R.J.

This thread has gone from dreaming about acquiring Alex Rodriguez for Scott Podsednik and Juan Uribe to arguing that Alex Rodriguez for Joe Crede would favor the Yankees. And it all spouted from an interview excert where Kenny basically said "sorry kids no trades this year - but enjoy this Sandy Alomar I found in the alley." That is one hell of a thread. Bravo!

The name on that list that most excites me is LaTroy Hawkins... which, is a little sad actually.

Holy god is this a robbery. And adding Ryan Wagner to the deal is icing on the cake. Whether they intended to or not, this makes the Reds the 4th best team in that division and huge huge sellers in this market. This has white flag written all over it and I just can't understand what they were hoping to achieve by this.

Griffey makes sense, but my first thought on reading the thread title was Dunn. Driving home from the Sox games in Cincy a few weeks ago, the call-in radio shows were ripping Dunn apart. I couldn't believe it. It sounds like a lot of the fans out there are sick of his strikeouts and admittedly ugly left field defense. Plus, while we know the Yankees need outfielders, Dunn is a guy they could actually play after the millions they're paying Matsui and Sheffield become relevant again. He'd be a nice upgrade at DH over Bernie Williams and would probably hit a little better than Andy Phillips. You DH Giambi and stick Dunn at first again. Or you keep him in the outfield while Damon, Matsui, and Sheffield take turns on the injury-go-round. If I were them I'd be more willing to part with Hughes for a guy like Dunn, who could stick around and hit 40 bombs a year for more than a couple more years, than Griffey who only has a couple of years left in him and makes the whole crowd (and fantasy baseball community) cringe in anticipation of a DL stint when he leaps for a ball - or fouls one off his toe - or rounds third base - or checks his swing. So the Reds would be crazy to trade Dunn, almost as crazy as the Yankees would be to trade Hughes? If the Reds are looking for more in this deal, I don't know... how has Eric Duncan been playing? Is he off the radar? Pavano isn't a bad thought, injured or not, if he'd be FREE. Aside from that, I don't see the Yankees with much to offer except the familiar financial relief scenario. Add in to that the fact that this is a really really weird time for the Reds to be trading ANYTHING of value when that division is WIDE OPEN and as ugly as their bullpen is they HAVE to take a shot at winning this season.

Just feeling the need to drag around the obvious point here, but if we as white sox fans can elect the person who may be (for basically no good reason) the second or third least admired player in the game to the all-star game ourselves - over 3 players that fantasy baseball fanboys everywhere drool over (Hafner, Liriano, Verlander - and why not?) - it would be a huge power play. And he has a shot. Unlike last year, Chicago is the biggest market on that AL ballot. We can outvote Twins and Oriole fans like it's nothing.

It will be a disappointing trade deadline, but there are still a lot of players out there who could make an impact and will (or absolutely should) be moved. Soriano has to be traded. Aubrey Huff isn't doing much bit he has to be traded. Carlos Lee will most likely be traded. The Cubs should wake the hell up and sell off their crop of players. What we saw last year, and what has been discussed on this board at length, was the Kazmir Effect. Once the Devil Rays got uber-prospect Scott Kazmir for disposable starter Victor Zambrano, it became nearly impossible for teams to make deals without having to spare their absolute best from the minors. I don't see that happening this year. I think a lot of teams are smart enough to know when they'll have their best deal, where as last year a lot of trades that should have been made were not. And you guys are right by noting that the Weak West as well as having 4 teams in almost every division competing will make it really tough for teams like the White Sox to land impact players. I still think it would be ludicrous if teams like Baltimore, Tampa, KC, Pittsburgh, Washington, etc. don't cash in on any veterans they have of value.

It's unlikely that we'd work out any kind of deal with the Twins, and they're actually playing good enough baseball that I'm sure they'd ignore any gap in the standings until the last possible minute. Vizquel is a candidate to be traded but you mentioned that the Giants have as good a shot as anybody to win the crapshoot that is the NL West, and with the pariah they have in LF every day I don't see them throwing in the towel despite their many "veteran" trading pieces. If Barry gets significantly hurt they'd probably move Vizquel because he's in the last year of his deal. As for Renteria, he still has years left on his contract, and that's a contract I want no part of. He's making around $10-12M/y

I second the notion that Carl Crawford only leaves Tampa if he brings them a bona fide stud pitcher (McCarthy). The Rays aren't in any position to look for anything less. Your best bet otherwise is to go with a big time pithcing package that would be a bit ridiculous for us to consider. I'm talking Josh Fields (they could use help at 3B) and our best 2 remaining pitching prospects (Broadway? Liotta? Lumsden? Haeger?), which would essentially wipe us out. But basically, it'd be Crawford for McCarthy and maybe more. And I

I believe the deal was Chris Young, Casey Rogowski and a third prospect for Griffey and all the money he's owed. I'll tell you, if we're serious about getting Griffey, we could get him. Not now, not with Cincy making waves in the (surprisingly weak?) NL Central, but looking at their bullpen I can't imagine they stay in that race for too much longer, and Griffey is a guy they'd like to move for a variety of factors (age, injury prone, making a boatload of money and he's past his prime). It'd probably take Sweeney (or Fields, though they have Encarnacion), Rogowski, and Liotta or Broadway.

Just wanted to second this myself. Me and the family were at the games Friday and Saturday and there were sooooo many Sox fans, it was just absolutely fantastic. We took away their home crowd advantage.

I give 100% support to the Cubs this weekend and am of the opinion that Sox fans should do the same. Nobody likes the Cubs, but I dislike the guys in front of us more. I haven't checked the schedule, but if they play Cleveland, I'll root for them there too.

Thread of the year.

If Matsuzaka is healthy when he's posted he's going to make a killing.

Amen. Boone has a future, but he's not there yet. This is a team that needs every last pitcher in the pen to be able to get consistent outs and he's not there. What Logan was going to do was pretty minor - get out Hafner, Martinez, Sizemore, Mauer, and Morneau. I wouldn't trust him against those guys right now, or probably this year.

I made two trades the past few days that I'm pretty happy with but have been met with mixed reactions by the rest of the league. We're a 9 team keeper league, and we're keeping 12. I traded Placido Polanco who I had no interest in playing for Marcus Giles who I consider a solid bet at a weak position for a few years. Then I traded Danys Baez for Coco Crisp, which a lot of people are telling me was a bad deal. Are they right? Did I jump the gun here? Did I miss something? My outfield is packed but Baez was just an insurance policy for me, drafted in the 23rd round. Crisp is a young outfielder who can round out just about every category and plays in a hitters park in a deep lineup. He originally went in the 5th round. The league counts holds so Baez is a pretty good RP to carry, but there's at least a few guys on waivers who can fill his spot and he wasn't going to be kept around for 5 years like I expect Crisp to be. Your take?

Hanley is not going to keep this up all year - I promise you. But, it might be worth more to enjoy the ride now rather than lose him for Garciaparra who will most likely be back on the DL in a month or so. (I just re-read your post. It's a keeper league? Hold on to Ramirez.) I wouldn't drop Crosby, he's another injury prone guy but he has a lot more upside. My least favorite player on that list is Nevin, but he's a good fantasy option for this year. I think due to the probability of re-injury and the potential for decline Nomar is the most expendable.

QUOTE(Guillen'sGuy @ Apr 23, 2006 -> 11:33 PM) Isn't it great how we are the hottest team in baseball, with the best pitching rotation by far; however, all of us (Soxtalkers) still find something to complain about on this site. Let's enjoy the ride and only throw our arms up in the air when it is duly called for. Joe for Gold Glove!!! It's not complaining; it's keeping an eye on the 25 guys who will hopefully bring us back to the World Series, and right now, we have to examine any weak spots that we have in the hopes that we can improve on them before it becomes too late. Obviously Boone Logan's ineffectiveness and low batting averages from a handful of the guys aren't keeping us from enjoying the fantastic run we're on right now, but come on, it's not time to sit back, throw your feet on the ottoman and proclaim "all is well" just yet. Some may argue it never is. Things are great right now, and interestingly, they could get better if we see an upgrade on Logan, who I would not feel confident seeing in any game situation at this point without an 8 run difference either way. It's only been a few innings, yes. We should give him a chance to prove he either can or can not handle big league hitters, yes. Is this call for demoting him overreaction? Maybe, but if we come across an improvement, I can't see why we shouldnt jump on it, considering that Logan looks very uncomfrotable and generally outmatched with every hitter he sees.

Day's got a lot to work on but there's no way he makes it to us through waivers.

And this is just an observation - he never gets a count. Ever. He's always down 0-1 then 0-2, and then he gets embarassed either by going after something way out of the zone or what I've seen 85% of the time, staring at a fastball on the inside corner. DJ tried making the case by saying something along the lines of "all the Sox want from Brian Anderson is solid defense in center and anything they get at the plate is gravy," which to a point is true, but Brian's a much better hitter than this and at some point if he doesnt right the ship we need to give him a chance to get his bat on track in Charlotte. I still think sometime around mid-May he'll figure things out, and I hope he does because we really don't have any other options outside of a barren trade market.

I hope Miguel has a nice career, but trading him when we had the chance was an absolutely great move.

QUOTE(Steff @ Apr 17, 2006 -> 04:15 PM) No, it's about presenting yourself in a way the boss finds acceptable. They also have a rule about wearing suits and closed toed shoes when traveling. This is not uncommon as most teams have appearance rules. I'm for that, but you can look presentable with long hair and facial hair more easily than you can in flip flops and a hawaiian shirt.

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Apr 17, 2006 -> 04:09 PM) Will you tell your employer to go stick it if he is paying you 6-7 figures a year? Or would you get your ass to the chair and get it cut? I subscribe to the "Hey frog, get hoppin to it" theory when it comes to doing what my employer says. This isnt high school, this is a job. Would I cut my hair if Jerry Reinsdorf tell me to? Yeah, I would. Would I like it? I sure as hell wouldn't, for the myriad of reasons mentioned so far. And I'd be pretty unhappy because of it too. Bottom line: completely unecessary. You know what's necessary? Finding some outfield depth and a relief pitcher - not haircuts.

You know, it's not about whether they look good or don't look good, it's about the idea that you're forcing grown men to do something petty and trivial that they may not want to do otherwise. If AJ is ready for a haircut, get him in the chair! Until the other dudes are, friggin find something else to occupy your time with. This hair garbage - it's about being comfortable. It's about style and individuality yada yada yada, but it's about being comfortable. You don't feel comfortable looking how someone else decides you should look. /freedom rant

I wasn't happy about the tarp sliding ban but it did make a lot of sense. This stuff is stupid. Don't force a guy to cut his damn hair. It's just. hair.

Thanks for your help guys. I went with Gomes. I think he has the most potential to not only help me right now but to also improve and become a real asset for next year and beyone. His walk rate is what ended up selling me. My opinion of Morneau is very high too, but I have Helton and Dunn and just wouldnt know where to play him. If he really heats up I'll make room for him before anyone else. And I agree with you about Rios, but he's another guy I'll wait on.