Jordan4life_2007

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 7, 2011 -> 05:12 PM) I just meant they have a hangover of problems inherited from JP. LF, you need something better than Thames or Rajai Davis long-term. And Drabek has obviously regressed this season. That has to be a bit of a concern. And it's still a big difference when you can have a pitcher for 2 full seasons (Marcum) versus just one or 1 1/3rd (Danks). If you're KW, it's hard to know what's going to happen with Buehrle. You can't trade Danks AND lose Buehrle if you hope to compete in 2012. Floyd, Peavy, Humber, Stewart, Sale That would be the starting rotation. Try selling season tickets with that. Good luck. Just losing Buehrle or Konerko alone will drive them into the low 20,000's per game unless they lead the division for most of the way like in 2008 and get off to a hot start (in other words, the opposite of the last 2 seasons). Agree with you about the LF situation. Arencibia's power is legit. His .235 ISO is tops in baseball among catchers. The average/OBP/defense has to improve. Snider has sucked so far. Hill is a FA after this year. So it's not like they're obligated to him. And you're right about Drabek. Big disappointment this year. Still, AA has put them in a great position financially. I don't know what more could've been asked of any GM in less than two years.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 7, 2011 -> 04:52 PM) Arencibia's really struggling the second half of this year. Aaron Hill has regressed. 3B has been a train wreck for TOR for quite awhile now (obviously they feel they have a solution for that problem). And Travis Snyder has been one of the biggest disappointments they've had in half a decade. So they've made a lot of great moves on paper to put themselves in position. As Ozzie says, "the big leagues is all about performance/winning, and not development." In the end, the jury's still out on what has actually been accomplished. As usual, 3-5 years out will give a much better picture. None of the players you name here were acquired/drafted by AA.

Yeah, even I can't give Rizzo any credit. They just sucked the right years.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 7, 2011 -> 04:16 PM) No, the real trick is taking all of this potential you rave about and turning it into actual on the field performance. That's where you can say a guy is the best in the business. Yeah, that's how any GM will be ultimately judged. But to do all he's done in less than two years? He's got my vote. They're a mirror image, IMO, of Friedman and Tampa.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 7, 2011 -> 04:01 PM) And out of every one of those players you mentioned, the only one who has really contributed positively to the Blue Jays so far is Escobar. I love some of the methods you use to prove his dominance. Frank Francisco has a stellar k/9 and a 1.471 WHIP, for example. I didn't say he was Mike Adams. That was a good move, IMO. Napoli had no place there. Got a reliever with really good stuff. And he's a FA after this year. So they're in the drivers seat either way. Fact is the Blue Jays are young, talented and cost-controlled. What more could you ask of a GM in their situation pre-AA? Starting next year, they won't have a single even semi-bad contract on their roster. Now the trick will be getting free agents to come to Canada. As they'll have a ton of money to spend if they so choose.

Yawn. Great weekend, obviously. And we've all but finished off the Twins. That's always cool. But we're still 3 games under .500. Not about to get excited until this team blows past .500.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Aug 7, 2011 -> 11:03 AM) Let's hold off on calling AA the best GM in baseball til Toronto does something. No, my friend, we don't have to wait. AA is the unequivocal best GM this sport has to offer. And it took him less than two years to snatch this title away from one Andrew Friedman. Let's start from the beginning shall we: 1: The Halladay trade. Roy already had one foot out the door, as he was one year away from FA. And unlike J.P. Ricciardi, a proven moron, AA had the stones to deal his best asset and get a killer return: Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor and Travis d'Arnaud. He flips Taylor for Brett Wallace and then Wallace for Anthony Gose. Scouts say Gose's speed and defense compare favorably to B.J. Upton. D'Arnaud might be the best catching prospect in baseball. Drabek has struggled this year, as anybody would with that BB rate, but the stuff is still there if you believe the scouts. Considering the circumstances, AA got it done. 2: Brandon League for Brandon Morrow? Are you serious? League is a third-tier closer, while Brandon Morrow has some of the sickest stuff the game has to offer. As his league-leading (for starting pitchers) 10.7 K/9 over the last two years demonstrates. 3: Alex Gonzalez and Jo-Jo Reyes for Yunel Escobar? Again, are you serious? AA swindled the Braves. That's no easy task. Gonzalez is 34 and struggling to keep his OPS above .600. Yunel Escobar, who's SIX years younger, has been the third best SS in baseball according to fangraphs. 4: Vernon Wells and the $86 million left on his deal for Juan Rivera and Mike Napoli. Might be the best move of the last decade. Then he turns around and flips Napoli, a guy they didn't need, as they're fine at 1B and stacked at catcher, for Frank Francisco. A dynamite set-up/closer with a 10.27 K/9 since 2009. 5: Shaun Marcum for Brett Lawrie. Talk about selling high on a good, not great, pitcher. Lawrie is one of the elite prospects in the game who's already making an impact with Toronto. KW could never get a Lawrie for a John Danks. 6: The Rasmus deal. Don't have to say much here. As the details about this transaction are pretty fresh in our minds. Rasmus: under team control through 2015 Escobar: under team control through 2015 Morrow: under team control through 2013 Lawrie: under team control for the next 6 years A consensus top 3-5 system in all of baseball due to some very strong drafts the last 3 years. Yes, AA is the Michael Jordan of his profession. It's just a matter of time for Toronto.

I don't hope for any lineup with Alex Rios in it. I hate Alex Rios more than I hate soap operas, where characters can come back from the dead 4-5 times in a 10-year stretch. Adam Dunn is 3 for 457454748437824343 against LH pitching and Ozzie plays him no matter what.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 6, 2011 -> 03:38 PM) Didn't you want Quentin traded for prospects at the deadline? KW couldn't or wouldn't give you want you wanted, but Ozzie is. And where are these prospects? That's right. There are none. As long as he's here, you play him. If only to build his value up for next year. Rios has no business playing tonight at the expense of CQ. And my break does not start until gametime tonight.

I'm taking a two day break from all things White Sox. Now this doesn't mean I can't post in the diamond club or slam or other sub-forums. But I'm done with PH talk for now. Ozzie has sucked the White Sox life out of me. f***ing dumbass b****. I hate him so much. Oh, and to greg. If you defend this clown after this latest atrocity, then never talk to me again. At least when it comes to the White Sox.

QUOTE (MAX @ Aug 6, 2011 -> 02:37 PM) The point is, if you looked without a negative bias at the then present situation, and looked at where we are now, you will have made the moves kenny did. To prognosticate into the future a six game losing streak when the team was playing well, is as ill informed a move as monday morning quarterbacking, and both can be criticized. How often do you post here? Or are you mainly a lurker? A sizable chunk wanted KW to sell before Red Sox series.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Aug 6, 2011 -> 02:30 PM) You've got to look at the bigger picture a bit more. Tell me how you're going to rebuild RIGHT NOW with the salaries we're committed to over the next 2-3 years. We'd still be on the hook for $80 million in salary for about 6-7 players. To me, it makes more sense to keep around guys like Thornton and hope our players actually perform next year than to shave $5-6 million and still have a swollen payroll. You are not going to fix this mess KW has gotten us in overnight. I was not trying to imply that. What irks me is that because the division is so bad and that we still 'technically' had a good chance of getting back in it blinded some and, more importantly KW, into thinking this team had a shot. I love baseball. One of the main reasons is because baseball 9 times out of 10 tells you the truth. If you're at or below .500 100+ games into the season, chances are you're not very good. They should've gone full-blown sell mode. I didn't need to see the massacre that was Boston/NY to know this team is not good. I already knew that. Now our top trade chips are either a year away from FA or overpaid.

QUOTE (MAX @ Aug 6, 2011 -> 02:30 PM) Irrelevant. Then don't pull the Monday morning QB card.

QUOTE (MAX @ Aug 6, 2011 -> 02:27 PM) It wasn't over then. It is pretty much is now. A lot of monday morning quarterbacking going on here lately. Huh? Not at this board. Elrockin and GH are the exceptions. Most wanted the Sox to sell before the deadline.

Reds have been the NL equal to the Sox. Just without the bloated payroll and barren farm system. And I echo DirtySox when he says the Reds need to trade Alonso. This guy is not an OF. But he can f***ing mash.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Aug 6, 2011 -> 02:09 PM) seriously, the only team to make a dash has been the Indians and they did it early and they've hung on thanks to some ridiculous 9th inning comebacks. So maybe that's how this division will play out, DET will continue to slowly pull away thanks to those awesome game-changing additions you mentioned, Flavum, and the rest will continue to toil at a .500 pace. Or the kitties could go on a big-time run and just lap the rest of the field and cruise into the playoffs. Don't see that happening with their staff, but possible, no doubt. I don't think Ubaldo is the game changer the tribe wants him to be and I don't think the Twins have the makings to go on one of their patented pushes. So that leaves the Chicago White Sox. Prior to them getting pummeled by the two top teams in the league last week, our forecast was at the very least "partly sunny." An absolute beat down in 4 games does not, imo, mean the season is over. Jordan, you say I have no reason to give this team the benefit of the doubt and I disagree with that because of the way they were playing prior to the BOS-NYY massacre. Eight days ago this team was 52-52, 2 games out in the loss column. It's going to take more than 8 days to get back to that position, since DET only plays the As, Rays and Orioles outside of the division for the rest of the season. Maybe CQ goes on an '08 tear and puts this team on his shoulders, sparks the offense and we make up ground. And don't forget we have 6 more games against these guys. Why can't we be 3 back going into that last series in Chicago from 9/12-9/14? That's something to root for, to still have a chance when that series comes around. Same thing. Your hope comes from the fact we still have a bunch of games left within the division. Now what's our record within the division the last three years? What's our second half record under Ozzie since he's been here? What's our longest winning streak of the season this year? 4 games?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 6, 2011 -> 10:42 AM) If you really believe the season is over, you should love this move. Doesn't matter what fathom thinks. Point is KW didn't think it was over. Otherwise CQ, Thornton and others more than likely wouldn't be here. It doesn't require a really high I.Q. to realize that relying on Peavy/Humber for the long haul is probably a bad idea. I don't know what happened to KW. I thought he was a top 5 GM in baseball a few years ago. But man is he awful now.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Aug 6, 2011 -> 01:11 PM) You are correct, no guarantee at all. But it's the 1st week of August. You honestly don't think the Sox can make up 6.5 games in 2 months? I could stop drinking for a month. But the chances of that happening are pretty astronomical. You talk as if this team deserves some benefit of the doubt. Sure, if you want to stay positive and have hope until the end, have at it. But there's really nothing to support your faith other then being a White Sox fan and not wanting to give up until they're mathematically eliminated. Which I don't have a problem with.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 6, 2011 -> 03:57 AM) http://www.purplerow.com/2011/8/3/2341147/...o-jimenez-trade Very good analysis of Jimenez trade and why it doesn't make any sense for the Rockies....J4L, do you agree with him? Good piece. This guy is obviously a Rockies fan. Therefore he's a lot more emotionally 'invested' in this transaction than somebody like me. I'm a prospect whore. This is no revelation. There's always going to be a certain level of risk when trading proven talent, which Ubaldo is, over potential (the package the Rockies received). I'm not a Rockies fan. I don't follow that organization day-in, day-out. Dan O'Dowd is obviously not satisfied with his club's performance this year. He also obviously believed the best way to enhance the long-term future of the team was to "sell-high" on their top asset (who's velocity is down considerably from a year ago). As far as the financial aspect? Yeah, I can totally understand that. Like the guy said, this wasn't a case of clearing a big salary for prospects. Ubaldo's contract is extremely team-friendly for quite a while. That's the biggest risk to me. Not so much trading Ubaldo. But Ubaldo AND his current contract status. It's going to take a couple years, at least, before one can legitimately determine who won/lost this trade.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 4, 2011 -> 11:57 PM) I'm just pissed Beckham is not developing at what I consider a good rate. He's good defensively which is nice I guess, but the man does not look like anything more than an average hitter. Second basemen as you know are a dime a dozen so to speak. Beckham may still be a top prospect but he's been underwhelming this year. His approach at the plate also concerns me. I think his batting approach is in contention for third worst on the team behind Rios and Dunn. He certainly projects as a worse player than Ray Durham at this point I would think and I liked Durham. I mean if he continues like this, who is Gordon Beckham - a Grudzalanec (sp)? Who? He does not look like an elite hitter to me. Can we just classify it as a bad year? Or that he's still learning? I hope so. Thanks for not at all answering the question.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 4, 2011 -> 11:30 PM) So our great scouts can take a great second baseman prospect like Beckham? Just so we're clear, you despise this entire organization sans ozzie, correct?

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Aug 4, 2011 -> 11:07 PM) Buddy Bell didn't replace Laumann. Laumann is the Director of Amateur Scouting and Bell is the Director of Player Development. But yes, it's hard to make an accurate assessment of how either have performed in my mind as I would argue they are very limited in their allotted resources. s***. I meant Wilder. Too much vodka.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Aug 4, 2011 -> 10:51 PM) I'm still not sure all blame should be dumped on Bell. Even blaming Laumann I feel is a reach. According to someone I trust, the White Sox scouting infrastructure is woefully inadequate. Couple that with an owner that is one of most stingy in draft spending and has a significant hand in early draft selections and It seems like the process is set to fail right from the start. Jerry is far too hands on in this regard according to most of the Chicago beat guys. You're right. It's not all on Bell. I'm just saying him in place over Laumann has generated nothing to this point.

The NL is worse than I thought.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 4, 2011 -> 10:38 PM) It is way too kind to KW...though. That's the weakness. There's 20 mistakes that he has made since the end of 2008 we could list. Wilder, etc. What has Buddy Bell actually done that's had a positive impact? Recommending the Mark Teahen trade and then long-term extension? How has Bell improved our minor league system? Is there ANY evidence that we can point to at all? Only 3 positives. Viciedo, Humber and Santos. None. Peavy was a salary dump. So I don't want to hear how Poreda helped net us a fake ace at the time. Beckham? lol. Morel? lol. Mitchell? Again, lol. Sale? Dynamite stuff. Looks like a reliever long-term. And I didn't forget about Hudson. But I don't want to become enraged.