WCSox

QUOTE (stretchstretch @ Apr 18, 2010 -> 08:33 AM) I initially listed Pierre as a "project" but after looking up his stats didn't realize his career worst avg was .276 and hit close to or above .300 the past 4 seasons, can't blame KW for having him on the radar so long and taking the opp. this season when presented. no reason to see this as anything but a huge slump Pierre isn't nearly as bad as some people here think he is. He has no power, but will hit .285-.295, put up a .300-ish OBP, and steal 30-40 bases. He'd be a good #9 hitter on a lot of teams. For what the Sox are paying him, he's not a bad investment. It's just too bad that he's leading off. EDIT: .330-ish OBP, not .300-ish

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Apr 17, 2010 -> 05:25 PM) My faith in Kenny going out to get a bat remains. If the Sox keep playing like this, Kenny won't be adding high-impact talent to this team. There's no point in trading away your best prospects for guys like AGon, Berkman, or Crawford when you're struggling to play .500 and the Twins appear to be a lock for 90+ wins. Plus, even if Kenny did trade for one of those three, their impact would be minimal. This team's problem isn't the absence of a good left-handed bat. It's the lack of reasonable offensive production from veterans like Alexei, Pierre, and AJ. If those three guys have bad years, forget it. Season's over. That said, I expect that those three will pick up their game over the next few weeks. Partially because past performance suggests they will, and partially because I'm trying really, really hard to remain optimistic, despite the way that this team has badly under-performed in two of the past three seasons.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 16, 2010 -> 10:12 AM) It will be interesting to see what becomes of Jenks, Konerko, AJ and Buehrle. They're the last four surviving links to 2005. Hard to imagine parting with all four before 2011. It's going to be the key decision of KW's tenure about moving Buehrle/Floyd/Danks. Danks would seem like the logical choice, since he's been more unwilling to accept a "favorable" (below market value) contract from the club perspective. Santos=Jenks Viciedo=Konerko (in a perfect world, certainly not with a 600 OPS so far at Charlotte) Flowers=AJ Hudson can take the place of Danks. It really scares me to trade Danks over Floyd, simply because I think Danks is going to end up as the better pitcher looking back 5 years from now... It does make for a much more interesting trade if you're the Padres....although Danks starts to look more and more expensive in arbitration, like Jenks has become. Danks/Danks/Flowers will definitely get you Adrian Gonzalez. Or Danks/Santos/Flowers. The problem is that KW has to pull another rabbit out of his hat to replace that other spot in the starting rotation. It's not likely to be Torres, Marquez, Cassell, Harrell, Hynick, etc. What I'd like to see is whether there's ANY possibility in the world to convert Sergio Santos into a starting pitcher. It's a 1/20 shot, but it's worth kicking the tires on. Letting him "stretch" out and develop his offspeed stuff would have nothing but positive consequences for his development. If we saved all the money from Jenks, Konerko and AJ, we could use it to resign Gonzalez long-term. Or something I don't believe I'm saying, bringing back Jermaine Dye to play 1B....if we don't pay Konerko $10-15 million for 2 years and/or Viciedo is FAIL. If KW trades for AGon, he'll certainly pick up next year's very affordable team option, but I imagine that somebody else gives AGon that massive contract. This dude is going to get $100M+ on the FA market, and it's highly unlikely that Kenny spends that kind of money. I think it's much more likely that PK gets an extension this winter (3-year/$20M?) and becomes our primary DH. If the Sox play .500 ball through this year and don't improve by next June, I imagine that Kenny will have a sit-down with Mark to see if he really wants to retire after his current contract expires. If so, a deal to St. Louis might be in play just to dump half of that remaining year of salary.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 15, 2010 -> 11:53 PM) It all depends on where the White Sox are positioned. If it's clear that Minnesota and Detroit are the class of the division, trading Hudson at midseason (like the reshuffling with Peavy and Rios) makes even less sense because last year you could make a legitimate argument we were close enough to first to justify it. Trading Flowers/Danks/Hudson is intuitively illogical if we're a .500 ballclub, because I really think Minnesota will be a 92-95 win team. DET, not so sure about 90, but they're definitely looking like they have more offensive firepower, a decent starting rotation and a pretty good bullpen. I completely agree with this. If the Sox aren't playing competitively with MIN and DET by July, it's highly unlikely that any of the top prospects are going anywhere. It's a lot more likely that one of the other starters would be dealt this winter or next summer, with Hudson stepping into their spot next year. Also agree that keeping Hudson in the minors long enough to push back his arbitration-eligible years will carry more weight than Freddy blowing it every other week. If Hudsonis brought up this year, it won't be for a while.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Apr 14, 2010 -> 10:36 PM) Mark should be a source of inspiration for soft-tossing lefties everywhere. And people who lack the natural talent of their peers, in general.

QUOTE (qwerty @ Apr 15, 2010 -> 06:01 AM) I don't think you would see anyone complain (initially) if cooper were to one day become the sox manager. Not sure I'd be too hot on the idea. And not because I have doubts about Cooper's ability to manage, but simply because he'd no longer be the pitching coach. I'd rather pay him a manager's salary to stay as the pitching coach.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Apr 11, 2010 -> 05:58 PM) Can Jones' body hold up if he plays outfield everyday? It's a long season and I think everybody will be needed to contribute all year long. This ^^^ That said, Jones is capable of giving all three starting OFers a day off every once in a while. I wouldn't mind him playing the field once or twice a week.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 11, 2010 -> 01:27 PM) MARK! Mark bouncing back after those first three innings (and throwing 113 pitches in the 2nd week of April) was huge. Not only to keep us in the game, but also to save a bullpen that's been really taxed over the previous few games. Now the Sox go into Toronto with some emotional momentum and a relatively fresh pen.

QUOTE (jasonxctf @ Apr 11, 2010 -> 08:40 AM) And if the players dont respect the coach enough to listen to him, then you need to find a coach who they will respect enough to listen to. Or you replace those players who won't listen. I've seen so many bad at-bats from this squad over the past year that I'm beginning to think that this may be the problem. Walker certainly isn't teaching these guys to swing at the first pitch in every at-bat and to try to pull everything. And I'm not sure that the problem has anything to do with Walker himself, but may be indicative of a general culture of selfishness in the clubhouse instead. At the very least, it looked like this team as a whole was just showing up to collect a paycheck after last year's ASB. If that was indeed the predominant mentality, it's not a stretch to imagine that guys weren't taking extra BP and doing the things that they needed to do to step up their game. Whatever the reason, it's nice to see Rios work hard with Walker to get back on track. That a far cry from what guys like Anderson and Swisher have done in the recent past.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Apr 10, 2010 -> 03:50 PM) Juan Pierre and Mark Teahen are both turds who along with Linebrink will hamstring the Sox in the payroll department for the next 2-3 years. The Sox aren't paying any of these guys more than $5.5M/year, and Pierre and Linebrink will both be off the books after next season. They're hardly financial albatrosses. And, frankly, I'd much rather that this team pay a little more for Pierre and Teahen than go with cheaper options like Pods and Josh Fields.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Apr 10, 2010 -> 11:01 AM) Dude has an insane arm, he'll be a closer one of these days, no doubt in my mind. Could be sooner rather than later. Unless Jenks returns to his 2007/2008 form this season, I don't see him in a Sox uni next year. Given the payroll that they'll carry into next season, it would make a lot more sense to trade Bobby's rights for a prospect than to pay him $8M+ to be a very average closer.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Apr 9, 2010 -> 01:42 PM) Gordon Beckham bunting at all is the wrong move because Gordon Beckham is a good hitter. Gordon Beckham bunting in the 9th against Rafael Perez when bunting isn't even going to get the runner on base to 3B with less than 2 outs is even more disasterous because it involves someone on the White Sox getting a hit (which they have proven in the early going they are not very good at, considering they have 8 hits in the last 18 innings). Gordon Beckham just should not bunt unless it is the most extreme of circumstances. Beckham is an eventual #3 hitter. But I don't think that he's ready for that role yet, and this OBP-depleted roster needs him hitting 2nd. So be prepared to be frustrated for at least this season, and possibly next season as well.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Apr 9, 2010 -> 01:28 PM) Cause he's not capable of that anymore. He's "capable" of it, but his age and health/attitude issues are working against him. If he puts up a .250 BA and .330 OBP with decent power for 2/3 of a season, he'll have exceeded my expectations. EDIT: This above is regarding Jones, not Kotsay. My only expectations regarding Kotsay are that Ozzie gives Jones more ABs at DH.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Apr 9, 2010 -> 11:00 AM) Until Jones proves that he's a better CFer than Rios (which I doubt is still the case), Rios should remain in CF. Jones was a better CF than Rios about five years ago, and it's highly unlikely that his age and weight/injury issues will help him get back to that point. Like Griffey, he's a corner OF/DH now.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 9, 2010 -> 08:57 AM) Replacing Paul Konerko is much more of a priority for KW at this point than Mark Teahen, because Teahen was signed to an extension...whereas we traded Brandon Allen/Fields and unless Tyler Flowers is taken off catcher, Viciedo, despite his height, is our best internal candidate for that position. Agreed that Paulie won't be playing 1B for the Sox for much longer, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if KW offers PK a 3/20 deal this winter and Ozzie moves him to DH. Not only is there a PR issue with letting one's captain leave via free agency, but Paulie's one of about three people in the lineup who projects to put up an .800 OPS.

If Teahen doesn't pull out of his slump by the end of the month, I could definitely see Nix getting some starts at 3B.

I'm not buying the "uncomfortable situation" bit, but can see how the at-bats played into it. This sounds a lot more like a mutual decision than Ozzie forcing JT out the door. And I wouldn't hold that against JT, who is obviously still productive enough to be a full-time DH. After riding the pine in LA last September, I can understand how a DH platoon might not appeal to him. That said, Thome/Jones platoon at DH would obviously be more favorable than Kotsay/Jones, and JT still would've gotten the majority of at-bats (against RHP). There wouldn't have been a three-headed "DH-by-committee" if Thome had re-signed. It's also difficult for me to rationalize Ozzie's logic in light of the fact that Kenny pursued Johnny Damon after Pierre was penciled into LF, Ozzie had supposedly decided on the DH-by-committee thing, and Ozzie supposedly told Thome that he couldn't give him enough at-bats to DH. There's no doubt that Damon would've gotten some time in LF (especially in interleague games), but it's obvious that his primary role would've been DH. It makes little sense that Ozzie supposedly could've found enough at-bats for Damon at DH, but not for Thome. In addition to this obvious hypocrisy, I highly doubt that Kenny would've been OK with paying Damon somewhere between $6-8M to play only 3 times a week.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Apr 8, 2010 -> 01:44 PM) Dude, I know Oregon f***ing sucks (I've been there and I wouldn't wish that place on my worst enemy) but are you bored or something? No, I honestly thought that there was an actual point behind your "hypothetical" comparison. Feel free knock off condescending remarks. They're dirt-cheap for three full years and very affordable at minimal long-term risk for three additional years. And it's a heck of a lot easier to sign a young player to an affordable contract extension than to land that same guy a few years later via free agency (and you'll have to over-pay to get him). And even if you choose to not sign that player to an extension, you can flip him for more prospects/picks. The team with a Rays-level payroll that drafts players like the Rays will be in a much better position to win over the long run than the team with the Cubs' front office and the Cubs' financial resources. And while I agree that it helps tremendously to have deep pockets, the ability to carry a $100M+ payroll year after year won't yield a consistently-competitive franchise without intelligent drafting and player development. That's what separates teams like the Red Sox and Angels from teams like the Cubs and Mets. Deep pockets can help round out an already-decent roster or mask a handfull of mistakes, but a team lacking good young talent is pretty much hosed.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Apr 8, 2010 -> 12:29 PM) Just like we boo'd the hell out of Crede when he came back last year. Yeah, no kidding. The Indians fans who booed Thome are trash.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Apr 8, 2010 -> 10:35 AM) Are we really starting up a conspiracy theory about a genuine guy who has been on record multiple times saying he wanted to come back, and was the subject of a public and heated exchange at Soxfest between the manager and the GM? Are we really going to take everything that the Sox front office feeds to the public at face value? I can think of at least a couple reasons why Thome might have been looking to move on. Given Thome's general likability, Ozzie's particular fondness for him him, and Ozzie's long and storied history of taking negative attention away from his players, I don't believe it's a stretch at all to think that Ozzie may have chosen to take the PR fall for Thome's departure. I'm not saying that's definitely what happened, but it's certainly a possibility. And then again, it may have played out exactly as you say it did. But since neither of us were privy to what was said behind closed doors, we'll never know what really happened.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Apr 8, 2010 -> 10:26 AM) Not even close. Jim Thome was pretty outspoken about wanting to return to the White Sox. This is on Ozzie. He made the choice, and he justified it to KW multiple times by claiming eventual responsibility. Oh, yeah And This: ''I'll be honest, I would still love to come back,'' Thome said, tightening the blue batting gloves on each hand. ''I still care about the city. I mean, we're going to live there. Chicago's very fond in my heart. The time that I spent there, [chairman Jerry Reinsdorf] treated me great. I guess we'll deal with that when this is all over with.'' http://blogs.suntimes.com/whitesox/2009/10...urn_to_sox.html This could also be orchestrated. If there's anything that I've learned about contract negotiations, it's that you rarely hear the real story in the press. Even truly good individuals like Thome are cognizant of their image and will take the necessary steps to protect it. Then again, it's also possible that this did play out as it was broadcasted through the press. We'll probably never know for sure.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 8, 2010 -> 09:58 AM) Now we're back to wishing/hoping we could pencil someone into the line-up with Jim Thome's numbers. Even though we apparently don't need or want Thome anymore. Maddening. I'm convinced that Thome didn't want to come back. And I don't blame him, as I imagine that winning a WS is his top priority. An objective analysis would probably give the Twins a slight edge over the Sox this year.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Apr 7, 2010 -> 09:22 PM) Again, what is your point? A specific question was asked. "What teams would you trade rosters with that has an equal or lower payroll as that of the Sox?' He didn't ask, "What teams would you trade rosters with that has an equal or lower payroll as that of the Sox? Oh, and teams that have had multiple high first round picks don't count." So you're basically comparing two completely different scenarios, without regard to the context. Gotcha. You bemoan the fact that we have Teahen and Pierre in our lineup, and suggest that Rays fans would scoff at the idea of having those guys in their lineup... QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 06:05 PM) And what would a Rays fan say if their starting LF/3B was Juan Pierre and Mark Teahen? And their rotation might be young. But David Price and Wade Davis project out to elite #1 and #2 starters. Jeff Niemann looks like a solid middle-of-the-rotation guy. ... but completely ignore the respective situations that the two organizations have been in for the past decade. Yeah, it would sure be nice to have Longoria and Crawford instead, but the draft rights to talent like that comes at a price. In the case of the Rays, it was finishing in 5th place in 9 of their first 10 years of existence. Sure, I'd love the have the Rays lineup as well, but not at the cost of a championship and a team that's competitive and watchable on a semi-regular basis. So, yes, you are technically correct that the Rays have a better lineup at a lower cost than the Sox. But it's a really bad comparison. I completely disagree with this. Having money to spend on free agents is nice (and at least some is necessary to build a champion), but spending one's way to a championship usually doesn't work (Yankees excluded, due to their excessively-deep pockets). Just about every team needs to build around a core of young, affordable talent. The Phillies are a good example of this. And, sure, rounding out a good core of young talent with expensive veterans is nice (as the Red Sox have done), but consistent access to cheap, young talent trumps all. You cite the Pirates and Royals as examples of teams that can't compete because of their lack of financial resources, but I'll argue that their own incompetence is what's holding them back. Organizations that make stupid decisions on free agents, like the Cubs and Mets, don't win pennants, not matter how much disposable income they have. Case in point: The Marlins have won two WS in the past 18 years, while the Cubs haven't wont any in over 100. And the core of that second championship was mostly home-grown on a shoestring budget. The early '90s Sox are a good example of a team with middle-market resources whose intelligent use of high draft picks from '87-'90 (Frank, Blackjack, Ventura, Alvarez, etc.) set their stage for a run of highly-competitive years. Hell, it took the Sox tanking in 2007 for them to have access to a stud like Beckham.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Apr 8, 2010 -> 08:34 AM) No, I don't think Ozzie is going to flat platoon Jones and only play him against righties. I think if Jones hits well, he'll be the primary starter who will only sit against tough righties (with Kotsay replacing him). If Jones doesn't hit well, than you'll probably see Kenny make a move for a more permanent fixture. I would hope that Jones would be the primary starter, but Kotsay has gotten both starts against RHP so far.

So does this mean that the vast majority of Jones' at-bats will be against LHP? After the ST that he had, I would hope that's not Ozzie's strategy.