e-gus off-season plan-plan

Arbitration-eligible (with projected salaries from MLBTR):

• Tyler Flowers, $3.5M ~TENDER
• Welcome back Tyler. You've earned another year.
• Avisail Garcia, $1.5 M ~TENDER*
• Thats as high as I would go, I think MLBTR guessed horribly wrong here.
• Nate Jones, $900K ~TENDER
• Welcome back Nate
• Zach Putnam, $800K TENDER
• Sure you can stay, he might get more than that. 1M.
• Dan Jennings, $800K NONTENDER
• 1/3 inherited runners scored. Good luck elsewhere in your career.

Contract options (pick up or buy out)

• Alexei Ramirez: $10M for 2016 or a $1 million buyout

Pick this up. He is probably mostly done, but the other FAs at the position are crap, we are collecting Cubans and hopefully he can give us enough that our top prospect doesn't have to get a trial by fire.

Impending free agents (re-sign, let go, or qualifying offer?):

• Jeff Samardzija: $15.8M qualifying offer      QO
• Matt Albers: Made $1.5M in 2015                   let go
• Gordon Beckham: Made $2M in 2015         adios
• Geovany Soto: Made $1.5M in 2015               sure, why not

I really hope Shark gets a better offer. I rather have Putnam than Albers. Beckham gets bucked, and Soto was the only guy hitting at certain times on the whole team last season and that made an impression with me.

Free agents

Once again my plan has the Sox spending a lot of money. Not as crazy as last year, but I feel like the big deals are less risky than the middle of the road ones. I'm not going to speculate what these guys will cost, just get it done, Rick!

Mark Buehrle- starting SP. If he is really hanging them up, sign him to a one day deal. This better be a part of every plan out there.

Yoenis Cespedes- starting RF

Howie Kendrick - starting 2B

Antonio Bastardo - RP. I love this guys name. If the Sox signed him I would get his jersey for sure.

Starting Pitcher- I'd probably sign a 5th starter type because I am about to trade a lot of the Sox pitching depth on the farm. Pick one*:

Brett Anderson, Wei Chen, Mat Latos, Yovanni Gallardo

*if Mark Buehrle retires and we aren't saddled with another year of Shark

Yoenis Cespedes would be pricey. I rather have Heyward, but he is going to have 30 teams chasing after him roughly, and he should be the first pin to fall when the hot stove cranks up. Go get the Cuban after you lose a bidding war for Jason Heyward.

If they get outbid on Cespedes, then I want them to sign Alex Gordon. Taking a valuable piece away from KC would be extra sweet every time he does something against them. He has a player option so he should be available because he can make more than $12M this year.

Speaking of going out to get Cubans, I want the White Sox to sign one more guy-

Lourdes Gourriel - A short stop that left Cuba last year to go play in Japan but my one off google-fu cant find any record of him for this season. No stats, nothing(in English anyway). He had 4 years in Cuba before allegedly playing for a Japanese team. If it was a one year deal he wouldn't have to be posted. He's on my radar, or at least was before he went all stealth mode. Find him and sign him, Rick. Bring his big brother too because we have a DH to replace.

Trades

• Adam LaRoche to the Springfield Isotopes for a box of baseballs.
• Erik Johnson and Micah Johnson to the New York Yankees for Greg Bird.
• Frankie Montas to the Chicago Cubs for Javier Baez.

Trade Summary

LaRoche and his rock of a contract probably aren't getting moved anytime soon. He gets a short leash and if he is the same guy as last season they need to release him.

Johnson and Johnson are probably the Sox biggest trade chips that Im willing to part with. I'd actually be ok with Micah getting another shot because I do think he can hit and get on base. The Yankees need a 2B, so after we outbid them for Howie (lol) then they can trade them the 2b that they need. Bird is sort of blocked with Teixiera still under contract. Crazier things have happened.

Frankie Montas and his hundred mile an hour heat is something that every team in the league could use. The Cubs are one of the only teams with depth in the infield and I think Baez grows into a third baseman. He's a nice fit for the Sox. The Cubs need pitching and don't have a place to play him so the Sox might even get away with asking for another prospect if the Cubs think Montas has starter stuff. One of their middling guys like Dan Vogelbach or Eloy Jimenez who don't crack the Cubs top 10 but  certainly would in the southside system.

Starting line up and 25 man roster

Eaton 8

Abreu 3

Cespedes 9

Melky DH (probably LaRoche)

Baez 5

Bird 7 (probably Melky)

Kendrick 4 (probably Sanchez/Micah)

Alexei 6

Flowers 2

bench:

Adam LaRoche/Avisail Garcia

Trayce Thompson

Carlos Sanchez

Tyler Saladino

Giovany Soto

Starters:

Condor

Quintana

Rodon

Danks

Buehrle/Latos/Anderson/Gallardo/Chen and if you miss on them all, Fullmer (probably Erik Johnson)

Bullpen:

David Robertson

Zach Duke

Nate Jones

Zach Putnam

Jake Petricka

Antonio Bastardo

I haven't read any of the previous 9574 submissions yet so I'm looking forward to perusing them and telling you how smart you are if our plans line up in any way.

Also, I know I'm over budget and cut a corner or two by not trying to guess what the FAs are going to cost. MEA CULPA. However, if that was the opening day starting line up, ticket sales would be through the roof and the play off revenue and Bastardo jersey sales would more than cover the cost.