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How is this "playing defense" by Elias?

Do you mean Trevor Bauer? God, I hope not; it didn't occur to me that my post might trigger that train wreck of a topic again. If there was a pitcher worth having agreeable to a one-year deal I would be inclined to keep Kjerstad and Westburg and go that route. But I think guys like Paxton and Ryu will both get multi-year deals and that's not a choice.

What starter is out there worth having that's also willing to sign a one-year deal?

I guess JA must be pinching every penny so he doesn't have to raise ticket prices.

I agree with your general take on the White Sox's near-term future but it's still way too early to make the call on whether Getz is in over he head. If Cease is still on the team come Opening Day, I'll definitely reconsider though. Of course if Reinsdorf is the problem then there's only so much Getz can do as we know all too well from the Peter Angelos years.

If Moncada and Jimenez have good first halves, that will be a big temptation to dump them at the deadline. That would tell me the WS are leaning toward a full rebuild.

He really needs to get a new personal PR firm.

If Mountcastle is not traded and O'Hearn is on the team come Opening Day then I predict another hard year for ML-ready Orioles prospects to break into the lineup. I'm more worried about Elias/Hyde's veteran-hugging than I am about Mountcastle's periodic cold spells.

The Wrecking Crew was a group of LA studio musicians that played on a ton of records in the 1960's and 1970's. Glen Campbell was in that crowd until he got famous. The Swampers was the rhythm section at the Muscle Shoals recording studio from the mid-1960's on. The documentary on Muscle Shoals is amazing and you should watch it.

LA's version of the Swampers. A lot more people though.

Last year during spring training I took BA's top 100 and compared it on a spreadsheet with 9 other rankings from a variety of sources including CBS Sportsline, Fangraphs and elsewhere. The differences including at the top were far, far greater than I anticipated. You point about lack of unanimity is well taken. Basallo and Mayo look like they're going to develop abnormally big power to go along with a good overall hit tool. That could always change, but if it doesn't then you have a talent that doesn't come your way very often. It's worth the gamble to set them aside IMO. Cowser and Kjerstad should be good players but I don't think either have the same ceiling.

A completely reasonable position and one I suspect most people agree with - certainly the casual fans. I would add that a lot of people want enough stability so they can spend more than a couple of seasons rooting for their favorite players. I don't think you get to that place without a healthy farm system regularly introducing new talent onto the team. It's unfortunate that your last rebuild failed. A couple of years ago the White Sox looked like they'd be a powerhouse in the AL Central for quite a while. I'm not sure they can avoid another one at this point.

After last year's breakout success, I think something a little better than merely OK is warranted. Plus, given the revenue that's currently flowing into the organization there's really no excuse for the team to act like it's poverty-stricken. That said, I think Stephenson is a good pitcher but he's not someone I would overpay by much.

Nope. I only focused on the cherry-picking of one season to inductively conclude that John Angelos is somehow better for the Orioles than he actually is. I'm usually pretty scrupulous about acknowledging the things he has contributed, including hiring Elias and all the rest, but let's not go overboard.

The owner's level of spending for the length of time he's clearly been in control - prior to the 2019 season - has produced a record of 315-393 or a winning percentage around 0.445. Not great. Perhaps his full record should be your yardstick if you're about to build a statue to him.

I can see an ultimatum of sorts working if Elias has another deal close and he's offering the White Sox an opportunity to make a best and final offer/adjustment, but that's about it when it comes to dictating to another GM who you'll probably need to work with again in the future.

After 2023 JA has no place to hide. Does he care is the question and we're about find out. It's a pity that it won't have a material impact on his life one way or the other.

The threat has to be credible. JA comfortable signing a free agent pitcher? Could happen I guess...

The first half of the Titanic's maiden voyage was too.

The Sox board is now at 226.

It looks like the payroll including projected arb raises is close to $85 million or around $24 million more than 2023 and I I'll be very surprised if another pitcher isn't added. Elias, Sig, player development improvements and an increased international presence have vastly improved the outlook for the O's moving forward. Now all he needs to do is replace his PR firm with one that can convince him to keep his mouth shut in public.

Yes they did, so every SI article from someone who's name you don't recognize from like five years ago is now suspect. Jon Conahan is also credited with frequent articles on the Astros and it may be that he has to file so much to get paid a living wage that all he can do is aggregate other web stories and throw a quick style pass on top. May as well be AI if that's the case.

I think the photo from his FanNation bio page probably answers your question.

Yes, if somewhat reluctantly, but starting pitching is expensive and this would be a real-world trade offer. And if Cease is the last one standing out of Valdez, Luzardo and Cease I would certainly make the deal.

It looks like Bob had a deadline coming up and Getz was good enough to take his call. I can't see much else to pull out of this tweet.