WCSox

QUOTE (Markbilliards @ Dec 22, 2009 -> 03:21 PM) So the Royals are paying Anderson 200k more than we are paying Andruw Jones? Sounds about right to me.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 22, 2009 -> 12:41 PM) I think it's actually entirely possible they might retain PK at the end of the season for another year or two If PK doesn't want to test the FA market (like he did after 2005), a two-year extension with a mutual option for a 3rd (similar to what JD got in '07) might be possible. It's difficult to gauge what will happen there.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 22, 2009 -> 10:51 AM) It doesn't help us to sign a person to play 1b for this year. It'll be cheaper to sign a DH than a 1b, because of the flexibility. As long as Konerko can play 1b this year, signing a guy who should be a full time 1b is an inefficient use of resources. If Kenny is planning on letting PK walk as a free agent next winter and the DH spot is open, signing LaRoche to a multi-year deal and moving PK to DH would make sense. That said, as has already been mentioned, LaRoche is going to want more money than the budget will likely allow.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 22, 2009 -> 12:04 PM) Javy has been worth 5 WAR for 2 of the last 3 years. He was pitching in a hitters park for two of those years. Hell, his entire career has consisted of 6 seasons of either 5 WAR or damn close to it (4.5), and he's only been pitching for 8 years. Yep, Javy wins a ton of games on Tuesday evenings in Oakland or Wednesday afternoons in Kansas City in May. And those games are worth as much as those on Fox/ESPN on Saturday afternoons in Boston and Sunday evenings in Yankee Stadium in September. But if you're in a tight division race or in the playoffs, Javy's value drops significantly. That's why it's strange that a team like the Yankees, who have about a 90% chance of making the playoffs, would sign somebody with a storied history of poor pitching in pressure situations.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 22, 2009 -> 09:16 AM) Look at his numbers. Javy V is a great pitcher. He was great for the Sox too. Just becasue he pisses himself in big moments, doesn't make him less great, it makes him a s***ty big-game pitcher. He's going to be incredible as a 3-4 option for the Yankees. If you're a s***ty big-game pitcher, the Yankees are not the team for you. He would probably be a good #5 for the Yankees, mostly because he wouldn't start in the playoffs. His history down the stretch with competitive teams (including NYY) in the AL is not good, to say the least... QUOTE (chw42 @ Dec 22, 2009 -> 09:22 AM) His overall numbers in September/October on winning AL teams 2004 w/Yankees 6 GS, 1-2, 34.1 IP, 6.29 ERA, 37 H, 24 ER, 29 K, 16 BB 2006 w/White Sox 6 GS, 0-4, 40 IP, 4.28 ERA, 33 H, 19 ER, 57 K, 10 BB 2008 w/White Sox 6 GS, 2-4, 31.2 IP, 6.25 ERA, 31 H, 22 ER, 30 K, 13 BB Total: 18 GS, 3-10, 107 IP, 5.47 ERA, 101 H, 116 K, 39 BB, 1.31 WHIP That's a really nice K/BB and a solid WHIP, but he's almost a lock to soil his pants in one bad inning. Javy wins a lot of low-pressure regular-season games and would certainly benefit the Yankees in that regard (eating innings would also save the bullpen and put less pressure on Sabathia). That said, I can't see Girardi using him as anything more than long relief in the playoffs.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 07:25 PM) They have every reason to lie. Again its a business, if they want to make a profit, that's fine. I would want to make a profit. But you know as well as I, if they don't spend money but publicize they made $20 million that particular season, its not going to go over very well. As the only major sport without a salary cap, making money and not winning isn't going to fly. They aren't going to tell you they are willing to lose money, because then expectations about spending would reach Yankee level. People wouldn't think the Sox should even have a budget. They tell you they break even. Its something fans will understand. I have no comment on the "Sox are cheap" discussion, but this is a good point. The Sox will do or say whatever it takes to give them an advantage, financially or personnel-wise. Kenny's attendance comment back in June or whenever was made for one of two reasons: (1) to try to encourage more people to purchase tickets or, more likely, (2) to cause misdirection as he was attempting to make deals for Peavy and Rios. This "misrepresentation of the truth" seems to have become more pronounced during Kenny's tenure, but has been around for as long as I can remember. Hawk has been their official Minister Of Propaganda for almost 30 years, touting players that obviously have no chance of making in impact in the bigs and justifying all of the front office's unpopular decisions (*cough* White Flag *cough*). That said, I don't begrudge them for doing this because I understand that it's a business. They need to publicly misrepresent the truth at times to be competitive. Hell, I remember Schueler lying to a little girl who asked him about their desire to re-sign Robin Ventura at Soxfest '98. But what in the heck else was he supposed to say? "Sorry, little Suzie, but we're going to low-ball him and let him sign with somebody who's willing to pay market value." If they always tell the public the truth, while every other organization tells the public what they want to hear or whatever gives them a competitive advantage, they'll draw 10,000 fans per game and never win anything.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 06:08 PM) Not on a waiver claim, but I think he really didn't believe Toronto would let him go for nothing. It was reported he was trying to get him earlier and obviously whatever he was offering wasn't as good as just eating his contract. So either KW thought they wouldn't move him and try to work out a trade or he was trying to block him from going elsewhere. Detroit may have claimed him and waived Maggs. Considering what they would have saved with Maggs off the books, it made a little sense. I'm sure that Kenny spoke to Ricciardi (most likely on multiple occasions) about Rios. Given that Kenny's the type of guy who targets specific players and pursues them for months and even years in some cases, that would make sense. However, I don't think that Kenny (or any GM) would ever pick up up a $60+ million contract simply to cock-block Detroit. That may have been an added bonus, but is highly unlikely to have been a major factor.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 05:46 PM) They said they had no money. None. IIRC, Kenny said this back in May, when it was obvious that the Sox weren't going to take a massive hit in attendance. This is the best example that I can think of that NOTHING that comes out of the Sox front office can be taken at face value. Their official position is always whatever it takes to give them an advantage. There's almost no way that Kenny would've gotten salary relief for Rios after he claimed him. He would've had zero leverage at that point. Kenny would've had to have taken on a second player to get salary relief in return. That would've involved taking on another expensive contract (which would've been counter-productive) or taking a prospect in return (not a good idea for the Jays, who were clearly entering a rebuilding process). Therefore, Kenny absolutely had to know that the chances of him getting any salary relief after claiming Rios was close to nil... because everybody knew that.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 04:40 PM) My hero Siro! (Zero) Big Siro fan here as well. Too bad about his shoulder.

QUOTE (SouthsideDon48 @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 11:48 AM) 3. can hit lots of doubles. 4. can steal bases. 5. not only can he steal bases, but he can also get about 20 home runs along with at least 20 stolen bases and be in the 20/20 club with guys like Granderson and Sizemore. 6. should be a solid batter in the #2, 6, or 7 spots in the order. Rios' '06-'08 seasons resemble a late '80s Barry Bonds with better defense. That's a really solid player.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 01:42 PM) In 03, the Sox had a rotation of Colon/Loaiza/Buehrle. That was about as good of a 1 through 3 in all of baseball that year and they had a stellar offense to go with it. Sure they had no depth, but the Sox had some teams that if they had gotten into the playoffs, they were built to win it all. Yes, they certainly did have a shot in '03. Those three were miles better than the rotation that the Sox had in 2000.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 01:12 PM) Kip Wells, Jon Garland, Jon Rauch were all some of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Add in Keith Foulke, Lorenzo Barcelo, Aaron Myette, Jason Stumm, Dan Wright, etc and you are talking about a team that was absolutely loaded. Than there were the solid vets like James Baldwin. So I don't know how you are talking about a ton of career years. That was a young team that was rated to have one of the best farm systems of all time. Turns out BA was completely wrong and a lot of the guys fizzled out, but people in baseball absolutely raved about the Sox stable of prospects. The pitching PROSPECTS were very good (including one Mark Buehrle). The starting pitchers that were actually winning games for the 2000 Sox, however, were not. Baldwin had been considered a flop at that point, Parque was a marginal major league pitcher, and Cal Eldred had a long history of injuries and only lasted about 2/3 of the seasont. I agree that there were some really nice prospects in the organization at the time, but it was difficult for me to believe that the Sox were going to out-pitch the Yankees in the playoffs at that point. The only pitchers who had looked really good at the major league level at that point were Sirotka and Foulke. Oh, that lineup was sick. Those three plus Frank and Valentin, and you knew that they were going to score a lot of runs for the foreseeable future. I didn't feel comfortable about our chances of winning a pennant until Kenny traded for Freddy in 2004 (where Mark and Jon had already established themselves as really good and solid starters, respectively).

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 10:43 AM) but man, I remember thinking in 2000 that we were going to win multiple world series. I didn't get that feeling at all, as there were too many career years and too much luck in the starting rotation. The one guy that I thought would be good over the long-term (Sirotka) never pitched again in the bigs. It was a fun year, though. I was at the night home opener and the atmosphere was electric. After Ray Durham made a run-saving catch-and-throw in the top of the first and Frank got a standing ovation in the bottom half of the inning, I could tell that 2000 was going to be different.

QUOTE (G&T @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 08:56 AM) Partially yes because KW wanted Rios in a trade. But also because they wanted to block the Tigers. Of course, the second part of the explanation makes no sense since the Tigers have no money and couldn't have afforded him. Everybody in the media knew that the Jays were desperate to dump salary and that Rios' contract was well above market value. I don't think that Kenny is dumb enough to have believed that Ricciardi would've had any incentive to work out a trade for Rios, as he has zero leverage once he claims a player off of waivers.

QUOTE (docsox24 @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 10:23 AM) Prior to that he wasnt in the league. Shouldn't the lineup be based on their current hitting abilities rather than 3 years ago? Even one year ago, Rios was a better hitter than Alexei. Not true. See: Rollins, Jimmy

QUOTE (docsox24 @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 09:37 AM) I dislike any lineup where Rios is hitting 2nd. Lexi is a better hitter than he is and shouldn't be hitting 9th. 2009 Alexei was a better hitter than 2009 Rios. Prior to that, Rios' hitting and base-stealing numbers are superior.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 09:19 AM) Alexei actually did really well at drawing walks last year, he drew 49 over the course of the full year. That's really not terrible. If it wasn't for his awful April, he hit .286 with a .342 OBP. His numbers for OBP are down because of how godawful he was in April. This is true. If this trend continues, he could be a legit #2 hitter (which would be nice, as Beckham is better off as an eventual #3, IMO).

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 07:55 AM) What? Beckham in the heart of the order at 6 actually makes some sense. I'd rather have him there, and Ramirez at 2. Not only is it not a firing offense, its an idea a lot of people like, myself included. Now, eventually, Beckham may be a #3 hitter. But not to start the season. On many other teams, I'd agree. But this lineup currently has a serious OBP problem. Maybe I'm in a minority, but I want my high-OBP players hitting in the top half of the lineup. I contrast to what Ozzie thinks, I'd much rather that Beckham be used as an on-base guy (hitting in front of CQ and PK) with some power than an RBI guy right now. That means staying in the 2-hole (or possibly hitting 3rd at some point). If Kenny signs somebody like Thome or Delgado, I'd be more comfortable with Beckham hitting 6th temporarily.

Batting Beckham 6th or 7th would've made sense on the 2006 or 2008 teams. But right now, I only see four players who would reasonably be expected to put up an .800 OPS, and only two or three of them with an OBP of .350 or higher. Unless Kenny goes on an offensive spending spree, Beckham has to hit in the top half of the lineup. Ozzie's rationale of "protecting" Beckham makes little sense, given that they batted him 2nd and forced him to learn 3B on the fly in his freaking rookie year. (And, of course, Beckham succeeded with flying colors.) Of course, Ozzie also introduces the idea of Vizquel at DH in this same interview, so my feeling is that he's blowing smoke up Merkin's posterior.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 21, 2009 -> 04:36 AM) I dont remember Ozzie ever saying he wants Beckham batting 6th, thats just stupid There are a lot of really bad reasons tossed around on this site to "fire Ozzie." Batting Beckham 6th would actually merit termination.

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ Dec 20, 2009 -> 08:30 PM) I believe Ozzie has said he wants to bat beckham 6th. I hope that either your or Ozzie are joking.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 20, 2009 -> 03:36 PM) For what reason? Jones put up a .782 OPS last year, and has a .696 OPS over the last 3 years combined. Thome put up .865 and .847 OPS numbers the last 2 years. Delgado put up a .781 OPS and a .871 OPS his last 2 full years, and .914 OPS last year in 25 games before going down. Furthermore, our lineup is already RH loaded and could be weak against RHP if we don't have a LH bat to stick in there to break up Quentin/Konerko/Beckham/Rios/Alexei in the RBI section. I could live with a Jones/Thome or Delgado Platoon, but Jones/Kotsay or just Jones is a lot weaker. Agreed. Jones and Kotsay are bench players at this point in their careers. Whoever ends up in the DH spot for the Sox next year needs a good enough bat/health track record to justify their presence in the lineup.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 20, 2009 -> 01:05 PM) For that kind of money...I want at least an .800 OPS out of him. There's no reason why we can't get better than that. I'd want to see more like an .830 or higher OPS for that kind of money. But if he puts up his 2008 numbers (.798 OPS, 47 2B, 32 SB), I'll be more than satisfied.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 20, 2009 -> 11:35 AM) They are changing the days off in the playoffs. The 3 man playoff rotation, unless there are rainouts or snowouts will be a thing of the past. With either Floyd or Danks being the #4 option, the Sox have no reason to go to a three-man rotation anyway.

QUOTE (SouthsideDon48 @ Dec 20, 2009 -> 12:05 PM) People should not think that having a dissenting stance on our country is a bad thing. In fact, having a dissenting and nonconformist stance on our country is more patriotic than having the stance of someone who mindlessly chant "Go USA" and stand for every pledge and "God Bless USA" song like a brainwashed zombie. Nice straw man argument and way to completely miss my point.