Chisoxfn

I'd have no problem with Beltran, but its gonna be about 6-8 mill a year more and a longer contract. I'm a huge fan of Beltran and if JR is willing to have an 80 Mill payroll, then I'd consider it an option. However, minus the health and not playing CF (hell, I'm more then happy with Rowand in CF), then Drew is a better OBP/offensive player in certain stastics. Beltran the better baserunner and plays defensive outfield. I don't know if 6-8 mill a year is worth it, unless the Sox decide he's the type of guy to go outside the budget for.

Maybe he isn't, but give him September playing all day and lets see. Its not quite a full season, but if he holds strong for the entire month, I'd say its a risk worth taking. You have Konerko at a very high value, plus like I mentioned in my scenario, Everett will probably be here and while I'm not a fan of him starting, him off the bench and potentially first base if Gload flops is a good choice. What I see from Gload is a good, smart hitter, and that alone should make him sucessful in the back of the lineup. Gload has hit everywhere he's gone in the minors and now he's finally getting a legit shot at the major league level. Add JD Drew and replace Timo and everyone else in RF with Gload at 1B and Furcal at SS, Cruz on the pen and all of a sudden I think the team got a heck of a lot better. Of course this could be considered far fetched, but if they move Konerko, they aren't going to not add another bat, they are just going to do it at another position and hopefully a left handed bat. Thomas and Drew, two .400 OBP guys and thats as close to a guarantee as it gets if the two of them are healthy.

ESPN radio reported it. MNF also mentioned that one of the three teams Keenan wants to play for are the Bears. The Bucs need a back and it appears that Atrain would be the player going, but thats more speculation. Also an internet rumor said the score reported it as a done deal, but I don't really buy that. Would be a good pickup.

While Drew is Boras agent, I think he's the type of player thats worth taking the shot on and at least making an offer. .430 OBP, 30 + HR's, .300 Average, 100 + RBI, 1000 + OPS. Thats a serious improvement in the middle of the lineup, plus he provides a left handed bat. On top of that, Maggs was making 14 mill this year and you could probably pay him 4-6 mill less to put up better numbers (potentially). Oh ya, his numbers should go up playing at US Cell half the time, although he had very good home numbers playing in a pitchers park (Atlanta).

Yep, he was released and was absolutely pitiful this season. I'd say Karros is likely done unless he can somehow get his knees where they are semi good as well as his back.

All the best Jim, hopefully Ivan misses ya and that soon enough power will be back on and things will get back to normal.

JD Drew Starting Pitcher (Pavano, Perez, Clement, etc) Quality RH Reliever Rest via trade, imo. Right now the only playres in the minors I see ready to help out at the major league level are relievers and Borchard (who I think will be used off the bench next year). JD Drew flat out replaces Maggs and their is some risk involved, but if he stays healthy, he's SUPERIOR to Maggs in all areas, imo. Better OBP, Better OPS, just as good of speed. Average wise Maggs could be a bit better and defensively they are similar. Oh ya, I don't think their is a chance in hell Drew gets the 14 mill a year Maggs wanted. However, 8-10 Mill and I'm all over the idea of Drew.

Ya, that was funny stuff. Mario told me about that story when I was in chitown. It was a very funny read.

Hey, welcome aboard. I don't know if you were quite saying this, but if you were talking about hindsight and what not, I agree. Personally I won't rip Williams for a deal if I liked it when it happened. I realize its a bad deal, but everyone makes mistakes, they need to suceed more then they fail and in general the sucesses have to outweight the failures to the fact that the Sox make the playoffs and hopefully win the series. Had I seen Bmac's name in there, I would of scoffed at the idea, but I was one of the few people that was very high on Bmac since then. Also, you got to remember, if the deal went through the Sox were going to sign Juan Gone and do some other things if I recall (or at least that was rumored). Too many what ifs, what I do know is the deal wasn't made and thats that.

Ok, lets say you have Cruz/Furcal for Konerko. Now I have no idea if the Braves would do it, but it seems realistic for the most part. The Sox now have: Furcal - 5 mill Rowand - 2 mill JD Drew - Add him (3 Mill Saved in the deal or so) - 8 mill Frank Thomas - 8 mill Carlos Lee - 8 mill Ross Gload - 500K Joe Crede or someone else at 3B/Juan Uribe - 500 K Ben Davis/Jamie Burke/Ryan Hankins - 1 mill Willie Harris/Juan Uribe - 500 K You have a very balanced lineup, one that makes a lot less money. You can deal Crede and pick up some more stuff and get a solid 3B or stick with Crede and have a backup plan if things don't work out. The lineup also has good speed, with the exceptions of Crede and Thomas. Davis isn't fast, but he's solid for a catcher. OBP is awesome with Drew/Thomas and then Rowand/Furcal/Lee should all have above average OBP's (thats assuming they do what they did this year). Crede and Davis will be below average, although Davis has a good eye and Willie should be at average and has a shot to be above average if he gets comfortable, which could definately happen with him at the nine hole. Your lineup has 33.5 million plus bench players and what not. Don't know how accurate my salaries were. Pitching Staff Garcia - 8 Buehrle - 5 Contreras - 6 Odalis Perez/Matt Clement/Carl Pavano/etc - 6 to 9 Jon Garland - 3 Rotation - 31 mill (Thats assuming 9 mill for another starter) Bullpen Shingo - 2 Marte - 2 Cruz - 750 Cotts - 500 Adkins - 500 Sign a good RH setup guy (2.5 mill) Bullpen - Roughly 7 mill; They could carry another reliever in which case Baj/Munoz/Diaz fight for it. Total Payroll = 71 million To me that seems like a pretty fair payroll all things considering. I could be off a little bit, but that rotation would be fantastic and the bullpen should be strong. Marte will be better then he was this year, Shingo should be solid (maybe outstanding), Cruz (good to very good), FA (good to very good), Cotts (good), Adkins (solid back end guy). Lineup should have a good offense and defensively they should be solid as well with Uribe and Hankins on the bench which are two very versatile players, plus Borchard who can play all 3 outfield positions, Burke (versatile) and then Timo. If the Sox want to spend a little more they could and if they did, I would say do it at 3B or the bullpen. If I did it in the pen, I'd sign a closer, move everyone else back. IF anyone wants to mention that this lineup would have less power, your probably right when compared to the one with Maggs/Thomas/Lee/Konerko/Jose. However, Rowand, Lee, Thomas, Drew, Crede should all hit 20 plus homers. Lee/Thomas/Drew should be in the 30 range, which will still give this team good power and Davis/Gload should have 10 plus and Uribe should get his off the bench in a super utility role. You also have guys capable in stolen bases in Furcal, Rowand, Willie. Carlos is decent on the paths, Drew has solid speed (don't know if I'd run him much though). OBP wise, Konerko was good, but Drew is ridiculous (thomas like) with a .430 OBP and a 1.000 Plus OPS this year. The only question is if he stays healthy, cause when he is, he's a hell of a hitter. Heck, he could easily do better then Maggs, imo. I'd offer him up 10 mill, especially if the Sox could insure his contract. Edit: One last thing, I left off Carl Everett, but if you can't trade him, he's a good asset to have. It means payroll is a bit higher and I'd only carry one catcher, which means Hankins is down in AAA waiting. However, Everett is their so Drew can get some time off and I'd teach him first in spring training if Gload proves he's just a reserve. While him and Thomas wouldn't be great at first, it wouldn't be awful either. Plus Everett is a good athlete, he should be able to pick up first. He's also insurance if Frank goes down or what not.

Ouch, thats bad news for him and for the O's. Really good prospect, has #1 stuff, but until he gets his control down, he'll have some problems reaching that potential, imo. Hope he doesn't have the same trouble Rauch/Parque/Siro had after their labrums.

Exactly, plus I remember numerous people ripping Rowand a new one saying how he isn't a starter, well look now. I know its only one year, but he's earned his right to start and next year he could be a really good player. Why can't Gload be? He's done it in limited time, lets see how he does as a starter the final month and then make a call based on that. Hell, I'd much rather deal Frank then Konerko, simply because then the Sox could have a rotating DH and basically not be stuck with just a DH type of guy. To me those type of guys make things a lot more difficult. However, they won't move Thomas because I don't think many teams would give the Sox much, if anything for him. That and losing Maggs and Frank in the same year will piss of most casual fans and of course some diehards (me, as long as you spend the money and improve the team in other ways, I have no problem). However, I want to make one statement. US Cell is a hitters park, so we have to take that into account and the Sox still need to make sure they have guys that can put up enough runs on the board cause their pitchers will have a little higher ERA, simply because the ball leaves the yard more here then a lot of other parks. Its not Coors though.

Not only do you get something good for Konerko, but you potentially give financial flexibility, remove a slower player, and add a left handed bat. Their is no doubting that Konerko is a solid player, but this lineup has had numerous chances. JM had a great pitching staff two years ago, Ozzie had a solid one for part of th e year (not great, but solid). Now its nothing near that, but hell, this offense needs some changes. It scores runs and everything, but it doesn't have enough of a balance, imo. Which is why we have so many all or nothing games. Also, the Sox need better pitching, if your going to do that, you need to start focusing on defense, imo.

I will take this for what its worth, a rumor. The deal was never done and I know a minor league was supposedly going, but their were no mention of names and if I recall their were quite a few reports saying it was one of the AA/AAA guys, and not McCarthy. Whose right, who knows, personally I think Gammons knows it was a name that was floated around, thats it.

Boras is Crede's agent, not Garcia's.

Well, since Konerko himself said he wonders whether he will be back next year, and with the Sox trying Gload quite a bit, it seems obvious that the Sox are going to make a few major shakeups. Konerko may or may not be a part of them, but you have to think the Sox are going to at least consider it, especially with his trade value at its peak. Here's a few teams I can think of that would have some interest: Anaheim (they want to add some power and Erstad is likely going to be gone, they seem to be down on Kochman a bit, although I don't know if they would include him in a trade). Los Angeles - They were interested in him before and could be interested in him again, but they have a lot of in house guys (Gagne, Beltre, Perez, etc), so I highly doubt they would add him. Boston - They have a ton of free agents and could have interest in Konerko, although personally I don't see why Boston would add more offense. However, Johnny Damon and a good prospect would be something to at least consider, imo. .311 AVG, .388 OBP, and 30 years old. Steals are a bit down, but plays stellar defense in CF (has a weak arm though) and along with Rowand in RF, would help the Sox defense. New York - They could definately enter the sweepstakes if Giambi turns into a long term concern, but I don't necessarily see it happening nor do I see them being a good fit via trade (what would they offer us???). Its not like they would deal Matsui for him. Atlanta - Could definately use a first baseman and has some players the Sox could be interested in. Could Rafael Furcal and Juan Cruz be part of a package deal, I know I'd be interested. .291/.358 with 24 SB just 4 CS. Known to make some errors, but has good range and a cannon for an arm. Cruz would fit in very nicely in the bullpen, potentially as a right handed set up man. 6-2, 2.70 ERA and he's been dominate the last two months or so as he appears to be getting very comfortable. Just 25 years old, while Furcal is 26. Sox would save a bit of money as well. Baltimore - Gibbons is struggling, Palmerio will play how much longer? Don't know if they'd be willing to give up some of their young pitching though. However, Jay Gibbons would be a nice bat to acquire, especially if his value is down. He's a strong, good left handed hitter, imo, who has been hampered by injuries this year. A guy worth taking a chance on. San Francisco - Snow is going to be gone and they could use a legit hitter to give Bonds some protection. Konerko has done a solid job in the cleanup spot this year and would fit in at first. San Fran has some quality young pitchers it could give up. However, I think it would be more likely that a deal with the Giants would be a 3 way type deal. Personally I'd love to get Furcal and Cruz on the southside. The Sox have showed interest in both guys in years past and would be tremendous fits, imo.

I was thinking this was something the Sox were thinking about, especially with Gload playing quite a bit in Anaheim and I expect to see him getting a ton of playing time the rest of the way. If he stays strong, while playing pretty much everyday the rest of the year, I think the Sox will take a chance on Gload at first. First baseman can be acquired if things don't work out. Gload is an above average defender, good baserunner, and a left handed bat for the back part of the lineup. He's the type of guy the Sox could use and Konerko could not only get some legit talent in a trade, but also free up a little more payroll for the Sox to add pitching, another outfielder and whatever else is necessary. I'm not at all against this move and I've been a big Gload backer since I saw him in Charlotte about two years ago. I just love his approach at the plate and what not.

That was freaking beautiful. I still have my doubts on this team though, but a great win regardless.

I think their is a lot more stuff on a secondary level that is a lot harder to pick up, but I think Asshat got the main theory. Then you can go more into it if you want I guess. Seems like a lot of people have. Its a good movie.

Ya, the problem with Tempe Diablo is it doesn't have the mnior league facilities that TEP has. To me TEP is as nice of a park as any of the others. Surprise is very nice as well as are the Brewers facilities, Padres/Mariners, Giants, etc. Hi Corbett and Oakland's are two places that I'm not much of a fan of. Hi Corbett is frankly a dump.

Their is definately hope, but lets see what happens in the offseason. Sox seem to be preparing themselves for a busy offseason and have been giving a few hints that they got some ideas and a definate plan in mind. Attendance was up this year and JR and the other owners seem to be willing to up the payroll a bit. I feel a lot better for the franchise today, then I did last year at the end of the season.

Cool, so its still a work in process, but it seems to be moving forward. So I guess their is at least one more spring training, probably two more in Tuscon before the change. I love TEP, but I am not a huge fan of Tuscon, so it will be awesome whne they are in the Phoenix area, cause then its pretty much a short drive to all the other games (minus the few teams in Tuscon).

I know this was rumored, but supposedly Dallas Morning News reported it as being announced or something and that the ANgles are building a new facility. Has anyone else heard that its 100% or is the post I'm seeing at WSI complete bs? I'm going along the lines that its bs, soley because I haven't seen anything in the LA Times this weekend about the Angels switching facilities or anything.

Met Baj before the game. Then was pumped when he got to come in. He did his job, threw strikes and that infield hit was an absolute horsecrap of a call. Uribe should of field it and to me it was an absolute routine grounder. He pitched Eckstein perfectly, induced the weak grounder and Uribe rushed it and made a bad play. For whatever reason it was ruled a hit. Then Crede did a garbage job reading the ball later in that inning, the one where Anderson ended up driving in the big runs. Crede stood their and then the ball just moved right over his head and hit the top of his mit. He had a long time of just standing their and he just misread it.

Actually, numbesr wise, you could very easily make the case that Wing was the better prospect. I'm just talking straight numbers, he was absolutely dominant at Winston Salem last year. Insanely low number of hits to innnings pitched and a good strikeout rate (albeit not as good as Honel's).