fathom

QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 10:39 PM) Ray King would be nice if he could be his old self, but I'm not sure if that's possible. Greene's splits for RH/LH are basically equal. I'd take a back-up catcher that could hit .250...how's his defense? I thought I remember hearing that Greene is one of the worst throwing catchers in baseball. Is Preston Wilson really a FA? Also, don't be surprised if Erstad is a possibility. KW loves him.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 10:19 PM) That trade is WAY one sided. Come on. I don't even know if the Yanks would give up Cabrera and Hughes for our 3 guys.

QUOTE(SoxHawk1980 @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 09:41 PM) Standard Soxtalk response: "Hey, it is mid-December. There's lots of time for KW to work his magic." I have a strong feeling that the same people that are saying this now will come up with a new refrain if no significant upgrades have been made by the end of ST. By then it will be, "We didn't need any upgrades. The 2006 team underachieved so we can expect the 2007 to be better with essentially the same players." I'm just amazed that I'm hearing Sox management, as well as fans, state that they don't think Pods ever recovered from his hernia surgery. I guess hernia surgery impacts your vision and arm, as Pods inability to swing at the 3rd strike and his pathetic display in the outfield were two of his biggest issues.

QUOTE(jasonxctf @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 09:27 PM) i think people are frustrated by the lack of upgrades that have been made so far this year. going into the off season we needed 1) A Backup Catcher 2) Middle Relief 3) A new Centerfielder 4) A new leadoff person 5) A new shortstop and so far we've upgraded at 0 of these positions. Pitchers and catchers report in 3 months and the free agent market is dwindling. I think a lot of Sox fans feel that the "shot clock" is running out and we are going to be stuck with... 1) Chris Stewart or Sandy Alomar 2) No middle relief upgrades 3) Brian Anderson in CF 4) Scott Podsednik leading off 5) Juan Uribe starting at SS and what did we do to improve our team????? PERFECT POST!

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 09:25 PM) Our offense really isnt the issue, even though its being attacked here, our pitching staff needs to improve for us to win the division. if you take our 2006 team and make them play the season 10 times, I believe last season would be one of the worst for the amount of talent we had. Even with our pitchers underachieving during the first half of the year, we had a 6 game lead at the ASB due to the great offense. Once the offense hit the skids and started to underachieve, we couldn't make up for our poor pitching. Like you said, our pitching should be better, but I think our hitting will have a hard time ever getting close to the level it was during the first half of 2006.

It's going to be fun watching Floyd play the outfield at Wrigley.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 09:20 PM) If he can repeat his stellar defense, that's completely acceptable. Still, I'd rather a guy that could get on base at two of the three positions I mentioned considering outside of Konerko, Thome, Dye, and Iguchi, nobody else does. Wouldn't you agree? Ozzie and KW don't really care about OBP. They never have, never will. Ozzie would rather have his speed guy at the top of the order. The biggest reason this offense tanked in the 2nd half was due to the poor performances by many of our hitters against LHP, especially Thome and Iguchi. Adding a player or two that can mash LHP would really help, as there are amazing lefty pitchers in our division.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 09:01 PM) Good Post, post padder. Well, I only respect posts from people that don't know two s***s about baseball, like Santo, Rock, etc. Seriously, does every post you ever make have to insult someone? What's worse though, 25k posts on the message board for the team you love, or 4k posts on a message board for a team you don't root for?

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 08:57 PM) At this point in time, do I realistically see the White Sox winning the World Series? Well, I'd never say never, but with major holes in center field, left field, and short stop among others, at this point I feel as if it's unlikely. Cool, thanks.

QUOTE(CanOfCorn @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 07:06 PM) Hell, look at the late 90's Yankees. Sure they had star power, but they still had the O'Neil's and the Brosius' that know their role and play it well. Pods may not have had a great season last year. But, so what? He knows his role on this team and does his best to keep in step. I would MUCH rather pay him $3 mil for ONE YEAR than Pierre or Roberts for 3+ years. That's the problem...Pods doesn't know his role. He doesn't hustle at all on the field, and he goes through stretches for weeks at a time where he doesn't steal a base. I was really hoping to see some creativity by the Sox this offseason, especially in trying to find a righty 4th outfielder who can mash LHP. Then, we could have just gone with a platoon in LF with Mackowiak and that player, and the production offensively and defensively would have been so much more.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 04:53 PM) Now this I will echo. Abreu would of been a nice OBP guy for our lineup. I dont know about leadoff, but he could of been a nice OBP guy to put in the 3 hole in front of the mashers. He's better than our current leadoff hitter in literally every single offensive category.

QUOTE(RME JICO @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 03:54 PM) This situation will give him huge flexibility at the trading deadline. With the massive money deals we've been seeing, there will likely be more trades at the deadline than the previous few seasons. It's just too bad we weren't more interested in Abreu, as his contract seems below market value now and he'd be the perfect leadoff hitter for the Sox.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 04:39 PM) Its the same MO. Rednwhite comes over here to tell us how everything that we do is overrated by our fans, or that it isn't quite as good as his beloved Red Cubs. Then everything that Theo does is annointed by the Lord God himself, because he is the chosen one. When one starts bashing any part of the Konerko signing, and then over rates Cora then the objective glasses are off, and they are drunk on Red Cub juice. It's the same person that didn't understand why we thought the Cintron for Baj deal wasn't a massive steal for the Sox last year, yet Arroyo for Wily Mo was an amazing deal by the Red Sox. I can't wait until the Red Sox fans turn on Julio Lugo once he starts throwing and booting the ball all over the field. Lugo is a class act though...just like Wil Coredo.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Dec 13, 2006 -> 07:22 PM) I'll be laughed at but the Red Sox made the three best signings of the offseason, without question in my opinion. Based on money, team needs, etc. Um, no! Talk to me when you can sign Soriano, Marquis, and DeRosa for below market value (in Canadian dollars, of course).

QUOTE(shawnhillegas @ Dec 13, 2006 -> 06:25 PM) there are countless such trades the white sox COULD do. young prospects 2-3 years away from being major league ready, but when does it end, at what point do you stop because you realize you have lost all chance of winning this year? wood is NOT ready now and he probably wont be productive until 2008. Kendrick is a major leaguer now, but you would be sacrificing this season for sure. i would not do this trade unless i thought brandon wood could play ss this year, and he cant. and i do not want to go into the season with a 5th starter named gavin floyd and a backup plan named heath phillips. Kendrick could easily be a better overall hitter than Iguchi this season, and you'd have him for cheap for the next 5 season. Kendrick and Wood are on a different level of prospect status compared to Floyd and Gio. It doesn't matter though, the Angels would never give either of those guys up.

This proposed trade is hillarious. However, the scary thing is that people are actually saying that KW wouldn't do this. Kendrick and Wood are two of the top 5 hitting prospects in the minors, and Kendrick is ready to compete in the majors right now. There's not a chance in hell the Angels trade either of those guys....but if you were able to get them for the 3 guys mentioned, I'll gladly drive Garland, Iguchi, and Uribe to the airport.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Dec 13, 2006 -> 07:48 AM) Brandon Claussen was nontendered. Kinda surprised. He was one of the most unimpressive pitchers we've faced in years. I think the Sox had 12 hits or so against him in 2+ innings.

QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Dec 13, 2006 -> 01:35 AM) Enough with the smart-ass remarks. I haven't even heard his name in any kind of rumors. I get suspicious of people that have certain appearance changes and people that get their names listed for this and that, just as anyone else in the world does. However, I've seen neither when it comes to Gagne, and that's been my point all along. I actually recall an article in SI a few years back where they were shocked at how some baseball players came into the offseason looking like professional wrestlers, in regards to their body. Those players were Trot Nixon, Eric Gagne, and the immortal Ben Davis.

I would love for the Sox to go after Jayson Werth. The Illinois-born corner outfielder would look good out there against LHP if healthy.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Dec 13, 2006 -> 05:27 AM) This was the latest thing I have seen about Sandy, from the 7th... The article I read stated early December, so that is actually promising news. Give me Toby Hall....he's a tough out against LHP and doesn't strike out much. I'll also add to the fact that he's one of the nicest guys in the game.

QUOTE(ptatc @ Dec 13, 2006 -> 05:25 AM) Only as a coach I hope. Didn't you see the article last week that said the Sox are talking with Sandy, and clearing up a roster spot was something that needed to be done in order to add a player?

Can you smell it? It's the Sandy Alomar Jr. experience coming back soon to the Cell.

Gagne is a lot like Bonds, from my viewpoint. Both were amazing to watch during their big "run", as they've dominated their position like no one else has before them. However, it's hard to ignore the changes to their body, as well as what happened to them as soon as the steroid testing came into play. I remember watching Gagne face the Cubs when he was a starter, and he was a skinny guy throwing around 92 mph. The next year, here comes the huge guy throwing 98 or 99 mph to the plate.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Dec 12, 2006 -> 08:33 PM) Ensberg had the worst year of his career at the plate and still killed Crede in OBP. As far as the overall package, I think Ensberg's more valuable than Crede. Good defense, fair hitting, good batting eye, decent power, healthy body. If Ensberg were non-tendered today, I'd love to have the Sox sign him and deal Crede for a good strong package. Morgan Ensberg was absolutely horrendous last season. He plays in a hitters paradise, and he was benched for a portion of the season. And his defense at 3rd base is pathetic. His throws often times resemble that of a bowler. He's a great guy....but was very crappy last year.

QUOTE(WhiteSoxfan1986 @ Dec 10, 2006 -> 07:14 PM) Let's keep our f***in starters. Haven't we learned anything from pre-2005? I don't want Floyd or Haeger in the rotation. Don't worry, Coop can fix anyone into becoming a starter. I couldn't agree with you more though. One starter was fine....two starters is idiotic.