Dick Allen

I read some scouting reports on these 2 and Marti is considered the better prospect by far. Scouts do not think too much of Gomez.

per cbssportsline: Williams will say that he's not sure he'll have the freedom to add payroll this summer, even with the salaries the Sox dropped over the winter. "We have to be cautious, if for no other reason than so we don't have to play all day games because we can't afford the electricity," he said. "This is such a volatile time, and people are going to look at their discretionary spending." The budget concerns were apparently one reason the White Sox haven't pursued a trade for Brian Roberts, the Orioles second baseman who is due to make $8 million this year and is eligible for free agency after the season. While Roberts could slot in easily at second and as a leadoff hitter, Williams insists he hasn't had any trade talks with the O's since November.

$1 MILL if he makes the team it says. That's a pretty good deal considering he can give you well above average defense at 3 positions and when he's hot, he drives in big runs.

Garland gets $6 million with a $2.5 million buyout and a mutual option for $10 million next year. $8.5 million for one year or $16 million for 2. Not bad for him.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 28, 2009 -> 03:56 PM) Out of curiousity how often you do give a full three day weekend to those way less fortunate than you? Their station in life compared to ours, isn't much different than our station in life compared to someone who is say homeless, or even worse, compared to someone in a refugee camp or starving in a third world country. I just don't get the expectation that because we see pay to see them play a sport better than anyone else in the world, they somehow also owe us large chunks of their personal life and time. I don't expect anyone else successful to give up parts of their life to satisfy me, why should they? For the past 15 years you will find me serving Thanksgiving lunch and Christmas lunch for less fortunate people at a church by my home. I must admit I initially started doing it to get out of something, but it was a lot of fun. Its also nice helping people who are always last in line in life, and treating them with kindness and respect. They probably are the most grateful people in the world. If you dig hard enough, you will see I donated dozens of Bulls (when I used to get them) and White Sox tickets to less fortunate people. 48 hours of their time, probably more like 4 or 5 hours signing autographs, the other time they can go sit in their rooms is hardly asking for much considering what they get. As I've stated before, I'm not going to this event and wouldn't even if the entire roster was there, but they are employees of the White Sox. I would think, with all the riches that come with being just that, a weekend in January to make a couple thousand of their fans and customers happy would be the least you can do. As I've stated, there are plenty of legitimate excuses not to be there, but going to the SB isn't one in my mind, and I like AJP.

QUOTE (Steff @ Jan 28, 2009 -> 02:54 PM) And Thome didn't make it a previous year because of a family wedding. Is that BS, too? They devote 8 months of their lives a year to the fans. Some do more, some don't. AJ was there on crutches when he likely should have been home on the couch. I know, I know... "what have you don't for me lately...." Family obligations are one thing. I wouldn't expect Thome to try to have a relative's wedding date changed or for him to miss it, but the Super Bowl? They can fly in on Friday and leave Sunday afternoon. Its a 48 hour commitment. AJP could come in on Friday and leave Saturday evening and still be at the SB. Its pretty funny after games when a lot of these guys are out partying instead of going home to their families considering how important it is to be with them in January. They get plenty of time off. What if they all decided they have something better to do than go to Soxfest? If there are people willing to stand in line for 4 or 5 or even more hours to have you sign something, and personally I don't see the appeal, but to each his/her own, and I'm making enough money every year to live the rest of my life because of them, I think I could take 2 or 3 days in January and sign some things, perhaps watch the Super Bowl on TV. After all, I will have all the time and money I will ever need in a few years and can go to every SB until I die.

I was reading something someplace a guy ask someone with this list how the #30 prospect with the top organization would rank if he was with the worst organization and how the top prospect for the worst organization would rank in the top org. They ranked them 7th for both scenerios.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 28, 2009 -> 02:04 PM) At least with the way our division looks...if one or two of these guys can step up and we get average years from the normal group (Q, Konerko, Dye, Thome, AJ, Buehrle, Danks/Floyd, Jenks, Linebrink) then we'd have a really good shot at the division. We survived last year with a couple positions sitting as gaping holes for most of the year. One or two guys step up to fill those holes and we're a better team than we were then right away. I think a lot depends on how the bullpen holds up. There hasn't been any info on Linebrink and he's a key. With rookies and Colon, chances are the bullpen is going to have a little larger workload in 2009, and that's with Floyd and Danks at least matching their 2009 seasons. It dissapoints me they didn't go after a relatively cheap innings eater in Garland but KW seems to be sold on Marquez.

QUOTE (forrestg @ Jan 28, 2009 -> 01:59 PM) Last year OG said that there was 2 fields, the spring training Fields who og said he could play a major league third base and the end of ther season where fields third play defense was beyond bad. At the beginning of the season we tried Joe. Joe played his worst defense at third and we, the fans knew it was his back. That meant that Fields plays at triple A CHARLOTTE. his knee got banged up and because of that he was not playing too well defensively. Uribe steps in and plays a decent 3rd. October rolls around and Fields gets his knee operated on unlike Crede who refused an operation on his back which cost us losing him for much of 2007. So, if this articles claims he's trying hard I want to believe it.. We haven't heard too much about Joey Cora in any offseason so to me it was an interesting article it gave me a sense of let us not sell Fields short. If Fields can improve defensively and as one man said he can learn to hit fastballs and right handers we have a bonafied new third baseman. Crede was horrible against lefties and fields hits them well. We still have Betemit who hits righties better than lefties who is not the worst option if Viciedo isn't ready for the bigs immediately. Viciedo may be more of a first baseman anyway. I hope Joey knows what he's talking about. There are a lot of players who could be pretty good if they learned to hit right handers, fastballs and how to field.

In an interview with mlb.com, KW said he thought about signing Garland but thinks Marquez is the same pitcher.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Jan 28, 2009 -> 11:41 AM) It was 2 weekends if I read correctly. I think the strory is that Fields is doing everything he can to get betterand show he wants to get better. I think his health and athleticism will help him be good enough defensively. The fact he sought out guillen and Cora to work with him will only him him when he gets to Tucson. I will give him credit for trying. I just don't see how a coach hitting you grounders for a few hours takes you from mediocre at best to a good defensive player. As I stated above, and while I'm no fan of Fields, I have never thought he was as bad defensively as most, he blows easy plays. He's made some great ones. You can't hit a guy grounders for 4 or 5 days and say his bad fielding days are over.

Garland agreed to a 1 year contract with an option. He is guaranteed somewhere between $6-8 million.

QUOTE (scenario @ Jan 28, 2009 -> 11:31 AM) Sure it can, if the result is a change in technique. The key to success after that is being able to consistently apply it without lapsing into bad habits. He has taken 2 weekends of groundballs. That's not even a week of spring training. While I'm hopeful he has improved, for anyone to say he's shockingly better is a stretch. We will see when the games count. We are at the time of the year where every player in the news is looking like they will be awesome in 2009 or be out for a while.

Hopefully, he improves. I've seen him make some great plays. I've seen him blow a lot of easy ones. Those are the ones he really needs to clean up. Having a little more range will help the pitchers.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 28, 2009 -> 08:31 AM) i don't see I-Rod as an option. If AJ has anything it's an ego and I don't think the Sox want to upset him by bringing in a guy who would split time with him. His been good and behaving so far, why mess it up. I don't see it either, but maybe they think they could use him as a RH DH a few times and maybe even play him at 2b, something that had been discussed with other teams before. I think he's about done now though. Watching him hit would be sadder than watching how much Griffey has slid.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 27, 2009 -> 03:38 PM) Then he'll sign another one-year deal... You think the guy is going to sign some 5-year $25 million deal? Yeah right. When did I say a 5 year deal? 2 years makes a lot of sense because it will probably be just as bad next year.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 27, 2009 -> 03:38 PM) Then he'll sign another one-year deal... You think the guy is going to sign some 5-year $25 million deal? Yeah right. It looks like Garland is looking at 2 years for $13-14 million total.

They are finally replacing the out of town scoreboard. Maybe that is it.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 27, 2009 -> 04:17 PM) Random question... who is the best FA left available who can play CF at least competently? There has been a lot of talk about Orlando Hudson as a CF. Steve Stone mentioned it months ago. I've seen him linked to the Yankees as a CF as well. I would prefer someone who has spent time out there though.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 27, 2009 -> 04:02 PM) If he gets to the nagging leg injury point then I'll totally agree with you. I can't speak to that. But I think he'll certainly better Pods's 2004 batting number except for the HR category if you give him the whole season and he does stay healthy. On the latter part, no idea. On Aug. 31,2007, Jerry Owens was hitting .239 with a .296 OBP with zero power. He then shined, like Juan Uribe shined in Sept. 07. He isn't very good.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 27, 2009 -> 03:33 PM) I think if he were to sign a deal like that it would be a one-year deal. These guys who get lowballed aren't going to sign multi-year deals...they'll sign one-year deals and wait it out until the economy betters itself... Chances are, next year it will be worse.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 27, 2009 -> 03:24 PM) In 2004, the year before we traded for him, his 2nd full big league season, Scott Podsednik hit .244 with a .313 OBP. He had great steal #'s, stole 70, but only had an OPS+ of 75. If he's not injured, Jerry Owens ought to be able to put up equal (SB) or better (OBP, BA) numbers in most categories other than the couple HR's Podsednik hit that year. Pods had a great 2003 but as a "Proven leadoff hitter" or whatever we're looking for, he was brutal in 2004. As much as I really didn't like Pods, Owens won't match Pods bad 2004. First off, he may be entering the period where he gets nagging leg injuries. He hits with no power. He will never steal 70 bases. He's below average in CF and his numbers in 2007 are based on a .340 BA in September of that year, and even then hit .267 with a .324 OBP. Juan Uribe hit .309 that same month with a .358 OBP and an .884 OBP.

QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ Jan 27, 2009 -> 03:17 PM) I've always thought speed was overrated and no way see it as being essential in any spot in the lineup, I'd take a player with a high OBP and no speed over a player with a low OBP and lots of speed any day. Lineup construction is interesting to think about though and just recently I finished reading Tom Tango (and others') The Book and there's a chapter devoted to lineup construction, from their research they came to the conclusion that the optimal lineup would be set out as follows: 1. Your best three hitters hit in the 1, 2 and 4 holes with your best hitter batting 4th, second best hitter batting 2nd and third best hitter (or a hitter with high OBP) batting 1st. 2. Your fourth and fifth best hitter bat 3rd and 5th, with the fourth best hitter batting 5th and the fifth best hitter batting 3rd. 3. The rest of your hitters bat, in order from best to worst, in the 6-9 holes. So based on that our optimal lineup last season would have been: 1. Konerko 2. Thome 3. Alexei 4. Quentin 5. Dye 6. Crede (when healthy) 7. Swisher 8. A.J. 9. Cabrera 9b. Uribe (when Crede wasn't healthy, moving everyone else up one spot). Obviously this lineup would go against all conventional thinking and I'm not saying this is how I would construct my lineup but it is interesting to think about. I think SB are overrated and speed is underrated although not at the expense of BA and OBP. As we have seen the last couple of years not being able to advance an extra base on a hit or a flyball has cost the White Sox a lot of runs and probably several wins.

QUOTE (rangercal @ Jan 27, 2009 -> 03:10 PM) I honestly thought for a moment that they were not there. Did not realize they were attending. But honestly, what's there to complain about? 8/10 of the top players on the roster will be there. I guess you must be b****ing about former players not really attending. Out of all the years I attended I never noticed too many former players. This years roster seems as good as most years. It's the organization of the even I'm worried about. The Twins had every member of their 40 man roster attend their fest. It could be a nice thing for players guaranteed to make millions in this economy to make an effort and take a weekend and devote it to the fans. AJP won't be there because he's too busy going to the Super Bowl. I like AJ, but that is BS.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jan 27, 2009 -> 02:39 PM) Can you define who a "real leadoff" hitter would be? And how does Kenny go about acquiring this "real leadoff" hitter? A real leadoff hitter is a guy like Roberts, or not that I'm advocating it, a guy like Pods when he was in Milwaukee. Someone who has spent time leading off in the major leagues and has been successful. He goes about it by either paying them some money if a free agent or trading players, supposedly he is now loaded with talent both major league and minor league according to this board. Not some guy like Swisher or Cabrera or Erstad. Guys who either have never led off, or really aren't equipped to do so, or are way past the time they would have be effective in that role. Not a guy like Getz. Jerry Owens is a fake leadoff man, and unfortunately it looks like I will be shocked and he will be leading off opening day. I hope Hudson is still being considered.