Dick Allen

This is low risk. Get Garcia too.

If you could get a half a season out of both of them, it would be sweet. Of course, you would have to reserve a spot in the buffet line in front of them for Ramirez.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jan 14, 2009 -> 04:26 PM) What's your point? The thing I have seen about this team and have said it before is that we develop a number of real good players and when "paying the fiddler" comes around we get rid of them. I am only saying originally that Pods did a good job at what he was asked to do. I'm saying he wasn't some small acquisition that no one expected to get much from.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 14, 2009 -> 04:08 PM) We'll be fine with Armstrong, Flowers, Stewart and Miller as back-up options for AJ. Flowers might very easily be the best hitter on the White Sox (after Quentin) in 2-3 years. There's no way we can afford to pay Michael Young that kind of money. It will never happen. We now have the young prospects (and logically they would want Josh Fields, as they were planning to put Young at 3B, Blalock at DH, Andrus at SS and Davis at 1B) we need to make some deals happen, but not this one. (see the mlb.com article in the Dye/Angels thread...it gives plenty of reasons why Dye and Young aren't likely to go anywhere) Dunn still is holding out for $56 million for four years. We might have Dunn already. Except for a much cheaper price. His name is either Fields, Viciedo or Flowers. Garland will get a minimum of $7-8 million, Dunn at least $10 million. That means our payroll is back up to $115 million in this economy. Not possible...especially to make longer term commitments (2-3 years down the line) in an uncertain economy. Things will get worse in 2009 and 10 before they finally get better in 2011. Viciedo will be $4 million cheaper in 2010 because of his signing bonus. Thome's $13 million-gone Dye's $11 million-$1 million buyout, $10 million-gone Contreras $10 million-gone Dotel $6.5 million-gone That's $43.5 million gone after this season. I think the White Sox can afford more than you think. If half the young players are half as good as KW is spewing, some big ticket contracts could easily be added.

QUOTE (Big Daddy Kool @ Jan 14, 2009 -> 03:53 PM) Dunn in CF? You're smoking something right? It would make Griffey in CF in 2008 at least look adequate.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 14, 2009 -> 03:18 PM) True. They weren't good enough to win it all...after September 1. You take away the best player from any team in the playoffs, and they're probably lucky to still make that round. On top of that, we lost what, our #3-#4 starting pitcher, and our #1 setup guy never really recovered from his injury? I can't say with any certainty we'd have beaten the Rays or anything like that if we'd had a healthy Q, Linebrink, and Contreras. But I have trouble thinking of another team that made the playoffs that was as banged up as we were. The Red Sox perhaps, they struggled with a Beckett injury and Ortiz having troubles throughout the season. I love Quentin, but his health has to always be a question mark. He's been injured a lot during his brief career, and the one thing that always concerns me is he gets hit at such a high clip, he may be out for a while at any time. Can the White Sox be certain Linebrink is over his physical issues? When he came back he was batting practice.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 14, 2009 -> 03:15 PM) I wouldn't characterize Prinz as someone anyone besides KW had especially high hopes for. Aardsma and Sisco many had high hopes for, especially Sisco. The irony is that one of the few lefties we brought in one of those spring trainings (Javier Lopez) ended up being serviceable, and we never offered Riske arbitration for some mysterious reason. I think the biggest questions right now surround Marquez, Owens and leadoff. If both of those problems were dealt with, most Sox fans would feel at least 5-75% better than now (yes, not a full dollar's or 100% worth of optimism yet). KW talked up Aardsma as a future star and when the weather was 30 degrees and the wind howling in during April, he was. Then it warmed up. I have it in my mind KW questioning anybody's baseball acumen if they didn't see him "turn the corner" with the Cubs in 2006.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 14, 2009 -> 03:06 PM) Ok, you win this round, I apologize on that. But that still doesn't mean that my point is incorrect. An awful lot of people thought we were in better shape going in to 2007 than going in to 2008. Probably because of the results of the previous season. The bottom line is while the White Sox won the division in 2008 they weren't good enough to win what they were ultimately shooting for. Detroit, Cleveland and KC were woeful in 2008. Minnesota surprised and the Sox won but had to go to OT. Will Gavin Floyd be able to repeat? Can Danks repeat? Will the other teams perhaps being a little stronger hurt the Sox? One thing is for sure, I don't think anyone on this board thinks they are good enough to win it all. I still hold out hope KW is bluffing and will bring in some talent. I've stated before, no one will be more shocked than me if he doesn't bring in a real lead off hitter. If its Jerry Owens, I'll want to stab myself in the eye with a fork. But every day that goes by heightens the odds that KW really is going with what he has for the most part. I guess he wants to ensure walk up sales will be the nill the team aparently is anticipating for 2009.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 14, 2009 -> 02:58 PM) Why am I the only one who ever remembers all the people who said that Quentin guy wasn't going to amount to anything last offseason? Or that we were screwed for looking at Uribe at 2nd base. Or that Danks and Floyd would never cut it in the rotation. Or that Fields ought to be playing over Crede at 3rd base. Or that our 2006 bullpen could be historically good because of how hard they threw. Hell, you don't even have your years right. Erstad was 2007. Aardsma and Sisco were 2006. Prinz was 2007...but wasn't an offseason addition - he's a guy we grabbed off the scrap heap mid season. You might want to check your baseball encyclopedia before telling people you are the only one who remembers correctly. Aardsma, Erstad, Sisco, Prinz were all brought in for the 2007 season with KW saying a lot of the same things he is now saying about these other players he brought in. What ensued was a disaster. BTW Brett Prinz transaction:February 22, 2007: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago White Sox.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 14, 2009 -> 02:51 PM) Just like last year's was. No. More like the offseason between 2006 and 2007. Guys like Erstad, Prinz, Sisco, Aardsma. In a word, crap.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jan 14, 2009 -> 01:38 PM) I agree with that observation. Pods is a great example and in 2005 he filled the role we needed and filled it very well. I would love to see the big splash made in signing a free agent, but in reality one player most likely isn't going to make a winner out of a team. You need 25 players all working together and filling their roles. If we sign or trade for anyone they must fill the need and not just be the big name. Pods cost Carlos Lee to acquire. Lee signed a $100 million contract. Its not like he was found on the scrap heap.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 14, 2009 -> 01:44 PM) Pods was a pretty decent name back then, he was a fairly prominent lead off man. We arent even targeting THOSE guys. Considering the amount of money KW always claims he has to play with, I think he needs to have Fifty Cent throw out the first pitch Opening Day. He should be the new team mascot.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 14, 2009 -> 11:59 AM) Bobby Abreu would be really, really rough for the Reds. That'd give them Bruce, Votto, and Abreu all coming up from the left hand side. Their only bat threats from the right hand side would be Phillips and Hernandez. That's the kind of team that you can destroy with an average LOOGY or two. They really need a guy like Dye to balance the 2 lefties. Abreu hits lefties pretty decently. He loses a little bit of power but has a nice average and OBP.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 14, 2009 -> 04:26 AM) WEDNESDAY: Bill Shaikin talked to Angels GM Tony Reagins, who shot down Cowley's Dye rumor. Reagins said, "No truth to that rumor." Reagins apparently hasn't talked to the White Sox for a while, though Shaikin's source indicated the Angels did express interest in Dye before they re-signed Juan Rivera. mlbtraderumors.com Which makes rotoworld's take on Cowley even more true: Cowley last week called MASN Online's Roch Kubatko's report of Brian Roberts talks between the Orioles and White Sox a case of "Internet madness," yet now he's going and running a full article on the words of one scout that he won't even quote or connect with either the White Sox or the Angels. Talk about flimsy. Still, the Angels and White Sox do have plenty of history. Dye does make sense for the Angels, and Chone Figgins has been mentioned as a possibility for the White Sox since practically the day he entered the league. Its not the first time the pot has called the kettle black. I'm sure it won't be his last either. Cowley is the epitome of a hack.

QUOTE (watchtower41 @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 04:05 PM) So basically they cut attendance and doubled prices, yet somehow the fest is at it worst and it's not the Sox fault Was able to get more autos and into more seminars in 2005 and 2006 than I was last year with the VIP pass. The whole weekend has turned into a cash cow joke. The staff is so unorganized they have no idea when to starting handing out wristbands, where to form lines, where anything even is or god forbid what time it starts. Since the move to Palmer House, this is just turned into a big clusterf*ck. Stay up all night in the hotel lobby that you just paid $250 a night for to get mutliple wristbands (for the same times) otherwise show up at 9am when the doors open and they *might* have a wristband for you to meet Brian Anderson or Ron Kittle (if you buy a book) The last year at the Hyatt was a joke. I almost didn't feel safe. I do like the bigger venue better though. I don't think $ is the White Sox motivation. After they pay for the players' expenses for coming everything else goes to charity IIRC. I'm not an autograph guy. If you really need an autograph, spring training is the place to be. I think the small venue making it more exclusive wasn't the way to go. There are ways to avoid what happened at the Hyatt in Jan 06. They should go back there, maybe lower the price and give more fans an opportunity to attend and be comfortable. Since they limit the amount of autographs the players give, they should have them sign a bunch of photos before the event and pass those out to those who don't want to wait in line to have them sign specific items. It would be easy for the players. Lessen conjestion. I think people would enjoy the event more if they didn't spend the majority of their time in line for an autograph.

Rosenbloom calls him Vinny Del Needstogo and he's right. That was a horrible hire, not that anyone could get this current roster to win consistently, but the defensive effort, a sign of good coaching, is not just lacking, its not there. There are a ton of dogs on this team.

QUOTE (MO2005 @ Jan 13, 2009 -> 03:06 PM) Mark my words...Jermaine Dye will be the starting right fielder for the Whitesox in 2009! How many hours until JD gets traded after this post?

Isn't Figgins known to be a little difficult in the clubhouse? I think if it meant Abreu takes JD's place then do the deal. If not, it would be silly IMO. Figgins could be OC II, just counting the days until free agency.

FOXSPORTS.COM has it.

QUOTE (MEANS @ Jan 12, 2009 -> 12:52 PM) so the GF and I were thinking of coming up from Indy for this, is it worth it? what exactly goes on? Last year was the first time I didn't go. If you are an autograph collector, it may be worth your while if you like to wait in line. I just like the seminars. When they did away with half priced season ticketholder tickets and jacked up the prices for individual days, I didn't see spending $50 for information I would get a few hours later was worth it for me, but you can ask questions and they seem to be pretty sincere with their answers. Its also a little comical when KW gets a little annoyed. He's one guy who can't hide it. The vendors used to have good deals, but even they have been squeezed by the smaller venue. You should go if you haven't gone before and try it at least for a day. At the very least it will make you forget about the weather for a few hours.

Will Jeff Marquez be there?

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 12, 2009 -> 09:12 AM) I was saying Freddy in particular. They had a chance to bring him in last year and didnt. That was a little different. They knew he would need rehab time and most likely couldn't help them win. He only had a couple of starts with Detroit. He obviously has to at least convince them there is a decent chance he can help them at some point during the season, but I don't think he has to show them he's ready to pitch 175 innings.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 12, 2009 -> 08:43 AM) Yes, but you're extending that contract until age 38 or 39 when he's already shown signs of decline over the last three years...which is perfectly normal in the newly-discovered reality baseball world where players peak between 27-30 and decline in their 30's. He did play with a broken finger for 2 months last year. He's still a good player. I don't know if he's as good of player as his future contract suggests.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 12, 2009 -> 08:56 AM) One thing is for sure (which was proved last season) KW and Ozzie wont bring him in if he isnt 100 percent healthy. I hope they bring him in too, but I disagree about him having to be 100% healthy if the contract is more than the minimum guaranteed. They brought in Loaisa last year and he was far from 100%.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 11, 2009 -> 09:53 AM) So you are arguing collusion, seriously? So what would you argue about the offseason of 2000? Of just a few years ago? I think it's just economic reality...I'm curious to see what these owners lost in the market between October and now... I don't think there's any question the player's association is going to argue collusion. I would think there probably is some to some extent but they won't be able to prove it and because so many people are hurting, their cries will never go anywhere. They can talk about Broadway shows closing, but how many tickets have already been sold for MLB in 2009? Its not like their multi-year contracts with networks are going away anytime soon. The Club level at USCF found a new sponsor for 2009. I think owners are taking advantage of the situation and at least enough of them are being smart enough where the others don't have to bid against themselves. Anytime Kyle Farnsworth can get a 2 year $9 million contract, I will question if funds really are drying up.