bunch of major league-ready starting pitching. They want/ need to supplement the system with more bats, that's the whole reason why they're looking to trade Crochet instead of extend him. If the best hitter they could get is Marco Luciano, then they'll just extend Crochet.

It's mind boggling that this is hard for you to comprehend.

"The White Sox will take the best deal they get offered. If that's a couple solid pitchers, they will take that return, ten times out of ten. "

lol, this is 100% false. You don't know what you're talking about here.

10 Oct 2024 19:19:25
Giants Offseason Moves

Re-sign LHP Blake Snell, 7/180M
Sign SS Ha-Seong Kim, 4/52M
Sign 1B Paul Goldschmidt, 2/36M
Sign OF Tyler O'Neill, 4/48M
Sign RHP Joe Ross, 1/5M

Lineup
CF - Jung Hoo Lee
LF - Heliot Ramos
1B - Paul Goldschmidt
3B - Matt Chapman
LF - Tyler O'Neill
SS - Ha-Seong Kim
DH - LaMonte Wade Jr.
2B - Tyler Fitzgerald
C - Patrick Bailey

Bench
C - Tom Murphy
1B - Wilmer Flores
SS - Brett Wisely
LF - Mike Yastrzemski

Rotation
1 - Logan Webb
2 - Blake Snell
3 - Kyle Harrison
4 - Robbie Ray
5 - Landen Roupp

Bullpen
LR - Joe Ross
LR - Sean Hjelle
MR - Erik Miller
MR - Jordan Hicks
SU - Taylor Rogers
SU - Tyler Rogers
SU - Camilo Doval
CP - Ryan Walker

1.) 29 Oct 2024 21:59:45
The Giants should learn from the Astros and not give a 37-year-old Paul Goldschmidt an $18 million AAV over multiple years (a guy with more red flags than Abreu had after '22 FWIW) .

Just grab Carlos Santana or Ryan O'Hearn for something like half of that AAV & 25% of the total commitment, or go after Bellinger instead of O'Niell + Goldy and ride with Yaz in left, more Ramos at DH.

2.) 01 Nov 2024 11:09:05
I'd be okay with O'Hearn, mostly as a holdover until Bryce Eldridge is ready (which will likely be some time in 2025, barring a setback) .

Carlos Santana's Statcast is worse than Carlos Santana's 1993 album, so I think teams should pass. Maybe the White Sox would be a good fit for Santana, they've rejected the idea of signing good players lately.

The key difference between Abreu & Goldschmidt is that Goldschmidt is making 22M LESS in guaranteed money than Abreu. I'm by no means married to the idea of Goldy, it was merely a "hey, they need a short-term 1B option"

3.) 01 Nov 2024 13:14:57
Well your owner didn't like how much Farhan used analytics, so I have a feeling a player's Statcast page is going to be a little less important under ole' Mr. Posey.

4.) 01 Nov 2024 14:13:48
Considering the ownership group hired Zack Minisian, a big time analytics guy, as their GM, I have a feeling your assessment of the situation is wrong. Which, at this rate, is par for the course for you.

5.) 01 Nov 2024 14:22:48
Speaking of owners, are you gonna have another meltdown this offseason regarding the politican contributions of Mr. Johnson, or did you seeing the awfulness of your own team's owner maybe mature you a little bit?

6.) 02 Nov 2024 22:15:27
Looks like Minasian has a scouting background, how do you figure he's a "big time analytics guy"? Hopefully Zack can do a better job than his brother.

7.) 03 Nov 2024 03:41:40
He was the Head of Pro Scouting for the Giants and has spoken in interviews and podcasts about his use of advanced analytics in doing his job.

Do you think that being the head of pro scouting prevents him from being an analytics guy? Or are you just too unwilling to accept that your statement was wrong (as is often the case) .

8.) 03 Nov 2024 15:57:36
Ok, after listening to a couple interviews, yes he "used analytics" in his pro scouting job. No one in MLB is hired to any baseball exec role in 2024 if analytics isn't at least somewhat part of their process.

He is not a "big time analytics guy" on the scale of MLB execs, especially given that he & Posey are replacing Zaidi. Ownership literally told everyone they're trying to reduce the role of analytics in their decision-making.

9.) 03 Nov 2024 17:18:19
Lol. The entire reputation of Zack Minasian, and the reason Farhan Zaidi hired him for his role in 2019 was his heavy focus on analytics.

The ownership group didn’t tell us anything of the sorts. To quote Paul Simon, “a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest. ” You’re making this all up LOL.

In fact, the Giants were LITERALLY looking at analytics-focused hires for GM. They actually said this.

But as is the case, I have no expectations of you knowing that.

This site was 1000x better when you went into hiding.

10.) 03 Nov 2024 23:35:04
"In fact, the Giants were LITERALLY looking at analytics-focused hires for GM. They actually said this. "

Can you direct me to where this was said/ wrote? Thanks.

"The ownership group didn’t tell us anything of the sorts. "

Greg Johnson literally said "we get caught up too much in the analytic world of trying to fit things together analytically instead of getting to know the person, the personality and the player" before going to to state why he thinks Buster will help to fix that.

Twain once said "Denial ain't just a river in Egypt"

11.) 04 Nov 2024 12:18:44
Again, I point you back to the Paul Simon quote.

The Giants ownership group (which includes Posey, btw), wanted a greater BALANCE within the front office.

Because they had Posey in the PBO role, they sought analytics-focused people for the GM role. That's why all the major names that were brought up and guys we knew interviewed are universally lauded for the analytics focus.

So no, the Giants aren't just throwing analytics out the door. They hired a guy who is universally praised for his analytics mindset. He was praised for this in Milwaukee. He was LITERALLY hired by Farhan Zaidi for his analytics mindset (you know, the one the Giants "didn't want", according to you) . They did this to strike a balance.

Heck, if they weren't interested in analytics, Paul Bien, their director of analytics, wouldn't have even received an interview for the position.

Again, you continue to make things up, and it continues to be embarrassing for you.

12.) 04 Nov 2024 12:37:13
And before we continue this discussion about Front Office executives, I think it's important to remind anyone reading of how you assessed a previous MLB executive.


Let's take, say, Rick Hahn. You, yourself, said everyone was trying to emulate him (LOL) and that his team assembled was the "Los Angeles Dodgers of the American League" (LMAOOOOOOOO) .

Don't forget in Hahn's last year and the year following his firing, the White Sox lost 101 and 121 games, respectively. I'm sure every team is trying so hard to emulate that success!

Point is: you've proven time and time and time again that you have no earthly clue what you're talking about. And this is, yet again, par for the course.

Go back to crying about "racism" or who Charles Johnson (who doesn't even have any input on Day-to-Day operations, he handed that over to his son years ago) donated to. It may be immature and proof you can't emotionally regulate, but it's more your speed.

13.) 04 Nov 2024 14:15:16
"In fact, the Giants were LITERALLY looking at analytics-focused hires for GM. They actually said this. "

"So no, the Giants aren't just throwing analytics out the door. They hired a guy who is universally praised for his analytics mindset. He was praised for this in Milwaukee. He was LITERALLY hired by Farhan Zaidi for his analytics mindset (you know, the one the Giants "didn't want", according to you) . They did this to strike a balance. "

Again, if you could please provide a shred of evidence to either of these claims, I'd appreciate that. Should be really simple, I mean, the guy's an analytical savant.

"the one the Giants "didn't want", according to you"

Buddy, I provided a direct quote from the Johnson son about what exactly they were looking for. He quite literally said less analytics. Slow down, take a breath, and just read it mate.

14.) 04 Nov 2024 15:10:52
I'm not gonna continue to waste my time on this issue, mostly because it's clear you misinterpreted what Johnson said.

The Giants aren't anti-analytics. If they were, you'd need to ask why Paul Bien wasn't canned along with Zaidi. Weirdly, they not only kept him around, they INTERVIEWED HIM FOR THE GM POSITION. Why would you interview your Vice President of Analytics if you're "anti-analytics. "

Even the idea that the Giants are suddenly going to not care about Statcast because of some quote by Greg Johnson has to be the lousiest and most pathetic thing you've said in a good while.

The Giants are trying to find a balance between analytics, a "feel for the game" and other key factors. They've said so in several interviews. They've said so in their press conferences. They hired a guy who is well-documented and well-respected for his strong mixture of analytics and traditional scouting, as he's been raved by guys like Bien, Jeremy Shelley, Farhan Zaidi, Pete Putila for years (not including a myriad of guys in Milwaukee spoke up when David Stearns replaced him) .

That you think this isn't the case isn't just laughable, it's actually pathetic. I figured you were smarter than this. You continue to prove me wrong.

15.) 04 Nov 2024 15:17:13
Here's the source, since you're so adamant.

From the San Francisco Chronicle, "Buster Posey’s Giants task goes beyond the team. Can he bring their brand back? " By Shayna Rubin, October 30, 2024.


"The industry-wide pivot doesn’t mean the Giants want Posey to abandon analytical approaches to player evaluation. At his introductory news conference, Posey noted that “analytics are here to stay” and that “it would be a mistake to say you’re not going to use that information. ”

"The expectation is that they will select a GM with a scouting background, and that the team will find a healthy balance between analytics and traditional team-building that can draw players like Posey back to San Francisco. "

I fully expect that such a quote, from Buster Posey himself, will lead you to retract your nonsense?

Who am I kidding, expecting you to do something like admit you're wrong is like asking the White Sox to be a good baseball team.

16.) 04 Nov 2024 22:23:47
Again, where does this show that Minasian is a "a big-time analytics guy" that has been "universally praised for his analytics mindset"? You say it's well-documented, yet cannot provide anything that points to that being true. Huh, funny.

Your 2nd quote literally says "The expectation is that they will select a GM with a scouting background".

My original point was that Statcast numbers (i. e., a hyper-generalization of analytics that you took quite literally) were going to be less important under Posey/ Minasian than they were under Zaidi (which, by your own evidentiary claims, is true), who presumably was let go to because Greg Johnson believed he put too much faith in analytics and not enough into that "traditional team-building".

"The Giants aren't anti-analytics"

Never said they were. Try & stick with me here & stop moving the goal posts. You're getting all worked up over here over nothing. I just called you out for creating narratives to defend the Giants, like saying Minasian is "universally praised" for his baseball analytics acumen. That is news to literally everyone.

All I (originally) said was that I thought handing Paul Goldschmidt that much money would be ill-fated because his peripherals as an upper-30s 1B-only option look worse than Jose Abreu's did, and responded with a dig on the White Sox for some reason. You crave the confrontation.

17.) 05 Nov 2024 14:05:57
"My original point was that Statcast numbers (i. e., a hyper-generalization of analytics that you took quite literally) were going to be less important under Posey/ Minasian than they were under Zaidi"

LOL.

C'mon man, we know what you meant, trying to backtrack now isn't working. I merely referenced Carlos Santana's Statcast metrics and you took it as your chance to suggest that analytics won't matter to the Giants, and even suggested that the Giants said analytics won't matter.

I pointed out that you took Greg Johnson's quote out-of-context (no surprise) and you only heard what you wanted to here. I then pointed out what Buster Posey himself said about how they wanted to BALANCE with analytics, something you demanded proof, but never acknowledged when you got it.

You're the one constantly shifting the goalposts. You're the one who made a big hullabaloo because I referenced Carlos Santana's Statcast page and suggested he was a great fit for the White Sox because he's not a good hitter.

You should probably get used to the digs, because they will keep coming. When you so confidently proclaim that the White Sox are the "Dodgers of the American League" and that the now-fired Rick Hahn was the one everyone was emulating, you're going to get (rightly) dragged for such a take, especially when that team has lost 222 games in 2 seasons.

Take the L. Sit back and let everyone talk about real baseball teams. You lost your chance to criticize anyone else's team LOL.

18.) 05 Nov 2024 14:16:53
If you want some evidence on the Minasian praise, take it from Buster Posey himself in interviews about the hire:

"But as he gathered background information on other potential targets, speaking with senior advisers and department heads and respected former baseball officials, Zack Minasian’s name kept coming up. " (Quote from The Athletic, "Buster Posey on new GM Zack Minasian: ‘He gets what it means to be a San Francisco Giant’", by Andrew Baggarly, Nov. 1, 2024)

Yes, the Giants, who made it clear they were looking to strike a balance between scouting and ANALYTICS, Zack Minasian's name kept popping up among people within the game as a fit for what they were looking for.

It's almost as if Zack Minasian is universally praised for his analytics mindset and his scouting.

But I'm not surprised this is "news to you". Most basic information is news to you, I'm learning.

19.) 05 Nov 2024 23:38:15
I asked for proof of your very specific claims. Now you're trying to generalize them.

1. The Giants specifically targeted a GM rooted in analytics

This is false, per the quote you provided, they went after someone with a scouting background, which, no, does not preclude Minasian from using analytical concepts as a scout, but it is not a profile rooted in analytics. I know you're a novice at this stuff, but this shouldn't be that hard to understand. Zaidi's approach WAS rooted heavily in analytics, something that fell out of favor for the ownership group likely because it stopped translating into wins for the Giants.

If you need me to go into deeper detail about what baseball analytics are, you just let me know, because I feel like you're still going to be confused.

2. "They hired a guy who is universally praised for his analytics mindset"

Again, your Baggarly quote does not justify this. It's not even remotely close. "universally praised" and "universally praised FOR HIS ANALYTICS MINDSET" are two completely different things bud. LOL you can't just cut out the main part of the claim you made. Can you even find a sentence where Minasian and his analytics acumen are mentioned together? LMAO

You're grasping at straws to try & support a completely unsubstantiated claim. It is going very poorly for you.

All I've been saying is that the Giants are going to be less analytically inclined going from Zaidi (i. e., someone who you could actually justify as "universally praised for his analytics mindset") to Buster Posey & Miasian. Not abandoning analytics, just less. Again, like what their owner LITERALLY said. Do you disagree with that? Simple reading comprehension would do you wonders.

"you're the one who made a big hullabaloo because I referenced Carlos Santana's Statcast page and suggested he was a great fit for the White Sox because he's not a good hitter. "

Uhm, what? Could you point me where this happened? You ok? Are Charles & Greg Johnson in the room with you right now, Nate?

Other than referencing Jose Abreu's free agency from a couple winters ago, the Chicago White Sox have nothing to do with this convo, but you're so so stuck and tangled in BS that you're going back to something I said maybe 4 years ago when the Sox were at the peak of their window? How is that relevant now? Try not to be so dull

"I merely referenced Carlos Santana's Statcast metrics and you took it as your chance to suggest that analytics won't matter to the Giants, and even suggested that the Giants said analytics won't matter. "

These are things I literally never said, lmao. Are you drunk, or just an idiot? At least refute things I actually wrote, Nathan.

20.) 05 Nov 2024 23:39:56
All I had to say was that your Paul Goldschmidt contract was a bit rich for my liking due to the obvious red flags I found in 2 minutes of research, and you got BIG MAD. lol, talk about in your head.

21.) 06 Nov 2024 14:01:51
I bring it up to continue to point out to you, and anyone else who reads this, your track record of hilariously bad hot takes on this site.

Every single time that I pointed out to you that Rick Hahn wasn't very good, you couldn't handle it and you got all upset about it. You went so far to try and call the Giants "racist" or some other silly nonsense to defend it.

And look who was correct: I was. The White Sox have lost 222 games in two years. TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWO. And there may be no end in sight.

No one was emulating Hahn. He's literally not employed by a single MLB team, not even as a "senior advisor". No one saw them as the "Dodgers of the American League", especially not since they won two (2) playoff games since 2005.

Oh yeah, and remember Avisail Garcia? Turns out his high BABIP season was, in fact, completely unsustainable. So much for that "change in his swing" LOLOLOLOLOL.

Also, how are those "pre-arb extensions" going? Jimenez? Bust. Moncada? Bust. How's Oscar Colas doing? Oh yeah, BUST.

Would you like me to go on?

Those things are relevant because it displays your understanding on these matters. Do you really expect that someone who thought everyone was "emulating Rick Hahn" is capable of intellectually comprehending the quotes of the Giants on their front office search?

Do you think the guy who went on multiple unhinged rants about Charles Johnson's political contributions is emotionally capable of having a real conversation about anything?

And even after it was pointed out to you that Charles Johnson hasn't had any real day-to-day influence in the Giants for nearly a decade now, you still insisted that he did.

You continue to be someone who sees things from any lens you desire to see them, regardless if that lens is correct or not. And this conversation has been no different. Instead of accepting the proof, you have to shift the goalposts. You have to ignore logical inference. And instead of conceding the point, you narrow your scope to something so specific so that you can try to find a win.

It's actually worthy of pity for you. I'd say I'm starting to feel bad for you, Hector, but I'd be lying.

22.) 06 Nov 2024 14:09:55
"All I had to say was that your Paul Goldschmidt contract was a bit rich for my liking due to the obvious red flags I found in 2 minutes of research, and you got BIG MAD. lol, talk about in your head. "

My guy, if you were capable of reading, you'd see I actually conceded the Goldschmidt point, and I quote, "I'm by no means married to the idea of Goldy, it was merely a "hey, they need a short-term 1B option".

What really started this, and you even acknowledge this by your own confession ("you responded with a dig on the White Sox for some reason") was my little bit about how Santana is great fit for the White Sox because he wasn't a good player.

As is the case, you create a narrative through the lens you desire to see them. But as I've pointed out, that lens is consistently incorrect.

All it took was me taking the tiniest of potshots at the White Sox for you to become unglued and make some incorrect hot take (also called the Chi Sox Special) about something you know NOTHING about.

Anyhoo, enjoy the 2025 season. Maybe the White Sox will improve and only lose 115 games. I'm done with this convo.

23.) 06 Nov 2024 15:24:47
Welp, given your lack of response on the topic, I'm glad we've scraped to the bottom of your Minasian nonsense. Very odd angle by you, but whatever. I actually think Posey will do a solid job, but that a tandem like Posey & Zaidi would probably be the best case scenario.

Again, when I talked about teams trying to emulate Rick Hahn, that wasn't a hot take. Building a core that had the outlook they did in 2019/ 2020 and even entering the 2022 season is literally the goal of every POBO/ GM. You just don't know how to keep things in context. Your mis-characterization of talking points is very politician-like.

Everyone loved the position the White Sox were it. Heck, even Jeff Passan had a Twitter thread in early 2020 addressing how good of a situation the White Sox looked to be in given their talent & players they had under control, setting themselves up for a "sustained run".

In hindsight, aside from 20/ 21, it failed miserably. I'm not contesting that. Do you think you're dunking on me by stating that the 2023 and 2024 White Sox were awful? That Eloy and Moncada were, in fact, not good? That their owner is one of the worst in American sports? Trust me, I'm well aware buddy. They've been an objectively horrible organization for quite some time.

It also only took another year for Zaidi to also get canned, and let's not kid ourselves, you were very vocal about his role in creating the 2021 season that was followed up by 81, 79 and 80-win seasons.

I only bring up the history of the Johnsons and their politics because you opened that can of worms. If I remember correctly, it may have been regarding Aaron Bummer's conservative political ties or something, but it occurred to me how hypocritical that was given the team that you support, regardless of you is technically calling the shots.

Lastly, you're still on this role of making stuff up. I have never liked Oscar Colas. Not sure if that was made clear on here, but I am certain that I was never giddy on his outlook.

24.) 06 Nov 2024 15:50:52
To be clear, not everyone "loved" the position they were in. I saw straight through it, and as has been the case regarding the White Sox, I was dead right. They didn't set themselves up for a "sustained run", the run never happened.

You also said,

"Again, when I talked about teams trying to emulate Rick Hahn, that wasn't a hot take. Building a core that had the outlook they did in 2019/ 2020 and even entering the 2022 season is literally the goal of every POBO/ GM. "

It's a nice Motte & Bailey argument, but I'm not buying it. You were quite vociferous in your argument that somehow, Rick Hahn was doing something no one else was doing, and everyone was following suit. Now, it's, "well, he was just doing the literal goal of every POBO/ GM"? It's not the same argument and you know it.

I guess you could say the Giants emulated Rick Hahn by firing Farhan Zaidi, but that's as far as I'm willing to go.

Speaking of Zaidi, I'm happy to eat some crow on that. 2021 was a mirage, clearly. There were obvious signs that Zaidi was doing some things well and things I appreciated, but it never got off the ground, and I'm not even ashamed to admit I was wrong about Zaidi.

As far as the politics, I remember saying something about Aaron Bummer, a guy whose dorm room was down the hall from mine at the University of Nebraska. He was a pretty awful guy by all accounts at the time.

I don't even remember why I brought it up, but no, it's not anymore hypocritical that I like the Giants with my political stances than it was that you liked Bummer with yours. That's a two-way street. But I'm also not going to get super bent out of shape about it, unlike you.

And yes, you raved about Colas. You literally cited him as a reason for why Hahn was so good at one point. You say a lot of goofy things, so it's not surprising you forget this, but you absolutely said it. Trying to pretend otherwise is dishonest.

The thing to do now is acknowledge you were way wrong in almost ALL of your assessments of Hahn and the White Sox. And then probably take that into account when you make assessments about other teams. Maybe ask yourself what you didn't see and make sure you can see it in an honest way the next time.

After all, that's what I did with the White Sox. I looked at the team truthfully and saw a team that wasn't going to be good for very long. I saw a mediocre GM. Much to your own dismay, I was correct.

Maybe you ought to consider track records when you try your hand at debating this stuff again.

25.) 06 Nov 2024 19:12:57
"And yes, you raved about Colas. You literally cited him as a reason for why Hahn was so good at one point. "

You can go back to Oct 2021 on here. Show me where I said this.

26.) 07 Nov 2024 12:56:50
Since you encouraged me to go back and look, I thought I'd find some other gems:

"You trash Clevinger like the Giants didn't just commit more money to Sean Manaea who had a worse xRV than Clevinger in 2022."

Yes, and how did that go, Chi Sox? Please, tell me how that went.

"Vaughn moving to 1B is why he's projected for 2.4 fWAR now & will be much more valuable in 2023."

Vaughn in 2023: 0.4 fWAR. (-0.2 fWAR in 2024.) SO MUCH MORE VALUABLE. LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Or what about when you tried to pawn off some outdated article from an unknown fantasy writer named "Justin Dunbar" (are you Justin Dunbar? ) as why "OAA is 4x more predictive for outfielders than infielders" and in order to defend it, you dismissed articles from Keith Law and Ben Clemens. (Never mind that Justin Dunbar, who dismissed the value of OAA for infielders in 2020, uses it in his analysis of infielders now. Interesting how that works"

Remember that Paul Simon quote? Not much has changed in the past few years.

Or let's close with this:
"Although, 76 wins is a good current 2021 projection for Zaidi's Giants. So he may be right on track for a playoff berth in 2027."

How many games did the Giants win in 2021, Paul? HOW MANY GAMES DID THEY WIN?

Yeah, your track record of takes on here is, let's just say, not good at all.

In fact, I don't recall a single one even remotely coming to pass. It 's been that awful. So yeah, circling back, if anyone needs any evidence to completely ignore your opinions/ takes on the Giants front office, you've given quite a bit of it.

Thanks for reminding me to stroll down memory lane. I needed it.

27.) 07 Nov 2024 13:59:20
"Again, when I talked about teams trying to emulate Rick Hahn, that wasn't a hot take. Building a core that had the outlook they did in 2019/ 2020 and even entering the 2022 season is literally the goal of every POBO/ GM. Your mis-characterization of talking points is very politician-like. "

Since you encouraged me to take that stroll down memory lane (which goes back beyond 2021, unfortunately for you), that's not what you said.

"[Hahn's] extended more pre-arb players than anyone I can ever remember and he really started that strategy. Now teams little by little will follow (as you've already seen), especially if this core goes on to achieve sustainable success. "

Rick Hahn didn't revolutionize that strategy. The Giants, under Brian Sabean, did the same thing with Matt Cain in 2007. They did it with Pablo Sandoval in 2012 and Bumgarner in 2013. Buying out a player's arbitration years is something that existed long before Rick Hahn started doing it. THIS was your main defense to the "everyone is emulating Rick Hahn" when in reality, Rick Hahn was just emulating another successful team: The Giants. (By the way, I say that tongue-in-cheek, I don't believe the Giants were even the first team to do this. )

Your backpeddling and gaslighting is very politician-like.

Also, your history of taking information from guys like "MLBNerds" from twitter, Bennett Karoll, or random fantasy baseball writers, while summarily dismissing the work of ACTUAL journalists or actual guys with experience in baseball (Law, Clemens, etc. ) is a pretty damning piece of how you operate.

28.) 07 Nov 2024 15:11:58
Nate, try really hard and stay on topic here. You posted:

"And yes, you raved about Colas. You literally cited him as a reason for why Hahn was so good at one point. You say a lot of goofy things, so it's not surprising you forget this, but you absolutely said it. Trying to pretend otherwise is dishonest. "

I don't want to be dishonest here. Could you help me out with where I said this? You seemed to have skipped over Colas.

29.) 07 Nov 2024 16:25:18
Because of the sheer amount of comments, I could not find each one of them. I recall it was something about praising the outfield that had Benintendi and Oscar Colas and you felt like Hahn did a great job with constructing that.

30.) 07 Nov 2024 18:14:49
I fully expect that you will try to dodge it, deny it, or whatever. This is why I spent so much time indicting you on the way you discuss issues on this site.

You have no history of discussing anything in good faith, as you've yet again proven in this thread. You're consistently incorrect on your takes and history has not once been on your side in your predictions.

So again, deny, dodge, dip, duck. Whatever 5-D's of Dodgeball you need to do to get out of this one, I felt it was prudent to go into this offseason reminding you of over a half-decade's worth of your BS on this site.

Your takes have a worse track record than a Rick Hahn-led baseball team.

It was important to bring that to light and remind anyone reading of how utterly bad you are at this.

Anyhoo, on to a different comment thread.

31.) 07 Nov 2024 19:39:41
Yeah, no, never said that. I never believed in Colas and hated the Benintendi signing. I hoped they would target Bellinger and/ or Kiermaier. The extent to which I liked Benintendi was that landing him to play the OF would marginally improved their defense out there, given that they literally had Vaughn & Sheets at the corners for a good portion of 2022, and we know Benintendi has turned out to be an awful OF.

Maybe don't be so confident talking about stuff I've said when it's completely made up BS.

32.) 07 Nov 2024 20:39:17
"Maybe don't be so confident talking about stuff I've said when it's completely made up BS. "

Glad you're admitting that what you say is completely made up BS.

Nice to know we're on the same page.

33.) 07 Nov 2024 20:50:39
We can go on & on with you as well.

I'm old enough to remember when Tim Anderson's 2019 and Jose Abreu's 2020 were "fluke" seasons (the latter was even a worse all-around baseball player than DARIN RUF after winning an MVP - can you believe that? ), and how Craig Kimbrel would finish with a negative WAR in 2022 with an ERA over 5, and how Luis Robert was never going to be a good player, how the league was supposed to be afraid of the Giants' 2022 infield of Flores, Crawford, Estrada and Belt (who end up with wRC+s of 106, 103, 97, and 87 LOL), how I was dumb to refute your claim that Conforto had "30 HR potential" going into 2023 (citing the BAT X that had him at 15 to which you said I just picked convenient projections) - then he literally hit 15 HRs in 2023 LMAOOO, or or or when you said it was moronic for me to suggest that Boston would trade Benintendi & David Price in the same deal due to what it would mean for their return, and then they literally followed that same concept, except it was Mookie freakin' Betts.

You're generationally bad at this. But hey, YDKB, and that's ok.

34.) 09 Nov 2024 14:57:02
I said Darin Ruf was better in TWENTY-TWENTY ONE (2021) than Jose Abreu, not a better career. But continue to lie about what I said, please.

Could you point me to where I said Luis Robert wasn't going to be a good player. I highlighted that the Mets weren't going to take him straight up for Noah Syndergaard, because, well, the Mets said so themselves.

And also, how is Tim Anderson's career going? He had two good seasons after that, and then just like your brain cells, he deteriorated into nothingness. It's almost like, and hear me out on this, his performance was entirely a fluke.

But hey, it's nice you can cite a few misses. It's not like I called the White Sox the LOS ANGELES DODGERS OF THE AMERICAN LEAGUE!

Seriously, that will forever be the worst take on this website. An All-Timer from you. So congrats for being known for *something* on here.

35.) 09 Nov 2024 15:29:43
-Jose Abreu- out of baseball.

-Tim Anderson- out of baseball.

-Craig Kimbrel- cut by the Orioles and likely out of baseball.

-Rick Hahn- out of baseball.

-Avisail Garcia- out of baseball.

-Andrew Vaughn- would likely be out of baseball (or at least not in the majors) if it weren't for the fact that he plays on the worst baseball team in history.

Almost every single player you've propped up as some star is literally out of the game (or should be) way earlier than retirement. Maybe, I don't know, consider this little factoid when you want to go after a projection for one year of baseball.

You got so bent out of shape when I pointed out to, in no uncertain terms, that none of the players above would be good long-term. As is the case, I was 100% correct, and the rest of baseball seems to agree with my take. No one is even interested in taking a chance on those guys any longer.

I'll close with this: it's almost impressive how much you were wrong. From your assessment of Hahn, to the long-term assessment of the players I mentioned, to thinking the White Sox were the "Dodgers of the American League" (when really, they were the Rockies of the American League) .

You would have expected even one of those things to be true at some point in time, especially considering how clamorous and dogmatic you were about it.

Nope, not even a single one came to pass.

That's impressive. It might be the only impressive thing you've ever accomplished in this life.

36.) 09 Nov 2024 20:10:10
"Could you point me to where I said Luis Robert wasn't going to be a good player. "

LOL, how ironic.

You keep bringing up the Dodgers comment, something I said when the team was at its peak and looked to be continuing to rise. A ton of people, including you who picked them for 90+ wins in 2022, had them as world series contenders in 2020, 2021, and 2022. And a lot of the folks I'm referencing here are the baseball writers whose options YOU believe hold more weight than yours or mine. The Dodgers thing is your obsession, and it isn't the own you think it is.

The White Sox obviously didn't develop into a Dodgers- or Astros-type dynasty, you kicking down doesn't really do much. You're telling the White Sox are actually a bad team? What a profound thought by you, Nate.

Your logic is also not sound. Your comments on the White Sox players are justified because Abreu, Anderson, and Kimbrel are out of baseball in 2025? Then why is my Dodgers comment, something I said 4+ years ago, still relevant? It doesn't make sense. You were wrong about everything I listed when the manifestation was relevant. Where the players are currently at doesn't matter at all.

I could use the same logic with the '22 Giants infield, who are all practically out of MLB in 2025. Does that make me EVEN MORE correct about that prediction? Where's Zaidi? Out of baseball. See how this makes not a lick of sense?

Petriello's article has the Giants as the 22nd best roster in MLB. Maybe focus on your squad improving on that rather than fixating on my 4+ year-old comments.

37.) 11 Nov 2024 12:00:32
"Then why is my Dodgers comment, something I said 4+ years ago, still relevant? "

Because it shows how you tend to argue these things. You love to argue about projections (you literally did in your comment) and about "what might be" and the problem is: you tend to view the most ludicrously generous projections for your team while finding the least favorable projections for others. I've called you out on this for years, and that specific take was the evidence of how out of touch you were with reality: not only was it not true, it never became remotely close to being true. Not even the slightest bit.

If you want to come on here and act really arrogant, you should probably have to wear that prediction and at least offer some sort of a mea culpa beyond "well, that was 4 years ago. "

38.) 11 Nov 2024 20:25:47
"and at least offer some sort of a mea culpa beyond "well, that was 4 years ago. "

I literally have worn it. I've said it's a terribly ran organization by one of the worst owners in professional American sports. I can go player-by-player if we want to breakdown why their rebuild and contention window failed. I said the goal of every GM in MLB is to build a young core to build around and then supplement with free agents. It's almost impossible to build your team from free agency unless you have extremely deep pockets and almost none of those FA signings bust. The Sox *did* the first part, they we're highly regarded players that ended up being good, the problem was the window was 2 seasons. They were heralded by the same baseball writers that you believe hold the most valuable opinions on these teams.

At this exact point 3 years ago, a TON of people had the White Sox as the AL favorites in 2022. ESPN had them as the 4th best team in baseball and 2nd best in AL. Only the Astros & Yankees had better World Series betting odds. Let's keep things in context.

The problem is you're using the record of the 2023 & 2024 White Sox as evidence to discount my claim from 2020. It makes no sense.

You can't say things like "Tim Anderson's 2019 was a complete fluke, here comes massive regression", then shut up about it as he puts up almost 9 fWAR over the next 2.5 seasons, then resurface and be like "See! I told you I was right! ". It's disingenuous.

Then, to top it off, you said that Darin Ruf was a better baseball player than Jose Abreu while Ruf is having a career year, fine. Talk your talk. Then, Ruf is 4.5 fWAR worse than Jose Abreu in 2023, you're silent about Ruf vs. Abreu, and now you're claiming that you only meant 2021, yet are using the fact that Jose Abreu is out of baseball as a knock on my past comments of the Sox core being really, really good. flip-flop-flip-flop. Again, disingenuous.

It's why you struggle so much on here and why you've practically (by various account of other people) killed the site being as stand-offish and brash as you are.

27 Mar 2024 11:42:23
2024 Predictions

STANDINGS
AL East
Baltimore 97-65
Toronto 88-74
Tampa Bay 86-76
New York 84-78
Boston 72-90

AL Central
Minnesota 85-77
Kansas City 80-82
Cleveland 79-83
Detroit 78-84
Chicago 61-101

AL West
Houston 95-67
Seattle 89-73
Texas 87-75
Oakland 66-96
Los Angeles 65-97

NL East
Atlanta 99-63
Philadelphia 89-73
Miami 80-82
New York 75-87
Washington 69-93

NL Central
Chicago 88-74
Cincinnati 84-78
St. Louis 81-81
Milwaukee 77-85
Pittsburgh 68-94

NL West
Los Angeles 95-67
San Francisco 85-77
Arizona 83-79
San Diego 80-82
Colorado 62-100

PLAYOFFS
Wild Card Round

Texas over Minnesota, 2-0
Seattle over Toronto, 2-1

Chicago over Cincinnati, 2-1
San Francisco over Philadelphia, 2-1

Divisional Series
Houston over Texas, 3-1
Baltimore over Seattle, 3-2

Chicago over Los Angeles, 3-2
Atlanta over San Francisco, 3-1

League Championship Series
Baltimore over Houston, 4-2
Atlanta over Chicago, 4-0

World Series
Baltimore over Atlanta, 4-2

AWARDS
AL MVP - Julio Rodriguez
NL MVP - Mookie Betts

AL Cy Young - Corbin Burnes
NL Cy Young - Spencer Strider

AL Rookie of the Year - Wyatt Langford
NL Rookie of the Year - Kyle Harrison

1.) 16 Apr 2024 19:16:09
I think I vastly over-estimated Chicago's win total.

2.) 29 Aug 2024 15:18:28
My White Sox prediction was nearly 20 games too many. And they had the worst predicted record.

It's truly remarkable how fast they fell.

Weird that Chi Sox hasn't been around at all. I'd probably go into hiding as well.

01 Aug 2023 12:59:21
Trade Deadline Moves

Giants get: OF Teoscar Hernandez

Mariners get: SS Diego Velasquez, RHP Spencer Miles

**This is definitely an overpay for San Francisco, but they might have to get a little desperate to infuse some offense really quick.**


Giants get: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez

Tigers get: RHP Mason Black, LHP Juan Sanchez, C Onil Perez

**Scott Harris would know the Giants system very well, as he was their GM for a few years. I have zero clue what he would target, but I could easily see a deal being worked out between these two teams.**

1.) 02 Aug 2023 03:04:21
Very suprised Teoscar and Eduardo didn’t get moved. I know Eduardo wanted to stay out East to be close to family but those were two names I was sure would get dealt.

2.) 02 Aug 2023 15:22:26
I'm guessing the Mariners still feel they can compete for a Wild Card spot.

I'm disappointed the Giants didn't do much, but I also get it. They have Estrada and Haniger coming back really soon, so they may not have had much roster space for the moves.

And the price for starting pitching was insane.

I can be okay with them standing pat, keeping the young talent and still going for it.

3.) 03 Aug 2023 01:54:35
Yeah the market was crazy for pitchers. Sellers market forsure.

Mariners are always half in and half out. I’m not sure if they know what they want to do.

Giants are a weird team too but always find a way to win. They have talent in AAA that can come up to.

natedog's banter posts with other poster's replies to natedog's banter posts

11 Dec 2024 18:32:07
I'd like to congratulate Chi Sox on her idea that the White Sox would get a ton of bats for Crochet. She was correct.

The problem? The actual bats they got.

Kyle Teel? 97 wRC+ in AAA. Yeesh.

Chase Meidroth, a guy Fangraphs calls "pleasing to watch but not especially impactful"

Braden Montgomery, a 21-year-old with a legitimate ankle injury who hasn't even taken a sinle professional at bat yet.

After all, I believe it was you who dismissed a young hitter (who has played, BTW) all because of a wrist injury (which are less cumbersome, long-term, than FRACTURED ANKLES)

But hey, they got some bats. It's a far cry from the good ones the Red Sox could have given up. LOL.

1.) 12 Dec 2024 21:16:16
"I suspect you'd be wishing they even get the return I proposed for him when all is said and done. "

LMAOOOO. Getz got a haul. If you think this is a bad return, go take a seat at the bitter table for one. These are great bats. We've already established that you get easily confused. You were dead wrong in all facets and now you're coping with random details. This is hilarious.

Teel's 97 AAA wRC+ is in 123 PAs. He mashed in the minor leagues and is great behind the plate.

Montgomery's ankle was from a freak injury and not a nagging back, hamstring, etc. "who hasn't even taken a single professional at bat yet. "

Uhh, yeah, he was drafted in July.

4 of Boston's top 14 prospects (Pipeline) in a loaded system. Your suggestion of a package of Luciano, Arias, Birdsong, and Wisely was laughable. You were dead wrong on Crochet's value. I correctly stated that he would get more than Cease. You really don't know what you're doing here little man.

2.) 13 Dec 2024 21:09:05
Oh, now hitting 97 wRC+ in the minors is good? Oh, we dismiss it because it was just 123 PAs.

Hey Siri, how many PAs was Rayner Arias' 98 wRC+? "Rayner Arias had 105 PAs in 2024"

Oh, now injuries aren't hindrances to players and we can consider them elite, despite ZERO evidence of how they might actually play in professional baseball?

Yet again, your qualms with players suddenly disappear when they are no longer convenient to your argument.

3.) 13 Dec 2024 21:12:54
"Coping with random details"

My guy, you literally suggested that Rayner Arias wasn't worth it because he hit 98 wRC+ in the minors and because he was injured.

That, like, defines the two best players involved in the Crochet trade.

These aren't "minor details", they were your key objections to one of the best players I included in the Giants' idea.

4.) 14 Dec 2024 13:22:30
For the record, I think Kyle Teel is pretty decent. I think Montgomery is pretty decent.

You, however, based on your own assessments of other players and the reasons you gave for them being "not good", if you're interested in being logically and intellectually consistent (don't worry, I'd never accuse you of this), would have to say that Teel & Montgomery are also bad.

But we know you won't say that now that they are members of the White Sox.

Because, again, you're not willing to be consistent.

Anyhoo, congrats on getting "bad" players. Or are injured players and players with 97 wRC+ in the minors suddenly "elite"? You change your mind so damn much it's impossible to keep up.

5.) 14 Dec 2024 19:12:20
Lol, I never said Arias was bad because he put up a 98 wRC+, I simply suggested that maybe a single one of the bats in your Giants package could be coming off a league average season. A 98 wRC+ as a complex league outfielder is a lot different than a 97 wRC+ for a AAA catcher, who mashed in his previous pro stops (& in college), who is also a premium defender. Also, a nagging wrist injury for a power hitter is a lot different than breaking your ankle on a fluke baserunning play. If you can't tell the differences there, well than maybe you're dumber than everyone else on here already thinks.

Arias is a fine prospect, but he can't headline a trade for a top 10-15 pitcher in the sport right now. Keep coming with the strawman rebuttals. You were so hopelessly wrong. I said Eldridge would have to headline for SF, and based on what they got in reality, that's true. A giants package would have had to START with Eldridge and Tibbs. Then, since those two are worse than Teel and Montgomery, you're looking at better 3+4 pieces. So likely Eldridge, Tibbs, Arias and then someone like Whitman. It's not a very good farm out there in San Fran.

Can you just admit that the package they got from Boston was leaps and bounds better than the one you suggested from the Giants? Oh right, I was supposed to be "prepared to be disappointed". LMFAO.

6.) 15 Dec 2024 11:55:54
"Can you just admit that the package they got from Boston was leaps and bounds better than the one you suggested from the Giants? Oh right, I was supposed to be "prepared to be disappointed". LMFAO. "

Can you read? Like, for realsies, are you capable of reading? And are you capable of ever holding a consistent thought? I imagine much of your problem is that you give your brain so much whiplash from going back and forth in your own logic. You've got self-induced CTE, clearly.

I literally called Teel and Montgomery good. Just now. My initial point was to use YOUR STANDARDS against the package. You can flip flop all you desire. You can suddenly think that minor league wRC+ is irrelevant, or believe that ankle injuries aren't potentially a major issue for players (especially ones who haven't taken a single professional at bat) . That's fine.

Just know: I'm not buying it. And I seriously doubt anyone will buy it. Don't try to act like minor league wRC+ suddenly doesn't matter, or that major ankle injuries aren't problematic.

This is beyond pathetic, even for your standards, Sheila.

7.) 15 Dec 2024 12:07:49
" A giants package would have had to START with Eldridge and Tibbs. Then, since those two are worse than Teel and Montgomery, you're looking at better 3+4 pieces. So likely Eldridge, Tibbs, Arias and then someone like Whitman. It's not a very good farm out there in San Fran. "

LMAO.

Let's break down the actual return, first:
Teel- 50 FV
Montgomery- 45+ FV
Meidroth- 40 FV
Wikelman- 40+ FV

Now, let's break down the potential Giants package you said they'd have to give up:

Eldridge- 50 FV
Tibbs- 45 FV
Arias- 45 FV
Whitman- 45 FV

Yeah, the return the White Sox got doesn't even come remotely close to your laughable suggestion of a Giants package. Every player in the Giants package is a 45 FV prospect or better. You can't say the same about the actual return.

But then again, I'm not sure we should take prospect evaluations from the guy who thought the Yankees would trade Jasson Dominguez AND Luis Gil for Dylan Cease LMAOOOOOOOOOO.

Seriously, how do you continue to embarrass yourself? You really need to get a bit of shame.

8.) 15 Dec 2024 12:17:04
By the way, let's add one other caveat. you were so mad I tossed in Brett Wisely into the trade. I think I also sent you to the brink at the thought of it.

But let me introduce to the Brett Wisely that was included in the Garrett Crochet trade: Chase Meidroth.

Meidroth and Wisely's minor league numbers are eerily similar at nearly every stop. The difference is that Meidroth has relied more on walks than anything else, a skillset that depreciates as pitching gets better.

Meidroth doesn't field well. He doesn't run well. He has minimal power (.108 ISO in AAA, yeesh) .

If Meidroth doesn't field as well as Wisely, which scouts don't think he will, he'll likely be WORSE than Brett Wisely.

So yeah, the White Sox got a worse version of Brett Wisely.

My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time of reflecting on this truth.

9.) 15 Dec 2024 14:36:45
Ok so:

Teel > Eldridge
Montgomery > Tibbs
Wickelman.

10.) 16 Dec 2024 12:21:36
Whitman > Wikelman

Arias >>>>>>> Meidroth (aka Temu Brett Wisely) .

But again, you've relentlessly and breathlessly proven you don't understand how to evaluate prospects.

Speaking of prospects, did Andrew Vaughn ever become a 3+ WAR player? Asking for a friend.

11.) 16 Dec 2024 14:08:12
Was the White Sox return for Garrett Crochet better or worse than what you suggested? Did Crochet return more or less than Dylan Cease?

Asking for a friend.

Just admit you were wrong, man. You tried to sell me on Marco freakin' Luciano. You're consistently confused as to how this stuff works.

12.) 16 Dec 2024 14:26:51
"Was the White Sox return for Garrett Crochet better or worse than what you suggested? "

Now you're trying to change the conversation after you suggested that Eldridge, Tibbs, Arias and Whitman was a WORSE package than the White Sox actually got.

And for the record, any package that required Hayden Birdsong would be significantly better than some high variance hitting prospects.

Again, Teel hit 98 wRC+ in AAA last year with a .088 ISO. That's not going to get better as he graduates to MLB. And Montgomery hasn't played a single MLB plate appearance. Not one, because of a significant injury to his ankle.

Birdsong would be the White Sox best pitcher tomorrow if he were included into such a trade. Objectively. And he's objectively better than Teel + Montgomery, mostly because we actually know how he performs in the majors.

The White Sox clearly wanted bats, so they got bats, even it meant a lesser return for Crochet.

13.) 16 Dec 2024 14:39:20
Also, let's not bury what you said the return would be:

Kristian Campbell, David Hamilton, Yoshida, Montgomery, and Paez. That was four (4) 45 FV or better prospects, along with Yoshida.

The White Sox ended up getting 2 prospects 45 FV or better. TWO.

Again, you did the exact same thing with the Cease trade, where you were so confident the White Sox could land Coby Mayo AND Joey Ortiz, or worse, Jasson Dominguez AND Luis Gil for Cease.

You probably shouldn't be criticizing anyone saying they are "confused how this works" when your own history of ideas is the most laughable thing anyone has ever read on this website.

14.) 16 Dec 2024 16:14:49
"Now you're trying to change the conversation after you suggested that Eldridge, Tibbs, Arias and Whitman was a WORSE package than the White Sox actually got. "

No, I said that's what a SF equivalent would have had to be to beat Boston's offer. This is your favorite method of just changing the details of what I said. It's either on purpose, or you need to really learn to slow down & read.

"And Montgomery hasn't played a single MLB plate appearance. Not one, because of a significant injury to his ankle. "

Even if Montgomery was completely healthy, he wouldn't gave debuted in MLB yet. HE WAS DRAFTED IN JULY 2024. I don't think you understand how MLB prospects work. How many 2024 draftee debuted in 2024, Nate?

"Kristian Campbell, David Hamilton, Yoshida, Montgomery, and Paez. That was four (4) 45 FV or better prospects, along with Yoshida. "

Buddy, I was spot on with the value here. If we go off FG, I proposed:

Campbell (45+)
Montgomery (45+)
Paez (45)
Hamilton (45 - grad)
Yoshida

In reality, they got:

Teel (50)
Montgomery (45+)
Gonzalez (40+)
Meidroth (40)

So they got a better headliner in Teel, Montgomery is the same, then, in exchange for taking on Yoshida's contract (a substantial negative value), they got a better pitcher (Paez > Gonzalez) and hitter (Hamilton > Meidroth) - Boston got a RP.

"Birdsong would be the White Sox best pitcher tomorrow if he were included into such a trade. "

lol, no.

"Again, Teel hit 98 wRC+ in AAA last year with a .088 ISO"

Again, this is 120 PA that is conveniently ignoring his previous MiLB stops as well as ACC college performance. He's also a plus defender. I'm not sure you know how offense for catchers is valued differently. How about the 145 wRC+ in AA in almost 400 PAs last year, Nathan?

The fact that you think Luciano, Arias, Birdsong and Wisely is better than Teel, Montgomery, Gonzalez and Meidroth just shows how completely clueless you are.

15.) 17 Dec 2024 13:51:24
Birdsong >>> Teel, Meidroth & Montgomery, combined.

Birdsong had the second highest Stuff+ grade of any pitch among starters in baseball last year. His changeup had a stuff+ grade of 155. (Only Joe Musgrove's curveball had a greater score) .

His 111 Stuff+ was Top 20 in all of baseball, tied with Logan Webb and Gerrit Cole.

Birdsong's stuff has the potential to make him a top pitcher not just on the Chicago White Sox (who, again, literally had one of their own pitchers emulate Birdsong to make him better), but in all of baseball.

Acting like Hayden Birdsong, who is one of the better young pitchers in baseball right now, isn't better than any of the names the White Sox got is hilarious, and out of touch.

Was he what the White Sox "wanted"? No, if they wanted bats, then sure, Birdsong didn't fit their criteria.

Was/ is he better than Teel and Montgomery? By leaps and miles. Not even a question.

But if you think that a backup catcher and an injured hasn't-played-yet prospect are better than an MLB-ready 50 FV prospect, then I'm not interested in discussing baseball with you any longer. Because frankly, I don't discuss intellectual conversations with people who can't handle them.

16.) 17 Dec 2024 13:57:08
"How many 2024 draftee debuted in 2024, Nate? "

I meant professional at-bat, which would be consistent with what I've already said elsewhere in this conversation.

But even when I mentioned professional at bat, you balked at it with the "he was drafted in 2024". You realize professional isn't limited to MLB, right? Right? RIGGGHHHT?

17.) 17 Dec 2024 17:51:27
"Birdsong >>> Teel, Meidroth & Montgomery, combined. "

Sure, Jan. Whatever you say.

Montgomery not yet playing is such a nothing detail. What about Giants first rounder James Tibbs? He played, but he hit .134/ .216/ .239 with a 31 wRC+ in A ball. To stick to your logic, we can ignore anything he did before that (i. e., at FSU or low-A) .

Id rather not play than put up a 31 wRC+.

18.) 20 Dec 2024 13:04:27
"Id rather not play than put up a 31 wRC+. "

Hey, there's the absolutely ludicrous takes we've all come to know and not love around here!

James Tibbs hit so well after his professional debut that the Giants swiftly promoted him LMAOOOO. But yeah, I'm sure the Giants are devastated that their 2024 1st Rounder was promoted to High-A after just 9 games last year.

I bet they wished he had a serious ankle fracture that prevented him from even playing a single competitive game for over 10 months from the time the season begins.

We'll return to this conversation next winter, I'm sure, but when Tibbs is raking in AA and Montgomery is barely getting through rookie ball, I'm sure the Giants will be so upset.

19.) 20 Dec 2024 13:13:57
""Birdsong >>> Teel, Meidroth & Montgomery, combined. "

Sure, Jan. Whatever you say. "


I mean, Hayden Birdsong has had elite performances at the Major League level already. If you need some assistance on what that means, don't worry, I'm here to help:

Hayden Birdsong has had success at the MLB level. Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth and Braden Montgomery have a whopping ZERO (that's less than one) games COMBINED at the Major League level. One of those players hasn't played a non-amateur baseball game. One of those players is Temu Brett Wisely.

So really, it's a question of Kyle Teel versus Hayden Birdsong. And Teel is probably a poor man's Joey Bart, with less defensive capabilities. He's literally a dime-a-dozen catcher who probably turns into a slightly better version of Ben Rortvedt, or some average catcher. Maybe (the White Sox aren't exactly killing it in the Player Development department lately, so I wouldn't hold my breath) .

So yeah, Hayden Birdsong is objectively better than an average MLB catcher, by a rather significant degree.

20.) 20 Dec 2024 15:27:42
From:

"Birdsong >>> Teel, Meidroth & Montgomery, combined"

to:

"So really, it's a question of Kyle Teel versus Hayden Birdsong"

lol. Quite the back peddle there.

"James Tibbs hit so well after his professional debut that the Giants swiftly promoted him"

You mean like how Teel make it do AA the year he was drafted and then tore it up over 400+ PA? Teel hit so well, Boston promoted him, a catcher, to AAA just a year after he was drafted. Try and stay consistent with a stance one time.

21.) 20 Dec 2024 17:00:18
"You mean like how Teel make it do AA the year he was drafted and then tore it up over 400+ PA? "

The conversation isn't Kyle Teel versus James Tibbs, Dorothy. The conversation, regarding Tibbs, is Tibbs versus Montgomery. I know it's difficult to keep track of your own nonsense, but I remind you, you said, "Id rather not play than put up a 31 wRC+. "

By the way, if there was an award for the single-handed most ludicrous idea ever concocted on this website, that would be unanimous.

Then, we have the conversation of Teel versus Birdsong. I dismiss the other two because they are so inconsequential to the discussion based on the fact that a player w/ o a single professional PA and Brett Wisely Jr. don't move the needle in the slightest.

22.) 20 Dec 2024 17:19:54
"Teel hit so well, Boston promoted him, a catcher, to AAA just a year after he was drafted. "

Again, this isn't a Tibbs vs. Teel discussion. I fully acknowledge that Teel is better than Tibbs, and I don't recall ever saying anything different. (Tibbs was brought up in relation to Montgomery, not that I'm accusing you of being able to keep up. )

So we can maintain the proper comparisons, you know who else was swiftly promoted through the minors? Hayden freaking Birdsong.

Birdsong had just 80 IP at AA or above prior to his promotion. Just 9 of those innings were at AAA. The Giants so quickly saw how good he was and promoted him basically straight from AA to pitch in the majors.

So yeah, if we "try to stay consistent" (a very ironic thing for you to say), Birdsong didn't even need more than a handful of games in AAA to prove how good he was. Kylie Teel will likely remain in Charlotte until mid-July, if he even hits at AAA. (I remain unconvinced he will) .

23.) 21 Dec 2024 05:28:18
Dude, this is about your inconsistencies regarding sample size. Your knock on Teel is that he was a league average player at AAA through 123 PA, but at the same time say things like "James Tibbs hit so well after his professional debut that the Giants swiftly promoted him".

You keep thinking that Montgomery not playing professionally to this point means anything. Tibbs hit just 136 times and put up a .636 OPS. Montgomery not playing and Tibbs playing poorly don't mean much at all in terms of their outlook. These are prospects after all. They both raked against good competition in college. Montgomery is just the switch hitter with better bat speed, better arm, and is the better defender who hit vs. better pitching, that's all. Stop acting like his injury was an Alex Smith-like ordeal. It wasn't, he's fine.

This is not Birdsong vs. Teel. There's no "proper comparisons". You plainly stated that Teel, Montgomery and Meidroth combined were not as valuable as Birdsong. Talk about the "single-handed most ludicrous idea ever concocted on this website. "

For the record, your favorite resource, MLB Trade Values, has Teel Montgomery and Meidroth as 5 (FIVE) times more valuable than Hayden Birdsong. Birdsong is so good that he not even projected to crack the rotation of the 4th place Giants. Dude is a baller.

"Birdsong had just 80 IP at AA or above prior to his promotion. Just 9 of those innings were at AAA. The Giants so quickly saw how good he was and promoted him basically straight from AA to pitch in the majors. "

OMG, this is truly groundbreaking.

24.) 23 Dec 2024 11:47:32
"For the record, your favorite resource, MLB Trade Values"

For the record, I wrote off BTV years ago after a lengthy conversation with its founder, John Bitzer and having him admit he makes the numbers up. There is no algorithm. He just adjusts as he sees fit.

So yeah, BTV is nonsense. You even wrote it off as nonsense.

But now that it confirms what you want to be true, it's your evidence! I continue to be embarrassed for you.

25.) 24 Dec 2024 16:22:50
Remember when you claimed that Jesus Luzardo and Garrett Crochet had the same trade value? LOL, oopsies.

It's only late-December, but this has been a brutal offseason for ya Nathan. LMAO.

26.) 25 Dec 2024 14:43:08
Merry Xmas. Hope you guys get along better in 2025.

27.) 27 Dec 2024 17:23:33
Merry Christmas to you too, Nate.

28.) 30 Dec 2024 14:16:46
So wait, is Baseball Trade Values all of a sudden a reliable resource? Or are you just willing to use it because it confirms what you want to be true?

You seemed to ignore that rebuttal of mine. Weird, eh?

And yes, the Red Sox overpaid for Garrett Crochet. That doesn't make me wrong, it means that the Red Sox had a greater need for pitching than the Philadelphia Phillies. Do you seriously not comprehend how valuation works? (Don't answer that, we both know the answer to that question)

29.) 01 Jan 2025 16:27:55
"is Baseball Trade Values all of a sudden a reliable resource"

No, I don't think it's good practice to come up with trades with their values. However, it's a source that you have referenced in the past, using their values as justification. So when you say idiotic things like "Birdsong >>> Teel, Meidroth & Montgomery, combined", I just wanted to put that into context for you from a source that you're familiar with. But, I don't need them calling Birdsong 5 time less valuable than the White Sox actual return to justify that that was an asinine statement.

"it means that the Red Sox had a greater need for pitching than the Philadelphia Phillies. Do you seriously not comprehend how valuation works? "

Ah yes, you nailed Luzardo/ Crochet's value. It was the Red Sox AND Phillies who were off on their respective values. Makes complete & total sense.

"That doesn't make me wrong"

LMAO, ok.

So you think that Luzardo is just as good as Crochet, and that their values are indeed, equal? That's what you're going to stick with?

30.) 02 Jan 2025 13:02:42
The reason Birdsong is better than all those guys combined is really simple (or it should be if you have functioning brain cells) :

Hayden Birdsong has had success in the majors. He's 23 and has tremendous upside. There are literal MLB teams modeling their own pitchers after Birdsong (namely, your own favorite baseball team) .

A 23-year old MLB Starter with 6 years of team control >>> a random group of ho-hum prospects.

This isn't even remotely controversial. It's not "asinine. " It's basic baseball information, and you're being contrarian at this point because you can't handle someone else being correct about anything.

31.) 02 Jan 2025 13:05:50
And again, I reject BTV's model after looking into it more. I haven't used that site in like, 5 years, so it's pretty hilarious that you think it's relevant all of a sudden.

Trade value calculations when it DOESN'T FAVOR the White Sox: nonsense. Doesn't know ball. Ridiculous. Bad math.

Trade value calculations when it DOES FAVOR the White Sox: gospel truth. If you deny them, you don't know ball. Clearly true.

Again, if you need an answer for why no one should ever take you seriously on here: this is a good start.

25 Jan 2024 13:32:50
Remaining Free Agent Landing Spots:

Cody Bellinger- Cubs, 7/189M
Blake Snell- Giants, 7/200M
Jordan Montgomery- Rangers, 6/120M
Matt Chapman- Padres, 5/95M
Jorge Soler- Blue Jays, 3/45M
J.D. Martinez- Mariners, 2/34M
Brandon Belt- Marlins, 1/10M
Adam Duvall- Angels, 1/8M
Justin Turner- Royals, 1/7.5M
Michael A. Taylor- Twins, 2/12M
Gary Sanchez- D'Backs, 1/6M
Tommy Pham- Padres, 1/10M
Amed Rosario- Giants, 2/15M
Alex Wood- White Sox, 1/12M
Joc Pederson- Mets, 1/15M
Tim Anderson- Angels, 1/12.5M
Yasmani Grandal- Rays, 1/10M
David Peralta- Padres, 1/7M
Carlos Santana- Guardians, 1/5M
Hector Neris- Yankees, 3/40M
Ryne Stanek- Dodgers, 2/20M
Noah Syndergaard- Pirates, 1/8M

24 Aug 2023 02:27:40
Rick Hahn fired LOL.

I was confidently told that every MLB GM was trying to emulate Hahn.

1.) 21 Sep 2023 19:10:08
And then they hire Chris Getz LMAOO.

This is like dumping your girlfriend only to start dating her less-attractive sister.

06 Apr 2023 20:57:09
What an embarrassing, EMBARRASSING series for the White Sox versus the Giants.

The White Sox:
-Gave up 13 (THIRTEEN!) home runs
-Lost by a margin of 13-31
-Had a position player pitch in TWO of the three games

-They had a player ejected because he didn't understand the new rules

-They had a player get chirpy because the Giants pitched a slider on a 3-0 count to him.

For all the talk Chi Sox did, this was an utterly embarrassing series for his team.

(I won't even bring up his hilarious standards from last year, but if he's willing to be consistent, we know who is the better team now)

1.) 06 Apr 2023 21:16:51
My apologies. A -15 run differential. They were blessed with the Giants mercifully giving them a pitcher on the mound as well (which was the result of the Giants being ahead 16-3 LOL)

2.) 07 Apr 2023 06:03:54
Haha I knew this was coming. Props to the Giants for taking advantage of some brutal Sox pitching this weekend. 13 homers is impressive.

Kopech looked to be tipping and Lynn had God awful stuff. Cease wasn't even close to his best but he's just that good. Aces gonna ace.

I'll take a 4-2 record against the Giants over the last 2 seasons. It was pretty much the opposite in San Fran in '22, except the Sox swept. Giants tried to, but our ace is better than your's.

Both teams have 3 wins this year. I'm not particularly moved by either so far.

"For all the talk Chi Sox did, this was an utterly embarrassing series for his team. "

I'm not sure how this is the case? I picked both teams to miss the playoffs and the Giants just won a series 2-1 in early-April. Go off, I guess?

13 Feb 2023 15:52:35
2023 MLB Predicted Standings

AL EAST:
NY Yankees 99-63
Toronto 91-71
Tampa Bay 83-79
Baltimore 80-82
Boston 77-85

AL CENTRAL:
Minnesota 89-73
Cleveland 86-76
Chicago WS 79-83
Detroit 70-92
Kansas City 61-101

AL WEST:
Houston 98-64
Seattle 92-70
Texas 84-78
LA Angels 73-89
Oakland 54-108

NL EAST:
NY Mets 97-65
Atlanta 95-67
Philadelphia 90-72
Miami 75-87
Washington 57-105

NL CENTRAL
St. Louis 92-70
Milwaukee 84-78
Chicago Cubs 80-82
Pittsburgh 66-96
Cincinnati 60-102

NL WEST
LA Dodgers 95-67
San Diego 94-68
San Francisco 87-75
Arizona 82-80
Colorado 60-102

PLAYOFFS
AL WILD CARD
Minnesota over Cleveland, 2-1
Toronto over Seattle, 2-0

NL WILD CARD
Philadelphia over St. Louis, 2-0
Atlanta over San Diego, 2-1

AL DIVISION
Houston over Minnesota, 3-0
NY Yankees over Toronto, 3-1

NL DIVISION
Philadelphia over NY Mets, 3-2
Atlanta over LA Dodgers, 3-1

ALCS
NY Yankees over Houston, 4-2

NLCS
Atlanta over Philadelphia, 4-0

WORLD SERIES
Atlanta over NY Yankees, 4-2

natedog's rumour replies

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28 Mar 2025 12:49:05
The WHite Sox spent less than 20M on free agents.

Don't worry, Chi Sox, you were only off by 50 million. And their payroll isn't even close to 100M.

Yeah, turns out either a) no one wants to play for that gawd-aful franchise, b) they are massive cheapskates or c) both. I'm gonna go with C.

What an absolute joke of a team. It's altogether fitting that YOU are a fan of them.

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25 Mar 2025 16:27:40
FWIW, I'm being incredibly generous by suggesting the White Sox will only lose 109 games.

I seriously had them at 123 losses, but I backed off because I wanted to value Chi Sox's mental health.

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07 Feb 2025 12:59:21
"If Wicks is absolutely not for grabs, Assad would be consolation"

If I can't get a Ferrari, a Datsun Colt will be fine, too.

Javier Assad might be one of the worst starters in baseball. His Statcast is bluer than most Bay Area congressional districts. But I admit, it'd be hilarious to watch the Padres go from Dylan Cease to Javier Assad in that rotation.

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09 Dec 2024 13:33:37
My condolences on Soto.

Hug a Yankee fan today, folks.

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05 Dec 2024 19:01:21
The addition of Luis Robert into this probably makes the Dodgers say no.

Robert was that bad in 2024.

natedog's banter replies

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26 Mar 2025 11:38:11
Chi Sox being higher on the Giants than myself is certainly something.

To quote the movie What About Bob, "Baby Steps"

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02 Jan 2025 13:05:50
And again, I reject BTV's model after looking into it more. I haven't used that site in like, 5 years, so it's pretty hilarious that you think it's relevant all of a sudden.

Trade value calculations when it DOESN'T FAVOR the White Sox: nonsense. Doesn't know ball. Ridiculous. Bad math.

Trade value calculations when it DOES FAVOR the White Sox: gospel truth. If you deny them, you don't know ball. Clearly true.

Again, if you need an answer for why no one should ever take you seriously on here: this is a good start.

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02 Jan 2025 13:02:42
The reason Birdsong is better than all those guys combined is really simple (or it should be if you have functioning brain cells) :

Hayden Birdsong has had success in the majors. He's 23 and has tremendous upside. There are literal MLB teams modeling their own pitchers after Birdsong (namely, your own favorite baseball team) .

A 23-year old MLB Starter with 6 years of team control >>> a random group of ho-hum prospects.

This isn't even remotely controversial. It's not "asinine. " It's basic baseball information, and you're being contrarian at this point because you can't handle someone else being correct about anything.

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30 Dec 2024 14:16:46
So wait, is Baseball Trade Values all of a sudden a reliable resource? Or are you just willing to use it because it confirms what you want to be true?

You seemed to ignore that rebuttal of mine. Weird, eh?

And yes, the Red Sox overpaid for Garrett Crochet. That doesn't make me wrong, it means that the Red Sox had a greater need for pitching than the Philadelphia Phillies. Do you seriously not comprehend how valuation works? (Don't answer that, we both know the answer to that question)

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23 Dec 2024 11:47:32
"For the record, your favorite resource, MLB Trade Values"

For the record, I wrote off BTV years ago after a lengthy conversation with its founder, John Bitzer and having him admit he makes the numbers up. There is no algorithm. He just adjusts as he sees fit.

So yeah, BTV is nonsense. You even wrote it off as nonsense.

But now that it confirms what you want to be true, it's your evidence! I continue to be embarrassed for you.