Marty34

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 04:34 AM) It just angers the hell out of me that people can't make the distinction of what is an actual problem. When people try to entertain an argument that Thome-Dye hurt this offense, it just boggles my mind. Thome/Dye may not have hurt the offense last year. They are a year older however and do not play premium defensive positions. Productive corner OF'ers, DH's you can find.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 04:29 AM) Lets here it. There are lot of way to spend that $33M that would make the Sox a better team. Too many to even speculate on. Besides, it's a pipe dream. No one is going to take Konerko or Thome's salaries of our books.

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 04:22 AM) Cause that 33 million is dead weight. We're not talking about Barry Zito, Jose Contreras, etc. People on this site undervalue our players so much. I agree that 33M IS dead weight and that was the point of my post. In this market, you could do a LOT better than Dye, Konerko, and Thome for that money.

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 04:12 AM) I completely disagree Explain your reasoning?

QUOTE (dmbjeff @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 03:56 AM) im fine gettin rid of dye,thome,konerko as long as the money is being spent elsewhere. but obviously they arent doing that...or so they say Where does it say that? Besides, no way can they get those three off the books.

QUOTE (tommy @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 03:52 AM) But why is the White Sox the only organization (maybe besides the Padres, mentioned above) which is doing this? You know Yankees are gonna spend a bunch, Cubs payroll is suppose to hit $140 mil this year. For better or worse, the Sox have been one of the best run teams in terms of finances in the JR era.

All the negative talk about cutting payroll is funny. If we could get rid of Dye, Konerko, and Thome and get nothing in return except the ~$33M off the payroll, I don't think anyone on this board would object.

I believe that in 2-3 years we'll look back at this time in MLB and say that the teams (Yankees included maybe) that did not cut payroll were the teams that made the biggest mistakes.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 02:00 AM) Second tier position players are going to see a huge drop in offers as well. Which helps us out ALOT. Yep. Probably harder to deal Dye though. Dusty seems to be a big fan of Dye, hopefully that deal is still alive.

Just an indication on how the FA market has fallen, NY papers report that Mets initial offer to K-Rod was 2y/$25M (plus option). Pretty incredible considering he was seeking 5/$75M. Makes me wonder about where the market for corner OF'ers and second-tier SP will be.

Fields should move to the OF and get a third baseman. For example, Blalock is said to be available.

Lot of options here and this one is crazy, but how about signing Furcal and trade for Blalock? Outfield of Fields, Ramirez, and Quentin left-to-right.

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 8, 2008 -> 03:01 AM) You must have not watched his performances for the Reds this past season. My brother also saw him in AAA a few times this season, and was shocked at how much velocity he's lost. Reports had him having a groin injury last year. Obviously Bailey has some issues or else he wouldn't have been traded for a 34-yo corner OF'er. Very good deal for the Sox, maximizing Dye's trade value.

Jenks has been very good for 3.5 years now. You're taking a huge gamble that a closer will continue that run. It's just not good business particularly when the closer is due a big raise and has experienced decreasing velocity.

Jenks traded. Juan Cruz signed. Cruz/Thornton/Linebrink, closer by committee (unless one emerges).

Jenks 62 innings can be replaced. The thing that made him most valuable was he was one of the best bargains in the game, that's going to change. I'll be disappointed if he isn't moved. Thing is, other teams know the value of Jenks was in large part tied directly to his salary and if you're expecting a big haul in return for him I have no doubt you'll be disappointed.

Thanks for the welcome. Sorry for the double post.

Saw it on http://35thstreetmess.blogspot.com/ via New York Newsday.