Chisoxfn

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 01:42 PM) Isn't Boston in great shape to get Gonzalez now since they signed Lackey and Cameron? Yep, they can offer up the moon for Gonzalez.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 01:32 PM) I think we are committed to Quentin in the Sox OF. He has too much upside. I also forgot that besides the DH we still need a back up catcher. So is KW looking trade or free agent? Flowers or Mike Redmond will be the guy. Ozzie loves Redmond and I think they will ultimately go that route. Redmond is very good defensively and is very familiar with the division.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 01:29 PM) You ain't lyin'. I frequent Dodgerblues.com every now and then and Ethier is their Beckham, along with Clayton Kershaw. Man, the things I would do to see Kershaw in a White Sox uni. Seriously, his curveball makes me want to...nevermind. Too graphic. Ya, Kershaw and Ethier are studs. There is also Kemp and Loney, both of whom are pretty damn solid too.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 01:25 PM) Do you think patience just means waiting some of these free agents out and hope the price comes down? I ws surprised that we might pick up maybe a half of Pierre's bloated salary. Plus after the deal some site I read was specualting that Andruw Jones was the full-time DH now. I doubt that is going to happen. Jones was never told he was the full-time DH. In fact its been made very obvious to him that he can compete and get at bats if he shows up and kicks ass (just like any player would), but that he won't be the primary DH. I'm very thankful of that. Obviously things can change, but it would be a massive mistake to rely on Jones as our full-time DH. In fact, it would be a complete disaster.

QUOTE (League @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 01:25 PM) How much value would Q! have right now? His value would be good, but not super high given that he had an injury riddled 2009 campaign. But package Q with other guys and you should be able to get a budding star.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 01:23 PM) I've got to be honest, I think we are looking at a trade, and I honestly think we are giving up an impact player. I really think KW is shopping Quentin. If the Sox have soured on his long-term health status, now might be the only time to deal him. It would open up another hole though, but maybe Kenny thinks Kotsay/Jones will fill that hole. I certainly hope not.

QUOTE (longshot7 @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 01:22 PM) We both know the Dodgers are in total chaos, but I can't see them trading Ethier - I think their fanbase would revolt. Ya, the extent of the chaos though I think is still underpublished. They are literally f***ed. They have zero money and a mandate to cut pay. Add in the fact that the McCourts really have zero say due to the litigation going on and the 99% odds that after the divorce is settled, Frank won't have the money to finance the team and you are looking at a club that has "lame duck" ownership and no backing to do anything until the team is ultimately sold. The problem is I'm hearing Frank will hold the team as long as possible and that means you won't have a sale for another year. Which means Coletti might have to get real creative in Dodger town.

QUOTE (chunk23 @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 01:21 PM) But at the same time, whoever is on the other end of negotiations knows that KW still needs that bat, and as the offseason moves on, there'll be fewer options. In other words, let's get this moving because the anticipation is too much. At least drop a hint. He'll always have a fall back though, Vladdy. Vlad wouldn't sign a deal today for 6 or 6.5M per season. But given how few teams are looking for a DH, reality will set in, and he'll end up signing for a bit less. He might get some nice incenvites but his base pay will fall into the reasonable range and Kenny can use that as leverage. There are also Jack Cust, Adam LaRoche, Jim Thome, Carlos Delgado, and Troy Glaus that he can use as leverage. Kenny should be in a position of power. And I have no basis for my Ethier talk other than the fact that I f***ing love the guy and he'd fit into the Sox plans of an athletic player, who hits lefty. I'd assume he's damn near untouchable, but for the right package, and given the Dodgers problems due to the divorce, you never know.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 01:16 PM) That’s what pissed me off so much about the Cowley thing. I guess I’m a little defensive, but I trust all the guys over here. And for Cowley to do what he did publically really set me off. At the end of the day, its all good. I know people respect the site and if someone hasn't heard of us or doesn't trust us, that is their loss, imo. I think back to a day where I was the only person reporting something about Brandon McCarthy, everyone else in the media was saying one thing and I was saying the opposite. Little did they know, I was getting the info straight from the horses mouth, haha. We try to do things in as honest and ethical manner as possible and will always do that. If we don't have a basis, we won't report it as a rumor, if we haven't heard anything and someone else is reporting it, we'll publish the info so our readers can see it and link to the source of who is reporting (ie, Cowley/Gonzalez/Whomever) and give our take. Most of the time we won't have the scoop, but that doesn't mean we don't have some scoops. Clearly we don't get paid to do what we do so we aren't always around or chatting with our contacts on a regular basis. But when we do hear something juicy, we try to pass it on and depending on the significant it might just be a blurb in a post or twitter or it might be an article. Just think back to some of the stuff I've b****ed about Swisher for, ahahaa.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 01:10 PM) I'd like to confirm that I heard the same thing, just sayin.. You heard anything about the names? Reading between the lines of what I heard, I expect it to be a young player that will cost a lot. I know we just did a deal with the Dodgers, but they have a ton of holes and a need in the rotation and no room to really add payroll. I wonder if the Sox could find a way to put together a massive package to acquire Andre Ethier.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 01:06 PM) I wait expectantly I think you guys will end up waiting. The Sox aren't in any hurry at this point. They can afford to be very patient. In Kenny/Ozzie's eyes the club has one hole, the middle of the order, and he has a few months to plug that hole, so he can wait and get his guy at the right price. That doesn't mean Kenny is just sitting around and kicking the tires on DH's though, he'll always listen and always ask about guys and if he hears that a good player is available, you can bet your butt, Kenny will come knocking.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 01:04 PM) Good deal then. That's about what you would have had to pay Crisp, except Pierre isn't much of a health risk. Crisp would have been a bit cheaper.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 11:49 AM) Not much to be familiar with. He does one of three things frequently. Walks, Strikes out, or Homers. Great OBP, great OPS. Can play a corner spot and 1st base. Neither of them very well. I suggested Dunn a few pages back, and I think he would fit perfectly as a lefty with plenty of thump. Monetary considerations might not work well though. Given the financial restraints, I'd have to think any deal is for a guy who isn't due to be a FA yet or a guy that the Sox will get cash sent along with them. I'm really curious what Kenny has up his sleeve.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 11:05 AM) The SoxNet twitter says "With the leadoff spot filled, Kenny has turned his attention to the middle of the order and we are told he's close on another deal." any ideas as to who? That should have said "closing in". I was running out for a meeting (in the middle of a move). I got nothing but that bit of info as I mentioned in this thread or another thread a while back. Anything else would be pure speculation, but I've heard Kenny has a target in place and is in talks to get that guy. We'll see what happens. I personally think the DH situation might take a while to fill.

We've just heard Kenny has his eye on someone and is working on another deal. We'll see what happens. As I said in another thread, I got nothing else, hence why no article or anything along those lines was posted.

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 10:27 AM) Jenks is staying in Chicago. There's no market for him, as there's still guys like Valverde and Gonzalez left and not a lot of teams needing a closer. The Mariners are building a team and have reportedly kicked the tires around Jenks. Phillies could do the same.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 09:26 AM) Toronto is going to turn around and trade Michael Taylor to Oakland for Brett Wallace. Is that rumored or speculation by you?

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 10:24 AM) A single and a stolen base is not the same thing as a double, I hate it when people make them out to be equal. In '07 he put up a .331 OBP (that's 20 points below the league average for an AL leadoff man last season) and had 32 XBH, the stolen bases are fun and all but they're not making up for those tremendous shortcommings. I just can't wait to see that arm in LF and way too often in center, you can run on popup just over the thirdbaseman's head. He should not play CF, except in a pinch. He needs to be in left, imo, and even with the arm, he's a better defensive left fielder than Pods.

Sox Acquire Juan Pierre From Dodgers

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 10:12 AM) It wouldn't be a Kenny Williams off-season without it! I will say this, from a depth stand-point, the club would be better suited giving up positional prospects since they have so little depth when it comes to starting pitching prospects. Viciedo, Danks, Flowers, Mitchell are four guys to get excited for, imo.

QUOTE (Paint it Black @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 10:06 AM) I retract my Buehrle statement, I looked up the numbers myself and agree. I AM excited for Peavy, but still worried about the health. My Hudson point was that if Garcia/Peavy/anybody else get hurt, I am not high on him to step in. I actually like Garcia as a 5 BUT not sold he will stay healthy. I guess my point is that there is no sense in arguing that the 2010 rotation is better than 2005 because on paper arguments are always silly. Peavy had a non-pitching injury and than suffered from a line drive off his elbow in a rehab start. While he's had some soreness in his arm, what pitcher hasn't. He has a great arm and will be the best pitcher the Sox have had in years, imo.

QUOTE (Ranger @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 10:03 AM) You're not really saying much of anything, really. We should put an end to the "Buehrle disappeared" myth now, I think. He had 2 to 3 poor starts after his streak of perfect innings. The rest of the way, he had 6 quality starts out of 10, and 2 of the other 4 were winnable starts. His ERA in September was 3.57 after having a tough August. He did not disappear after the perfect game and the facts support this. Peavy will be fine. There is simply no good reason not to be excited about him. Hudson isn't in the rotation. And Garcia is a 5th starter (better than El Duque). Floyd? What about his last two years don't you like? All that good pitchin'? It appears you're simply a pessimist, and you can't ever make a pessimist view reality in a normal way. Outside of Garcia, there is no denying the Sox rotation is strong. And the Sox have a great backup plan if Garcia isn't healthy. Heck, I don't think the Sox are actually counting on Freddy, they'll get what they can get out of him and than turn things over to Hudson in time, imo. Unless Huddy gets dealt. If Huddy is dealt, the Sox will have very little starting pitching depth in the upper levels of there farm system. Or at least very few, if any guys, that have value or upside. The next set of quality starting pitching arms are young, high school arms that are at least a few years away. It is why I fully expect the Sox to grab the best available starting pitcher in the June draft and they should have a great selection of arms to pick from.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 09:56 AM) You should care about his ISO, just completely writing off extra base hits from the top is just ridiculous. A double from your leadoff man can go a long way. What happened in June? He put up a 1.000+ OPS in the first two months then fell off greatly in June, lost his starting job when Manny came back and put up his usual bad numbers as a part time player the rest of the way. I'm sure he will put up a decent average and because of that and his "intangibles" (like his league worst arm) he'll garner quite a bit of love from the fan base, driving me insane. He had an awful June and a pretty horrendous September (as did a lot of the Dodgers). But he also had a strong April, a tremendous May, and a good August. And as a full time starter, he basically had one great month and one terrible month. All in all, it was a solid, but not great season. And while Pierre doesn't hit doubles, he can turn singles into doubles with his feet. He's not the stealer he once was, but he's still pretty good and will likely run a lot more in Chicago than he did in LA. I'd expect hope the Sox can get something similar to his 2007 season, with maybe a bit better OBP (but I'm being greedy and unrealistic there). Yes, they are mediocre numbers, but when you add in the stolen base numbers, it is acceptable at 4M a season.

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 09:52 AM) Expecting us to hear something soon? I just heard Kenny has a guy in mind and he's in discussion to get him. I don't have anything more than that and anything else I add would be pure speculation. I think he'll make one more hard push at Adrian Gonzalez, but I don't think San Diego is ready to let him go. I honestly don't know who it will be, but I got a sneaking suspicion it won't be anyone we have speculated too heavily about. There just aren't a lot of FA options out there, so you'd have to think the club is looking to go the way of a trade.

I'm told the Sox are working hard on adding another bat.