2nd_city_saint787

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 18, 2013 -> 02:07 PM) He did look better in the 2nd half. And he did progress against RHP which was his downfall previously. If he keeps that up and goes back to smashing LHP then you're looking at a .270+ BA 20+ HRs and 80+ RBI. For a guy who's not your #1 contributor those are damn good numbers. I know everyone has a hard on for OBP, and rightfully so, but in a guy who hits lower in the lineup I don't think it's that big of a key.

QUOTE (flavum @ Oct 18, 2013 -> 12:19 PM) What gets lost in the overall numbers with Viciedo, is that his bat goes silent for months at a time. He's so inconsistent, and you never trust him to get a run in when has to be driven in. You mean the guy who hit .313 with RISP, and .340 with RISP w/2 outs this year?

Pretty impressive that each those HRs Wite posted were to a different part of the field.

QUOTE (OsweGo-Go Sox @ Oct 18, 2013 -> 12:42 PM) I've heard nobody say that "Abreu has a good glove at 1B." Cespedes has said he was a good fielder. As for PK as hitting coach? Like DA said Hahn wants someone with experience.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Oct 18, 2013 -> 12:33 PM) Nice article but to follow correct Mania Thread protocol, the quote box should never be used for articles. And italicized....Rookie mistake, I fixed it.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2...l-puig/2651131/ OAKLAND, Calif. — Yoenis Cespedes can't think right away of a major leaguer who compares to Jose Dariel Abreu, his former national squad teammate and the latest baseball star to defect from Cuba. But as the Oakland Athletics outfielder and Home Run Derby champion describes Abreu, the image of American League MVP Miguel Cabrera comes to mind. Like Cabrera, Abreu was a shortstop as a youngster before outgrowing the position and moving to third base and the outfield, eventually landing at first base (Cabrera is now back at third). And like Cabrera, Abreu can spray line drives and majestic blasts to all fields. FTW: Abreu has hit like Ted Williams in Cuba "If he had just a tad more speed, he would be a complete player,'' said Cespedes, pointing out Abreu runs well for his size but is not a burner. "Of the five tools, he's got four. He's a good fielder and he can hit for average and power.'' Abreu, a power-hitting first baseman who was a teammate of Yasiel Puig on the Cienfuegos team, is believed to be in Haiti as he begins the process of making himself available to major league teams. Once he establishes residency outside the United States, is declared a free agent by MLB and cleared by the Office of Foreign Assets Control – which may take months – Abreu is expected to be the object of a bidding war perhaps unlike any other previously seen for a Cuban player. TRAGEDY: Braves fan's death a cautionary tale The biggest contract signed by a Cuban defector so far is the seven-year, $42 million deal Puig got from the Los Angeles Dodgers. "Along with Cespedes, he's the biggest name to leave Cuba,'' said Cuban baseball expert and author Peter Bjarkman. "He must look at what Puig got and think, 'He was just a young prospect. I'm a superstar.''' Abreu, 26, twice came close to winning the triple crown in the Cuban National Series, a feat never accomplished in the league's half-century history. The season after Cespedes set a league record with 33 home runs, Abreu blasted 35. OUT OF BASEBALL AGAIN: Manny Ramirez released from Rangers "So you can imagine what kind of hitter he is,'' Cespedes said. Abreu was the starting first baseman and fifth-place hitter for the Cuban national team and batted .360 with three homers and nine RBI in six games during this year's World Baseball Classic. Even though he's listed as 6-2 and 258 pounds in the WBC roster, Cespedes and Bjarkman say Abreu is closer to 6-4 or 6-5, and athletic. "If Puig is built like a linebacker, Abreu looks like a tight end,'' Bjarkman said. "He's got as much potential as anybody to come out of Cuba.''

1. Covelli Crisp CF S 2. John Jaso C L (In a trade for De Aza) 3. JDA 1B R 4. Dunn DH L 5. Garcia RF R 6. Headley 3B L (in a trade for Santiago/Beckham) 7. Viciedo LF R 8. Semien/Keppinger 2B R/L 9. Ramirez SS R EDIT- NVM, I guess the As are gonna exercise Coco's option. So that kills the first 2 guy. Not sure what the A's would want for Jaso but if the Sox miss out on McCann/Salty Jaso is the guy I'd try to snag.

Croc. Reading there are a lot of vicious crocodiles in Cuba. Orrrr keeping with the weapons theme.... Bazooka Jo

QUOTE (chw42 @ Oct 18, 2013 -> 12:53 AM) I would love Jaso on this team. You can hit him leadoff or second (I have a feeling he won't hit leadoff with Robin as manager). DeJesus would be a fine platoon partner for Viciedo. If we trade De Aza, DeJesus would be a fine replacement in center. If it's pre 2013 Viciedo. For whatever reason after 3 years of smashing LHP and being awful against RHP, he actually was actually better against RHP than LHP this year.

Trade for John Jaso???!!! With all the RHP we see I'd love this. Dude has an OBP over .400 the last 2 years vs RHP(430 ABs) Don't think the Sox would be in contact with an agent about a trade though so I don't think that's the nugget. Still would like to see it happen though. Not really a David Dejesus fan...Byrd would be intriguing, esp. if he can play CF....I'd really hate to give up on Dayan.

Nelson Cruz??? Doesn't really fit the mold of what you've said though. Sigh, disregard, he left Aces. Can Dejesus play CF? What about Marlon Byrd?

People replying to my tweet seem to think this Evan Grant fellow doesn't really have a source, or his source sucks so I guess take that FWIW.

Evan Grant ‏@Evan_P_Grant 17 Oct I'm told #Rangers out RT @Beasthart: @Evan_P_Grant Sox fan here, seems "momentum" is shifting toward you guys? Your source say anything new? What kind of twitter name is Beasthart? must be a tool.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 17, 2013 -> 07:08 PM) I hope someone can fill me in on how this predictor translator works: “@enosarris: Abreu's in news, so here's his Davenport Translation (biggest sample): .321/.446/.660. DT for Cespedes .271/.338/.489 (real: 265/.324/.472)” No clue what it means and I don't really see the validity to it but I found this... Baseball Prospectus co-founder Clay Davenport devised a stat called Equivalent Average (EqA), which takes all of a hitter's contributions (power, on-base ability, etc.), compares those results to league norms, and calibrates them on a scale that mirrors batting average. A .260 EqA is about average, .300 is very good, .350 is fantastic, .400 is astronomical. Abreu posted an EqA of .308 during the 2005-06 season … the year he turned 19. Davenport runs translations for Serie Nacional players, just as he does for Japanese league players, minor leaguers, and others not in the majors. He considers the competition in Serie Nacional to be equivalent to high-A ball in North America's minor leagues — the Carolina, California, and Florida leagues. After comparing a player's performance to the rest of his league, Davenport then must establish how players from that league did when they graduated to higher levels. Once he has a good idea of how players typically change between leagues, he translates an average major league player to Serie Nacional. The Cuban player's translation thus comes from looking at how far above or below the average major leaguer he would be. Miguel Cabrera was the best hitter in Major League Baseball in 2011. Jose Abreu, even after adjusting his numbers to reflect A-ball competition, blew Cabrera out of the water.

Yup, based on what Olney has said it looks like the Sox are the biggest front runner. I LIKE. Based on the tweet about the Astros, and the words "fell short"(past tense) I wonder if this is based off the whole "blind bid" we heard about, and that this will be announced sooner rather than later.

Then again I just realized the quote I bolded says 2014...which is next year... The last tweet however talks about this year. I still question why he took a physical if he doesn't intend on playing this year. He wouldn't play this week regardless but if they can get him for the stretch run, and hopefully for the playoffs(meaning they make it there) that could be huge for the Bears.

Liptak- Lost in the Fog =p

As for Ratliff, his agent said the defensive tackle isn’t done playing. “He absolutely 100 percent wants to play football again,” said Slough, who said he’s already received a few calls from NFL teams acquiring about Ratliff. “He has a passion for the game. He has a love for the game. If he could’ve played this year, he would’ve been on the field. He has absolute no intention of not playing again in 2014.” Sooo did Slough say it wrong, or did La Canfora hear him wrong? then there's this that was retweeted on Mark Sloughs twitter... Charean Williams ‏@NFLCharean 16 Oct Agent says Ratliff wants to play again: 'He is in excellent shape, looks as good as he ever has' Ian Fitzsimmons ‏@Ianfitzespn 55m Jay Ratliff's agent @MarkSlough told us that several teams have called & they are now NOT ruling out the possibility of playing this year. MARTYSAURUS REX for the Win.

QUOTE (knightni @ Oct 17, 2013 -> 11:57 AM) The Rays could use him. Have they ever paid big money for a free agent? Knowing them they'll sign Casey McGehee at a bargain basement price and he'll end up putting up 'good numbers".

QUOTE (SCCWS @ Oct 17, 2013 -> 11:52 AM) There are a bunch of teams that need a quality IB. Maybe the cost is scaring away most teams but it seems odd only 3 teams are very interested and 2 of the 3 are desperate. I hope the Sox have done their homework. The tweets above just said that the White Sox, Rangers, and Houston were the front runners, it didn't say they were the only ones interested.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Oct 17, 2013 -> 08:34 AM) @JasonLaCanfora On a conference call with reporters, Mark Slough, agent for Jay Ratliff, says NT is still recovering from injuries. Cannot play this year "@BradleyBananas: @MartysaurusRex he’s all sorts of injured lol" don't believe everything you read. According to Marty he's not hurt that bad....Also, why was he taking a physical(failed physical is why he got released) if he wasn't trying to come back?

Bald host guy on sports talk live.... C-McCann/Salty/AJ 1B- Dunn 2B- Beckham 3B- Viceido SS- Lexi RF- Garcia CF- Dejesus LF- Cruz DH- Didn't say. "If Miggy can play 3B so can Dayan"

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ Oct 16, 2013 -> 05:55 PM) $8m per for a platoon player in a rebuild year? Um, absolutely not. Saltys OPS vs LHP was .628, McCanns? .616.

QUOTE (bbilek1 @ Oct 16, 2013 -> 05:01 PM) I think the fit is definitely there. To me it all depends on what the contract is and whether he'll cut his hair. Seriously? You're just jealous you can't rock a perm. lol I'd be all for Salty if they miss out on McCann. His numbers vs RHP are comparable to McCann so there's that.

QUOTE (bmags @ Oct 16, 2013 -> 03:48 PM) re: White, apparentl;y he injured quad last game and that would take more than offweek to heal. Sigh. Well s***, should I even be starting Matt Ryan? Just picked up Foles, he's probably a better play vs Dallas than Ryan with out his 2 big guns against Tampa Bay, correct?