Chisoxfn

QUOTE(Jabroni @ May 31, 2005 -> 11:18 PM) Ty Wiggington, whom they got in the Kris Benson trade at last season's trading deadline. He has been a massive bust for them so far, hence Mackowiak getting a lot of playing time at 3rd base. It may take a little more to get Mackoviak. Maybe one of the midlevel prospects. I wouldn't give up someone in the Sean Tracey range but even a guy like Andy Gonzalez (the SS) in addition to Diaz or Munoz, and Crede. The thing is he wasn't exactly amazing last year, but he was solid. Career wise, it seems like you could maybe expect .255 to .260 out of him but this year he's been fantastic. I also think you could project about 20 homers.

QUOTE(Jabroni @ May 31, 2005 -> 11:13 PM) Crede for Mackowiak? Done. I don't know what the Pirates have at 3rd aside from him. However I think they'd consider a Crede and Munoz or Diaz and a lower level guy for Mackoviak. Am I crazy to think that? Crede could play everyday for them and is a better defensive 3rd baseman (I know teams are gonna still take a shot on Crede and hope the change of scenery could help him) while they'd also get a guy who could help out their pitching staff. Hell maybe Joey B as the 3rd prospect in the deal. To me I see why the Pirates would make it and it makes sense for the Sox.

I like Wee Willie and Pablo too. I think they are effective role players. Its just finding someone to replace Crede and to me its something thats drastically needed. Hopefully someone that can provide a left handed stick from the 5 spot, pushing down AJP to the 7 hole. Mackoviac would be nice though. The Sox could have Ozuna or someone else play 3B against lefties. I think the Pirates would want Crede in a deal.

That quote puts me over the limit. f*** him and the horse he rode in on.

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ May 31, 2005 -> 11:08 PM) They would be much happier with a WIllie for Polanco trade straight up. Though I don't know why we would want to do that. Wow I'm surprised someone else would be leery to do something along those lines. I figured everyone and there brother would be all over a deal like that. But than again I like Willie more than the average person I still say the Sox need a left handed hitter and Polanco doesn't fit the bill. I'm more than happy with Guchi and Polanco would be a nice addition, however I don't think he'd be the best addition (I want to see the Sox do whatever it takes to get a good left handed hitting 3rd baseman or OF).

QUOTE(Jabroni @ May 31, 2005 -> 10:59 PM) 8 K's doesn't look bad when it's accompanied by 6 BB's. Plus the .500 OBP and .385 avg. I love it.

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ May 31, 2005 -> 10:57 PM) No, and the reason is not the players, it's the money... Viz, Walk, and Timo would be about $2M in salary, compared to Polanco's $4.something. If offered just one prospect from another team, that's got to look better to Philly than the package you proposed. On top of that, Philly is probably not looking to pick up extra players on the 40-man. Polanco for Viz, Walk, and Timo would mean they would have to clear two spots on their 40-man, putting two of their prospects in danger. That's not going to happen. They'd probably be looking for something in a need on their major league roster, and a decent prospect, i.e. one they don't need to put on the 40-man yet, or just one organizational top 10 prospect. I do think they would have interest in Viz though. Heck, Viz, Spidale and another mid-level type of prospect may do it. Heck Borchard could even be that guy. If thats the case they save about 3 mill, get a reliever who maybe could get his crap back together moving back to the NL and well who knows what they get in Borch. It depends on how desperate they are to get rid of Polanco and sometimes the stuff I read makes it seem like they just want him gone. They weren't happy when he accepted arb.

QUOTE(Capn12 @ May 31, 2005 -> 10:55 PM) Ross Gload: Individual Stats (Batting) Team From To G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG Charlotte 05/23 05/30 7 26 7 10 1 0 1 2 14 6 8 0 0 .500 .538 .385 Gload been doin ok on rehab, K's are high but I still want Gload over OMIT on this team. Gload is a real asset. He's just a hits machine and man did he dominate last year down the stretch. I love Gload though (he's one of my favorite players). I've liked him since I first saw him down in Charlotte. Just a fun hitter to watch because he just goes with the flow and takes what the pitcher gives him (never trying to do too much).

And he wouldn't of tweaked his hip flexor down in Charlotte? The Sox were incredibly careful with Frank. His hip issue is completely seperate from the foot. I could even tell he was running much like the Frank of old (not that I'm saying he's fast, but he looked alright). He also looked real good at the plate (he hit the ball hard a few times; I was expecting nothing). It was just a tough luck situation.

QUOTE(qwerty @ May 31, 2005 -> 10:39 PM) We need a big time left handed power bat in this line-up and carl everett is not the answer. Once everett is sitting we will only have two lefties in our every day line-up. One is the catalyst podsednik and the other is the always steady pierz ( would like to see him raise that average to what he is capable of). The name we always here around here is abreu but the chances of that are very unlikely. The reason i think that is because just turned 31 and is one of the best all around players in the game. He is also far and away their number one star attraction and he is a player you build around. Sure he signed an albatross contract but his numbers do seem to back it up... if kw ever had a deal on the table and all thjat stood in the way was the money you better believe he would do it. If you look around the league every playoff caliber team has a big time left handed hitter batting anywhere from 3-5. I agree with that on all levels. Its just the Phils aren't going to deal him unless they are out of contention and even then they have a lot of money invested and I'm pretty sure the fans are still supporting the Phillies so its not like they are desperate to cut payroll. Abreu is a better version of Garret Anderson. Huff would also be a real nice addition and would fit the bill. Plus Huff could play 3rd (albeit a lousy 3rd). The thing I wonder is whether the Sox would deal Dye this year. I mean if Dye comes into his own he will hit .270 with 30 HR and near 100 RBI. But your 100% right, the Sox need a good left handed hitter. If they had one more hitter in the middle of the lineup from the left side (to go with AJP) than I think this lineup would be set.

Parks I've been too: Oakland - craphole...only nice thing about it is that baseball is played there. That and I'm a fan of the big foul territory San Francisco (SBC) - beautiful ballpark when the weather is nice. Sat in the UD behind home plate and its just awesome looking out into the bay. Stadium has good food too. Anaheim - nice stadium. Nothing fancy, I rate the Cell just ahead of it, but its a good place to watch a game and the fans are very friendly San Diego (Petco and Jack Murphy) - The Murph is one of my all time favorite parks and Petco is very pleasing. The only game I went to there I sat in the UD and the seats were god awful (viewing angle). However the park is very nice and in a week and a half I'll get to see what field level seats are like there Dodger Stadium - s***hole, s***hole, s***hole. I absolutely hate this stadium. Dodger fans (some are good) but its a park filled with assholes and the food royally blows. Tix are a ripoff as well. My dad loves the stadium though but I tell him he's biased cause he's a Dodger fan. Wrigley Field - Like the park. It just takes you back watching the game there. However, it is very run down and you better get a good seat because you can be stuck behind a pole or something else. I think its a must see for a true baseball fan because so much history has taken place there (and it really does take you back in time). US Cellular - ranks right outside my top 10. Very nice park, can't wait to see the changes made to it this year (from last year) and I think its very underrated. Good food, great seats, and I love how you can watch the game from anywhere in the concourse (Thats a very underrated thing, imo). I hate stadiums where when you walk around you can't watch...at the Cell you can see the game even when you wait in lines to a point. Camden Yards - awesome park. Definately in my top 5. Great food (I can remember the bbq sandwich I got there) plus the area right outside the park is nice too. Good seats, just a really nice stadium. Jacobs Field - ranks just below Camden. I liked the stadium a lot and the fans were awesome. Sat around the dugout and it was a great view. Old Tiger Stadium - my personal favorite stadium. We ended up sitting pretty much right behind home plate and I was just awwed by the stadium. Really glad I got to see it before it was destroyed. Only knock on the park was I whacked my head on a beam in the bathroom (LOL). Fenway Park - s***hole. This part ranks dead last. They could blow it up today for all I care. Absoltuely god awful. I hated it, the weather was horrid (it was like 110 degrees) and the seats are so tiny and squished. Plus the views from the seats weren't very good. The area outside the park is awesome though. Yankee Stadium - cool stadium. Fans are really really into the game and far less of assholes as I thought they would be (although some of the fans told my dad and I some horror stories of what happens to opposing fans) and we even saw a KC fan really get rattled (they stole his hat). Also cool seeing the museum and knowing that so many great players played there. Found a really good jewish deli a few blocks from the stadium as well and had a pastrami sandwich (and damn was it good). Brewers (Both Muni and Miller) - Muni was an alright stadium. When I was there they had already ripped out quite a few of the seats (It was just after the accident where some of the stadium collapsed and killed some of the people working on miller park). Awesome brats though. Miller is a real nice park, although its a funny stadium too. Very unique in the sense that its also a lot like a mall. Just a weird seating arangement and it feels like a really cozy stadium. Metrodome - baseball isn't meant to be played in doors and if it were, I'd rather see it played at the skydome. Saw a double header there (they played the Yanks I think and we didn't even know it was a double dipper and saw part of the 1st game and all of the 2nd game). Why there was the delay, I have no idea, but If I remember the Yanks had a game rained out at home and it was near the end of the season so they just played the extra game in Minn. Skydome - better than metrodome, plus the exchange rate is awesome (well it was when I was there) and Toronto is a fun city. I like Canada. Fans aren't very into the game but its a friendly atmosphere. Food was ehh...but I did get annoyed at the HOOHA that went off all the time at the game Phillies (old park) - craphole (so was the Pirates and Reds park...they were the same stadium basically). On a sidenote the Phillies and Reds had impressively good fans. OH and the Philly Fantatic is the man. Reds (old park) - See Phillies Pirates (old park) - See Phillies

Byrds the type of guy that the Sox need to put a major focus on going the other way. If they try to pull Byr'ds stuff they will get owned.

Don't forget Davis at 1 mill down in Charlotte. On a sidenote, I wouldn't keep Walker, I'd demote both him and Shingo and promote Baj (give him a few weeks, see what he can do...if it pans out than you may not have the issue of having to trade for someone). Than I'd probably option down Timo (see if he clears waivers and than you have him there ready).

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ May 31, 2005 -> 07:54 PM) That's what I'd like to see, Aaron needs to stay in that 3 hole, everytime Aaron's batting 3rd the offense seems to click. I don't like all the righties in a row and would have AJ ahead of someone. I'd probably have Thomas/Konerko/Arow or Dye (whoevers hottest at the time)/Pyrz/the other

QUOTE(jamalmanburg @ May 31, 2005 -> 10:13 PM) I'm mistaken. Still, I don't think he'll go. He's Japanese... don't know how he'll handle the SHAME. Bringing great dishonor on his family and s***. I don't know. See, I think Japanese players are different. I think he'll see it as hey I'm not pitching well enough so I need to go down there and do everything I can to get back on track. I know Nomo hated his stints in the minors but he found a way to get himself back (hell a few times) when everyone thought he was done. Japanese players are class act performers and he'll bust his butt wherever he goes for the sense of pride (so he knows he gave it his all). He definately understands he's not playing well. I'm also sure he's frustrated because its impossible to fix your command problems by not pitching (and thats his only problem...if he starts throwing his fastball for strikes and throwing his frisbee for strikes he won't have any of these issues).

I gotta be honest...I like Willie a whole lot and would be hard pressed to deal him in many trades. I just think he's a valuable asset and I realize I'm blind in this situation (because he really has nowhere to play with Guchi and Uribe here) but there is no doubt in my mind that he'll become at worse a quality big league 2nd baseman. At best, he'll be a pretty damn good top of the order guy who also plays very very good defense. Willie is probably one of the most underrated defensive players in the majors. The guy is just MR. consistent over at 2nd base and he has very good range. Plus Willie really does have an awesome attitude. He gets dissapointed that he's not starting but I always remember stories of him saying he'll do whatever it takes to help the club win.

QUOTE(Chisoxrd5 @ May 31, 2005 -> 08:38 PM) I'm sure Mondesi would have made that diving catch tonight...NOPE No Thanks...I'll take a pass on Raul Mondesi :banghead That was an awesome play. Probably the best outfield catch I've seen all season by the Sox.

QUOTE(Wanne @ May 31, 2005 -> 04:11 PM) Who'll probably be let go this week. I know he has a history of bein a pain in the ass...but Bobby Cox swears he's been great in the clubhouse and Mondesi claims he's been slowed by a quad injury that happened last year. He's only hittin around .210 right now (not much different from Dye). Would you consider him as a bat off the bench maybe. The Latin influence on this team may just give the guy a spark. The dude belongs in the AL at this point. No, ever since he pulled the stuff he did in Anaheim I'd stay totally away from him. Getting an ass whose a superstar is one thing, but one whose career is twindling is another.

QUOTE(jamalmanburg @ May 31, 2005 -> 10:07 PM) I think it's the ESPN syndrome. Everytime he appears on ESPN, Damaso gets rocked and walks in a run, usually, the winning or go-a-head run. After that, it seems to take a few more games of getting his lunch eaten until the suck washes off. It's feast or famine with this guy. I love his stuff when he's on and his energy is awesome. There's nothing like seeing him fly off the mound pumping his fist after a big K. But when he's off... He just plain SUCKS. Shingo to the minors? Too much money at stake for that. If KROCH never got sent to the minors, Shingo won't either. We're just gonna have to deal... or deal him. But who's gonna take him. Maybe it's time to head back to Japan to pad those record numbers. Personally I'd love to see him figure it out here. One difference, Shingo doesn't get all that much money and he's not pitching here. Plus Koch did pitch down in the AAA for a while two years ago. Heck I think he finished the season pretty much down there one year (the 1st year the Sox acquired him). If Shingo can pitch a few days a week he could very well find his command. Once he finds that he'll go on a tear and will be capable of pitching like he did last year. If he doesn't, then he has no chance of suceeding. Its worth the shot though cause he's not doing anything up here anyway and he won't improve pitching once a week.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ May 31, 2005 -> 10:02 PM) Barry Zito would be a terrible addition to this team. He is having much bigger problems than just an anemic A's offense - he's lost a ton since his Cy Young year, and I don't particularly expect him to get it back. It's going to take a lot to pry Lyle Overby away from the Brewers this year - I believe that Prince Fielder, one of their young bats, has been hitting about .250 thus far in the minors, and therefore, it'll probably be another year (2007) before they decide he's ready to come up. That means the Brewers don't really have anyone to fill in the gap in their lineup. My wish list basically consists of a healthy Frank Thomas, and the Jermaine Dye of last year. The remarkable thing is...both of these are attainable with a little luck (and maybe a good swift kick in the bum), and without having to give up McCarthy. On the other hand...some middle relief wouldn't be a bad thing (I hear this Bajenaru guy can be had pretty cheaply?) I don't think Fielder is going to play much at the major league level with the Brewers. Fielder will likely be dealt in a deal to gain another sort of prospect or maybe to add a more talented major league player (when the Brewers feel it necessary to add one more talented player). Fielder is just too much of an AL guy (ie a DH).

Hank Blalock...no doubt about it, he'd be one hell of a pickup. Michael Young would be really nice too. Vernon Wells as well. But if were talking more realistically, I'd like a new 3rd baseman and one more good reliever. Two more good relievers would be nice, but I'll take one and that 3rd baseman or Shorstop (with Uribe moving to 3rd) should be a good one.

Consider it a little prediction. A few days ago I mentioned that I thought Walker would be demoted and Everett would be placed on the DL to make room for Thomas, Duque, and Gload. Now I think I've changed my tune. I'm now thinking more along the lines of Takatsu being sent down to AAA where he can pitch consistently (he needs to because if the Sox can get him back and pitching sharp he'll be a huge asset). Than I don't know what the Sox do in regards to Timo or Everett (maybe going to the DL) or Timo being cut or demoted or if it will be Walker (Sox would be ousting a few too many bullpen guys though). Heck, I could even see Baj somehow fitting into these ramifications although it appears Ozzie stands firm in calling up guys he played a lot in spring training and Baj didn't pitch in many A games during spring.

Marte has been pitching pretty much lights out as of late. Politte the same. On a sidenote, I think Takatsu will be the next person sent to the minors.

QUOTE(knightni @ May 31, 2005 -> 09:55 PM) Would this trade be possible/feasable? Polanco to the Sox for Vizcaino, Walker and Timo? Would it be enough for Philly to consider it? Would the Sox go for it? Thoughts? Ya, I'd think Philly would consider it. Make it Diaz instead of Walker and I think you'd get yourself a deal. Hell thats not too bad of a deal. The Sox would add about 2 mill in payroll while the Phils would cut two mill and potentially add some depth to their pen (it needs it too).

Ya, King was like the NCAA HR leader when the Sox drafted him in like the 3rd round or so. Problem is he has had trouble staying healthy ever since his rookie year in the system. Last year it was the hammate if I recall.