SSH2005

All that doesn't mean that Reinsdorf is going to raise the payroll that much. Without a salary dump of some sort, we would need a $100 million payroll to re-sign Konerko for market value and add Delgado via a trade.

Once again showing that Levine knows nothing. Levine needs to lay off the crack. He's been wrong countless times before. Did Reinsdorf just raise the payroll by $25 million or something?

You used Rowand's stats from 2001-2003 after he was called up as justification for why it was a good idea for him to be called up. So if Anderson put up better numbers in the minors than Rowand, why couldn't he equal or even outproduce Rowand if he was given the same chance?

I just wanted to know how you make sense of that. How could the guy with worse stats in the minors be ready for the majors but the guy with better stats needs one more year of seasoning, according to you?

Aaron Rowand (22 years old, .758 OPS in AA) = Called up by the Sox in 2001. Brian Anderson (23 years old, .831 OPS in AAA) = Not ready for the majors, according to Felix. Does that seem screwed up to anyone else?

So you are happy that Rowand was given a chance to succeed in the majors from 2001-2003 even though in his last season in the minors before being called up he only had a .758 OPS but Anderson needs one more year in the minors because of an .831 OPS? .831 in AAA >>>>> .758 in AA You are contradicting yourself.

Felix, answer this one for me: .829 with good defense from the center field position isn't good? By the way, in the last minor league season Rowand had (2000 in AA) before he was first called up by the Sox, he had a .758 OPS.

I'd rather just package Rowand and Marte with some prospects for Delgado. I'd rather have Anderson than Pierre. Pierre will earn around $6 to $8 million next season and will be a free agent once the season is over.

How will Anderson ever be able to prove that he can provide better offense than Rowand if he doesn't play? Anderson has pretty much proven all he can in AAA already. He hit .295 with a .362 OBP for Charlotte. You must not think he's ready because of 34 major league at bats. What else could it be?

Delgado would actually be better production than Konerko.

Haha, people tend to forget that about Rowand. Great post. You would have to be blind to miss the ridiculous number of times Rowand grounded out weakly to the shortstop. Wow, Rowand was hit by pitches 21 times. Yeah, that will definately skew his OBP.

I hate to break it to you but Rowand isn't a "key player in our organization." Especially not when we have four good outfield prospects in Anderson, Young, Sweeney, and Owens and two of them are center fielders.

No, but you seemed to infer that it would. Afterall, this thread is about Rowand.

Thanks for wording it perfectly. Now I don't have to write the same post.

Sorry, my mistake. I thought you were talking about Rowand. Well, those first 34 at bats were the first he has seen in his career. It's not like Anderson is going to strikeout 12 times and never walk ever 34 at bats. It's a small sample size. Were Rowand's 116 strikeouts pretty? What Tracy does in 2006 won't have any bearing on what Rowand did in the past or will do in the future.

Fine. Take away those first 12 strikeouts (even though they are still his stats and you shouldn't just subtract stats to prove your point). That's still a horrible 32 walks and 104 strikeouts. All Anderson would have to do is put up an OPS around .736 and play good defense to match Rowand. That's not really the tall order you make it out to be.

Didn't you know that if one highly touted outfielder is a bust, the next one surely will be too? Rowand's .736 OPS is easily replaceable. It's not like he was even good offensively this past season. Don't forget his 32 walks and 116 strikeouts. How much worse could Anderson really be?

Unless they trade Rowand for a pitcher and then trade that pitcher for a big bat, I agree with you. The main point I was trying to get across is that Rowand is our best trade option because we have a viable replacement for him. We don't really have that at any other position so Rowand is the guy we would have to trade.

Not everyone is a "clubhouse leader." Sooner or later, you trade guys off your team when they have viable, cheaper replacements. The Rowand / Anderson situation is a perfect example. We need help in other areas (#3 hitter) and Rowand is our best trading chip. Anderson is our top outfield prospect and will have to play sooner or later. I think people get way to attached to certain players and never want to see them leave. Players come and go. It's just a part of baseball. Unless we can dump his contract, we're better off getting some innings from him in that role than as a 5th starter over McCarthy. Why cut him, pay his entire contract, and get nothing from him?

Here's the full article: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...ts/13139707.htm This is the most telling excerpt: "Rowand is a natural center fielder and impressed the Yankees - and most other teams - with his strong reads and gliding strides into the gaps. The White Sox have a budding prospect in 23-year-old Brian Anderson and are strongly thinking about giving him a chance in the majors this year, giving them some room to move on the trade market. Unfortunately for the Yankees, they are looking for a bat to replace departed DH Carl Everett, and the Yanks' biggest surplus is in starting pitching." If Konerko leaves, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Marlins trade Juan Pierre to the Cubs and then accept a package of Rowand, Marte, and prospects for Carlos Delgado. Brian Anderson would then take over center field. Kenny really seems to want a #3 power-hitting lefty for the lineup next year. If this happened, I think Kenny would bring back Frank at a cheap contract with Gload backing him up in case of another injury. Sign Mike Myers to replace Marte and we are set. Podsednik Iguchi Delgado Frank Dye Pierzynski Crede Uribe Anderson That's not a bad lineup, imo.

Imagine how Magglio feels.

I think Gload would be Kenny's ultimate fall-back plan if he can't re-sign Konerko or trade for a guy like Delgado, Thome, or Overbay. I do think Frank will be back and Gload will be in our organization to serve as injury insurance for Frank.

He's just saying that to cover all of his bases. If Konerko leaves, the Phillies and the Marlins would try to gouge Kenny for Thome and Delgado.

Yes, and anyone who wouldn't would be wrong.