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Buehrlesque

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Everything posted by Buehrlesque

  1. QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ Jan 3, 2010 -> 01:15 PM) He wouldn't necessarily be. But he is younger and not as injury prone. I'd be fine with either Cust or Thome. I might be in the minority, but I would be disappointed if we brought in Cust. I know his power/OBP numbers look good on a stat sheet, but this is a good example of how stats don't tell the whole story. In a close game, if you had a runner on third with one out, or a runner on second with two out, is Jack Freaking Cust really a guy you want with the bat in his hands? He's a 31-year-old with a career .239 batting average. He can walk, but he doesn't have much speed (4 stolen bases... in his CAREER) and is not a better baserunner than even Jim Thome. His one advantage is that a bunch of his lazy fly balls that were outs in Oakland will travel over the fence at the Cell. But how is he any different than Nick Swisher? Low average, high OBP guy who K's a lot and projects to "improve" by getting out of Oakland. Swisher was the better player, and got run out of town here, how the heck is Cust going to make it? PASS. Jack Cust is a Ron Schueler signing. KW will bring in a real baseball player.
  2. QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 28, 2009 -> 06:39 PM) To me, this trade can be summed up like this... Chris Carter's ceiling is Carlos Quentin. Instead of waiting to see if he panned out, we have that here now, today. You make that trade every single time. This is exactly how I see it too. I don't like the line of thinking that a trade like this is always worth it because the prospect is still in the minors and the "Quentin" is in the majors. Here I agree with the conclusion, it's a "win", but that can be tricky logic. By this logic, wouldn't a Tyler Flowers for Nick Punto (or some utility bench player) trade be a "win" for the Sox because Punto's major league stats, (even though they're not great) are infinitely better than Flowers' zero major league line, and thus Punto contributed more to the big league club than some minor leaguer who was never on the team in the short run and may never pan out in the long run? Obviously that is a ridiculous hyperbole, but the point is Carter's value was maximized by "cashing him in" for Quentin, so I would say the trade is a win for the Sox. But it doesn't always work out, look at the DLS, Gio and Sweeney for Swisher trade. Even if those three never played another inning in the majors, there's "opportunity cost" of trading them for Swisher when they could have been traded for a different player. So I wouldn't say its no big deal that Swisher sucked here. I'd say we wasted the value of those prospects at the time. A lot of people say that about Brandon Allen-for-Tony Pena too, right?
  3. QUOTE (b-Rye @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 08:51 PM) Last year we had Dewayne Wise, BA, Dye, hurt CQ in outfield to start the season.... this year we got Rios, Pierre, hopefully healthy CQ, A Jones, Kotsay.. Opening day starters 2009/2010 projected: C AJ/AJ 1B Konerko/Konerko 2B Getz/Beckham SS Ramirez/Ramirez 3B Fields/Teahen RF Dye/Quentin CF Wise/Rios LF Injured Quentin/Pierre DH Thome/??? BENCH Anderson/A. Jones Lillibridge/Nix Betemet/Vizquel Miller/??? (Flowers) None/Kotsay SP Buehrle/Buehrle Contreras/Peavy Danks/Danks Floyd/Floyd Colon/Freddy Jenks/Jenks Linebrink/Thorton Dotel/Putz Carrasco/Torres Richard/Linebrink Macdougal/Pena Please stop b****ing.... 2010 is far superior to 2009 so far and we can still acquire a bat for DH. You have a little bit of creative bookkeeping here, but I like it overall. You can really see how much more "set" this team will be next year compared to last year, when they seemed so makeshift/random/in flux coming out of the gate. One minor area I'd disagree is the assumed "improvement" from Dye to Quentin. If just talking about the start of the season, Dye hit .302 with 20 HRs before the All-Star break last year. I'd be ecstatic to get that out of Quentin in '10. Otherwise, add a DH and this team is about ready to go.
  4. QUOTE (Fingish @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 11:29 AM) Just my thoughts, FWIW. I love talking baseball in winter. Especially on the shortest day of the year, that means that summer will be closer with every day from here on out. Is that today already?!?! Best news of the day!!
  5. QUOTE (GREEDY @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 11:10 AM) But doesn't Rios' value lie in the fact that he is a CF with corner outfielder pop? So why trade for a corner outfielder that offensively is a prototypical CF? While I don't entirely agree with your premise, doesn't your question answer itself? If your CF has "corner outfield pop", then, theoretically, you wouldn't need as much pop out of your corner OF, right? However, in general I would say the Sox are in need of a little more pop right now however you slice it.
  6. QUOTE (G&T @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 10:48 AM) According to Terry Boers and his people, the Sox did not think they would be stuck with Rios' salary. That was unplanned. Although this is just hearsay and could be complete BS, I *could* believe it. KW's M.O. is to have other teams pick up a bunch of salary in cases just like Rios- Contreras, Thome, Vazquez, Pierre, etc. It's more risky in a waiver claim, but I imagine KW thought Ricciardi would have too much pride to dump Rios without getting anything back. Put it this way, I'm sure KW would have preferred to trade something like Ely and Link (for example) for Rios + $3 or 4 million per year. But KW may have underestimated Ricciardi's desperation to shed salary. I'm not saying the Sox weren't prepared for it, just they didn't expect it. In any case, most of this is over-thinking anyway. It had nothign to do with Pods' defense or anything like that. KW had some money to play with, saw something he liked, and bought it.
  7. QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Dec 18, 2009 -> 01:58 PM) I would love to have a Soxtalk poker tournament as you could bluff your way through the game. LOL! I agree, Ozzie's covering his bases in case nothing else comes through.
  8. QUOTE (whitesox901 @ Dec 17, 2009 -> 01:10 PM) Pierre Beckham Quentin Left Handed Power Hitter Konerko Rios Pierzynksi Ramirez Teahen This is the closest to what I see happening. I wouldn't be surprised if Ozzie flips Ramirez and Teahen either. By the way, am I the only one who can't stand thought of AJ hitting anyplace 3rd thru 5th in the line up? I know most people put him there by default because there's no one better and he hits left-handed, but ickkkk. He's gotta be hitting 7th or lower.
  9. Pretty good list, with some great photos. But does anybody else think that pic of Big Frank is from the '90s? He's looking pretty young and slender there.
  10. QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 14, 2009 -> 02:10 PM) Correct me if i'm wrong, but Glaus' shoulder has to be hanging on a thread by now, doesn't it? Supposedly he just took a physical and is going to make the results public so interested teams can judge for themselves. Obviously, if the results look bad, you pass. I wouldn't pay him a nickel to play 3B anyway, but he might still be able to hit. And of course he was a juicer with the Angels in the early '00s. That doesn't mean that he is Jerry Owens now- he still hit 27 HRs and slugged .483 in '08 well after the Mitchell Report and stricter testing/punishments.
  11. I haven't heard his name mentioned yet, and the Sox don't appear to be linked to him in any way, but would free agent Troy Glaus be a fit for the DH spot next year? His 2009 was a total wash- he only played 14 games due to injury. But his last full season line was .270/.372/.483 with 27 HRs and 99 RBIs in '08. He's an injury waiting to happen, but so was Jim Thome when the Sox acquired him after '05. Maybe the cliched Move Him To DH/Herm's Magic Touch could help him stay healthy next year? At 33, he's younger than Thome, Matsui, Vlad and Delgado. (The Sox are allegedly looking for a lefty bat, and Glaus hits right-handed.) If healthy (the big if) he could probably give you 25-30 HRs, .360-.370 OBP and .480-.500 SLG. Plus he can play a little 1B (his 3B days are probably over), adding to Ozzie's versatility. Not sure what kind of contract he is looking for, but if he's inexpensive might he be an option? Thoughts?
  12. I like the signing, although I wonder how cash-strapped KW is going to be now when it comes to addressing the team's hitting needs. A random question to all: How much better do you think 2010 JJ Putz will be than 2010 Octavio Dotel (wherever he ends up)?
  13. QUOTE (Fingish @ Dec 8, 2009 -> 01:23 PM) First, I'm not going to suggest that I think this has a high probability (like I'd give it 5-10% chance) of getting done, but I think the observation that it might not take as much as one might think to get Halladay could be correct. If he is truly serious about testing FA after this season then his value is obviously reduced in a trade, and he has to start looking around for where he wants to go showcase himself. This is where Kenny does the sell-job. Projecting out to him what they can do with a rotation like our XBox fantasy. Since the Jays won't want to trade him to NY or Bos, Chicago makes more sense for Halladay want to showcase himself than Tampa Bay. Since Halladay has so much say over where he goes, it could create a situation where Toronto is virtually forced to take lesser value than they could get somewhere else. It isn't like we haven't seen this before. All that said, again, I doubt we end up with him, and if we do I'd hope it would be a scenario like that where we don't give full value, where ours is the 2nd or 3rd best offer on the table and the Jays are all but forced to take it. Giving up Danks and Danks and Flowers and on and on for him would be a mistake, IMO. But it sure is fun to think about when it is cold and gray outside. To go along with this (whether or not it is realistic): Purely. purely, purely hypothetical: if the Sox were able to get Halladay on "the cheap" (so to speak), but had to make room for him in the budget by non-tendering Bobby Jenks, would you do it? Let's say the market for Jenks dries up too, due to the money he will make in arb. The Sox have this great deal on the table to acquire Halladay, but they need to move salary and no one is biting on Konerko or Linebrink's guaranteed money. Would you non-tender Jenks, freeing up ~7 million, if it meant getting Halladay? Is the prospect of getting a starter like Halladay enough to justify that? Or would you keep Jenks to anchor the bullpen, even if it meant losing out on Halladay? Just though that would be interesting discussion, with the non-tender date coming in a few days. Obviously, in no way do I think a trade like that is at all likely.
  14. QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 5, 2009 -> 07:08 PM) Over the next 3 years, they've got what, Howard and Utley for at least the next 2, JRoll for probably the same amount, Werth is probably arb-eligible, Lee for the next year, Hamels for a couple more, I don't think they really need a strong bat at 3b with the kind of production they're getting at 1b and 2b. Along those lines of thinking, why didn't they just re-up with Pedro Feliz to play third? He doesn't give you much with the bat, but is one of the premiere defensive third basemen in the league.
  15. QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 4, 2009 -> 09:09 PM) What makes them think Polanco could play 3b? Well, I'm sure some sort of effort went into deciding whether we could still play third. He used to play third (it's been a while though), he's solid with the glove at second, and the Phillies are familiar with him, so I'd believe he could hang at third defensively. But will his bat hold up at 3B over the length of the contract?
  16. QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 3, 2009 -> 11:58 AM) That strikes me as a lot of money for a guy exiting his prime. And years. I was secretly hoping the Sox might still consider him for 2B (obviously that was more likely before the Teahen and Vizquel moves), but three years seems a bit long for a commitment to him. You never know, maybe he'll age like Vizquel and still be productive. But I don't know if I would give him $6 million in 2012 to find out.
  17. Got this from Rotoworld: Link Various sources are reporting that Placido Polanco and the Phillies have agreed to a three-year, $18 million contract with a mutual option for 2013. Polanco was not offered salary arbitration by the cash-strapped Tigers, allowing the Phillies to sign the Type A free agent without surrendering their first-round pick.
  18. QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 1, 2009 -> 11:12 AM) One of the biggest questions wasn't on the list - who will be the DH? Also, I doubt that Hudson is the long reliever with Carrasco in the middle. I think you flip those two roles. Great article though, nice recap. With Vlad, Thome, Johnson and Matsui all out there and all, most likely, limited to only AL teams, I think there's a cheap DH to be had if KW waits it out.
  19. One "big"-ish splash (Upton, Gonzalez, or some name we haven't even heard of because KW keeps it under the radar), one DH (Matsui, Thome, Guerrero, Johnson), and one or two stop gap signings (Crisp, Duchscherer, Blanco, Pods, Putz, Mahay, etc.). That's my prediction. KW knows he's not done, but it's not going to happen overnight.
  20. QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Nov 23, 2009 -> 10:44 AM) he would create moe excitement than Vizquel, but i'm hoping for Duscherer. ^^I'll second that. He is injury-prone, but he'd make a great swingman in the bullpen, and there were rumors of KW interest before.
  21. QUOTE (beck72 @ Nov 22, 2009 -> 12:09 PM) Welcome aboard! Polanco would seem like another name that could move Beckham back to 3b. I wouldn't have minded Polanco-a few years back when he was with the Phils. But he's lost more than a few steps defensively. His bat would play nice in the lineup, though. I guess it would depend on the money and the years he's looking for. Thanks! I can't imagine Polanco will want a ton of money. I heard he was willing to move to 3B to generate interest from some teams (the Phillies, I think). That makes it seems like there's not a ton of interest in him at the moment (especially with a "sexier" name like Orlando Hudson available (and Mark DeRosa and Felipe Lopez as well). As for Teahen staying at 3rd because KW said so, wasn't he relatively emphatic in September/October that Beckham would stay at 3rd and not get bounced around? I wouldn't put much stock in anything he says.
  22. I'm glad the Sox aren't set in stone with Teahen at 3B. Beltre would be a good option for 3B, but I've been on the Placido Polanco-for-2B bandwagon since October. Maybe bringing in Vizquel lessens the need for a Spanish-speaking, good glove, mentor-type, but Polanco could solidify the D, bring some leadership and bat 2nd in the line up- allowing Beckham to slide down to the number three spot, where he's destined to hit.
  23. QUOTE (Pants Rowland @ Nov 19, 2009 -> 11:17 AM) Thanks and fantastic name in "Buehrlesque". Welcome to Soxtalk. Thanks! It's good to be here. I lurked for a while, but it's time for me to start postin'.
  24. QUOTE (Pants Rowland @ Nov 19, 2009 -> 09:31 AM) I don't know if it is a bias as much as a catering to corporate Chicago. There is a silliness about Cub and Bear coverage that I rarely see with the Sox, Bulls and Hawks. The Cubs and Bears not only have a huge following throughout Chicagoland (and nationally for the Cubs), but the concentration of Cubs fans in the business district has always seemed very over the top to me. They are very intertwined with LaSalle Street and the dumb, over the top stories just seem to fit their fan base more. Every once in a while, the big shoulders, blue collar pandering story about the Sox, Bulls and Hawks comes out, but it is usually a blurb more than anything. I personally can not listen to Bears and Cubs fans for precisely this reason. There is a silly adoration and obsession with their teams and a false sense of entitlement/royalty in their so-called traditions. It comes out in the news coverage as they are simply trying to meet the demands of the readers. Wow, this is right on! Great post!
  25. Hello Soxtalk! I've lurked for a while around here and finally decided to jump into the fray. This topic really makes my blood boil because it seems like the Sox pack it in after the 5th inning on offense. You want the numbers? In the Sox last 9 games, the team has scored a total of 4 runs--all in one game-- from the 6th inning on. I watched all the games and checked all the box scores. That's a span of 35 innings in which the Sox have put up nothing but goose eggs in all but one game. That one game was last Wednesday in a come-from-behind victory over the Rays at the Cell. Since that game, the Sox have gone 6 games and 25 innings without scoring a run in the 6th inning or later of any game. That is just not going to cut it. There have been three one-run games in that stretch in which the Sox took an early lead but never added on, allowing the Tigers and Twins to come back and win in the late innings. It's not a sabremetric formula that can be proven, but I feel like if you rest on a slim early inning lead without adding on you're playing with fire. Even just adding one or two insurance runs in the middle to late innings makes a huge difference in the momentum of the game, and the psyche of the opposition. The Sox have done nothing in the way of run-scoring in those situations in the past week, putting momentum on the opposition's side and undue pressure on the bullpen to be literally perfect. Something is wrong with that. Yes the bullpen has struggled, but they're given literally zero margin for error. The Sox need to score some late inning runs!!!!
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