southsider2k5

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 10:33 PM) And really, youre just being picky. You obviously dont agree or are just arguing to argue. Actually add something, not picking at a made up fault (I say made up because the whole time I was saying the reinvestment in the draft was a flex number and you are stating it as if it needs to be 5 mill and its not possible.). Its not being picky, it is being realistic. This is the way the Sox operate. If you squeeze out of one end, you lose on another. It is easy to speak in glittering generalities about doing "something", whatever your particular "something" that you feel needs to be done, is. The reality of what is being said in this case is quite difference. Judging by the irritation, I think you are finally understanding the realities of what it would actually take to move money into the farm system.

QUOTE (EvilJester99 @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 10:11 PM) I believe this is called stage fright.... Its either that or being a little b****... I'll let everyone pick which one they think is right.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 10:20 PM) Pods-Rios-Quentin, seems fine to me. Thome at DH, youre not any worse offensively, probably much better. Pods cost $1.75 million, which puts you over budget. Thome would have made it even worse. To cut the $5 million to do all of these organizational growth exercizes, all three of the guys you would have dropped, you would have had about $1.5 million total to replace those three guys.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 09:18 PM) Dont trade for Pierre and Teahen. Save $3mill from Pierre, $2.25 from Teahen. Dont resign Kotsay, save $1.5. Thats $6.75 on players that suck. Keep Getz at 2nd, and Beckham at 3B. Trade Fields/others for a cheap OF. You save about (6.75-1.2 for 3 replacement level players)= $5.55, and dont lose much in production and save over 5 mill. Or you wait out Pods and resign him at the contract he was offered (apparently that was possible). So we go into training camp without a lead off hitter, and without a left fielder or right fielder.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 07:50 PM) I didn't, I took Hudson over Teahen. You would still be adding salary, which makes the move impossible.

QUOTE (Benchwarmerjim @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 03:20 PM) wow, for some reason I thought the Sox played the O's during that month were you won 40 games Punto just left the game, sound like a pulled hamstring That's only bad for the Twins if he is out against the Sox...

QUOTE (Springfield SoxFan @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 07:54 AM) Great info, thanks, let's hope this is just posturing as there are still a number of picks for all clubs that remain unsigned. We were really on the Morgado watch last year at this time. Most of the time when we are waiting on these guys the Sox have made the right call, some of the names I remember Bobby Hill, John Zeringue, Jay Mattox, Tony Richie etc........However, I still want Grimes, never can have too much pitching. Jeff Weaver is the biggest one.

QUOTE (J.Reedfan8 @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 05:17 PM) Welcome Jackie! Always good to have another ST poster with great/inside information to share. We've now had sox prospects, girlfriends/wives/moms of sox prospects, and MLB players (though now alot on other teams) post here and possible FO guys. Dads and cousins too.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 04:31 PM) This isn't the Jackée from the show 227? You just sent a bunch of people to google...

QUOTE (sircaffey @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 06:41 PM) Yes I know that. But KW wouldn't have to be so hesitant in making a deal with our few good prospects. Our system can sustain one impact trade and then it's pretty much wiped out. It'd be a lot easier to justify a trade and still feel good about your future if you had a few more impact prospects. My point is that it is easy to say that we have to pay up for a better system. The reality is that if you decide to do that, it means the movement go away from resources that go to the current team, into resources that potentially don't pay off for years, if ever. There is a period of time where you suffer from the loss of those resources while the fruits of those changes have time to grow. At the end of the day, seeing how much people b****ed about the players we broke camp with, it would have been even worse if we had Dayan Viciedo on the roster hitting the way he did in Charlotte for the first month of the year. On the bullpen side of it, it is easy to say dump Linebrink. The reality is that if that were possible, he would have been dumped a long time ago. Saving that money for "scouting, drafting, and signings" would have meant no JJ Putz signing for sure, and it probably would have meant no Kotsay either, and someone like Brent Lillibridge on the roster instead.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 04:10 PM) HARDLY a dane cook movie. Waiting is brilliant. No doubt. GREAT movie.

QUOTE (sircaffey @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 06:14 PM) Or with the better system, perhaps go out and acquire someone with some actual talent other than settling for someone who all-around sucks. You can't trade draft picks for a year after signing them.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 06:16 PM) Torres/Hudson/Threets/Santeliz/Nunez for the Linebrink's spot I said before I would have kept Beckham at 3B and brought in Orlando Hudson (which would have created a hole at 2B with his injuries, in which case we'd be using Vizquel, Nix or Lillibridge there) Can't bring in more salary. You are spending that money on the draft.

QUOTE (MattZakrowski @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 06:07 PM) the players from the farm system you spent that money on. That's a cop out. The day you decide that you need to spend $5 million a year more on the farm stuff, is the day you lose that money. You don't get to reap the benefits from that money until years from now when those players start making it through the system. Looking at the Sox team as it was in Spring 2010, if you were somehow able to find someone else to take on Linebrink without leaving us any money, and the same with Teahen, I want to hear who was the 3B on opening day and who was the extra pitcher.

If they wanted a crappy third baseman, we could have just sent them Teahen.

QUOTE (sircaffey @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 05:26 PM) Mark Teahen or Scott Linebrink. Both? Same question. Who breaks camp with the Sox to replace them?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 05:29 PM) That's too easy, Teahen and Linebrink. But I don't think there's any GM who hasn't made a single contract mistake....the Tigers had about 7-8 in recent years. Or look at the Flubs. In my recent memory, we've only had MacDougal, and you can debate Contreras/Konerko. Linebrink was a key player in 2008's ALCD, and the jury's still out on Pierre and Teahen. So who would you have broke camp with to replace them?

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 03:18 PM) Theyve got money, a new ballpark, and great attendance. They invest well in the draft and are able to go out and get impact players (Cabrera) to help their team. They need to work on the contracts given to their own players, like Bonderman, Inge, Robertson (when he was there, even now theyre paying him 9.5 mill to play for another team.). They have plenty of areas to work on too, but they do alot right, if they were in first would people still not be complaining about some of the contracts they give out? So which five million-ish dollar player on the roster would you not want to have this year to pay for the drafting of players and international signings?

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 03:04 PM) If we were in the AL East I would say its ridiculous, but no, were in the Central against a well run organization in the Twins, two s***s orgs in the Royals and Indians, and a pretty good franchise in the Tigers. With the resources we have we should be at the top 2 every year, with an occasional outlier for injuries and such (thats baseball). But our talent should be as high if not higher than anyone else in the league. If not, thats a major screwup with the resources by the GM. The Tigers have had higher payrolls than ours since 2008, and they haven't done anything since 2006.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 03:01 PM) I don't see how it's ridiculous. The Twins have won 5 of the last 8 AL Central Titles, largely with a payroll below ours. Because zero teams in major league baseball have done it for the last five years even?

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 02:55 PM) Well, for us young whippersnappers I am sorry for wanting more out of the franchise that I grew up with. Im sorry that I cant blindly see and allow a blatant hole in the franchise and just say "Im okay with it." Im sorry taht I see this franchise in a great opportunity to be a top 7 or 8 team year in and year out with the resources given to it and that it is struggling to be there year in and year out. I know not every season is going to go your way, but we should be top 2 in the central every single year with the resources we have. Applying a ridiculous standard of never having any down years isn't any better. You realize according to your own standards, no team in any division of baseball would be good enough, because exactly zero have been in the top two in their division every single year in the last 5 years even.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 12:53 PM) D. Lee used his no-trade clause to void a deal to LAA. He's staying with Cubs for rest of season. I really wonder if Ozzie could talk him into coming here?

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 02:25 PM) I think alot of the issue is that many people here have really only known the Sox management with Ozzie and KW. Right or wrong this is their point of view. They haven't lived through other GM's or managers, so it's only natural to do the grass is greener scenario. Many of the same posters have been tearing other GM's apart for recent trades. Most new GM's are unknown quantities and you aren't sure what you will get. It will be interesting on what the opinions will be once KW and Ozzie are gone. Having lived through Sox GM's and mangers since the 70's, I'm only too happy to see KW and Ozzie here. I can't think of a better GM or manager the Sox have had in 35 years. Being born in 1973 into a Sox family, I agree 100%.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 28, 2010 -> 02:06 PM) Jones has an OPS+ of 98 on the season and a .753 OPS. Against LH pitchers in particular, he has an .853 OPS. Furthermore, he's been a plus fielder in both CF and RF, despite limited time there (he's been a negative fielder in LF, but he's played a total of 10 games there, as opposed to 35 in RF). Yes, he's all or nothing, but he's pretty much been exactly the kind of guy you'd want on your bench and rotating through the DH as the right-handed partner. Strong on defense, and especially against LHP, not a liability with the bats. The amazing thing is that Viciedos OPS is .755 because of his zero walks.