scenario

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 1, 2008 -> 01:41 PM) Unless there’s something I’m not seeing the money issue doesn’t appear to overly significant. The Reds have a modest budget, that’s all but certain to grow in the next couple years with the emergence of their young players. I’m not saying that money isn’t at play here, I just think that it won’t be a deal breaker in this situation. Dye’s salary is large, but it wouldn’t be ridiculous for a franchise like the Reds to take a good portion of it on, and not suffer for it. I’d be interested in hearing more specifics on the money situation that Gonzalez mentioned. Also, what I meant by Jocketty was not that he’s some money wizard, but rather he’s pretty decent at surmounting financial difficulties, and getting a good deal out of it. I'm guessing the "money issue" is a negotiation tactic. Sounds like another way of saying... "If you want better prospects, then we want you to eat some of Dye's salary."

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 1, 2008 -> 12:47 PM) When was the last time a Sox middle infield prospect came up to the big league team and was able to successfully bat anywhere in the line-up besides the bottom three spots in the order for the first 2-3 years of his career? Ray Durham? (No, I don't think we can count Willie Harris as successful for the purposes of this) Caruso for one year? I just don't see how Getz, who almost everyone projects as a "very marginal" MLB starting 2B, can successfully handle the pressure of batting leadoff in his rookie season...? Maybe those who have watched Getz in our system see something that confounds common wisdom in terms of maturity, poise or make-up...but I'm not seeing how we're better off with Getz leading off than Taveras. Just can't buy that idea. Regarding your first point, I'm not sure what the Sox history of futility drafting middle infielders has to do with whether or not Getz can leadoff. Getz is a good contact hitter with an exceptional batting eye and plus speed. That has been his reputation since college and the reason the Sox thought enough of him to make him a relatively high pick. The only thing that makes him "marginal" is the question of whether he'll hit with enough power to be a starter long term. (Btw, I don't think there is any question that Getz has more power than Taveras, so shouldn't the same 'marginal' argument apply to Willy?) And batting eye... no comparison. Getz consistently walks more than he strikes out. Taveras' career situational stats show that if he gets behind in the count at any point, he is absolute toast. IMO, it seems like you would rather go with a mediocre 'known' leadoff guy than a potentially better but unproven leadoff guy... I'll take Getz.

I'd put Getz in there because I think he would be a good leadoff hitter. I can't believe we've had two whole threads debating the value of acquiring Willy Taveras. Take away his one good year (out of 4) and he looks like the definition of a marginal 4th outfielder. My guess is that if he was on the team right now, the debate would be about who we could dump him on and whether we could get a half-way decent prospect for him.

I use thebaseballcube alot because it provides both the player's minor and major league numbers. Nice to have all of that info in one place. I've been saving resources that I like when I find them. Here's a link to a page where I list a bunch of them. Baseballmusings.com is one of my favorites. But for some reason when I posted this the site was down. I'm sure it's a short term thing. It's a great site. The pitcher and hitter comparison databases are outstanding. Minorleaguesplits.com is also an excellent site if somebody is looking for that type of info. Lots of other interesting stuff to read and play with on the links page. If anybody has other resources sites that they like, please list them.

"It's back." Did it ever go away? I think it's just one of those convenient rumors that bloggers and sports-writers pull out when there is nothing else to talk about.

Yeah, he's a a legacy... and a Saluki too. (bonus points) But I'd take Getz over Hairston... 8 days a week.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Nov 30, 2008 -> 12:16 PM) I would really like to sign Jerry Hairston Jr. as a utility player. He has speed, athletic enough to play a lot of positions, seems like a good teammate and wouldn't cost much. Do we need another utility player?

Summarized in my words... "Kenny Williams has done a good job of keeping the Sox competitive by trading prospects for veterans. It will be interesting to see if he is tempted to do so in Las Vegas." Decent article but nothing new.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Nov 29, 2008 -> 03:18 PM) I just tried to think of the last White Sox prospect that became anything more than adequate in the majors on any team. It's hard to come up with many. I'm not going to deny we've had some crap years drafting... early 2000's comes to mind... It's just that we're not that unusual in that department. After the top 15 or so picks every year, there are very few 'sure' bet players available... unless you're willing to pay over slot of course. And since the Sox haven't gotten many top 15 picks and don't usually pay over slot... they simply haven't pulled in much in the way of top talent. When I click through the draft database on thebaseballcube.com and see some of the decisions made by teams with top 15 picks year after year... it's just amazing. There are quite a few teams out there that have done a lot less with much better opportunities pick-wise. Pretty sad.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Nov 28, 2008 -> 07:39 PM) If there's one thing I've learned in the past 10 years, it's that White Sox prospects are terrible. None of them amount to anything, and yet we get angry when we lose a "highly-touted" one. LOL. Well... if there's one thing I've learned in the past 10 years it's that there are quite a few Sox fans who seem to believe... "We SUCK until proven otherwise. And then we STILL suck... we were just lucky." Sometimes I think we make Philly fans look like flaming optimists.

According to Griffey's agent Brian Goldberg... "Kenny realizes that he probably would be a middle-ground guy when it comes to salary," he said. "He also understands that a contract could include some incentives, but I don't think he'll price himself out of a job. He's never been about being the highest paid." Goldberg said Griffey would be receptive to a one-year contract offer from "the right team in the right place," but wouldn't be any more specific than that. I'm just thinking that if the Sox do suddenly seem serious about retaining Griffey that it would be further evidence that a Dye deal may be coming. Regarding what they could cut him to... I don't believe the 80/70 rules apply to free agents... only to players that are under a team's control at the time of the arbitration.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Nov 29, 2008 -> 04:37 AM) there's a less than 0% chance the Sox offer Griffey arbitration unless they know for a fact that he'd decline for whatever reason. I agree. But if the mlb.com article yesterday is true, and not just blowing smoke, 9 teams have contacted Griffey's agent expressing interest. If that is the case, then the odds of him accepting arbitration by December 7th are small.

The more I think about it... I would not be shocked if the Sox traded Dye and re-signed Griffey to a 1-year deal. At the very least, I'm beginning to believe that the Sox will offer Griffey arbitration. We'll see about the arbitration on Monday.

I like it. There's info in there I haven't been able to find anywhere else... The analysis is pretty good... And there's always something interesting to read. I just re-upped my subscription. My Christmas gift to myself. I know Bureau panned their scouting reports as being below his professional standards... but from a fan's perspective, it's good information. I consider myself a reasonably educated fan, and I get alot out of it.... fwiw.

per Rotoworld The Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan have reportedly acquired Ryan Wing from the A's. Wing was once a very good starting pitching prospect in the White Sox system before having shoulder problems. He reemerged as an effective reliever with Oakland's Triple-A affiliate last season, amassing a 2.33 ERA in 54 innings, but the A's never did give him a shot. Source: Kyodo News

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Nov 28, 2008 -> 04:09 PM) For me, Broadway would be the option on the depth chart that sits below Tomo Ohka and right above death. LOL. I'd hate to see where you'd slot Wes Whisler.

Dusty loves base clogging bangers. I'm sure we've got a few of those he could pick from.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 27, 2008 -> 12:39 AM) although it seems he's a little like Armstrong, good bat and questionable D, we actually need the opposite Not sure where the idea came from that Armstrong is bad defensively. He was picked the top defensive catcher in the Southern League this year by managers in that league.

Is Bailey's velocity actually down? I haven't seen anything that says that anywhere. I'm not saying it doesn't exist. I just haven't seen it. If anybody has anything, please link it. The stuff I've seen suggests that his problems are: (1) a mediocre changeup (2) suspect command of his fastball As a result, he is plagued by inconsistency... when he's controlling the fastball, he'll be lights out. When he's not, he gets lit up. Sounds like a guy who could benefit from a visit to Dr. Cooper. On the plus side, his fastball is (or was) consistently 92-98 mph. And he has a plus curveball that can buckle hitters waiting for the fast stuff. One scouts report I saw said Bailey had the best stuff the guy had seen in years... better than Cole Hamels... and was definitely #1 starter material.

Everybody seems to have their own definition of what a 'big game' is when it comes to Javy. I think his win against Cleveland on September 3rd was a very big game. The Sox were reeling... having just lost 5 of their last 6 games... on the verge of getting swept by a very hot Cleveland team on the road... the Sox were tied in the standings with Minnesota... Danks got knocked out in 4 innings the day before... Buehrle got slapped around in 4 innings just before that... And Javy stepped up, shut down the Tribe (in Cleveland) and put the Sox back in 1st place. Anybody who suggests this was not a big game is kidding themselves.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Nov 25, 2008 -> 03:05 PM) I quietly believe the Sox plan is to have Alexei in CF and Furcal at SS. Ditto.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 25, 2008 -> 11:33 AM) There's a reason though why Uribe swings at everything. Another reason that Uribe swings at everything... Because players in the DR have it trained into their heads early by coaches that... "You can't walk off the island."

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Nov 24, 2008 -> 08:28 AM) Check it out. His pull heavy swing on you tube and low finish with his body looks like Uribe. I don't mind Uribe's swing. I just don't like what he swings at. As Steve Stone likes to say, "If the next pitch is in the ballpark, Uribe will be swinging at it." The ugliest parts of his game come from his inability to avoid swinging at bad pitches.

Link Intro to the article by Jonathan Mayo... "From Opening Day until the championship game, the one thing as constant as developing talent at the Arizona Fall League is the presence of scouts in the stands documenting it all. And for good reason, the numbers don't lie. The sheer quantity -- and quality -- of players that go from the AFL to the big leagues every year is astounding, and it's enough to ensure that scouts don't want to miss an inning. From that, comes a variety of opinions. Sometimes there's consensus, sometimes there's disagreement, but MLB.com spoke to scouts who spent considerable time working the Arizona Fall League to come up with some well-informed ideas about the best prospects from the AFL, 2008 edition." 19 players were named: 3 outfielders, 2 lefty pitchers, 2 righty pitchers, and 2 players at each of the other positions. Beckham and Poreda made the list. Here's what they had to say about each. Gordon Beckham, White Sox: Another 2008 first-rounder (No. 8 overall), Beckham wasted no time fitting in. He looked like he belonged at this level, hitting close to .400 with a 1.119 OPS. He won't wow you with plus range, but he showed he's capable of playing short, while also showing the ability and willingness to play second. His best tool is his bat, and he's got plenty of it, with a good chance to be a run-producing middle infielder in the near future. Aaron Poreda, White Sox: While scouts were also impressed with the pure stuff of the Marlins' Sean West, Poreda gets the nod here. The White Sox first-rounder from the 2007 Draft showed plus command of a high-velocity fastball. Where he's improved the most, scouts say, is with his slider. He was working on a changeup and it has a chance to be a usable offering. Poreda goes right after hitters and attacks the zone. If he remains a starter, he could be ready for the bigs in late 2009 or early 2010. If the White Sox decide, however, to put him into the pen, his fastball-slider combination from the left side might be enough to get him there right away.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 24, 2008 -> 12:58 PM) David Cook is also playing in the Domincan League. Didn't see that. Who is he playing for?