sircaffey

I'll take a flier on Golson, but I wouldn't take him as a main piece to a trade. He's got some major issues. I would take Carlos Carrasco though. He's just about major league ready. In fact, if the Sox traded with the Phillies and he wasn't part of the trade, I would be very surprised.

Michael Young - 27th ranked SS in plus/minus (-7) Nate McLouth - 35th ranked CF in enhanced plus/minus with a lovely number of -40

The question is not whether Javier Vazquez fits on the Orioles current roster, it's whether he fits in their plans. And the answer to that question is most likely no.

I really don't think Cano is "poor" defensively. He's average at worst, imo. He's a better version of Jose Valentin in that he struggles at times with the routine plays but because he has great range, he makes plays a lot of guys can't. I really don't know why the Yanks would want to replace him with Hudson.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Nov 6, 2008 -> 12:03 PM) Kelly Johnson is a solid player, but I don't think he's someone we need to really try hard to get. He's a guy who will get on at about a .350 clip, but he also strikes out too much for my liking. I'd rather stick with Getz then go with Johnson to be honest. That and Johnson defensively, is, well, bad. If there's anyone from the Braves I'd want, it's Escobar, but I'm not sure how possible that is.

Michael Young is almost as bad as Jeter. This is pathetic.

He needs to spend more time in Illinois and less in Texas.

The Dodgers must not think Penny is 100%.

John Dewan is also a Sox fan, so even his loyalties didn't get in the way on this one.

First off, being the worst RF isn't like being the worst LF. Pretty much all starting RF are at least average or slightly below average defensively. If they moved over to LF, any one of them would be in the top 10 defensively for LF. Looking around the majors at the starting RF, I can see Dye being the worst.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Nov 4, 2008 -> 05:32 PM) ugh, hes an amazing hitter. He had a below avg year for him and still hit .300 with a .363 OBP. He's a top of the order guy, his slg doesnt mean much, so OPS is next to useless. Even so, his career avg OPS is .845 which is pretty damn nice. Huh? OPS is not useless no matter where you hit in the order. Run production is run production. Jeter's a good hitter, but he's definitely declining.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 3, 2008 -> 05:02 PM) No juicers please. Oh please. I would love Glaus on this team. Love it.

Hardy would be ideal. IF somehow we were able to get both Weeks and Hardy from the Brewers, our offseason could be near complete with that. With Hardy at SS and Alexei at 2B, our range up the middle would be some of the best. Also on Weeks, the man has had 2 fantastic second halves the past 2 seasons. One of these years, he's going to put 2 halves together to the tune of .280-25-75-30 w/ an .850 OPS. Buy low Kenny.

Besides the bullpen, I really don't see anyone on the Rays that went crazy last season. Kazmir was a disappointment. Upton and Crawford both took big steps back from 2007. Pena took a huge step back from his 2007 season (not unexpected, but shows that he didn't really "overachieve"). I don't think it's so wrong to say that they could have been better. As strange as that sounds, but 4 of their best players regressed pretty significantly in 2008. In fact, compared with 2007, more of their regulars were worse than better. Not shown in the stats is the fact that they have some of the best infield defense in years. Longoria, Bartlett, and Iwamura are all GG caliber. Pena pretty good himself. And with Crawford and Upton in the OF, the Rays have to be the best defensive team in MLB, imo.

Unlike previous "young" World Series teams, the Rays have an incredible rotation. That's not going anywhere, and in fact, it will get better. The Rays will also have some extra revenue to spend if they so choose (how much they spend remains to be seen). They may choose to get the RH hitting RF that they were looking for at the deadline, or they'll upgrade the bullpen. This is a smart organization with the best farm system in baseball even with Price up. They're not going anywhere.

At least now, if we skim or strike out on either CF or 2B, we know we will have dynamite defense at either position in Anderson or Nix. That's a plus.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 28, 2008 -> 10:43 PM) I think his production is much more valuable lower in the order. I have no problem with guys that get on at a .330 or .340 clip that hit for damn good power, ala Reyes or Rollins, but Alexei hasn't even shown that amount of patience at the plate. To me, he's a good #2 or #6 hitter, and I really don't think I'd put him anywhere else. That and he hasn't shown the ability to be a real threat on the basepaths. He's much more valuable down in the 6-7 spot.

In 2007, Sky Sox coach Carney Lansford called Nix's defense the "best I've ever seen at second base, hands down."

QUOTE (BearSox @ Oct 26, 2008 -> 08:33 AM) How about Fields, Swisher, and Poreda for Matt Cain? Yes please. Sure his flyball ratio was high last season, but it was much lower the season before. And besides, pitchers are not robots. They do not pitch the same way in every stadium. Cain would not fail at US Cellular Field. He just turned 24 a few weeks ago and is a legit ace in the making.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 25, 2008 -> 06:12 PM) .265 is pretty unreasonable seeing as how he's hit .260 just once in his career I wouldn't say unreasonable. He is entering his "prime" and spent his career hitting in Oakland. I definitely could see Nick hitting .265 or close to it. I really think last year was just one of those outlying years, and Nick gets back to where his performance trends were going before the trade (up).

No

We'll be linked to nearly every "available" 3B, so get used to it.

QUOTE (Disco72 @ Oct 24, 2008 -> 06:20 PM) I disagree with your value of Vazquez. Last year, the Sox traded a middle of the road starter for an all-star shortstop. It's obviously not a perfect comparison, but I think Vaz has a pretty good value. If he was a FA, he'd be getting a 5-6 year contract for at least what he's making now. Hardy is a much better player than Orlando. Not to mention much cheaper, younger, and signed for multiple seasons. I'm not saying Vazquez has no value, he has good value, but if I was the Brewers, there's no chance I'm dealing Hardy for him.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Oct 24, 2008 -> 12:16 PM) You also have to consider that the Brewers will be staring at a huge void in their rotation after CC and Sheets hit the market. With not too many options available. Javy is signed, and even though we all see his complete crappiness, he has ability. The brewers may bite out of necessity Javier Vazquez is not capable of filling CC/Sheets' void. If the Brewers think that he does, good luck. Good for us. You've got to get long-lasting quality for a young all-star SS. That's the direction I see the Brewers going. I don't see them making a rash move just fill a rotation spot. Getting 2-3 quality pitching prospects for Hardy could ultimately allow them to keep Prince long-term. Considering their system is lacking quality pitching prospects badly, I think it's the right move.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Oct 24, 2008 -> 08:09 AM) Javy is a pretty good fit for them actually. Personally, I don't see the Brewers trading Hardy for Vazquez. I just can't see Vazquez returning a solid starter, especially a SS. The demand for Hardy would be high.