YASNY

DBAH0, several people have tried to use statistics and logic to convince him that Cabrera was not a good fit for this club, or a bargain. He's got such a hard on for OC that he'll never change his position. Add to the equation that OC is now an Angel, there's really no point in carrying this weeks old debate on.

That's why they'll give him a physical.

IIRC, he sucked when he first came over, then settled down and pitched decently the rest of the way.

I can see Vazquez's side of it. He signed a multiyear deal to play in NY. He didn't want to play in LA. He was able to get the deal cancelled by taking that stance. He could have been forced into accepting, but LA was smart to just back out.

He does have a point in the fact that to keep El Duque healthy, we'll probably have to use him like a number 5 starter. The bad news is that he will probably be our third best pitcher. The good news is that we no longer have that gaping hole at #5. In fact, we can expect to win on those days.

SSI71 .... That was a very good post. However, I am going to address some of your points. Not for the sake of arguement, but for discussion. "Expressing their concern" is indeed a very reasonable and normal thing to do as a fan of a major league baseball team. However, all the constant ranting, raving, b****ing and moaning while dropping vulgarities directed at people, and it's always the same people directing their venom towards the same targets, gets real old, redundant and repulsive. JR has consistently shown a willingness to reinvest the previous years profits into the current team's payroll. Steff has document this on numerous occasions. However, those facts and figures do not back up all the complaints, so the complainers choose to ignore them. Yes, they underbid other teams for Clement. That's the way it goes. Teams place a value on a guy and try and get him for as close to that amount as possible. But, they also place a ceiling on the amount. If KW would have signed Clement and he produced Garlandesque numbers, the same people b****ing about not signing Clement would b**** that "KW was so f***ing stupid and now we have to pay this no talent piece of trash Clement for another 2 years". KW may hold on to the money till July if he thinks the return on his investment may be better serve by doing so. I don't think he's reached that decision yet, based on the El Duque rumors. It appears KW is still out trying to do what he can. No, I want that starting rotation solidified. However, I can see where circumstances could make it in the best interests of the team to hold on to the money and wait. I'm glad you are such a good solid Sox fan. Great to hear that. Personally, I never question one's loyalty to the team though there are definitely some that do. However, there are some that b**** and moan so much that I wonder WHY they are still Sox fans. Stress kills, folks. A silly game is not worth all the anger and resentment.

Why do you think that not one single active major league player has come out of the proverbial closet, ever? The answer is because it would cause clubhouse problems. It's a fact of life.

Most pitchers get into the 5 day routine and are most effective when in that routine. I would stretch El Duque's rest periods and drop him in the slot that sets up the most pitcher's to have exactly 5 days rest, but not let any of them pitch on 4 days rest. Did you follow all that?

AJ was traded by the Twins because of two things .... Mauer and money.

May the deal rest in peace ..... Please. :rolly

Dammit. I was hoping for Luis Tiant.

With Oakland dumping all their pitching, they may be striking while the iron is hot. The Angels are going to be tough, but a couple of key injuries and Seattle might sneak in the back door.

If KW was really interested in AJ he'd backstroke across the Colorado River ... in a blizzard. I mean come on ... The GM's deal with agents. Get real.

I think f***tarded sums it up perfectly.

They are trying to work out a multiyear deal with him.

Get over it. There was no way we were going to pay that much for that guy.

That's VERY possible. But, with him cancelling a workout at the winter meetings and Boras not letting the Sox check him out prior to the arbitration deadline, I think Maggs and Boras were trying to force the Sox hand into offering arbitration. Which would have tied our hands over the offseason. The Sox made the right decision under the circumstances.

Of course, I'd prefer we pick up a quality starter. I believe KW had the intent on picking one up when he made the trade. I didn't think we got enough talent when the deal was announced, but then, I wasn't aware of all the clubhouse problems surrounding Lee. So, that could prove to be addition by subtraction. It's really too early to say if this trade will work out. I don't fault KW for putting himself into postion to make a move if one became available. There's a lot of nuances and behind the scene things possible here, that we are not aware of. So, to answer your question in a nutshell. I'm 100% noncommittal on whether I like this trade or not.

This is from the Palm Beach Post. Milton is not worth this much cash to the Sox, as he'd have a permanent crick in his neck from jerking his head around watching all those bombs leave the Cell. Pay Schoeney $2Million and forget this guy.

Slim pickins.

:headshake

Whatever. I just feel it's totally unrealistic to expect KW to "have the starter locked up" when he had to dump Lee's payroll before he could even make an offer. If he had done it the other way around, the Brewers could have known he HAD to move Lee and could have played real hardball. That might have cost us Vizcaino, or have to settle for something less.

Whatever. I hadn't seen it.

How do you know he didn't have to strike fast? Just because you are not aware of another team having keen interest in these two players, doesn't mean that there wasn't any.

Second baseman Ronnie Belliard agreed to a $3 million, one-year contract with the Indians that avoided salary arbitration.