Rex Hudler

HSC, the Marlins came out this afternoon and declared that Mike Lowell will not be traded and will end the season in Florida. Yes, things can change, but by that statement, I would see it fair to believe that any potential deal with the Sox is no more. There would be NO reason for the Marling GM to make statements like that today, if he was talking to teams about dealing him soon.

Everertt and Sosa are 2 totaly diffrent situations. Everertt was actualy playing like an All Star this season. Sosa hasn't Like an All-Star?? You mean Everett's .198 average since May 27th? I said this season, meaning sometime this season. For less than 2 months, he played like an all-star. In the tank, since.

Everertt and Sosa are 2 totaly diffrent situations. Everertt was actualy playing like an All Star this season. Sosa hasn't Like an All-Star?? You mean Everett's .198 average since May 27th?

Why would you bash Gammons on that?? It is widely known that the Ortiz deal was all but done until the Braves added Damian Moss to the mix.

Stud? You mean as in the .211 he hit for the month of June? Did I mention 19 strikeouts in June as well??

.211 for the month of June....

Not to take anything from Royce Ring, but he is a future setup guy. I don't see him being a closer in the Big Leagues.

PLEASE don't make that trade.

Manuel was quoted that KW was going to get him another bat. I understood that to mean someone in addition to Alomar. Have my doubts we will see Singleton again.

Jim, just to fuel your fire, the Sox have now traded a total of 91 saves in Birmingham from the past 2 1/2 years. LOL

Valentine's numbers have worsened due to a tough stretch in the past 2 weeks or so. Yes, there is a difference between the PCL and the Hoover Met, but I think his numbers will come down from there. He is more likely a future setup guy as well, with the possibility of becoming a closer after he gets his feet wet in the bigs.

Jim, I think you are overthinking this a bit. Ring, while a 1st Round pick who has had success early on, is also a lefty that only throws 87-88 mph and isn't likely a future Major League closer. My guess is that he ends up being a solid lefty setup guy. I stated my reasons for thinking this was a good trade in another thread so I won't rehash it here, but I definitely think losing Ring was better than losing Cotts, Honel or even Ryan Wing.

MSF, I wouldn't worry too much about losing the compensatory draft picks. I don't see them doing much at all with the draft right now, especially since it is in "committee" status. I think if any changes are made, then clubs would know about it a year in advance so no one feels like they had the rug pulled out from under them.

Jim, I gotta disagree with you on this one. Even if Alomar isn't all we hope he will be, I think it is a good move. Alomar is an instant upgrade on defense at at the top of the order. Even if he only hit .270 as long as he walked some and did the little things like sacrificing and moving runners and stealing a few bases, I think he will have a positive effect on this time. Is he the one big missing piece? Probably not. But if the Sox can improve themselves, I think the missing pieces are within themselves and no overhaul is needed. You're getting a guy who has gotten lost in the hell hole of the NY Mets the last two years and reuiniting him with his brother and thrusting him right into a playoff race. AND not having to pay him. To me it is a move you have to make and it is a no brainer. I don't think he has to hit .320 and play like an all-star to make a contribution here.

Yes, but you could see a whole domino effect of moves. Moving a position player down to replace a pitcher works sometimes, but most of the time it does not. With Wunsch about to rehab, I there may be a delay in some of the moves, but my guess is you will see a couple and the Sox are trying to determine right now what those will be.

Cerb, help me out here. I am pretty good on waiver/options rules, but I am little iffy in this particular instance. Is it not possible for Konerko to have options left? Each player has three options. When, if these options are not used do they expire? Taking an extreme case here, let's look at a guy like Mark Prior who has never had an option exercised. What if, two years from now, the Cubs wanted to send him down to AAA? What if it were 5 years from now? 10 years? See where I am coming from? This all may be a moot point because Paulie could have had no options left anyway, but I am searching for knowledge here.

Somebody not only has to get squeezed out of the lineup, but also out of the roster. Somebody has to be released, traded or sent to AAA. No 40-man implications since Almonte was on it. We may have even been one short anyway.

Just because someone wants Cotts, doesn't mean they will get him. The Alomar deal could have been a matter of trading an extra player (Almonte) along with a substitute for the original player they asked for (Ring). A we'll give you this guy AND another guy instead of THAT guy kind of thing.

Hate to lose Ring, but better Ring than Cotts.

HELL NO, not Cotts for Weaver

I just checked that out. Funny thing is, the Mets beat writer Adam Rubin who wrote the story, used to be the Barons beat writer for the Birmingham News.

Where did you get Ring and Almonte from??? What's your source?

If we get Weaver he is our number four and we do not need to worry about signing Colon next year. Wright then solidifies our pen for the remainder of the season and we move Koch if possible. Next year Wright goes back into the rotation without a need for Colon. Weaver as our four or five gives us one of if not the best rotation in baseball. I still don't see it. What has he done besides have a decent half for the Yankees last year and be mediocre for the Tigers to warrant the idea he is any better than what we have??

I think naming Valentin captain would be a GREAT move. The dude is a "gamer". I think it would be a great 'motivational' move by the team. Thomas and Maggs would have no problem at all with it, they lead by performing, and Konerko lost his say and candidacy for now. Jose' is the spark plug and has been since he came here, and he'd jump on anyone, including himself if need be. He'd be able to unite any factions in the clubhouse, and make things fun again. Hell, he might even get Colon to step up! All good, no bad, it's a no brainer. I'm 100% with you on this one, Ncorgbl. I've always loved Jose's approach to the game, his spark, his fire, his will to do whatever it takes to win. Sorry, Ncorgbl, but the idea of Valentin as "Captain" is not a good one. First off, the naming of a captain is window dressing and a title. If the guy isn't leading already, then naming him captain isn't going to make a difference. If he is, then naming him captain is just a title. Guys earn the label captain by earning the other players respect. If he already has it, then nothing will change. An established professional player isn't going to listen to a guy any more just because he has the title. If he respects him, he will already listen to him. None of this talk would exist if the Yankees didn't name Derek Jeter their captain earlier this year. Again, that is nothing more than a title for a guy who already leads. It is akin to making a guy a Senior Vice President when he was just a lowly Vice President before, yet his job responsibilities don't change. Window dressing is not needed. Secondly, even if you think naming a captain IS a good idea, why would you name a guy captain that is not likely to be here next year? Why would you name a guy captain for only 3 months? What message would it send to your team next year if you refuse to pay the "captain" his $5 million option or whatever his situation is? What message would it send if you name a guy captain then ask him to come back next year with a pay cut? The idea is nice on the surface and has lots of warm and fuzzies attached to it, but there is no real merit for it. Nothing would truly be gained by it. The best thing that can happen in the Sox clubhouse is that they keep winning. Winning takes care of most all the little problems and the guys that have earned others respect will lead appropriately, regardless of any fancy title.

--------- and--------- On the negative side, I'm just going to summarize things. He's considered average athletically. He's not athletic enough to be projected as a centerfielder, so the Sox are moving him to to right field. Yet, in right, his arm would not be considered an asset nor a hindrance. All in all, he seems to be a pretty good prospect. They talk about 5 tool player, but they never consider the 6th tool, which in my opinion is the most important. That being the brain, or baseball savvy. See D'Angelo Jiminez for and example of a guy who has tools but lacks that one very crucial element. In a nutshell, that is why I am so optimistic about Aaron Miles. By the way, I hate to be negative, but who the hell is the guy who wrote the article. If he saw Reed play a few times and came up with all of that, then he is either a superscout in disguise or should be working in baseball. I apologize for my pessimism, but where is the credibility in baseballprospectus.com? Are they just fans who study and like the game? What are there backgrounds? What makes them an expert more so than some of the people on here (who albeit knowledgable I do not consider experts, including myself)? I am not doubting Reed's talents at all, but I just wonder how someone can come up with such a thorough evaluation after only having seen the guy a few times?