Yankees acquire closer Aroldis Chapman at a bargain price

The New York Yankees made an unexpected trade Monday, acquiring closer Aroldis Chapman from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for four minor-league players.

The move is surprising because Chapman is under investigation by Major League Baseball for an alleged domestic violence incident that involved gunshots and the choking of his girlfriend. No criminal charges were filed, but that does not mean Chapman will not be suspended under MLB's domestic violence policy. One might argue a suspension is likely, in fact, and that cloud of suspicion nixed a trade of Chapman to the Los Angeles Dodgers in early December.

Given the circumstances, it was assumed that Chapman would be impossible for the Reds to trade, but the Yankees are willing to take the risk. There are three reasons why New York would make this deal:

1. The price in prospects was not high. The Reds acquired right-handed pitchers Caleb Cotham and Rookie Davis, plus infielders Eric Jagielo and Tony Renda. Raise your hand if you've heard of any of them. I have not. These are not blue-chippers. The Yankees did not have to give up any of the crown jewels of their farm system to acquire a 27-year-old closer who has accumulated 145 saves over the past four seasons.

2. The Yankees now have a devastating back end of the bullpen that rivals, and perhaps betters, that of the world champion Kansas City Royals. Baseball's top three relievers in strikeouts per nine innings during the 2015 campaign were Chapman (15.74 Ks. per 9 IP), Andrew Miller (14.59) and Dellin Betances (14.04). All of them now play for New York. If all three of those guys are healthy and effective, how many games do you suppose the Yankees are going to blow in the seventh, eighth or ninth inning? Probably not too many.

3. New York also might luck into an extra year of team control with Chapman. Right now, the left-hander is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2016 season. But, let's say he is suspended for 40 games for the domestic violence incident. He would lose that service time, and accordingly, his free agency would be delayed until the conclusion of the 2017 season. Sure, the Yankees would lose him during the suspension, but they'd still have him closing games for the next season and a half once the suspension is over.

This trade isn't the most PR-savvy thing for the Yankees to do. They will be rightfully criticized for acquiring a player with as much off-the-field baggage as Chapman, but you can see why this move could be a steal from a purely baseball perspective.

What would the White Sox's 25-man roster look like if the season started today?

Today is Dec. 28, so there still is a long way until the White Sox open the season April 4 in Oakland. But, some offseason moves have been made, and we're a little less than two months away from pitchers and catchers reporting. So, let's take a look at what the 25-man roster might look like if the season started today, which, of course, it does not:

Todd Frazier

Starting pitchers:
1. Chris Sale
2. Jose Quintana
3. Carlos Rodon
4. John Danks
5. Erik Johnson

Relief pitchers:
1. David Robertson
2. Nate Jones
3. Zach Duke
4. Zach Putnam
5. Jake Petricka
6. Tommy Kahnle
7. Dan Jennings

Catchers:
1. Alex Avila
2. Dioner Navarro

Infielders:
1. Jose Abreu
2. Todd Frazier
3. Brett Lawrie
4. Adam LaRoche
5. Tyler Saladino
6. Carlos Sanchez
7. Leury Garcia

Outfielders:
1. Adam Eaton
2. Melky Cabrera
3. Avisail Garcia
4. J.B. Shuck

The catching situation and the infield look a lot better than they did at the end of last season. Avila and Navarro figure to be upgrades over Tyler Flowers and Geovany Soto.

If Frazier comes anywhere close to duplicating the 35 home runs, 43 doubles and 13 stolen bases he posted with the Cincinnati Reds last season, he's a huge upgrade at third base for the Sox. Heck, if he does even half that, he's a huge upgrade. Lawrie's defense could be hit or miss, but his bat will almost certainly be an major improvement over Sanchez at second base. Right now, it looks like Sanchez and Saladino will compete for the starting shortstop position in spring, unless another move is made.

What do the Sox still need? Well, they need outfield help. Another middle-of-the-order bat is required. Frazier will help provide protection in the lineup for Abreu, but the Sox need another guy to help them push the declining LaRoche to the bench and to the margins of the roster. There has been talk of the Sox being interested in free agent Alex Gordon, who is an elite defensive outfielder, but he's probably not a solution as a middle-of-the-order bat. Two other free agents, Yoenis Cespedes and Justin Upton, are power-producing outfielders, but it's unclear if the Sox are willing to open the pocketbook for a home run hitter this offseason. They better, if they are serious about winning in 2016.

One other thing the Sox need to do: Add an innings-eating veteran to help the rotation. It's been exciting to watch Rodon's development over the past year and half since the Sox drafted him, but he's still never thrown 200 innings in a big-league season. He'll probably still have an innings limit in 2016. Johnson also is unproven, so it would behoove the Sox to have a fallback option who can make spot starts and work in long relief. There's no need to look for a high-priced pitcher or an ace, just someone who can be signed on a one-year deal. Some pitchers who fit this profile might include Doug Fister, Ross Detwiler, Bud Norris, Kyle Kendrick and Colby Lewis.

We'll see what other moves the Sox might have in store as the calendar turns to January.

A Christmas White Sox poem from Tom Braxton

A tribute to Clement C. Moore's iconic poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas."


‘Twas the night before Christmas as evening wore through,
We two fans debated what Rick Hahn should do.
The offseason wish was that springtime would yield
Players who could hit but who also could field.
The cranky South Siders were snug in their thoughts,
Certain that Rick had to fill several spots.

My friend in his hoodie and I in my toque
Had just settled down with a rum and a Coke.
When out on the web there arose such a surge,
My monitor’s pixels all started to merge.
I sprang to my keyboard, preparing to read
And saw that the rumor mill ran at full speed.

The glow on the face of the LCD screen
Gave the luster of late nights with too much caffeine.
When what to my cynical eyes should appear
But suggestions that Cespedes might be next year.
And another outfielder as we collect names,
I saw Justin Upton, among other claims.

But rapid as eagles some names fell away,
And we whistled and shouted and called them by name:
“On Flowers! On Beckham! On Soto! On Shark!
Don’t let the gate slam as you leave the ball park!
Avila! Navarro! Now show off your powers
To make us forget that out-machine, Flowers!”

“To the top of the race! To the wall that is green!
Your numbers will shine on the high-tech new screen!”
So up on my Android the names they all flew,
With holes still agape at base three and base two.
As I drew back my finger and lay off the keys,
Two more names appeared that would cause me to freeze.

A wink of the screen, with its refresh begun
Soon gave us to know that Rick Hahn was not done.
He spoke but few words, quotes just for the press,
And turned to fill third base, and second, we’d guess.
First it was Lawrie, that high-octane scamp,
Then it was Frazier, Home Run-Derby champ.

And laying a finger on top of the screen
And giving a nod, we reviewed what we’d seen.
We sprang to the bar, to the place gave a shout,
And ordered two beers, one lite and one stout.
And they heard us exclaim as we drank and we said,
“Who needs Cespedes? Sign Buehrle instead!”

White Sox remake their catching situation

Alex Avila

When the 2016 season opens, the White Sox will have two new catchers.

Tyler Flowers' three-year reign as the Sox's No. 1 backstop ended Wednesday when the team opted to non-tender him. Last year's backup catcher, Geovany Soto, signed Nov. 24 with the Los Angeles Angels.

The Sox will turn to longtime Detroit Tigers catcher Alex Avila as their main guy behind the plate next year. Avila signed a one-year deal worth $2.5 million on Nov. 25.

When Sox GM Rick Hahn announced the non-tendering of Flowers on Wednesday, he said the move was "part of a plan," and that the club saw an opportunity to upgrade the position offensively.

Reports indicate 12-year veteran Dioner Navarro is set to sign a one-year deal with the Sox to be the second catcher.

What do we make of this? Well, assuming Avila is healthy (he played only 67 games last year because of knee issues), this is a platoon system that should work.

Avila, 28, a left-handed hitter, can't hit lefties at all. But if he achieves his career slash of .251/.358/.423 against right-handed pitching, this is a good pickup for the Sox. I don't think anyone would complain about a .781 OPS from a platoon catcher.

Even in a generally lousy, injury-plagued 2015, Avila had a .355 OBP against right-handed pitching. In case you were wondering, Flowers never posted an OBP over .300 in any of his three seasons as a full-time catcher.

Avila can't hit lefties, which brings us to the switch-hitting Navarro. The 31-year-old is a lifetime .255 hitter with a .688 career OPS, but check out the splits:

Navarro vs. LHP: .270/.336/.439
Navarro vs. RHP: .249/.305/.353

So, Navarro has a career .775 OPS against left-handed pitching. Avila has a career .781 OPS against right-handed pitcher. Platoon these guys in matchups favorable for them, and you might see some good things offensively from White Sox catchers for a change.

Flowers has a career .665 OPS, so the bar for improvement is not high. If used properly, Avila and Navarro have a good chance to clear it.

White Sox decline team option on Alexei Ramirez

The White Sox on Wednesday declined to pick up a $10 million option on shortstop Alexei Ramirez.

The club instead opted to buy out Ramirez's contract for $1 million. The veteran will become a free agent on Saturday, and the Sox could still bring Ramirez back in 2016 on a smaller contract.

Ramirez has spent eight years on the South Side, and he enjoyed one of his finest seasons in 2014. During that year, he hit .273 with 15 home runs and 74 RBIs and won the Silver Slugger Award. He also was a finalist for the Gold Glove.

However, Ramirez regressed in 2015, hitting just .249 with 10 home runs and 62 RBIs. His OPS dropped from .713 in 2014 to .642 this year.

Despite that regression, this move comes as a bit of a surprise, because top shortstop prospect Tim Anderson is considered to be about a year away from breaking into the big leagues. Many observers, including me, thought Ramirez would return for one more season as a stopgap, keeping the spot warm for Anderson in 2017. Instead, the Sox appear to be moving in a different direction.

The other internal option is Tyler Saladino, who is a capable defensive shortstop, but figures to struggle with the bat. Saladino hit just .225 with a .602 OPS in 254 plate appearances after the Sox called him up in July.

The list of free-agent shortstops this offseason is not a strong one. The best names out there (besides Ramirez) are Ian Desmond, Jimmy Rollins and Asdrubal Cabrera. Desmond is probably the most attractive option of that group, but he will probably get more than a one-year deal, which wouldn't make much sense for the Sox.

It's impossible to judge this move without seeing how the decision fits into the bigger picture of the offseason. There are only two conclusions we can draw today:

1. The Sox saved themselves $9 million, which could allow them to be bigger players in free agency; and 
2. The Sox have added shortstop to their list of offseason questions marks. 

The hot stove season is just beginning, and as always, it promises to be interesting. Stay tuned.

White Sox claim Jacob Turner off waivers from Cubs

Remember when Jacob Turner was a top-30 prospect and one of the jewels of the Detroit Tigers farm system? Well, now he's a White Sox reclamation project.

The South Siders claimed the 24-year-old off waivers from the Cubs this week. Turner did not pitch in the majors in 2015, spending most of the year on the 60-day disabled list because of a strained right flexor tendon and right shoulder inflammation.

The Tigers took the right-hander with the ninth overall pick in the 2009 amateur draft. In July 2012, Detroit made Turner the centerpiece of a deal with the Miami Marlins that netted them pitcher Anibal Sanchez and infielder Omar Infante.

Turner made 20 respectable starts for the Marlins in 2013, going 3-8 with a 3.74 ERA in 118 innings. But he imploded in 2014, compiling a 5.97 ERA in 20 games (12 starts). Miami designated him for assignment, and he eventually got traded to the Cubs for two minor leaguers.

Turner pitched even worse for the Cubs the last couple months of 2014 (6.49 ERA in 34.2 IP), and hasn't been seen in the majors since.

This is a classic example of the Sox taking a flier on a guy who is still young. He obviously has some talent, based on draft position and previous prospect rankings. It is more than likely he is just a bust, but if that's the case, the Sox will simply cut him next March. There is no harm in taking a look at a guy such as Turner in spring training.

Happy 10th anniversary, White Sox fans

As White Sox fans, we focus a lot on the final three outs of the 2005 World Series. Sometimes, it gets lost what a great game Freddy Garcia pitched on Oct. 26, 2005. This video captures his performance nicely.