Marty34

I'm of the opinion the Sox have more money to spend than they are leading on and will do so regardless of ticket sales. KW always says he's out of money . . .

Merkin didn't exactly write that they are encouraged by ticket sales. Here's what he said:

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 11, 2010 -> 03:48 PM) Didn't he first say they were "asking for a lot"? IIRC, Lee went with the premise being some talent coming back, but the Sox took a hit in the talent dept. for the trade to free up salary, and in essence added others because of it, so they were considered part of the trade. He's already contradicted the tweet has spent 4 or 5 tweets defending after KW told someone he was full of s***. He's bound to be correct on one of these guesses sometime, and watch his reaction when he is. Do you really think Cowley is "guessing"? Things change. Would you rather he not tweet anything that contradicts previous tweets? This is exactly what twitter is for to report in "real time".

He was the only one I saw report that the Chairman had joined the negotiations last night.

Sorry, but it seems to me that the other guys covering the Sox treat it like it's a damn death sentence, are generally ticked off about it (they could be on the Cubs beat), and don't bust their tail to report anything.

He was all over the Konerko story proving again nobody in the media has better Sox sources than he does.

Another thing to consider about this signing is that it may behoove the Sox to trade for another pitcher ASAP. Fairly certain that Boras will get Jackson a big contract somewhere else after next year.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:42 PM) People that say that Alexei Ramirez is one of the 2-3 most valuable members of the White Sox say so because they mean it and not because they are filling you full of s***. Shortstops who play fantastic defense and are good offensively are rather difficult to find. He's a keeper. He's not "good" offensively, he's simply okay. I'd also argue that he isn't "fantastic" defensively. And mini-building blocks don't bat in the lower third of the lineup when they are in their late 20's.

Dunn @ 4/56M looks like an absolute steal by comparison. Wonder how this will effect a.) Konerko/Sox, b.) Crawford c.) Red Sox, d.) Rangers

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 02:02 PM) You know, I like Bailey, but this is absolute crazy talk. Cincinnati wouldn't be happier than if you proposed Alexei Ramirez, a top 5-7 SS in the entire game with a very team friendly contract still, for Homer Bailey, who, even with the promise, has still been nothing more than a 4.50 ERA pitcher. Alexei Ramirez also looks like he's going to be able to perform at like this for another 4-6 years, so I'm really not too worried about his age. Bailey for Ramirez is awful, and not in the way a lot of trades are around here, but in that it's an absolutely terrible deal for the White Sox. I think you're overvaluing Ramirez. He's an okay player who plays a premium defensive position and there is definitely value in that. I don't know if the Reds would do a Bailey/Ramirez deal. Bailey has top-of-the-rotation stuff.

QUOTE (pktmotion @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 12:54 PM) Yea, I was more or less trying to illustrate how much value Alexei has to our team and how there's absolutely no chance he gets traded. I suggested a Quentin for Bailey and Herrera trade in another thread. You don't give Ramirez away, just remember he's entering his 30 y.o. season, not 25. If you could get Bailey for him I'd do it and worry about the SS/3B spots later.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 11:27 AM) Kenny seemed really tickled at the idea of getting Roy Halladay to fill out the rotation last year. It wouldn't suprise me if he went all in to get another big-time arm. The guy I'd love to see them make another run at is Homer Bailey. The Reds are looking for a SS, I'd have no problem dealing Ramirez for him especially if they're sold on Escobar for 2012 and beyond. A top 3 of Jackson, Danks, and Bailey would be nice and would give them flexibility to deal Floyd if they get a good offer.

QUOTE (knightni @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 10:25 AM) Ramirez shouldn't/won't be traded for a long time. He's 29, will be getting expensive in the next few years.

Assuming Konerko is back, here are my 5 most likely Sox traded. 1.) Viciedo 2.) Quentin 3.) Teahen 4.) Buehrle 5.) Floyd Darkhorse: Ramirez

Hard to believe it's a huge factor at this point, but I found this article discussing partnerships by the Yankees, Cowboys, Rays, and Sox interesting. Dated May 3rd of this year, here's a quote:

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Dec 4, 2010 -> 10:03 AM) Are you saying you think it would take Ramirez, Viciedo and a prospect to get Rasmus? That price seems ridiculous. Why is Rasmus worth so much more than Ramirez? He's 4 years younger than Ramirez. I'd consider Quentin, Ramirez, and Viciedo for Rasmus. Consider ...

Time to push the learning curve for Beckham. I don't think they win the division with him hitting 9th or Rios hitting 3rd, and while Beckham may be best suited in the 2 spot I believe he still has the potential to be a solid 3 hitter. A Beckham/Dunn/Konerko*/Rios, middle of the order minimizes the base-clogging of having Dunn/Konerko batting back-to-back.

If Ozzie was in danger of losing his job over twitter, going public with wanting a contract extension, etc... this embarrassment that Kenny ultimately presided over is infinitely worse.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 6, 2010 -> 04:03 PM) Really, no it isn't. By my count, with 0 picks in the top 15, The Sox got 4 guys in the first 2 rounds who made appearances in the big leagues, one guy who looks to be a long term solid starting pitcher, another guy who had promise but blew out his knee. Out of their top 19 picks, 10 of them have made it to the big leagues in some form. I don't care if you're just filling up your bench, your bullpen, players 25-30 on your roster, or trade-bait, that is not terrible performance in the overall draft. Whisler and Lucy had no business being selected where they were.

Kurt Brown (pick before Bonds) Jason Dellaero (pick before Berkman) are worse, but Lucy eight picks ahead of Pedroia is one of the Sox worst picks.

What I'll remember most about Lucy was that he was selected eight picks ahead of Kurt Suzuki, five picks ahead of Hunter Pence, and six picks ahead of Dustin Pedroia. Just an awful pick. All things considered has to be one of the worst in Sox history.

Quentin for Adam Lind?

I almost fell off my chair. By comparison, what can the Sox expect to receive over the the same 20 year period from its tv deal, $1.5B - 2B? http://content.usatoday.com/communities/da...-year-tv-deal/1

Per Cowley:

Any speculation regarding the Chairman stepping into contact negotiations should always be treated as news.