Lillian

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ May 13, 2013 -> 10:52 AM) I heard Grady Sizemore might be available. Any interest in him? I assume that should have been in teal. Yes, I still think that is something worth considering. Hey, if he looks like he's ready to contribute, and can be had on a short contract, why not?

QUOTE (Disco72 @ May 13, 2013 -> 09:40 AM) With regards to replacing Dunn, I just don't think that big fish is out there. The better approach is to look for a lineup that can produce up and down the order, not one big hitter who solves all the Sox's problems. Yes, ideally, that's true. But finding 3 or 4 guys is going to be even more difficult than one impact left handed bat, at least in the short run. Moreover, not having that impact bat makes it harder for the rest of the lineup to perform. There is no protection for anyone with this lineup.

Sadly, you guys may be right.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 13, 2013 -> 08:25 AM) At this point there are no alternatives. That's the issue. Teams aren't ready to trade players yet. That really doesn't even start at least until the end of June. In the meantime, would you continue to play Dunn, and if not, whom among players already on the roster, would you play in his place?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 13, 2013 -> 08:04 AM) Yeah, it would be great to find one. Dunn was signed to fill that void, and he obviously failed. In the team's current situation though, I just don't see how acquiring another mediocre 30+ player with an awful contract is a good idea. What are the alternatives? This team has too much good pitching to just give up. Yet, without filling that offensive void, the Sox aren't competitive.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ May 13, 2013 -> 07:44 AM) I think acquiring hitters with high OBP is the #1 objective. Having power and being left-handed are certainly desirable qualities, but this team's OBP is so poor across the board that getting anbody who can get their ass on base is the most important thing right now. Dunn isn't the answer to fill that need, but he's here and nobody is going to take him, so time is better spent figuring out other ways to improve the team that don't involve moving Dunn. I think you're right. Dunn's contract only has one year left, after this season, and $15 million isn't going to tie management's hands. Why not just consider it a "sunk" cost, and move on?

Putting aside the solution, does anyone here disagree with the assertion that acquiring a productive, middle of the order, left handed bat is the greatest need? Does anyone think that Dunn is still a realistic candidate to fill that need? I'd just like to clarify the objective here.

Yes, it's a big contract, and that's why I asked if the Dodgers might pay a portion of it. Regarding Ethier's inability to hit LHP, at present there aren't many southpaws in our division, but of course that could change. So, who else fits the description of a left handed, middle of the order hitter, whom a team might want to dump because of his contract?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 13, 2013 -> 06:34 AM) That's not a very safe assumption, especially in today's PED-less baseball. Adam Dunn is falling apart at about the same age. I wouldn't be surprised if Ethier's last few years on his contract are awful. There are still players who seem to be able to perform in their mid 30's, without PEDs. Is it really unreasonable to expect a guy to hit when he's 32, 33, 34 and 35? Baseball players are in much better condition than they used to be. Maybe that's part of Dunn's problem. He seems to be the exception to the rule when it comes to a conditioning program. From everything I read, Dunn does nothing in the off season, and is not an advocate of weight training or aerobics.

What if you take Dunn out of the equation? In that it is highly unlikely that anyone would take him, why not just focus upon players who could be acquired to fill the role of middle of the order hitter? Of course, you can guess that my preference would be for a left handed hitter. Ideally, it would be someone who would be a salary dump and thus not require sacrificing any important pieces from the Sox roster. So, is there a good left handed hitter who could be acquired by taking on a less than desirable contract? Ethier is one name that I floated here before. I think the Dodgers would consider giving him away in order to make room for Puig, and to get out of the remaining 5 years of his contract. At 31 Ethier might reasonably be expected to contribute for at least 4 of the remaining 5 years of that contract. Remember, the Sox don't have a single left handed impact bat, that is expected to be on the active roster in the next 3 or 4 years. Would the Dodgers consider paying a portion of that contract? He is really good vs. RHP. If the Sox acquired him, I would put him in LF, and let Viciedo DH. What would I do with Adam Dunn? Who cares? Anything that didn't include his taking the field. I just can't watch him anymore.

I think that Caulfield's argument makes sense, if I understand it correctly. I guess the point is that the only way the Sox can likely rid themselves of the Dunn contract is to trade him in exchange for some other team's bad contract. If that could realistically be accomplished, and the player offered some positive benefit to the team, it might be worth it. As it stands now, Dunn is not only incapable of making any positive contribution, but he is killing the offense. The only thing that I wonder is whether or not it might make even more sense to simply not play him. Why couldn't we just treat him as though he were an injured player, and go on without him? At least it would afford an opportunity for another player to get some playing time.

What kind of assurances have the Braves given Justin that his brother won't be traded? How might such a move effect Justin's performance? At least the Dunn contract will be off the books after next season. Taking on Upton's contract could be a problem until 2018.

The question I have been asking here for the last couple of years is; Who in the organization, or available from another team, could take Dunn's place as a left handed, middle of the order hitter? I suspect the answer is; "no one". If that is the case, this team might as well be dismantled at the nearest propitious time, because it isn't going anywhere with Adam Dunn hitting in the heart of the order. Unless, someone really believes that he could suddenly return to being the player he was in the NL. They might as well start rebuilding the team with 2015 or 2016 in mind. In the meantime, who are the potential candidates within the organization? Dan Black might have the best shot. He is a big guy, who draws walks, and hits for average. Why isn't he ranked in the top 20 prospects? I assume that it's his age. He has always been considered a good hitter, and seems to be getting better. My question is why not? Who cares how much the team has tied up in Dunn? The Sox might as well get a good look at someone who could be part of the future, which Dunn clearly is not.

Is there anyone here who questions whether Dunn is the biggest reason this team is faltering so badly? It's not just how terrible he is, but it's the lack of protection that he is providing for other hitters in the middle of the order, especially since he's the only serious left handed hitter on the roster. Last night, vs. RHP, he had the hat trick, and there were only 2 other strike outs registered by the Angels' staff, all night. Is there any possible solution to this much discussed problem? Might he realistically just hang up his spikes? He must feel just awful. I honestly can't remember another more disappointing player in Sox history. At least most of the old veterans that have been brought in, over the years, produced league average performance levels, or were old enough, or cheap enough to be forgiven.

Fortunately, his presence on this team is of very little importance. When Beckham returns he would have been relegated to the bench anyway. There is no way he should take Gillaspie's place at 3RD, except for the occasional LH starting pitcher. The Sox need Gillaspie's left handed bat in the lineup, and he's much better on defense than Keppinger. Keppinger's poor performance is the least of this team's problems, as is glaringly apparent to everyone.

QUOTE (winninguglyin83 @ May 10, 2013 -> 05:27 PM) Micah Johnson === baller. Starting to get excited about this guy. 10 stolen bases in the last 3 games!!!!! I read where he is employing an unusual technique. He walks toward second, and just keeps going. It gives him momentum. I can't seem to find the article, but it was interesting. At any rate, he is still experimenting, but it seems to be working. You think? Wow. Here is the article: http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=2...;vkey=news_milb

I've taken a lot of heat for belaboring the importance of acquiring at least one more potent middle of the order, left handed bat. As bad as this team is offensively, it's even worse against RHP. They are dead last in baseball. Getting two more right handed hitters; Beckham and Viciedo, off the DL may not offer that much help. And we still haven't faced the Tigers and their tough right handed starters. Look how well Gillaspie has done. Is it really a coincidence that he hits left handed. Of course, it's a vey small sample size, but he's hitting almost .200 points higher vs. RHP. Our division has very few left handed starters. We needed to have more left handed hitters in the lineup, but instead, let A. J. go. So, I'm still belaboring the point, and it's still valid. What a shame to waste the terrific pitching they've had. I blame Hahn and, or J. R.

It appears to me that Dunn is now standing further away from the plate. The homer he hit last night was on the outside, high corner of the plate, and he just took it the other way. That is exactly what I've been hoping he would do. If he stays in that spot in the box, inside pitches will miss the strike zone. If he's patient, he'll get his walks, and then when they throw it over the plate, he can reach out, arms extended, and elevate the ball to the left field seats, or take the base hits they're giving him on the vacant left side of the infield. I love it.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Apr 25, 2013 -> 01:06 PM) There is also literally no reason why Los Angeles would trade Ethier at this point. I'm sorry. I'm confused. Caulfield says that Ethier's contract is horrible, and you say that the Dodgers would not trade him. Which is it?

So, I guess we're just screwed.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Apr 25, 2013 -> 11:24 AM) How does getting stuck with Andre Ethier through 2017 help things? Trading a bad contract that expires in 2014 for another similar contract is one thing...but Ethier is going to be getting older and older, it's the kind of contract you would debate taking over (like Rios) if he was available as a waiver claim essentially for "free", but trading for an 820 OPS (average over the last three years) NL hitter who will be entering the downside of his career is a recipe for disaster. Ethier is owed roughly twice as much as what we owe Dunn. It's kind of the definition of insanity to make that trade...if Ethier's upside was a 900-1000 OPS, and he was a young hitter who could be a breakout superstar, then that's one thing. But this is the same recipe acquiring good but not great expensive/aging veterans that got the Kansas City Royals into so much trouble the past 20 years. Trying to "band aid" their way back into competition because their minor league system wasn't producing in certain areas. I think that a lot of people under value Ethier. He is a really good hitter versus RHP. His stats are always diminished by his inability to hit lefties. That wouldn't be much of a problem in our division, as there aren't many good lefties in it. He just turned 31 and probably has 3 or 4 good years left. The contract may look pretty bad in that last year, but he sure would solve the problem of a left handed bat. The Sox are almost certainly going to have to look outside the organization, as there isn't a single potentially impact, left handed bat in the entire system. Therefore, it's not just a temporary problem. Maybe the Dodgers would include a little salary relief, in exchange for bolstering their crippled starting staff.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Apr 25, 2013 -> 09:39 AM) Good lord Lillian. I am just going to be blunt, WE KNOW THAT WE NEED A GOOD MIDDLE OF THE ORDER BAT YOU DONT HAVE TO REITERATE IT IN EVERY POST THAT YOU MENTION DUNN. If one fell from the sky and landed in a White Sox uniform, we would all be happy. But I am not holding my breath. Thanks for the clarification. I know that it sounds like a "broken record", but that doesn't make it any less important. My point is that Dunn has not been the answer, since his arrival. I don't care what he hits, and where he is placed in the lineup. He is not going to be the middle of the order left handed bat that is missing. It has bothered me for a long time now that this organization has done nothing to address this problem. Sure Hahn talked about acquiring a left handed, middle of the order bat, all during the off season, but he didn't do it. All I was trying to point out in that post was that another fall out from this deficiency was likely to be teams pitching around Rios, as he is the only dangerous bat currently in this lineup, save Konerko. Sorry, if belaboring the point, annoyed you. We're probably all a little frustrated watching this horrible offense, especially when they are getting such good pitching.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Apr 25, 2013 -> 08:19 AM) Finding a middle of the order bat is similar to finding an ace because there aren't many of them around and to acquire them, you generally have to give up a lot. Are the Sox really at a place where acquiring a big time bat is logical? Personally, I think waiting until about Memorial Day to see if this team is going to contend takes priority over getting a big, middle of the order bat. If this team is 10 games under .500, then trading for a middle of the order bat is a really bad allocation of resources. Of course, you're right, and I admit that it won't be easy. However, even if Dunn starts to hit, I don't think it's realistic to expect him to improve upon last year. Waiting for that to happen isn't a viable option, because even if it materializes, it's not a solution. Even last year's Dunn would not represent a good enough bat to hit clean up, not with all of the strike outs, and the .200 average. The Sox may have an extra starter to trade if, and when Danks comes back. If he can return to form, they would have 4 viable candidates for left handed starters; Sale, Danks, Quintana and Santiago. It's hard to imagine that some team wouldn't be interested in acquiring a left handed starter in exchange for a decent left handed hitter. Wouldn't the Dodgers be interested in acquiring someone like Danks to fill the void created by some of their injured starters? He could be a nice piece for their regular rotation, even after the injured arms return. They have Puig waiting to take a roster spot, and might be willing to swap Ethier's contract for Danks. He has always hit RHP really well. I'd take that deal, would you? It's just seems like such a waste to have such a good pitching staff, and not be able to field a better offense.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Apr 25, 2013 -> 07:50 AM) We know. It is on order. What are you trying to say? Do you disagree? Is that supposed to be funny? Sorry, I don't understand the point of your post.

Unless Dunn, or someone else gets hot, opponents will start pitching around Rios. This team better find a productive, middle of the order, bat soon. I have no solution, but I think that is a very serious problem.