If you could improve this team, how would you do it?

[----------]

I ask because I am very impressed with this team. I was looking at the white sox home page and agreeing with the article about williams not desiring a move.

 

Its easy to say you could improve it but think about the cost please while doing so. Its hard to find upgrades at a cheap cost, so they better be very substantial.

 

The bullpen & starting pitching seem solid to me. Even our outfield is crowded with talent. Who would you bench and give up to get a superior talent in place of?

[----------]

For example its easy to say "We need a true lead off hitter" or "We need some speed."

 

What position would that person play? Who would you bench on this team to do that while giving up minor league talent?

 

Thome & Konerko seem to be the weakest. Would you actually try putting someone else in there? I wouldn't. Thome has already came around, over .300 in june, and konerko has high upside potential.

 

It seems highly uneconomical in the classic sense to make a move. Prove me wrong please.

Edited June 29, 2008 by Maxwell

[th0mas35]

I ask because I am very impressed with this team. I was looking at the white sox home page and agreeing with the article about williams not desiring a move.

 

Its easy to say you could improve it but think about the cost please while doing so. Its hard to find upgrades at a cheap cost, so they better be very substantial.

 

The bullpen & starting pitching seem solid to me. Even our outfield is crowded with talent. Who would you bench and give up to get a superior talent in place of?

 

 

Not that I'm suggesting a trade but if I was the g.m of this team on a video game I'd prefer Chone Figgins to Crede..

This team is solid other than the fact that they are painfully slow.

[knightni]

I'd send Russell to AAA and get a better RP.

 

Not much else that the Sox can afford to do with their minors as it is.

 

 

[flavum]

If the Sox can find a way to replace Thome and/or find a true leadoff guy, that should be the target.

 

I'm happy with the pitching staff.

[Reddy]

i'm fine with the team the way it is. thome and pauly won't continue to slump all year. and we all know how thome can literally carry the team by himself when he's hot.

[WCSox]

The bullpen & starting pitching seem solid to me.

 

I'm not sure about the starting pitching at this point. Vazquez and Contreras have sucked lately. As much as I'd love to have somebody like Grady Sizemore, somebody like Sabathia or Rich Harden might be a better option (threoretically speaking, as I know that neither Sizemore nor Sabathia would end up on the Sox).

Edited June 29, 2008 by WCSox

[Rowand44]

I'm not sure about the starting pitching at this point. Vazquez and Contreras have sucked lately. As much as I'd love to have somebody like Grady Sizemore, somebody like Sabathia or Rich Harden might be a better option (threoretically speaking, as I know that neither Sizemore nor Sabathia would end up on the Sox).

And who are you kicking out of the rotation?

[greg775]

I still think we need an upgrade on Swisher in cf (when Paulie comes back). We need to substitute Dotel for somebody better in bullpen.

Assuming Floyd and Danks are for real, I guess the rotation is OK.

 

We've got a lot of talent on the team, see the payroll, so they just have to play like the players they are and we'll be in the race. I realize Swish isn't going anywhere so he just has to pick it up and play well.

Edited June 29, 2008 by greg775

[Rowand44]

I still think we need an upgrade on Swisher in cf (when Paulie comes back). We need to substitute Dotel for somebody better in bullpen.

What? and what x 1000000000000000000000?

Edited June 29, 2008 by Rowand44

[greg775]

I'm not a Swish fan, Rowand.

But I said I realize he's not going anywhere, so he just has to pick it up.

Are you a Dotel fan? I like the performances of Linebrink, Thornton, Boone and Jenks this year, but not Dotel.

Edited June 29, 2008 by greg775

[Rowand44]

Are you a Dotel fan? I like the performances of Linebrink, Thornton, Boone and Jenks this year, but not Dotel.

Dotel's been fantastic, not sure what isn't to like.

[greg775]

I wouldn't say Dotel has been fantastic. Maybe I haven't studied him enough.

[WCSox]

And who are you kicking out of the rotation?

 

Nobody yet, but to say that the rotation is "solid" at this point isn't exactly accurate. I don't think that anybody feels confident in Javy or Jose at this point. Hopefully that changes soon.

 

 

[Gregory Pratt]

And who are you kicking out of the rotation?

 

For Sabathia or Harden? They're better than any and every of our pitchers.

Fortunately for us, that's just a hypothetical as we couldn't afford to trade for either.

 

...

 

If I could improve this team, I'd give it a real, consistent offense.

[Rowand44]

For Sabathia or Harden? They're better than any and every of our pitchers.

Fortunately for us, that's just a hypothetical as we couldn't afford to trade for either.

 

...

 

If I could improve this team, I'd give it a real, consistent offense.

Never said they weren't, that still doesn't answer my question.

[Kyyle23]

I wouldn't say Dotel has been fantastic. Maybe I haven't studied him enough.

 

Dotel is at the top of the MLB in strikeouts by a reliever. He has been pretty much nails save a few appearances

[Reddy]

honestly i think vaz and the count will be alright. this cubs sox thing did NOT help Vaz's head at ALL. i think now that it's over and done with it will be interesting to see where he goes from there. and Count, he's fine and he will be fine. he's been incredible for us this year, i think before we all wouldve been happy with a high 4's era out of him.

[WCSox]

honestly i think vaz and the count will be alright. this cubs sox thing did NOT help Vaz's head at ALL. i think now that it's over and done with it will be interesting to see where he goes from there. and Count, he's fine and he will be fine. he's been incredible for us this year, i think before we all wouldve been happy with a high 4's era out of him.

 

Vazquez has a history of not pitching well in big games. His best year for the Sox was last season, when nothing of consequence was on the line. Some hypothesize that he has confidence issues. Maybe, maybe not, but it's something to keep in mind.

 

Jose is streaky and you never know what you're going to get out of him. He looked dominant earlier this year, and has looked terrible in more recent outings. Who knows how he'll pitch down the stretch.

 

[Reddy]

Vazquez has a history of not pitching well in big games. His best year for the Sox was last season, when nothing of consequence was on the line. Some hypothesize that he has confidence issues. Maybe, maybe not, but it's something to keep in mind.

 

Jose is streaky and you never know what you're going to get out of him. He looked dominant earlier this year, and has looked terrible in more recent outings. Who knows how he'll pitch down the stretch.

 

terrible meaning 2 bad starts out of his last 10?

[WCSox]

terrible meaning 2 bad starts out of his last 10?

 

Sure, if you ignore how bad he was for most of last year.

 

I'm not trying to throw Jose under the bus, but rather point out that I wouldn't expect him to pitch as consistently well has he did for the first two months.

 

[RockRaines]

Im holding out hope that Konerko comes back and plays like his true self. Otherwise I like Swish at 1B and I would try to find an actual lead off hitter.

[lostfan]

I'm not really worried about either Contreras or Vazquez yet. For a while we had 4 guys pitching like an ace and Mark Buehrle sucking a little, but now Danks is still really good, Buehrle's mostly back to being Buehrle, Floyd's struggling with consistency a bit but nothing too alarming yet, and what we have left is Vazquez and Contreras. Vazquez is what he is but he's had an awful month and his ERA has gone up by a full point, and he hasn't had a QS since May 31. He's had control issues lately but even still, his K:BB ratio is better than 3 to 1 so if I had to guess, I would say that's going to correct itself pretty soon. Contreras, basically nobody expected him to be pitching like an All-Star, and it was really a question of whether he could keep that up, or for how long. If his ERA is in the mid 4's it's not really a problem. If it stays in the 3's, then that's great.

[Nokona]

I wouldn't say Dotel has been fantastic. Maybe I haven't studied him enough.

 

Looks like you haven't studied Swisher either, he's only hitting 315 in June.

[lostfan]

Yeah it's bewildering to me why people are on Swisher's case right now. I could see if he wasn't hitting but to not look past his season batting average is just lazy. The Swisher we've seen lately is the guy we traded for.