Sox have now matched the Cubs at 35-1 to win the WS.

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lets wait and see how the team does on the field.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

I guess the question is whether ONLY winning one World Series will be enough to call things a success? We seem to be setup to be the 90s Braves.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

No way. This was a way better move. No need to saddle yourself with unnecessary long contracts for guys like that. See the Cubs.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

If Encarnacion sucks or gets hurt it wont be a catastrophic loss. They'll rotate Grandal, Abreu and Jimenez into the DH spot more and give Collins more PA's. If Collins cant get it done then Yermin Mercedes or, dont discount the likelihood of this one bit, Andrew Vaughn will be up. Its only a one year deal, they aren't married to him.

But if he winds up being our Nelson Cruz it will be an absolute steal. Jim Thome was thirty-six too when the Sox traded Aaron Rowand for him, he wound up being really good.

This is a low commitment deal that cost nothing in terms of players but still has monumental upside. Like JORR said, he's a thirty home run guy who only strikes out twenty percent of the time. Those types of players are way rarer than you'd think and none of them would've come this cheaply.

Maybe the White Sox should finish above .500 first before we start yelling gibberish

Never underestimate the stupidity of the betting public. I've seen the Mets at 18-1 which seems way too optimistic. Mets might finish 3rd or 4th in the east.

I kind of doubt the Sox are the kind of team that is going to have a line drastically moved by optimistic betting. They're not like the Bears, Cubs, or Notre Dame where you almost never get a fair price.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

The low commitment thing worked in the 90s. No real risk here, except that we have about twelve players at DH.

Until the Twins do something the Sox are the favourites in the AL Central, and as such you really can not have them lower than thirty-five or so. Does any team have an easier path to the post-season than the White Sox? Even the Dodgers have to deal with the pesky Rockies and Dbacks.

We are going to be MUCH WORSE if the Sox finish above .500. Prepare yourself.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I was thinking more of the 50s Yankees.

I like it. More depth and more options. Shades of 2005. Low key guys with some pop here and there. We can surprise people this year.

The good ones (i.e., the complete teams) do.

No one has more depth at the DH than the Sox.

Abreu been missing a guy like Nick C. That could be the best 3-4 hitters in the division. He's young and would rake in that park. Great clubhouse guy, clutch. Think they missed an opportunity. The Cubs have no contracts like that as far as I know.

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EE hit more homers with a better slugging percentage and higher on base average than Castellanos last year. They are only paying these guys to play designated hitter, not the field. All that matters is what they do with the bat (neither can run at all). Factor in dollars and years the decision the Sox made was the obvious one.

I want to see the Indians continue to sell pieces as 3 cupcakes in our division will be nice to feast on

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

I'll be happy for long time diehard Sox fans like FavreFan and yourself. It's great to see Kenny's grand vision come together.

I know this is half jest, but if Kopech comes back healthy, you might be right. I think Cease is gonna be something.

They shouldn't either but it sounds like Theo fell in love with the 2nd half production of a player in a contract year.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Eloy hit more HR yes. Not sure about the rest of that..and Nick played in a pitchers park for half the season..he was huge when the Race was on, pressure was up.. Eloy was on a team going nowhere in a hitters park. That matters, also..Nick can move, dude has speed, unlike that old fuck Encarnacion.

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There is no excuse to leave Robert and Madrigal off of the opening day roster for purposes of service time. You need the full line-up in Chicago day 1. If they can get Robert to sign a deal like Eloy, that would be preferable.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Why on earth are you talking about Eloy Jimenez for?

Mets fans betting down a line makes far more sense than White Sox fans doing the same. It's more plausible that smart bettors are looking at the division and the Sox lineup and seeing a team who may take a huge leap if the arms develop fast enough.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

I just don't see how the Twins have the pitching to win the division. But I have thought the same thing recently about the Brewers and they end up near the top every year. So who the hell knows.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

I also don't believe the Twins are going to hit 800 home runs again next year.

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Castellanos was slightly above average as a hitter before the trade. He had laughable power numbers even though the ball was juiced. You don't break the bank for a guy who exploded in the 2nd half of a contract year. Encarnacion has been consistently the better player and he's worth picking up more than Castellanos.

_________________
Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Jimenez made a terrific amount of improvement in the last month and a half of the year offensively. The guy was hitting everything that they threw at him. He has what I call easy power. He merely flicks that long bat of his and the ball flies. He's going to hit at least 40 HRs.

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An Ode to the Texas man who shot an Antifa terrorist:

Oh, he might have went on livin'
But he made one fatal slip
When he tried to match the Ranger
With the big iron on his hip

Who does Encarnacion take ABs from? Grandal/McCann. Doesn't that force Grandal to catch 20 more games than he should? And if that's true, doesn't that lead to trading McCann?

I consider the Grandal(100 games)McCann(60 games) duo a defensive key to a championship team. I'm worried this fucks up a situation that I like. Over a 36 yr old, who may not even be here when it's time to compete for a trophy?

Sox have a brutish lineup. Twins had a brutish lineup that was swept out of the playoffs. Yanks had a brutish lineup that got sent home. The goal is MORE than winning a shit division. Building the young pitching is still the key to the championship. Let's make sure we do that by keeping McCann and keeping a big investment, Grandal, fresh.