Dick Allen

QUOTE (AWhiteSoxinNJ @ Aug 8, 2009 -> 08:36 PM) Imagine the fanbase reaction to letting go of Rios for nothing.... That's a good question. Fans in Toronto have seemed pretty indifferent for a while now, but if you could sell it as helping the team in the long run, I don't think there would be much damage. I think most fans know his contract if he continues to play like he has for a couple of seasons, isn't ideal.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 8, 2009 -> 08:34 PM) I just can't imagine how they could turn down this chance to dump him. Not after all we heard about them trying to cut salary in the Halladeal. You would think that, but perhaps they would think the dumping of Rios for nothing but salary relief would be detrimental to their team moving forward. If they were in such dire straights, Halladay would have been dealt. On the other side, maybe losing Rios and freeing up the money eventually leads to re-signing Halladay.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Aug 8, 2009 -> 08:23 PM) Oh, he should absolutely try to get something out of it. He'd be a bad GM if he didn't. If I'm an owner who wants to dump payroll and Ricciardi's my GM, I would've been pretty pissed about him not moving Halladay at the deadline. If somebody put in a claim for an overpaid $60 million player on my books, I *demand* that Ricciardi let him go by the Tuesday deadline, and I fire him if he doesn't. I would think the Blue Jays owners are aware of the situation and have either told Ricciardi he had to get rid of the contract or to keep it if there is no package of decent players coming back.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 8, 2009 -> 08:24 PM) Forgive my ignorance. Why was Torres pitching from the stretch with nobody on base? I hate when starters do that. Poreda was doing it when he was called up. I was thinking it might be a Charlotte pitching coaches thing. Some guys get discombobulated in a wind up.

Pavano twirled a gem against DET, 7 innings no runs. Its 11-0 Min. in the 8th.

Its amazing what a bad pitcher can do to make things better in a hurry.

I love Okha.

Was that on the concourse?

QUOTE (beckham15 @ Aug 8, 2009 -> 07:45 PM) he looked pretty good against detroit last time i saw him pitch He's a former Charlotte Knights pitcher. I expect some runs.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 8, 2009 -> 07:42 PM) At least we get to see Ramon Castro play tomorrow! I keep expecting him to crush the ball, but his results have been incredibly disappointing. Mets fans used to love him. He's having no success with the bat which is surprising. The only thing he's hitting are the groupies in the viagra triangle.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Aug 8, 2009 -> 07:41 PM) Damn you, DA. Damn you to hell. He has modeled a few uniforms. I do agree, for a leftu who is now 34 who throws pretty hard, you would think he would have had more of a shot at the major league level, and he probably wouldn't be a bad LOOGY, but that's not the role he's ever been given. Okha in. Here's the Sox chance.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Aug 8, 2009 -> 07:35 PM) I'm suprised Williams never caught on with a team, with the stuff he has. Yes, its shocking.

I hope KW is claiming relievers on waivers.

When you put the Charlotte Knights pitching staff on the mound, the results aren't what you are looking for, unless you are jockeying for decent draft position.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 8, 2009 -> 07:12 PM) Can't fall too far behind, as Masterson isn't likely to give up many homers. The good news is Masterson isn't going very long tonight. I heard 65 pitches. They are building him up.

Rookie spot starters in pennant races usually isn't a good idea. At least the Sox are still in the game.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 8, 2009 -> 04:14 PM) http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_leagu...?urn=mlb,181651 Would KW dare go after Josh Hamilton??? It's the kind of medium-risk, high-reward move he loves (I say medium risk because we'd STILL have to give up something very decent like Hudson or Flowers in return to get Josh Hamilton, IMO) I would be surprised he takes on that amount of long-term risk (if Alex Rios doesn't perform again at 800 OPS levels) versus taking a much smaller contract risk on someone like Rick Ankiel...on a two year contract. Acquiring Josh Hamilton is just asking for trouble. Kudos to him for changing his life around (hopefully), but he's a guy whose career is on the line every morning, afternoon and night.

QUOTE (SockMe @ Aug 8, 2009 -> 12:03 PM) does anyone know for sure if we got him. Buster Olney said that it was speculation that the Sox claimed him. Probably won't hear much until Tuesday. I'm sure if the Sox claimed him Ricciardi is acting like he'll pull him back if the Sox really want him, in an effort to get something via trade. Tuesday is the day he has to s*** or get off the pot, so if KW doesn't offer anything, that's the day the Blue Jays have to decide if they wouldn't mind just ridding themselves of the contract. Of course this could all be wrong, and the White Sox may not be the team that claimed him.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Aug 8, 2009 -> 11:54 AM) The Sox aren't going to take a chance on this type of contract because they are blocking the Tigers. Heck, the Tigers really don't have room to add this type of contract so if the Sox put in a waiver request, as has been reported, they've clearly decided that he'd fit in perfectly on this team next year and the next couple of years. And if you think about it, he's a younger version of Figgins that plays plus defense out in CF (not as good of a base-stealer as Figgins but he has more pop) and if the Sox were to go after Figgins this off-season it will probably cost a signficant chunk of money (you also have to contend with other teams) and you'll be losing a draft pick. This makes sense if the Sox had initially intended on Figgins. You get Rios, whose a quality player that would be unique to the Sox (they don't have many guys like Rios) and I think he'll really help this team. I've really liked Figgins in the past, but I'd be afraid to give him a big deal this coming offseason. Getting older, coming off a big contract year. A lot of injuries. I think some team may give him a ton of money and by 2011 will regret it.

There was another rumor that said the Blue Jays also might be interested in Jason Bay this offseason as he is Canadian and a pretty good player. Swapping out Rios for him would probably please their fanbase if that plays into it at all. It would be interesting to see what kind of contract Bay could command. 5 years $60 million, 6 years $73.5 million? That's what Rios has.

QUOTE (knightni @ Aug 8, 2009 -> 10:03 AM) He can move to the bullpen. He's done it before. He wasn't 42 coming off surgery. I read where the bullpen is not an option for him at this point.

QUOTE (DBAHO @ Aug 8, 2009 -> 11:34 AM) You could also argue that TB have shown in that division, that unless you have a payroll over $100M, the only way you can win in that division is to have a great young core that can offer a lot of payroll flexibility. IMO, he should have traded Halladay and rebuilt around the likes of Lind and Snider going forward, but then again, Toronto is trying to remain competitive with the attendance / payroll issues they have, so I can see why Riccardi did what he did even though a lot of people don't agree with it. Ricciardi is responsible for allowing the Halladay situation to become a circus, and he even contributed to it becoming even a bigger one, for that, he is wrong. But keeping him, although I agree his value will go down, isn't a bad thing. At the very least, they will have one more year of Cy Young-quality performance and a couple of draft picks, and then perhaps some cash to spend. Wells, he's stuck with. If he unloads Rios, and Halladay is gone after next year, and some of these injured pitchers come back, he's setting himself or his replacement up exactly how you described they pretty much have to be and I agree with you.

Here's something interesting I just looked up. Remember last season when the Twins claimed Jerrod Washburn on waivers? There were many who speculated Seattle would just let him go, but they pulled him back after a trade couldn't be agreed upon. Washburn comes back this season and has a real nice year, and is traded at the deadline for 2 pitchers without much major league experience. Luke French and some A ball guy. Was this wait worth it for Seattle? Contending really was a pipedream. Although they did get 2 pitchers, wouldn't they have been better off saving or reinvesting the almost $10 million they wound up paying Washburn? Considering Rios is owed a lot more than that, I think if the White Sox claimed him, they are going to get him.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Aug 8, 2009 -> 11:16 AM) Why do you always do this? Why do you always take statements I make in regards to other teams, or other players, or other FO members or managers, and claim as though simply because I made a negative comment about one of them, I must also be endorsing a similar (or what you believe to be a similar) behavior or occurrence from someone within the White Sox organization? Not once did I claim Ozzie is perfect, or not a big mouth, or not an asshole. Not once did I endorse or encourage KW to speak in regards to other players. And yet, because I am a fan of this team, you assume as though that must means I endorse every breath any member of the organization takes, and therefore, I am further disqualifed from criticizing or commenting on what I believe are the missteps of others. Regardless of what Kenny, Jerry, or Ozzie have done, that does not somehow prevent JP Ricciardi of being a ridiculously arrogant prick. Where you heard he was "a nice guy in private, and very smart," I don't know. I am certain the guy is very smart. You don't get to his position in life by not being very smart. And yeah, maybe he doesn't kick his kid or his dog, or beat his wife, but that doesn't dismiss the fact that from most everything the media writes or says about him, he comes off as a total jerk. As for your comments on him being the Blue Jays' GM, this is what the arrogant ass promised in order to get the job - this is just the kind of over-the-top nonsense this guy spews: "You are spending too much money," Ricciardi reportedly told Godfrey. "I can make you cheaper and better. It'll take a couple of months to make you cheaper and a couple of years to make you better. But you'll be a lot better." Whatever. Considering they play 1/3 of their schedule against TB, NYY, and BOS, and have been decimated by pitching injuries, 6 games under is a lot better than they used to be. They have some pretty good players on that team. I suppose not showing any confidence in your ability would be the way you would suggest a guy approach a GM job. Maybe your way can work. Ricciardi's did.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Aug 8, 2009 -> 11:06 AM) You're right. The contracts that he gave to Wells and Rios, and his refusal to deal Halladay at his peak value, make him a bad GM. Well, he can get out of the Rios contract if he wishes right here, and if not trading the best pitcher in baseball makes you a bad GM, it may be one of the more difficult jobs ever created. The Wells deal was bad, but every GM has given bad contracts. Maybe not 9 figures bad, but as I said earlier, if Toronto was in the AL Central, they would be right in the race right now, if not out in front.