AddisonStSox

QUOTE(JimH @ Mar 14, 2006 -> 09:34 PM) I guess my flippant answer would be, until we win another World Series. A serious answer is, they know one anothers systems really well, they have a good working relationship, they are not rivals, so the Dbacks are a good trading partner. Dbacks have some fringe guys who can fit. I love to listen to Farmer and Harrelson talk up guys on other teams and speculate. It happened today with this Terrero guy and also with Vizcaino. The Sox would love to have Vizcaino back. Unorthodox? Yes. But then again KW is somewhat unorthodox in his methods. If there's one guy in a Diamondbacks uniform I could ever seen on this team in 2006, it's Orlando El Duque Hernandez in a deadline acquisition. Hawk has never failed us in the booth with his timely praise of opposition talent or untimely criticism of our own players in the past. He may be showing his hand once more.

TQ, if there's one thing I'm interested in at Arizona, it's Borchard's approach at the dish. Let us know if you see him doing anything, anything at all, differently that shows he might be able to put it all together. Because, when push comes to shove, it looks like either Gload or Borchard are going to be on a bus elsewhere and I want to know which of the two would serve this team better.

QUOTE(JimH @ Mar 14, 2006 -> 09:30 PM) What is the harm with auditioning Nomo, he may have zero left, let's find out. He is a veteran guy who is apparantly healthy, no harm no foul on this one. That's where I'm at. Even if the guy was signed as a Charlotte roster-filler, we have a need in the bullpen and should exhaust every internal option before trading more talent to acquire a single bullpen arm.

QUOTE(JimH @ Mar 14, 2006 -> 09:28 PM) I'm expecting yet another deal with the Diamondbacks. How many times can we keep going back to the well there?

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 14, 2006 -> 09:26 PM) Daric Barton. To expand, I think he went over in the Mulder deal and is projected to be the perfect "moneyballer." That said, Gload seems pretty damn moneyball to me as well.

QUOTE(shawnhillegas @ Mar 14, 2006 -> 05:55 PM) mccarthy's inconsistency is making that vazquez trade look better and better every day Right on.

I'm just going to throw a name out there that hasn't been brough up since he was signed. Nomo. That's really about all I got on that. If that cat can consistently get some major league talent out in camp over the next few weeks, I'd have no problem carrying him until something better presents itself--in either a healthy Dustin Hermanson or some unforeseen situation.

For those of you watching the WBC intently, it'd be greatly appreciated if you could give as many updates on our roster-players as possible.

Please tell me we're talking about carrying Boone Logan. I mean, please. We're really going to consider this? Really? Don't tell me Boone Logan is the best option we have. I just don't even want to hear it.

QUOTE(mr_genius @ Mar 14, 2006 -> 06:14 PM) that or maybe Mario Williams. i guess he's supposed to be one of the best players DE's coming into the NFL draft in quite a while. Well, he certainly appears to be the most polished prospect since Julius Peppers. If I were the Saints, I would try the move down as best I could. If they are able to slide down a few spots, draft Ferguson, and make some wise selections in the second and third round, they will have themselves a nice little off-season and will definitely have something to work with in 2006. Aaron Brooks will either be cut or traded, there's a new coach in town, and they will have their first real quarterback since Archie Manning. I've been going over the books for a little while now, and, I just don't know if anyone will be willing to jump up to the two slot. There is a lot of talent to be had and if the Saints stay put, that pretty much means both Leinart and Young we be available later than anticipated. If I had to guess right here, right now: Leinart to the Titans and his buddy Norm Chow, Cutler taken far too high by the Jets, and Young falls to the Raiders with the seventh overall selection--no later than 9 to the Lions.

Wes Obermueller. If he becomes available...Wes Obermueller. Him, along with Josh Fogg, have been two names I've been tracking since the start of the off-season.

Now, we're talking. Now, we're getting to the names I've been hoping would become available. If you really want to make the big splash, you bring one of these two players in. Per roto:

You guys do realize this has been the best thread on Soxtalk over the past two months, don't you? Bar none.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Mar 13, 2006 -> 09:29 PM) He should stop wasting his time looking internally. There is nothing there that can help in 2006. I am still trying to figure out the Munoz outrighting. Even gutless, he is just as good or better than the other dopes they throw out there. Don't you get the feeling if you're not in with our skipper, you don't stand a snowball's chance in hell of being a guy he'll go to in crunch time? Ozzie is a pretty ballsy cat. If you're not on board with what he's trying to do and the tight ship he likes to run, you probably don't stand a good chance of not just being on the team, but, getting any confidence from the manager during the season. It seemed like Ozzie just ate Marte--a guy rumored to have a very easy-goin, carefree, sheepish attitude--up and I'm betting Munoz was a similar situation.

QUOTE(JimH @ Mar 13, 2006 -> 09:27 PM) Just speculating on his mindset. It's very fair conjecturing. I think a similar speculation can be made for Mike Myers. Like it or not, Bruce Levine was reporting the White Sox were having contract talks with Mike Myers around the meetings and we were even thought to be the favorites at one point. But, after he signed with the Yankees, you couldn't help but feel that is where he wanted to be. I'm sure Kenny knew the $1.5M wasn't going to break the bank. If these guys have somewhere or something specific in mind, it can throw a wrench into some otherwise sound plans.

QUOTE(quickman @ Mar 13, 2006 -> 09:16 PM) Addy we could have gotten a reliever in free agency. If need be Couldn't mcarthy have been sent back to the minors and kept as a starter there? For a few million more we could have gotten a reliever. In addition, and I am not saying this is a great answer but its better than what we have, fogg was available for practically nothing. I think he signed for a half mill. Offer him 750 and we have an insurance policy. there were a ton of guys like that out there. KW has done a great job planning for injury by picking up great backups for the positions on the field. He knows our farm sucks with pitching therefore you better have very solid 1-11 cause if one goes down we are dead. That is now starting. Two names come to mind: Mike Myers, Josh Fogg. Jim, I don't know if you remember this, but, I was calling for Fogg before the Vazquez acquisition. I felt that El Duque being traded was a near lock and McCarthy was ready to fill that final spot in the starting rotation. Fogg, then, would have been used as a spot-starter if/when someone hits the shelf and a long-man if 1-5 are healthy. In the grand scheme of things, the $1.5M Myers signed for and the peanuts Fogg signed for wouldn't have made a dent in the payroll, but, again, I'm still having a hard time believing Kenny got caught with his pants down. Believe it or not, I think wonder-boy Jeff Bajenaru was viewed as a guy that could fill in if someone like Fogg or McCarthy needed to occupy a starting spot, but, when the opportunity to acquire a near everyday player the callibur of Cintron became available, he had to jump on it. Luckily, there is still some time left to make things right. I'm sure Hermanson will be seeing team doctors in the coming days and as more information comes out on his injury, they will put some type of plan into motion. All I'm saying is don't rob Peter to pay Paul. If you want to trade a valuable prospect for some reliever of significant value, that's fine. But, don't trade someone that can help the organization in the next two to three years because the final bullpen spot is up in the air. If healthy, Hermanson can make it happen. Your point on acquiring these players via free agency, however, is not lost.

QUOTE(quickman @ Mar 13, 2006 -> 08:51 PM) Right addy they are in a bind because KW didn't address this with free agency. For a few million more we could have locked this up. Everyone knew Hermy was far from reliable yet we rolled the dice. So, now the dice will continue to be rolled. He either parts with a decent prospect now or waits for salary dumps in july and prays we are still in it. troublesome decision. Because to get someone good in july he still has to part with a decent prospect. i think he gets somebody now. he will hope and pray borchard catches on. he still has some value. glaod makes a good back up for somebody out there, but those guys won't bring more than a live body. He will wait a week until more cuts are made, then try to grab somebody. I mean, how many moves is the GM of a championship-callibur club supposed to make the year following a World Series title? Luis Vizcaino swapped out for Brandon McCarthy--Check. No loss there. In fact, it could probably be argued that that's an improvement. Damaso Marte swapped out for ?--This is a problem. Now, I'm not going to crucify KW because the Marte situation was different. With Marte, he had a guy that could no longer co-exist with our team's manager. Anytime you have that situation, the trade partner is in the cat-bird's seat. Yet, he was able to swing him for one of the better utility players in baseball--a very decent trade to say the least. Dustin Hermanson swapped out for?--This, too, is a problem. If we, the fanbase, knew Hermanson's back was an issue, I would imagine the White Sox would be privy to far more information than we could ever imagine. I can't really defend the guy here, but, when you say Hermanson for a two-year contract, he ends up being your closer for the majority of the year, and still has the "stuff" to be effective, that seems to be a calculated risk. You can't fill every roster spot with an all-star. So, without trading one of our most valuable minor-league trading chips--because, let's be honest, that's all they are anyway --how would we obtain the quality bullpen arm to fill the void left by Hermanson's injury? We could agree that trading any of the big-leaguers would be robbing Peter to pay Paul, yes? So, while I see where you're coming from, I really have a hard time nailing Kenny on this one. Hell, it was his maverick moves last off-season that put this team in the position to win the division...and we all saw what happened after that. Yes, in hindsight, it looks like something should have been done to fortify the bullpen and, seeing how this team is built to win now, this would have been the year to do it. But, it wasn't. Now, what I'm saying is I think it was a calculated risk. You certainly can't fill every spot with an all-star and if Kenny felt an injured Hermanson would be able to stagger through the season, contributing what he could along the way, while relying on guys like Cotts--a former farmhand, by the way --and Politte to carry the majority of the load, I think that was a decision he was well aware of. I don't think he got caught with his pants down. Hindsight is always 20-20.

QUOTE(quickman @ Mar 13, 2006 -> 08:32 PM) no but most people on the board love our farm. I just thought we would have one of our great farm hands to jump right in. You know the great arnie Munoz or someone like that. You know the blue chipper who was suppose to be in our bullpen by now. Damn there has to be someone ready down there,don't you think? Or maybe they all suck, yea thats it. they all suck. Alright, well, then let's go from there. We have a farm full of worthless roster-fillers. We have half a dozen worthwhile prospects that project to big league success. Now, let's pause here to remember even the Yankess of the mid-late 90's had their share of home-grown talent. In order to succeed in this league, as I'm sure you know, you have to develop your own young, cheap talent to plug in. So, at this juncture, we can do one of two things. We can, first, stand pat and see if one of these young arms are able to contribute. Or, we can trade one or more of our worthwhile prospects--of which we have no more than five or six, mind you--for the final pieces of the 2006 MLB roster, which, appear to be bullpen help. After having seen the importance of the bullpen last year, will the White Sox find a willing partner to trade bullpen help of any real, significant value? Will this player(s) be any more consistent or trustworthy than an oft-injured Hermanson or a Sox farmhand. I just don't think I quite understand what it is the Sox should be doing right now.

QUOTE(quickman @ Mar 13, 2006 -> 08:25 PM) we don't really need to trade for a reliever do we? I thought we had a great farm system of talent. Well you guys know better than I do. Wait, now, did anyone in here actually suggest we can fill this void from within the system? I haven't seen that suggested yet. I understand the cynicism towards the prospects, but, without trading a valuable chip at this point, I can't imagine landing anyone of value. That ship has sailed.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 13, 2006 -> 08:19 PM) Yes, but if they wanted Borchard for example they would still have to trade for him because the Royals will almost surely claim him off waivers. Naturally. Just wanted to make sure.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 13, 2006 -> 08:16 PM) C'mon Borchie, keep hitting those dingers so KW can trade you for a decent reliever! If the rest of the league is aware that both Borchard and Gload have no more minor league options left, wouldn't that hurt their stock in the extreme? Either one or both of them would have to go through waivers. Am I missing something?

QUOTE(Timoperezrulez @ Mar 13, 2006 -> 07:15 PM) Danny Graves, Scott Williamson are his main targets from other teams. Graves plays for an interdivision team. Williamson wants to be traded to a destination in which he would have the opportunity to close.

QUOTE(quickman @ Mar 13, 2006 -> 03:14 PM) you know me way too well. i hate prospects. What's frightening is, I think it is already rubbing off on me at such a young age. A prospect-cynic this early in the game? I have to be ahead of the curve.

QUOTE(ottawa_sox @ Mar 13, 2006 -> 05:16 PM) This guy has got to be opening some eyes - what pitches does he feature? If Hermy can't help, the door has to be open for the improbable - a young unknown stepping up. Yes....but, a little too young. Hats off to the kid for putting together an eye-opening spring. I don't know if this kid projected to be anything before this spring, but, I promise you he'll be a guy they'll start tracking a little more closely.

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Mar 13, 2006 -> 08:59 AM) I think Chaney has 24 seasons worth of sleep to catch up on. /had me actually laughing out loud. Thanks K, I needed that this morning.