scenario

In the "loose lips" article yesterday in the Trib, there was one sentence that kind of threw a foreshadowing of this. It said that KW and Rick Hahn were having lunch with Jaime Torres. Why would you have both the GM and contracts guy meeting with an agent, except to talk about a possible deal? And since Torres is the agent for both Contreras and Ramirez, I imagine his familiarity with the Sox might help us.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 6, 2007 -> 11:00 AM) I understand not protecting Liotta. But Hernandez, who went 9th to Oakland... what a crock. I just cannot see how he should have been left unprotected while Andy Gonzalez is still on the 40. I don't know why, but that decision just really pisses me off. It does seem unbelievable. There have to be a couple of other guys on the 40-man that the team is intending to move, too... Could have moved them before this and kept Hernandez, couldn't we?

QUOTE(ChiSox_Sonix @ Dec 6, 2007 -> 10:45 AM) and he was 24 in A ball. Hmmm.... thebaseballcube shows him turning 24 in about a month (January '08). But you're right. It's hard to get excited about a 23/24 year old A-ball pitcher.

QUOTE(ChiSox_Sonix @ Dec 6, 2007 -> 10:36 AM) Anyone got any info on who we gained? Santo Luis... looks like a very large 23 year old Dominican player in A-ball who strikes out alot of people, but might have some control issues. Just pulling that from looking at his data on thebaseballcube. I don't know anything else about him.

We lost Daron Roberts too. Not a huge loss, but thought I'd point it out. Had a very nice year in '06 at Kanny.

QUOTE(Vance Law @ Dec 6, 2007 -> 01:36 AM) No one's discussing his cancerousness or prima donna-ness. More that he's one of the top few hitters in baseball and a free agent. Exactly. It's the 28 homeruns in 350 at-bats this year, 132 walks vs. only 54 strikeouts, .440 OBP, and 1.000+ OPS that caught my attention. Hard to imagine a free agent outfielder with those offensive skills (who could be had on a one-year contract) would be ignored by a team that finished near the bottom of baseball in runs scored... and is looking for a power hitting outfielder.

Here's a link to some 2007 Rule 5 info and stories on MiLB.com There are several available players listed here, including former first round picks. Another interesting prospect available is Jamie D'Antona, the DBacks AAA 3B, who was left exposed due to roster management issues the team is dealing with. D'Antona (25) hit .308 with with a .362 OBP and .861 OPS in 2007. DBack fans are sick that he was left off their 40-man. If we didn't already have too many 3Bs I'd want us to take him.

QUOTE(kwolf68 @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 10:30 PM) Tired of being one-upped, so you go out and get a guy NO ONE wants and may be in jail next year. He's not going to be in jail next year. He probably won't even go to trial til after the '08 season is over. And in light of the allegations, etc., he's guaranteed to be the cleanest player in baseball. Why would a GM or team be afraid to have him? Bottom Line: SOMEBODY is going to sign him. A guy with that talent level does not sit out unless he is physically unable to play. If some people are content with chalking up 2008 and/or dismantling the team 'because the Tigers got Cabrera'... I find that sad.

BTW - I am NOT a big Barry fan. But I do like the idea of adding a great big bat with a really short contract. And I HATE the idea of laying down simply because the 'big fish' we were going after got swooped up by the Angels and Tigers.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 10:15 PM) For a team supposedly meant to be built on defense and pitching (and yes our pitching is not very good right now, I know), Barry doesn't fit into that. Wait a second... Kenny's rationale for not wanting Andruw Jones was his low OBP, striking out too much, and not making the pitchers work deep into the count. If defense was KW's priority, Jones would be leading, rather than off the list.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Dec 5, 2007 -> 10:13 PM) Moving to TW. LOL. That was fast. You moved it before I even had a chance to read it.

Alright... I'm tired of getting one-upped by other teams.. and dismissed before the season even starts. Time to get back in the game. I just read an article that suggests that Barry Bonds will likely be cleared to play in 2008. I think he would look really good hitting 5th in our lineup. In fact, I'd LOVE to see Kenny step up and sign him to a 1 year deal. He'd probably get about 350 at-bats and hit 25-30 homeruns... walk 100+ times; have a .400+ OBP and 1.000+ OPS. Carlos Quentin would still get regular playing time with the remainder of LF at-bats and giving Dye some rest. 3-7 in our lineup: Thome, Konerko, Bonds, Dye, and Fields Hey... bring it Detroit!! You wanna play hardball??

Saw this on the BaseballAmerica website... The Sox signed shortstop Mike Rouse to a minor league contract. Rouse (27) was the SS for the Indians AAA team in 2007. Before that he was with Oakland and Toronto. http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/R/Mike-Rouse.shtml No doubt he bumps Tomas Perez as the Charlotte SS in 2008 and could serve as a backup in Chicago if necessary.

QUOTE(hitlesswonder @ Dec 3, 2007 -> 04:10 PM) It's possible Quentin gets shipped to BOS along with another good prospect for Crisp. And I do think it's possible the Sox would give up a good prospect plus Quentin for Crisp. BOS wants a good position player and top pitching prospect supposedly and the White Sox really seem to like Crisp a lot (at least in the media). I'm struggling to figure out what excites people about Crisp and his career .329 OBP. Two consecutive years batting in the .260's, with an OBP in the .320's, he gets benched in favor of a rookie during the playoffs, and we're supposed to give up WHAT for him? Crisp's ceiling is as a 4th outfielder/platoon player. Period. And as speed-guys go... he is a terrible baserunner... born without the "baserunning-clue" gene. So, no thanks on Covelli.

QUOTE(29andPoplar @ Nov 28, 2007 -> 08:46 PM) The reason is they think Armstrong is a strong catch and throw guy who took a big step up this year, they feel he can handle a pitching staff and might make a good back up catcher. As for F. Hernandez, he tops out high 80's without a real plus pitch and the White Sox don't think he'll last long in the majors, if in fact he makes it. Especially the American League. We'll see if they're right or not. I can buy that argument. What confuses me though, is why send Hernandez to the AFL this year then? He's not exactly someone who's new to our system and we needed to get a look at him. And if his stuff is only 80's speed-wise and no-plus pitch, then why even bother sending him to fall ball? They knew those 'problems' before this.

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Nov 28, 2007 -> 10:51 PM) I can use this argument.... After 2004, the White Sox, Red Sox, Yankees, and Cardinals all needed a second baseman. The Red Sox elected against signing Iguchi, and stuck with their incumbent. The Yankees took the Cards 2B, TONY F'N WOMACK. The Cards took Grudz. The Sox settled on Iguchi (as the only major league bidder) instead of a Harris/Valdez platoon. The prize of the 2B free agent class, Placido Polanco, couldn't get anyone to give him a second look. (He was drafted by the White Sox and Cards, they had to know who he was). The Yanks, Cards, White Sox, and Red Sox were all looking for top of the order hitters to play 2B, and none of them thought Polanco was worth a look. That doesn't mean Polanco is less talented than Tony Womack, or Mark Bellhorn, or Tadahito Iguchi, or Grudzwhathisname. It just means his talent was underappreciated on the market. Don't delude yourself and equate a paycheck with baseball talent. And.... what does this have to do with David Riske? Do you really think he is a 'talent' who is underappreciated on the market? Really? If so, I hear he's looking for a new agent. He just fired the last one who was struggling to find him better deals. Maybe that's it... Linebrink just had a much better agent, eh?

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Nov 28, 2007 -> 09:28 PM) How did he "not get the job done" in 2006? Because you watched and that's what your eyes said? Riske was fine as a middle reliever. Nothing great, nothing terrible. We had MacDougal and Thorton that year to set up Jenks, so Riske slotted in perfectly as a 6th inning type. Anecdotal garb like "I know what I saw" is useless to me. I agree with 29andPoplar. If you even have to ask that question then you can't have watched the games. And the market very clearly spoke up about Riske's value after the '06 season (in which Cleveland, Boston, and the WhiteSox - three teams that all needed relief help last year - all dumped him)... the only team interested in offering him a deal was the Royals with a 1 year contract. On the other hand, if the Sox hadn't ponied up for Linebrink, there were several other teams that would have made him offers. So please don't delude yourself into thinking these two guys are equal talents.

QUOTE(bigruss22 @ Nov 28, 2007 -> 04:05 PM) it just aggravates me that they would keep armstrong over him. I know... I'm still trying to figure that one out myself. The deeper I dug into Armstrong's background, the less impressed I became... And I didn't exactly start out with high expectations.

I don't believe that either Crisp or Taveras is an upgrade over players we have now. I'd take Jerry Owens over either of them, except for my concern over Owens' struggles in hitting lefties. So... given the choice I'd much rather platoon Owens/Anderson in CF than overpay to pick up fringe players like Crisp or Taveras.

QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Nov 28, 2007 -> 11:34 AM) I would get excited about Crisp. I think there's a reason that Francona calls him the best CF he's seen. Yes... there is a very good reason he's saying that. Because they're trying to get more than a bag of balls in a trade for him. I'd actually be OK with going after Crisp if the plan is to: - Platoon Crisp and Owens at one outfield position - Acquire another outfielder (Rowand, Fukudome, etc.) Their (Crisp/Owens) splits support the idea of a platoon... and as a result, it might be an effective way to handle the leadoff situation. I laugh thinking about Boston wanting 3 prospects though. Please.... They benched him very publicly in favor of a late season callup rookie and now they want... what???? Shouldn't be surprised I guess. Remember last year ('06) when Theo called KW and offered Crisp for Buehrle straight up just before the deadline when MB was struggling? Never put it past Theo to start negotiations with a ridiculous offer.

Boras... good or evil... It all depends on your perspective. If I was a top player, I would probably want Boras as my agent. If I was an owner or GM, I would hate to deal with him. But he always gets the best deal for his clients. Think about it. Even in the A-Rod situation... do you think the Yankees would have offered A-Rod a 10-year extension this year if they hadn't had their hand forced? I wouldn't be surprised if Boras helped stage the entire thing, including A-Rod reaching out to the team, to help swing the fans and media into A-Rods corner. Who cares if the 'big bad agent' takes a beating? I'm sure he doesn't. Meanwhile, his player locks up a sweet deal, looks like a hero to the fans, and Boras laughs all the way to the bank after collecting his rather substantial fee. (5% of $270M is alot of money.) Conspiracy theory? Only to people who are naive about the way business really works.

I was looking for info on Bourgeois and found an interesting article on MiLB.com. Worth a look. The writer, Lisa Winston from mlb.com, describes going to scout school in 2002 and having to write up an evaluation of a young Rangers infield prospect who just came off a big year in the Appalachian League. Then she updates the story to describe him playing for Charlotte this year. In the process, she provides some interesting background on Bourgeois, how he came to the Sox, and a few quotes from a conversation with him this summer about how he sees his role with the team, etc. Good stuff. Perspective: Bourgeois bundles utility for Sox (link)

QUOTE(iamshack @ Nov 22, 2007 -> 12:13 PM) We didn't sign him to close for us. Why not list his career era or something? It's not like there aren't multiple ways to spin his numbers, despite their downward trending. The intern is probably a closet Tribe fan... or Cub fan.

Is there any confirmation of this anywhere except rotowire? If anyone has seen it, please post it.

QUOTE(29andPoplar @ Nov 21, 2007 -> 12:28 PM) Seriously ... sit back and wait to see what they do before pronouncing all is lost. I don't know... If everyone on the board followed that advice, we'd lose half the posters.