Kalapse

Kenny Williams actually said during an interview with Chuck Garfine (sp?). That he was incredibly close to trading Buehrle, that for the past week he's had 2-3 offers that he could very well have said yes to and would have been happy with but wanted to work out an extension instead. According to KW, if Buehrle had rejected the offer made to him this morning he would have been traded.

If the Sox can find a way to ink Garland to an extension then I'd have no problem with Vazquez being dealt but if Garland is going to be traded sometime soon or walks after '08 I think Vazquez needs to stick around as the #2 starter. So I guess this is pretty simple from my standpoint. Garland Extended = Trade Vazquez (if there's a GREAT offer out there) Garland Traded = Vazquez Stays

QUOTE(SadChiSoxFanOptimist @ Jul 8, 2007 -> 08:26 PM) Somebody help me out, please. I thought Ichiro was a right fielder, but see that he's listed in CF in FoxSports... Did he formerly play right for the Mariners, or was that just another flasback from my college days. That's where I'd like to see him in a Sox uniform, with his speed and his arm. He started off playing RF for the Mariners when he broke into the league in 2001 because the team already had one of the best defensive CF in the game in Mike Cameron. Ichiro's defensive abilities make him capable of playing either RF or CF with above average results (his arm is possibly the strongest and most accurate in baseball.) This past offseason they signed Jose Guillen who is a very good RF so they were finally able to move Ichiro to the position he is best suited for in CF. So he can play either position very well but his speed, excellent reads and contact hitting style make him best suited for CF.

Ozuna = $1.05M Garland = $12M Contreras will likely be dealt Danks = $400K MacDougal = $1.95M Thornton = $875K Jenks = ~$400K I don't see why Erstad's option would be exercised seeing as how he's hurt and bad Crede won't make any less than $5M next year but I doubt he will be on the team The money is there for free agent signings and if another starter along with Contreras is dealt for young talent there will be even more available cash.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Jul 8, 2007 -> 05:58 PM) I'm sure you don't mind doing the work, but you might want to hold off on the contract page. You and I both know it's going to change again in the next two weeks. Yeah, I know. But the work will have to be done eventually anyway. It's not all that hard to change the names and info but it's a b**** to put the thing together.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Jul 8, 2007 -> 05:53 PM) Fix Jermaine's salary as well. He got a raise to $7 million for his World Series MVP. Good call. I'll make sure that's corrected.

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Jul 8, 2007 -> 05:26 PM) How long are you going to be allowed to propagate this unsubstantiated nonsense? Buehrle rocks. Congrats to Kenny Williams for signing this contract. To get this caliber of pitcher on the cheap...hell of a job. Buehrle is a pro's pro and will help the team throughout the life of this contract. It's called an opinion. If you really think Garland will be willing to sign a deal that fits the Sox' budgetary constraints then kudos to you, you have a differing an opinion to mine. Congrats.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Jul 8, 2007 -> 04:47 PM) You wouldn't do 4/$48? I think I'd probably do that -- four years isn't at all terrible. That's probably the highest I'd go, though. He's still a decent enough defender and moving to natural grass would probably be better on his knees. Plus, even if he's only an average hitter (which he hasn't been the last two years -- he's been about a 120 OPS+ player, well above average for CF), I'd still say he's close to being worth it. I don't think anything can save his knees at this point, the high impact turf of the Metrodome has probably shortened his career by 3 years. If he starts losing range at an even more rapid pace than he currently is, he's it's going to start being a serious problem. He was a 112 OPS+ player last year and 139 this season in his contract year. He was 107, 105, 97, 126 and 92 the previous 5 years. Is he a 30 HR, .290/.340/.530/.890 guy like he's been the past 1.5 years combined or is he the 25 HR, .270/.330/.470/.800 guy he has been for the majority of his career? If he's going to be an .860+ OPS, 30 HR threat then I suppose it could be a pretty good signing but adding another $10M+ risky player to this payroll without filling a major need scares me. This team desperately needs someone who can get on base at the top of the lineup, adding Hunter would tie up ~$62M of the team's '08 payroll in 5 players (MB, JG, JV, PK, TH) without addressing the team's biggest need. (Add Jim Thome and AJ Pierzynski [$12.5] and you're getting close to $75M guaranteed to 7 players with another 18 roster spots to fill) That being said, Torii Hunter seems to be a helluva guy, one of the best character's in the game and I'd love to have a person like him on the Sox.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 8, 2007 -> 04:30 PM) If we don't get Hunter, then I hope he's out of the AL Central. Well, he probably won't re-sign and with the Royals' financial constraints, Grady Sizemore and Curtis Granderson set to dominate the division for years to come, I don't see him playing in the AL Central next year unless it's with the Sox.

Keep an eye on Hu's cap.

No thanks. He'll be getting similar money to Ichiro, why not just go after him? Suzuki would fill a few wholes on this team, including the most important of them all, leadoff. Other than that, I REALLY don't want to see Torii Hunter given a 4 year $48M deal by the Sox. That would come back to bight 'em in the ass within 2 years.

QUOTE(3E8 @ Jul 8, 2007 -> 03:50 PM) So it's a $19M player option if he's traded? That's the only way to get to $75M from $56M. Not consistent with what we heard yesterday.. Perhaps a $2M assignment bonus and a $17M PO that kick in if he's dealt.

QUOTE(Nokona @ Jul 8, 2007 -> 03:43 PM) So what was going down when MB hugged Danks, Jon, and Ozzie? He was probably letting them all know that he'll be around for the next 4+ years.

QUOTE(toasty @ Jul 8, 2007 -> 03:43 PM) you'd figure that they had to screw up SOMEWHERE.... no tv postgame for more info! The Sox never have a postgame show on WGN.

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Jul 8, 2007 -> 03:41 PM) Keep Garland, get rid of Jose, por favor. I doubt he'll be willing to sign a deal in the White Sox price Range. I can't see him taking a discount similar to the one Buehrle took and I can't see the Sox agreeing to a 5 year $70M+ deal like he'll be looking for.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Jul 8, 2007 -> 03:40 PM) Update your damn salary thing. I've been waiting for the Buehrle deal to get done before finishing the 40 man version. I'll post the updated set tonight.

I'm still surprised Mark accepted such a cheap deal. It'll be fun having a class act like Buehrle around as the face of the franchise for the next 4+ years. Kudos to Kenny Williams. Now get a ridiculous package in return for Garland and I'll be ecstatic.

QUOTE(MurcieOne @ Jul 8, 2007 -> 02:51 PM) He was pretty sick last year...... won the silver slugger at 2B..... his glove is below average .... but i think he is still maturing and will hit 30 HR some day at 2nd base. '05: .297/.320/.458/.778 '06: .342/.365/.525/.890 '07: .272/.312/.414/.726 He's walked a grand total of 49 times in his career which has led to an IsoD (OBP-AVG) of 27 which is absolutely terrible. His power has actually disappeared altogether this season, he only has 5 HRs and his doubles (according to MLB.com) have mainly been ground balls down the lines, not a lot of drives deep into the gaps. So he doesn't walk, doesn't hit for much power, gives you a nice average, plays poor defense and has average speed. I'd rather just find a poor defensive, semi-athletic LF and stick him at 2B. He'd be cheaper to acquire and could give you similar production.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jul 8, 2007 -> 02:46 PM) On the espn insider, Jayson Stark says KW's asking price for Buerhle is 3 players, 2 of them being top prospects, and that teams are saying no. He said that Boston is back into the Buerhle sweepstakes and are trying to have the deal expanded to include Julio Lugo-wife beater. If Lugo and his horrible average and $9 million a year contract are acquired for Buerhle, KW should be fired. What if Epstein were more willing to give in to KW's demands of 2 top prospects and a 3rd good prospect if the Sox were willing to take that s*** contract off Theo's hands? Would that still be a fireable offense? Lugo would have negative value from Boston's end.

QUOTE(MurcieOne @ Jul 8, 2007 -> 02:34 PM) Koyie Hill..... 155 batting average. Robinson Cano is struggling this year in NY, how bad do the Yankers want Buehrle? Robinson Cano is not a very good baseball player.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Jul 8, 2007 -> 11:50 AM) Well Kalapse, how about the last caller the cub fan. He suggested that Buerhle can be had for a lesser package, and that the sox are irrelevant so why dont they trade Buerhle to the cubs. When asked what would the package be for. The moron stated, well I dont know, it wouldnt have to be much. But the cubs have one of the most vast systems in baseball???? Cubs fans seem quite interested in Buehrle, there was a caller earlier in the show offering up Sean Marshall, Jaque Jones and Sean Gallagher.

At times, I just hate Sox fans. I'm listening to this AWFUL show on the Score where Offman is having a fantasy GM segment where retarded callers pitch their ridiculous trade proposals. My 2 favorite: Uribe, Crede and Vazquez for Ichiro and Luis Castillo and Jon Garland for Chone Figgins (caller: "I'm not sure the Angels would do it") honorable mention goes to the most menial of them all: Iguchi and Hall for Miguel Olivo (apparently the Marlins need a 2B)

QUOTE(elrockinMT @ Jul 8, 2007 -> 10:28 AM) I agree it can be done and from what I have seen of our minor league players I think it should be done. If KW is really serious about developing the Sox as a winning ballclub, he needs to resign Crede along with the no-brainer of extending Buerhle and then look at Fields in LF. People want to say negative things about Carlos Lee being moved to LF, but any scholar of the game will tell you that Lee worked hard to make himself into a pretty decent LF'er. The move was anything but a failure. Moving Fields to LF is a good idea and has a lot of merit, if it is part of a real plan for the Sox to build a winning team. You would actually be willing to give Joe Crede $25M+ in guaranteed money right now?

QUOTE(TheHolyBovine @ Jul 7, 2007 -> 08:25 PM) His peripherals are garbage, unlike MB. His decline will be steep and unforgiving as he ages. Their peripherals are almost identical. 3-31-05 - 6-27-07 GS IP H ER HR BB K HBP ERA WHIP K/9 BB/9 HR/9 K/BB PITCHER A 79 533.6 568 230 69 105 307 13 3.88 1.26 5.2 1.8 1.16 2.92 PITCHER B 79 536.6 551 231 59 117 273 17 3.87 1.24 4.6 2.0 0.99 2.33

QUOTE(TheHolyBovine @ Jul 7, 2007 -> 08:15 PM) That's your opinion. He's a league-average starter...Nothing more. He's put up cumulative numbers almost identical to those of Mark Buehrle since the start of the 2005 season.