NorthSideSox72

QUOTE(kwolf68 @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 10:50 AM) We aren't even getting players we are linked with. Although I appreciate your willingness to stick with it. That works both ways. Sometimes players sign with teams that were not on the radar, and sometimes frontrunners lose out. There are just so many rumors, that until something definitive comes out, I think its kind of silly to say "Fukudome is out" because of some tidbit about "frontrunners".

QUOTE(hitlesswonder @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 10:50 AM) His offer from the Cubs righht now is supposedly over $40M for 4 years. I doubt the Sox will top that. Why do you doubt that? They've already offered significantly more to 2 other outfielders.

QUOTE(fathom @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 11:04 AM) The Cubs are going to might sign Fukudome!

Fukudome might be a better choice at less money, but if that doesn't happen, Rowand is a solid 2nd choice. Or 3rd I guess, including Hunter. Either way, I think that means they should consider sending Konerko off, getting the best possible SP in return (Bedard would be great, but may not be possible). You can then move Crede or Fields to 1B for 2008, or try to acquire a 1B. Do those two things, and the team looks pretty good. Not as talented as DET or CLE, but a big improvement over last year.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 10:44 AM) He's reportedly narrowed his list to the Cubs and Royals. You mean that article that came out the same time as another one saying he's looking at a Pads offer? And right after another article saying the Cubs were looking elsewhere? I don't consider anything like that to be a done deal or even close. He's not off the table until he's off the table.

QUOTE(kwolf68 @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 10:37 AM) Good point...Ehren Wasserman was a vastly superior pitcher to both Nick massett and Dave Aardsma last year and throws about 5 miles less than Massett and close to 10 miles per hour less than Aardsam. Wasserman's trick? He could actually get people out. I do hope Ehren's in the mix in 2008. I think he's got the stuff to be pretty good, and he's cheap and thrives on pressure. Him and Logan make a pretty impressive ROOGY/LOOGY beast.

QUOTE(kwolf68 @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 10:25 AM) Fukodome is out. Did someone sign him and I missed it?

QUOTE(rockren @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 10:38 AM) No thanks. What would you rather see them do? Not trying to be obnoxious, I'm just curious. What is your preference of those players available for CF at this point?

Seems to me, smoke clearing from the Cabrera mess, the Sox still have 2 major needs: --CF --SP Candidates for CF that are available (trade or sign) and seem to be good fits - Fukudome, Hamilton, DeJesus Candidates for SP are too many to list, depending on what the Sox can trade off value-wise. But Konerko has a lot of value, and if you can move him and get a starting pitcher and maybe some decent prospects in return, you can have Crede or Fields play 1B for a year, and have a lineup like this: Fukudome, CF Cabrera, SS Thome, DH Dye, RF Fields, 3B/1B Crede, 1B/1B Pierzynski, C Quentin, LF Richar, 2B That's really not a bad lineup - far better than most of 2007's lineups. And if the SP picked up is pretty good, the starting rotation is not bad either. So... what team would want Konerko that has a decent SP to trade? Orioles with Bedard perhaps?

From ESPN... 9:52 p.m., from Jerry Crasnick • The Cubs don't have much hope of prying loose center fielder Josh Hamilton from Cincinnati. The Reds are willing to trade Hamilton, but they would prefer not to deal him to another club in the National League Central. Any chance the Sox take a shot at Hamilton for CF?

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Dec 4, 2007 -> 11:52 PM) Im going to make a thread: Did Kenny Williams miss the bus? Twice? Get on the bus, Gus.

QUOTE(fathom @ Dec 4, 2007 -> 11:47 PM) With KW making the decision that Fields won't play LF during winter ball, and that his future is only at 3b, it's really disappointing that KW didn't have a better plan for Crede. At this point, we'd be better off to let Crede play 3b, and put Fields in LF. Disagree. If the Sox land a solid CF, Quentin plays LF, and its best to have Fields at his real position of 3B and trade Crede (who won't be re-signed anyway). Crede is still my fave Sox player, but reality intrudes here. Crede should go. UNLESS the Sox simply cannot land a decent CF, then obviously you'd be right, it would be better to have Fields in left and Crede at 3B. Let's hope Kenny finds a center fielder a lot better than Owens (and Crisp doesn't count in that category).

Do we really need 10 different threads to ask the same question?

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Dec 4, 2007 -> 06:07 PM) I would -- ESPN just said it's a done deal to be officially announced later tonight. Then that's different than Roto's periodic updates, isn't it?

I love Ozzie.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Dec 4, 2007 -> 06:02 PM) I'm not saying he made it up -- but a plant works fine. And if it's true that the Tigers have Cabrera almost, then that seems like what it is. I wouldn't put any more, or less, credence in the Detroit bit than this one.

QUOTE(fathom @ Dec 4, 2007 -> 05:59 PM) He's the Marlins beat writer, so this isn't some random blogger. My point exactly. He has a job at stake.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Dec 4, 2007 -> 05:56 PM) Yeah, that report can't possibly be true. Poorly written and the return sounds like crap. That would baffle me as to why the Marlins would accept that unless everyone else flatly refused. Deal may not work out, but I doubt the story is not "true". This isn't speculation - he reported something. If he just made it up, he'd be out of a job pretty quick.

QUOTE(fathom @ Dec 4, 2007 -> 05:52 PM) Cabrera would play LF. If we did this, we'd probably just play Crede at 3b this year, and then let him leave after next season. Remember, if we did this, it's not like Cabrera would blow the budget THIS season. There'd still be money around to possibly acquire a starting pitcher. I disagree. They'd trade Crede, Cabrera at 3B and Quentin in LF.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Dec 4, 2007 -> 05:49 PM) That is the plan Williams needs to have. The staff isn't going to be a quick fix, so if you want to win this season, you better mash. I wouldn't mind a season of mashing, and with a few youngsters in the starting staff getting some exposure in 2008. The Sox farm system doesn't have a lot to offer, but there are a few decent starter prospects on the verge - lets get 'em in there.

QUOTE(bigruss22 @ Dec 4, 2007 -> 05:42 PM) I wonder how legit that article is. First he marks that Danks and Floyd are close in value, not directly but he says "and" one of them. Second, he misspells Gio with "Geo" and third, he calls Danks a right hander. Nothing huge with the last two, but makes me wonder how much knowledge this guy has of the SOx players, esp. if he think that Danks=Floyd, I mean c'mon, thats ridiculous. I noticed those too, but I'd guess more than anything its this writer trying to be the guy who breaks the story first. Quick, sloppy copy.

I'm trying really hard not to get psyched about this.

QUOTE(quickman @ Dec 4, 2007 -> 04:13 PM) I think his entire plan revolved around hunter. Call me the idiot. Now, if you make that person your primary goal in the offseason, you need an idea of what others will pay. I am not saying they should have paid him, which they didn't, I am saying that he needs to understand the worth and teams involved prior to making that your goal. I think he mis calculated. I also think he stepped out and said they are going for it this year. They don't have the guns to do so. He is down ...maybe not out, but certainly wounded from the hunter deal. Now he is scrambling. In addition the Uribe signing was a huge mistake and going for it with danks and floyd really tells me they are not going for anything at all. We know the type of staff it takes to win this thing, next years staff is not the staff. We will just disagree. I don't think up to this point KW is doing a very good job. I will leave it at that. OK. I just see no evidence that KW's "entire plan" revolved around Hunter. Linebrink and Cabrera have zero to do with Hunter. The releases of various outfielders have only remote connection to Hunter. There is just no reason to believe that any GM would do into an offseason with a 72 win team and just one plan around one player to "fix" it.

QUOTE(quickman @ Dec 4, 2007 -> 03:58 PM) Hunter was hte number one target, I have no idea what his back up was but it appeared or at least in the press they indicated they talked to rowand before hunter. therefore he is stuck. So yes in a way, he needed to be better prepared if he lost. H8unter was the orignal target, step up or don't target at all. it appears he mis judged his worth or the players involved. Its his job! not ours. This logic is making me dizzy. You say "Hunter was the original target, step up or don't target at all" - are you saying he should have paid ANYTHING to get him? And has it occurred to you that Hunter was going to leap at the LAA offer without asking Kenny again, making it impossible to get him even if he wanted to? You have no idea what his backup, therefore he doesn't have one? He's enquired on numerous players - he obviously has backup plans. Why is he "stuck"? do you know about conversations we don't? And what about his actions makes you think he misjudged the worth of Hunter or others "involved"? There were similar offers on the table from Texas and another team, then LAA comes in and blows them all out of the water. Does that make LAA great geniuses, and KW an idiot?

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 4, 2007 -> 03:32 PM) So I had filed this one away under crazy conspiracy theories, but now the way things have turned out, I wonder if there was something going on behind closed doors. A couple of months ago I read somewhere that the US was offering to work a deal with Iran on their nuclear program if they would leave Iraq alone. So at the exact time the surge starts, violence drops 80-90% according to most accounts. Then today a report comes out that the US now recognizes that Iran quit work on a nuclear weapons program in 2003. So Bush gets his victory in Iraq, Ahmendinijad gets his victory over the great Satan, and neither one of them has to fight a war against each other. Was the theory so crazy after all? I am beginning to wonder. I'll throw a log on this fire... Had a good talk over the weekend with a guy who reports from Iraq for a major newspaper. He's recognized as a top journalist in that theatre. He saw the sudden drop in Iraq violence as attributable to a sort of perfect storm of positive changes, the biggest of which were: 1. The decision by Sunni insurgent leaders to break from Al Qaeda and stop supporting them. This actually caused a small amount of new violence between the groups, but a dramatic drop in overall violence because they stopped supported AQ missions and vice versa. 2. The further decision by those same Sunnis to "give peace a chance", more importantly, give the Iraqi central government a chance to involve them in decision-making. 3. The surge tactical change of putting patrol units out into the thick of communities, instead of inside large bases. This put US and Iraqi troops in better contact with the locals - think community policing, but in a military context. The number of troops wasn't as important as the change in methods. 4. There was a major war going on between the multiple Shia groups, as well as between Shia and Sunni of course. But the Shia leaders of the two major sects have now made friends, for the time being. Further, they are acting together to do pretty much the same thing the Sunni warlords are doing - trying to reach out to the political process. Now, that 4th one is interesting in the context of Iran, because the Al Sadr army (or is it the Mahdi? I don't recall, its one of them) is highly connected with Iran. They sudden decision to make peace may have been triggered by Iran's change of heart. Seems like some pieces of the puzzle are finally coming together, and that may be due to the US and Iran's various efforts at diplomacy (a novel idea for Bush and Ahmedinajad). BUT, in order for this to stick, the Sunni and Shia leaders need to see real progress from the Iraqi central government in making inroads on many issues. If that doesn't happen, this lull could disappear as quickly as it appeared. I hope the US and the Iraqis see that and seize the moment. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that is happening yet. Let's all hope that changes.