WCSox

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Jul 28, 2008 -> 12:29 PM) I think it's BS though. That would be a KW steal. +1 Even an idiot like Ricciardi would get better value than that for Burnett.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 27, 2008 -> 03:18 PM) I know a lot of people here take no stock in pitcher's win/loss records, but you have to find it peculiar that Vazquez was 11-12 when the Sox won 90 games, 15-8 when they lost 90 games and 7-9 on a team that's been in first place most of the year. I wouldn't characterize it as a guy who has to grow a pair necessarily, maybe he's too revved up. Whatever it is, its not good, and needs to be fixed quickly. Not to mention Vazquez succeeding admirably in a place where nobody cares (Montreal) and failing in the high-pressure environment of New York. This has been mentioned before and I'm beginning to believe that there might be something to it.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jul 27, 2008 -> 02:36 PM) we took 2 of 3 from Detroit and that's solid +1 It isn't easy to sweep a team, especially one that has a lineup like Detroit's. I wouldn't expect a sweep against the Twins, either. But if the Sox continue to win 2 out of every 3 from here on out, they'll most likely win the division.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 27, 2008 -> 02:36 PM) Let's face it, the Red Sox are not going to improve their on-the-field team by trading Manny Ramirez. Which is why I call BS on Epstein. They're less than a year removed from a championship and are engaged in a three-way dogfight for first place in the East. You don't trade your best hitter in that situation, even if he is a massive headcase. That said, I fully expect Manny to be moved this winter. He's declining as a hitter and I'm sure that the Red Sox are massively pissed about the incident with their secretary. And I expect Kenny to politely say, "No, thanks."

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 26, 2008 -> 08:49 PM) Somebody said they'd gladly deal Alexei. I say, 'Why?' I'd deal Alexei for Halladay. But it would literally take a proven stud like Halladay to make me want to move Alexei. Quentin is the only truly untouchable offensive player, IMO. Apparently that logic doesn't apply to Floyd for some reason.

QUOTE (sircaffey @ Jul 26, 2008 -> 05:38 PM) "Health issues over the course of his career"? Uh, yeah, that's what he's had. I didn't say that he's a Kerry Wood-like wuss who's on the DL twice a year with pitching-related injuries. But he did also have those in 2004, as you pointed out. Yeah, just like Freddy Garcia, Alex Fernandez, and Jack McDowell were "absolute f***ing horses" up until they logged about 1,700 innings, which is where Halladay currently sits. Past performance does not guarantee future performance, and I would be especially cautious about giving up a young, talented SP like Floyd, who projects to be a cornerstone of the Sox's rotation for years to come, for somebody who has as much tread on his tires as Halladay. If Kenny wanted to mortgage the future for an impact guy for this year only, Halladay might be a safe bet. But I wouldn't necessarily expect him to dominate the league beyond that. There are quite a few pitchers whose shoulders/elbows have given out around the 1,600-1,800 IP milestone.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jul 26, 2008 -> 02:33 PM) Yea, I would. Given that Kenny cares about what happens three years from now and knows that his organization has almost nothing coming up through its farm system, I'm not sure that he would. I'd be REALLY hesitant to include Floyd or Danks in any deal. Young, cheap, effective starting pitching is absolutely crucial to an organization's long-term success. I wouldn't hesitate to move Fields or Alexei, though.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jul 26, 2008 -> 02:13 PM) I'd hardly say Halladay is on the downslope. He's 32, has missed significant time with health issues over the course of his career, and has over 1,700 innings on his arm. Do you want to trade away a cheap, 25-year-old pitcher with a mid-90's fastball and devastating breaking ball and another cheap, young third-baseman with 30+ HR power for a guy like that? It may be a great move for the short-term, but I don't think it's going to help the franchise over the long run.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jul 26, 2008 -> 12:20 PM) Floyd + Fields for Halladay... I think both sides would be happy with that one. Until next year when Uribe signs a 3-year deal to play 3B for the Sox. The Sox can't continue trading away young, cheap, effective talent for high-priced veterans on the down-slopes of their careers. They're going to need quality young players who don't cost an arm and a leg in the years to come. This trade would also fail to address the Sox's need for an EXTRA starter, with Contreras' health up in the air and Danks being limited in September.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 26, 2008 -> 11:20 AM) My feeling is that if we acquire a starter, it needs to be an addition, not a replacement. Not nearly as much is gained if we have to take Floyd out of the rotation. Bingo. I would include Vazquez as part of a package for somebody like Halladay, but he obviously doesn't have nearly as much value as somebody like Floyd or Danks.

QUOTE (AWhiteSoxinNJ @ Jul 26, 2008 -> 08:41 AM) I think some are over-valuing Floyd in this thread. I think that some are under-valuing both Floyd and Fields with regard to this team's future.

QUOTE (Brian @ Jul 26, 2008 -> 05:13 AM) Halladay wants out of Toronto. I could easily see him being moved. If all it takes is Floyd and Fields to get 2.5 years of Halladay, I'll drive them both to the airport. Halladay's great and all, but I wouldn't want to trade one of my best pitchers for a guy entering the down-side of his career. Especially when it'll cost Floyd, who has pitched well this year, has great stuff, and is under team control for the next four years. If I'm looking to deal for Halladay, I give up Vazquez and a couple of prospects. And I'm pretty sure that the Jays wouldn't be interested in that. And there's no way that I trade Fields with the Sox in first place and Crede's back acting up again.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jul 25, 2008 -> 07:13 PM) IMO, they'd be dumb not to deal some guys if we sweep them. That team is about as old as Father Time. They're above .500, in a division that doesn't have a dominant team, and have an assload of talent. I don't see them throwing in the towel, even if we do sweep them.

This would only make sense if the Sox were to acquire both Roberts AND a #4/#5 starter like Lowe. Contreras' health isn't reliable and Danks will have to be shut down in September, leaving a hole in the back of the rotation. A back-of-the-rotation starter is more of a pressing need than a leadoff hitter. And I don't see the Dodgers giving up Lowe for a half season of Cabrera.

QUOTE (Princess Dye @ Jul 23, 2008 -> 02:32 PM) You dont mess with what's working, but man if it isnt weird having a guy like this batting so low in the order.' He probably won't hit in the 1 or 2 spot if he continues to hack away at the first pitch. Dude has 8 walks in 251 ABs. That said, I don't have a problem with speed and power at the bottom of the lineup. QUOTE (SpringfieldFan @ Jul 24, 2008 -> 06:41 AM) I think Cuban baseball is underrated in America, and having one of their young stars is a real coup (no pun intended). Agreed. The author comparing the Cuban league to A-ball is an insult. QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jul 24, 2008 -> 08:35 AM) ESPN BBTN thinks the Ramirez play could be the play of the year. I thought Tad Iguchi's play was the play of that year and now this one for '08. Fantastic! Tad's upside-down throw was one of the most jaw-dropping plays I've ever seen. Alexei's was awesome by itself, but Paulie bare-handing the catch makes it even more bad-ass.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jul 24, 2008 -> 06:56 AM) Isn't that part of the reason Giambi won it over Frank that one year? He had such a strong September? That and the fact that Frank went into a tailspin in September. If the Sox make the playoffs and Quentin's stats are in the same ballpark as Hamilton's, I'd say that he has a strong advantage over Hamilton because the Rangers are going to be on the golf course in October. Right or wrong, the vast majority of MVPs are given to players on playoff teams. I remember Sosa stealing one from McGwire back in '98, when Mark's numbers were clearly better (especially in terms of SLG, OBP, and BB). The only reason: the Cubbies won the Wild Card!

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Jul 21, 2008 -> 01:07 PM) How many closers did the Sox use in 2005? Takatsu was a washed-up junkball-thrower and we were lucky to get a career 3/4 year out of Hermanson before injuries sidelined him. Cotts was also a flash-in-the-pan. The '05 bullpen performed incredibly well, but the track record of the guys we currently have is MUCH better than that of our pen three years ago. That doesn't mean that Jenks/Linebrink/Dotel will perform as well as Hermanson/Politte/Cotts, but I feel a lot better about the level of bullpen talent that we have now (and for the future) than I did back in '05. Just having a healthy Jenks with a proven track record is a significant improvement. While the pen has been pretty bad lately, their overall numbers are still very solid and Jenks/Linebrink are probably the best one-two punch in the AL. Teams go through their ups and downs over the course of the season and our pen has been struggling lately. I don't think that it's helpful to panic and bring in another closer when Jenks/Linebrink/Dotel have pitched pretty well overall this season. If anything, the Sox need another reliable starter. I have significantly less faith in Contreras' ability to stay healthy than I do in Linebrink's or Jenks'. We will also need somebody to replace Danks in the rotation in September, as there's no way that he'll be able to throw anywhere close to 200 innings this season.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jul 21, 2008 -> 03:27 PM) Q goes to right and Swish to LF. I don't think that the Sox are going to move Quentin to RF until next season. He was in LF tonight with Swish in RF, just like yesterday.

Nice outing by Javy, who seems to have found the strike zone again (although it was so wide tonight that it would've been difficult to miss). Too bad our 'pen is no longer lights-out and the lineup of zombies from last season has been making frequent appearances.

Very sad news. He'a a legend and, unlike many of today's shock-jock style columnists, 100% class.

Not sure if he's still around, but there was a guy back in the mid/late '90s who would do yell "LEEEMMMON CHILLLL!" in a really gruff voice. Pretty funny stuff.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Jul 21, 2008 -> 01:46 PM) Where did KW find guys like Q, Thornton, Jenks and Ramirez -- he pulled them out of his ass. So you're counting on Kenny to build his 2010 roster out of diamonds in the rough? He's supposed to rely on out-scouting and out-smarting other GMs? That doesn't sound like a very good plan to me. Possibly, but Kenny balked at going after Hunter, Rowand, and Cabrera this off-season. The high-impact, high-salary veteran players that he's acquired recently were overwhelmingly through trades (Garcia, Contreras, Thome, Vazquez, etc.). Dye's the only big exception that comes to mind. He does this because he (understandably) doesn't want to pay $70 million for guys like Hunter and Cabrera. But Kenny doesn't have the level of quality prospects that he used to, so he can't continue to operate that way. The Sox DESPERATELY need to re-vamp their farm system, even if it means holding a firesale if they're not competitive next year. Otherwise, they'll be stuck over-paying for big-money free agents.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 21, 2008 -> 10:32 AM) Why do people keep asserting that the team will not be competitive in year x? First of all, we're still sitting on Trader Kenny as our GM, so our team will almost certainly look nothing like it currently does in 2 years.. Secondly, we'll have cleared a hell of a lot of salary space 2 years from now with Jose, Konerko, Thome, Dye, AJ, Dotel, Crede, Cabrera, and Javy all off the books. But we'll still be sitting on Danks, Floyd, Buehrle, Fields, Alexei, Richar, Quentin, Swisher, Anderson, and whoever else from the minors we can develop in to something useful. You're absolutely right that we could surprise in 2010. But with the players that you mention no longer wearing a Sox uniform at that time and our lack of quality prospects limiting both the number of true ML-ready players coming up through our system and Kenny's ability to trade for productive veterans, you'll have to excuse me for not feeling terribly optimistic about 2010. The heaping pile of dog crap that is our farm system is not going to turn around in just two years. Trader Kenny won't be very effective is he has nothing of value to trade, and since he tends to not aggressively pursue free agent veterans looking for $60+ million deals, he's going to miss out on the big-impact guys. I wasn't one of those people. I recognized the talent on this team and predicted 83 or 84 wins, assuming that Floyd and Contreras would struggle, and a possibility of 89-90 wins if several things go their way. However, even if Quentin stays on pace to become the next Maggs, Fields develops into another Adam Dunn, and Swisher is able to hit around his career average, the offense is still going to take a massive hit with the losses Paulie, Thome, Dye, and Crede.

I'd love to see those '80s uniforms used as alternates more often. They looked really nice yesterday and brought back some great memories.

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Jul 21, 2008 -> 08:37 AM) Someone with better defense than Crede and better OBP than him or Fields. We're looking at bonafide All-Stars. No kidding. These guys don't exactly grow on trees. I suppose that Kenny could pry an aging vet like Lowell from the Red Sox for the right price, but I don't think that's the right move for the organization. Whether Kenny wants to admit it or not, the Sox are probably not going to be competitive two years from now, with all of the roster turnover. Unless he can get a 3B equivalent of Alexei or Tad on the cheap from overseas, the Sox are best off going with a young guy who will be cheap and under team control for the next 3-4 years. This is a better strategy than paying $10 million a year for a productive veteran to be in Chicago during a two-year rebuilding process and then leave when they're competitive again.