CWSOX45

I knew it. Ozzie is going to play Willie Harris as much as he can, kinda try and develop him into a Juan Pierre. CWSOX45

Nimrods eh Beastley? Tell me what's your incredible idea to solve our problem at shortstop? Don't say Tejada or Matsui, it isn't happening. CWSOX45

You're not the only one Steve. Oh well. CWSOX45

You're my number one reason for going Killa, I got most of the guys autographs. You're one of the only ones left on my list! CWSOX45

From past experiences I can gurantee you there will be A TON more than that. If you go to Soxfest I gurantee you'll most likely leave happy. (That is if you get all the autographs that you came for!) CWSOX45

CW, I think the ultimate goal of an Ordonez/Soriano trade would be to clear up salary concerns for the short term (2004). However, I hold out little hope of a long term contract for Ordonez unless the FA market hits rock bottom (it seems to be on the way, which is good). Let's hope rock bottom is in the next offseason. ApplingsRevenge Right I understand that, however I think people are getting ahead of themselves just assuming that we are going to dump salary. I know that Kenny has said the payroll will be about the same as last year, but that doesn't mean the only solution is trading Maggs. We do know for sure that someone is going to be traded this off-season, however I feel it would be a grave mistake to trade Maggs when we have guys we're wasting money on like Koch and Konerko. CWSOX45

Okay fine, so I'm the only one. However where has Kenny indicated that he wants to trade Maggs for financial reasons? Am I the only one that thinks it's possible that the Sox sign him to a long term deal? As for saying Soriano's numbers are better, I completely disagree. Soriano: 38 homeruns 91 Rbi's, those are some pretty good power numbers. However only has 38 walks compared to 130 K's. He does however have 35 stolen bases, his average is .290, obp is .338, slg percentage is .525, and ops is .863. Those are not numbers for a lead-off guy, he's probably better off being a clean-up guy. So why trade for him when we already have got that in Maggs? Not only that but Soriano is not a solid defensive second baseman, he committed 19 errors this year at 2B. Maggs: 29 bombs, 99 rbi's. Walked 57 times compared to 73 strikeouts. His average was .317, his obp was .380, slg percentage was .546, and his ops is .892 Maggs has the better numbers, now should we expect more from a guy that is gettng paid 14 million a year? Absolutly. However look at Magglio's career stats, I consider this season a off-season for him. He only had 99 RBI's when in the two previous seasons he drove in over 100 rbi's. (113, 135) Maggs is worth the investment in my opinion. Then there's the argument that Soriano's numbers better because of the amount of money he gets paid, well in the end I think Soriano will end up getting paid A LOT more than Maggs. Even if we trade for Soriano there's no gurantee he'd come back to the Sox when his contract ended. In fact I think the Yankees won't even consider trading him and will lock him up and overpay him. Ordonez has said before that he likes it in Chicago, he's a fan favorite. He is a building block of this team and we need him here. CWSOX45

I think Willie is capable of being a lead-off guy. Hell, he hit .400 down in Charlotte for a period of time. Sure Charlotte is considered a hitters ball park, but not all of Harris's hits were bunt singles. I like Willie Harris, he has incredible speed. He can play multiple positions, and he hustles his ass off whenever he's in the game. He's the type of player Ozzie wants on this team. CWSOX45

Am I the only one that is not on the "Trade Maggs for Soriano and Johnson band wagon?" Magglio is a proven stud in the majors, the previous season was obviously not his best that he has had considering that he only drove in 99 runs. However he was the only guy that hit considerably over .300 on our entire team. Soriano struck out A TON this year. I don't see him helping us batting in the lead-off spot which is what this team desperately needs. As for Nick Johnson, he's had a couple of decent years. However, I don't think he's much better than Konerko. (That is when Konerko is hitting the way he's capable of.) If we are going to pursue a first baseman let's go after a solid defensive player like Scott Spezio. CWSOX45

I agree that Kline would help the Sox, I still have dreams of LaTroy Hawkins pitching in a White Sox uniform.......those dreams unfortunately won't come true. CWSOX45

The chances of us signing Castillo got a little bit higher, than again we didn't even really have a shot of signing Castillo in the first place. One thing is for sure, Ozzie wants to win. He only said it about 40 times at the press conference. CWSOX45 As opposed to what, not wanting to win? I dunno, I think he was kinda redundant. Than again I might just be used to hearing too much of Jerry Manuel. Don't get me wrong, I love Ozzie's passion for the game. I think he will do well here. CWSOX45

There's always a possibility of that. Luis Castillo thinks highly of Ozzie, however I think he'll end up in Yankee pinstripes. One thing is for sure, Ozzie wants to win. He only said it about 40 times at the press conference. CWSOX45

Trade Konerko and Koch! Now! I think Los Angeles might be interested in Konerko, McGriff is a free agent and Konerko is younger and still has a lot upside. I've heard a rumor that the Mets are interested in Billy Koch, if that's the case get what you can from them and trade his ass. CWSOX45 Yeah, plus Konerko has LA Dodger connections...he played catcher for them before being traded in 1997 to the Reds. Who would we trade for Koch though? Isn't it the same GM who brought Kong here, who is now GM at LA or something like that? I believe so, I could be wrong though. Not only that but Konerko was the Dodgers number one draft choice back in 1997. CWSOX45

Trade Konerko and Koch! Now! I think Los Angeles might be interested in Konerko, McGriff is a free agent and Konerko is younger and still has a lot upside. I've heard a rumor that the Mets are interested in Billy Koch, if that's the case get what you can from them and trade his ass. CWSOX45

If Ozzie is our new coach look for him to rely on Cooper to manage the Sox pitching staff. I wouldn't mind Cito or Ozzie, I'm actually leaning towards Ozzie now because he shows a lot more enthusiasm than Gaston does. CWSOX45

Doubtful he makes the Major League roster.... For one, I am not positive the Sox even retain his rights. He signed as a free agent, so he may be one now. I am not sure how that works with older players from foreign leagues. Two, I think 2004 is his make or break year, but I don't see him making it out of ST. Hopefully, he will get a non-roster invite to camp. Yofu has excellent control and changes speeds well. He is said to have 7 different pitches and never seems to throw the same speed twice in a row. He comes at you from different angles as well. He doesn't walk many and keeps hitters off balance. I have heard he lacks aggressiveness and the Sox want him to throw his fastball more often (which I have seen range from 86-93 mph). He is likely best suited as a middle reliever to a setup guy, but he did well both as a starter and as a closer for the Barons, which shows his versatility. He will be 30 to start the season, so his window of opportunity is small. I hope he makes it. From what I could tell, his teammates really liked him and he worked hard to learn both English and Spanish. Thanks Rex, you basically just covered everything I wanted to know. Thanks for the info. CWSOX45

I heard that he has 7 different pitches, I've also been told he's able to locate the majority of them effectively. In 29 games with Birmingham he was 9-8 with a 3.50 e.r.a, he had 114 strikeouts compared to only 37 walks. That's pretty damn good. I'd love to see Tetsu up with the Sox within the next two years. CWSOX45

s***, can someone edit my typo on the title of the thread? CWSOX45

Does anyone think he has a legitimate shot of making our 2004 opening day roster? I heard the guy has a ton of pitches, and has got pretty good stuff. Could someone fill me in on how the guy looked the past season? (Rex.) CWSOX45

Barring extended time on the DL, I think Paulie will produce those kind of numbers next year. Just interested in what makes you think he will. Yes he was an All-star in 2002, but it was for a half a season, and we all know how he has been for the last season and a half. I just dont see anything in his stats that tell me he can, or will hit 33,.285,and 110 RBI's. Hate to break it to all those that follow Bill James blindly, but there is more to baseball than just stats. The players are human. For those of you who do not agree, here are some of the stats that you say do not exist, that indicate he is capable of those kinds of numbers with a big year..... Year Avg. HR RBI 1999 .294 24 81 2000 .298 21 97 2001 .282 32 99 2002 .304 27 104 In July, August and September of 2003, Paulie hit ..279 with 15 HR and 48 RBI. He may not hit the .285 33 110 numbers, but .275-.285 is realistic as is 25-30 HR and 90-100 RBI. That would not even be a huge year for him. I have to agree, his past numbers prove that he is a talented hitter. I actually think that this year was a fluke, and in 2004 Konerko will be a .300 hitter again. However I still think it would be wise to move him in the off-season for some pitching, a shortstop, or some young talented prospects. CWSOX45

Ken Williams is a big fan of Cito, therefore I think Cito Gaston will be the White Sox manager for 2004. CWSOX45

I haven't read any of Gaston's personal comments about managing here, but Ozzie really wants this job...BAD. CWSOX45

I say no to Jeff Weaver. His agent is Scott Boras, he didn't want to come to Chicago when we drafted him so why would he consider coming back now? If the Yankees decide to trade him to us that would make it worse. Weaver b****ed about being in Detroit, he b****ed about being in New York and I gurantee he will b**** about playing for the Sox. We don't need ANYMORE clubhouse cancers, spend some money on Ponson and trade for shortstop. CWSOX45

Can we lock this thread? This has gone on too long. CWSOX45

Im with ya, people say we need the pop in his bat.....do we also need that .237 average? CWSOX45