ScottyDo

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 04:46 PM) It started with Adam Dunn signing with the White Sox. Oh, right, I pretty much think of him as a DH. Point taken, though.

The first base scene has gone in the following order this offseason: AGon to Boston Fielder rumors abound Konerko signs Pena signs Buzz about LaRoche I think someone mentioned that DLee was mentioned at some point outside of this board, but I can't confirm that. There's a descending order to that list, probably because that's how all of baseball sees these players' values. It's not homerism, it's just not.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 04:23 PM) Did you see DLees great 2009?? You're paying more for a lesser player with defense in consideration. If you're fine with an obvious fan bias getting in your way I guess this discussion is lost. I highly doubt it's just White Sox fans that value Konerko over Lee at this point in their careers. In fact, most of my friends are Detroit fans, and I can definitively tell you that supporting this contract is not "obvious fan bias", it's rational thought around the country. Not that favoring DLee is irrational, but saying that supporting this contract is homerism is just incorrect.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 02:37 PM) Yep. And I would have said go play in Baltimore. He expressed no interest in Baltimore and even his agent told them that. It was never a realistic option. I thought your point was that he cared more about money than winning? This post seems to be evidence to the contrary.

QUOTE (Capn12 @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 02:27 PM) Lefty: Thornton Righty: Santos Long Relief: Pena or someone of that ilk LOOGY: Byrdak ROOGY: someone we'll find in the system Closer: Sale Where is this huge demand for a high priced 'pen arm? If we get one, great, if not, it isn't like we're running straight scrubs out there... I am slightly concerned about that roster but SOOO much can change between now and April, and I think the goal of this offseason is to field a team with no obvious holes, so the money will magically appear if it makes us a division favorite.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 02:25 PM) Many posters here didn't even want PK in 2008 or 2009 for $12 million. Now you guys want him in 2012 for $12 million. But I'm the crazy one. It's not 2008 or 2009. New evidence has cropped up since then.

Call me crazy, but I think the Sox would have signed Putz if they thought he was worth more money/years than he got from Arizona. EDIT: Independent of payroll.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 01:57 PM) You're astounded? I want JJ Putz as my damned closer. PK precluded that from happening. Stop acting like his kids would go hungry if he took 3/$30. I don't think Konerko precluded anything; I'm not sure what value you would ideally sign him for -- I'm assuming something around $10M/year -- but that doesn't even pay for Putz for next year. I think if the Sox really wanted Putz they would have signed him, but they don't like his value enough to do that. I have no evidence for that position, it's just a hunch. As far as the kids going hungry, I agree in general principle. Baseball players should not be pitied for their payrolls no matter what they make. But the way I see it, there is a vast amount of money in the MLB pool, and I like the players who actually produce the product getting the lion's share of that pool. Same thing with auto-workers; I much prefer the guys on the line to get the money over the guy who designs the shading on the Ford logo.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 01:52 PM) First of all, it's not even noon yet! Second, you wouldn't take a job that paid slightly less money for any other consideration? Seriously? He did sign with us, and at approximately the same price as we thought was fair, as a consensus. He did it in early December so he wasn't holding the club hostage. I'm really not sure what you want from the guy, it's not like he held out for an unfair price for a long period of time, he signed for fair value relatively quickly and left the negotiations to his agent like you're supposed to. I'm astounded.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 01:44 PM) I feel bad for Greg Walker as he is really in a no win situation now. The White Sox line-up is potentially the best in baseball. Lol we were one player away from the best lineup in baseball last year? I think we're loads better with Dunn in place of Kotsay, but I think there are a number of teams with better lineups. Also, I can't feel bad for a hitting coach for having too much talent to work with. Maybe that was a green post?

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 01:37 PM) What angers me is that these ballplayers who are already incredibly wealthy, and claim that their number 1 priority is to win, seem to forget about that come contract negotiation time. Couldn't the guy survive on $10 million a year so we could have signed Putz? Or some other bullpen arms? PK's demands have the potential to hamstring us a bit here, and it frustrates me to no end that the guy doesn't care about that. I'm happy the guy is back. His bat is definitely going to be needed. But I'm also going to look at him in a much different light now then I did just a week ago. Why is it money OR winning? Can't he care about both and strike a balance? I think that's just what he did, and for a guy who finished in the top 5 of MVP voting last year, the deal is very fair. I usually don't like slippery-slope arguments, but here goes: if you're asking him to take less money so we can sign other people, why aren't you asking everyone to take the MLB minimum so they can sign every great player?

QUOTE (G&T @ Dec 7, 2010 -> 05:37 PM) Cowley tweets for the sake of tweeting. I'm pretty convinced that Cowley just sits on his recliner drinking beer and tweeting things that sound plausible (or not). He's probably not in Orlando right now...in fact, he's probably never even seen the inside of the Sox clubhouse. For all I know, he's an A.I. (I use the "I" liberally) broadcasting over the Internet. Cowleytron.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Dec 7, 2010 -> 03:08 PM) He's a bad fit in any lineup if he produces like he did last year. 2 hits per 10 at bats, yuck. Yah, Pena's last year put any claims to Konerko's inconsistencies to shame. Not saying anything with that, as I'm aware Pena is not seeking north of $13m. I have never been a big Pena guy, though.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 7, 2010 -> 02:50 PM) Wow, Jaime McCord gets about $7.5 million a year in spousal support. Damn, makes me wanna marry Virginia McCaskey and cite some irreconcilable differences

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 7, 2010 -> 02:30 PM) I'm not impatient. I just find the entire notion ridiculous. The guy is a solid player at a position full of them coming off a huge year at the age of 34. He deserves a nice contract. 2/$20 maybe. But this 3/$45 crap is ridiculous. Right, well you were one of those who was all about moving on a while ago, too, so you're good

I'm not sure why people are so impatient on this Konerko thing, it's not even mid-December yet. Nobody's mentioned Derek Lee's name but us so it's not like Plan B is in danger of getting away just yet. If it wasn't time to give up on Konerko a few weeks ago, it's not time now.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 6, 2010 -> 07:03 PM) Was it people figuring him out, or him getting a bit overworked through his first major league season. You cant teach stuff, and he has top notch major league stuff. I am not really that worried at all. Yeah, I don't think it was a matter of him getting "figured out". He still has a sick fastball with motion, I think he was just struggling to locate in the second half. That's what I observed, anyway.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Dec 6, 2010 -> 12:24 PM) I wasn't sarcastic, here is a direct quote for you: He may not be the biggest name among Scott Boras' free agent third base clients, but Joe Crede is hoping to earn a contract for 2011. According to Scott Merkin of MLB.com (via Twitter), Boras says Crede is "healthy, ready to go and he's going to continue his career. He's ready to come back and play." I hope he's ready to be disappointed. There's absolutely no reason not to give Morel the chance to prove himself at this level. How can you possibly trust Crede's back just because it doesn't happen to ache at the moment? Plus, the last time he was good was 4 years ago, there's no way you can assume any offense even if he WERE healthy.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 6, 2010 -> 12:20 PM) The rate things are going, Cliff Lee will be the second $200 million contract. "You know what would be REALLY cool, $1 billion!" Just read that the Phillies' best possible offer was $60 milllion and 4 years, but the reported offer in the media was for "only" $48 million. Another case of the Nats bidding against themselves? Rizzo sure is stupid.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:54 PM) You're right to say so. However...you're also wrong if you say that Konerko doesn't have a history of injuries in recent years. His thumb bothered him for more than a season and he struggled for a long time from that, and he's been dealing with a hip issue for years. Granted. But it's clear, based on a whole season's performance, that all of those issues are not currently a problem for Konerko. They may be in the future, but that's a guess no matter who you're talking about. Can you say the same for Lee? As far as Lee + Putz vs. Konerko, sure, I'd rather have the former, but we don't have any idea what this team's budget is. We assume we're approaching the max, but we have no idea, really. So if you're asking Konerko v. Lee straight up, I'm going Konerko all the way.

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 09:04 PM) I don't know why but I have a feeling Beltran is going to end up on the Sox. the red variety, probably

QUOTE (bighurt574 @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 08:18 PM) Am I the only one who thinks Werth is grossly overrated? He's a good player, but $18M/year for 7 years in his 30s? No way. This contract could end up worse than Soriano's. You are certainly not the only one. Wow.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 05:56 AM) Hell no. People need to realize that Gordon flat sucked last year. He had a solid final 50 games or whatever. But that doesn't mask the fact he sported a beyond pathetic .581 OPS for nearly half a season. Next year is a "prove it" year for Gordon. Him in the 3-hole would be a joke. agreed. he could end up in the 3-hole eventually but it's not even close to justifiable at the moment. You don't start a guy out in the 3-hole when he could just as easily crap his pants as succeed. He's gotta play his way into it.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:46 AM) That has seemed to work well on the North Side They are a model organization

i'm just saying that any drop in performance or accumulation of injuries COULD be an indication of a permanent downslide. Judging by the most recent evidence, I trust Konerko over Lee.