Dick Allen

QUOTE (R.J. @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 03:16 PM) I have no problem signing a non-tendered Willy Taveras to a deal. I have a huge problem counting on him to be our starting CF and leadoff man, but I digress. As of this moment, the Sox are relying on .220 AAA hitters and guys with 4.80 ERAs in AAA to contribute. Why not have a non tender who can't even get traded for Tim Redding lead off and play CF?

Royals signed LHP Horacio Ramirez, who had been with the White Sox, to a one-year, $1.8 million contract. I cannot believe Ramirez can get almost $2 million. The Royals also paid over $4 million a year for Farnsworth. Their GM must be trying to get fired.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 11, 2008 -> 01:12 PM) Dye is a righty. Abreu is lefty. Different needs for different teams. Abreu plays everyday and hit lefties at least in 2008 pretty well. .315 with a .372 OBP. I would think if you didn't have to give up prospects and could actually pay him less than you pay JD, it makes a lot more sense to sign him. Maybe he doesn't want to play for Cincinatti is my only guess.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 04:31 PM) Cedeno is as well. I just checked, Pie is out of options as well. And THIS is the crap they are packaging for players. It truly is amazing how much junk Hendry can trade for good players. Like fathom said, he must have naked pictures.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 04:23 PM) I meant Pie has no options left. So when he's sold as the savior in SD and he hits .175 because the park is tough to hit in and he can't hit anyway, they can't even send him to the minors without putting him through waivers. Classic.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 04:14 PM) If you want a CF who is relatively buy-low right now, but has the talent when healthy to do very well, we should really be looking at Kotsay. And I'd bet that KW is doing just that. I'd much rather take a chance on Kotsay, than Taveras or Pie. He seems too much like Darin Erstad for me. A guy who will play more than he should, plus he's not the defender he used to be. I still don't understand why Pie would be non tendered. I don't think he's eligible for arbitration.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 04:04 PM) Interesting note on the Redding/Taveras trade... it apparently fell through because one of the two players did not pass their physical. Another thing to note, Taveras was also mentioned as a candidate to be non tendered.

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 03:51 PM) Danks I'll give you. Loaiza had something else going on it seems like. Also Loaiza started throwing his cutter in Toronto. The Sox didn't teach it to him, and his success was pretty short-lived.

QUOTE (DBAHO @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 03:50 PM) All I'm saying is that a few starting pitchers that we've had over the past such as Esteban Loaiza and more recently John Danks, learnt the cutter, because their fastball wasn't really enough of a strikeout pitch to begin with, and from reading Marquez's stuff, he seems like a perfect candidate. And you're not going to teach guys like Ramirez a cutter during the season (especially when he was only on the team for what 2 or 3 months). I'm only comparing Marquez to Garland because they're both sinkerball pitchers, and KW has gone out to try and acquire those type of pitchers, to negate the flyball effects of the Cell. So, the Sox can't teach one on the fly, but will be able to in spring training and Marquez should be ready for the rotation? I don't think that makes much sense. Javy Vazquez was popping off about being in Atlanta will help him because he's a flyball pitcher. Maybe he should look at his splits. He pitched better and gave up fewer homers at USCF, as do several White Sox pitchers.

QUOTE (daa84 @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 03:48 PM) pfff nobody on the yankees throws an above average cutter Well, the do have that one guy who supposedly has the best one of all-time...........................

QUOTE (DBAHO @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 03:38 PM) I'm reserving judgement on Marquez until they teach him a cutter. Could be another Jon Garland I think. But the Sox could still go and trade for Bailey, which would make him the 4th starter and Richard / Poreda the 5th starter, with Marquez starying in AAA, and then you go out and sign a replacement in LF (which I think the Sox would do, because KW says that we're right on our payroll limits as of this moment). If all he needs is a cutter, don't you think the Yankees would teach him one? And if they teach him, what is the guarantee it will be any good? If its that easy, why don't they teach MacDougal a cutter? Why didn't they teach Horacio Ramirez a cutter? I love how everyone compares Marquez to Garland. It must be because he strikes no one out. As I stated before, when Garland was Marquez's age, he had more IP on the major league level than Marquez has on the minor league level. It also took a long time for Garland to be considered trustworthy.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 02:52 PM) Here are some of the notables selected after McCullogh: Preston Mattingly, Emmanuel Buriss, Adrian Cardenas, Joba Chamberlain, Chris Perez. Another guy referred as a safe pick. The only thing safe about these guys (McCullogh and Broadway) is the assumption that they will be busts.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 02:40 PM) We all remember where we were on 6/7/05 when a terrorist regime of scouts and cross-checkers bombed the subways of Sox fans' hearts with the selection of Lance Broadway in the first round, 15th overall, of the 2005 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Let's all take a moment to click on this link and reflect upon all those great players that were needlessly passed over. We can never go back in time and change things for the better. What is done is done. But it is time, Kenny Williams, that you trade Lance Broadway for a bag of baseballs so we can all move on. I don't want to see him on the 40-man roster anymore because whenever I do I'm reminded of how we could have had Matt Garza, Ellsbury, Buccholz, Lowrie, Bowden, Volstad, Colby Rasmus, and on and on and on, because that's just the first round. Broadway was the most horrible draft pick I can remember, because at least McCulloch was taken near the very bottom after we'd won 99 games and the WS. Broadway was fifteenth!!!! That's f***ing sick. Please Kenny, get this guy out of here already. One thing I've never understood, how in the world was Broadway the "safe" pick that he's always refered? How about just horrible pick? I'd take a rosin bag that's out of rosin for him.

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 02:13 PM) Be patient, things will pick up now with C.C. signing. My prediction now is we sign F. Garcia and J. Hairston Jr. Wow. I need to get some Jim Beam Club season tickets. Adding those two will make those seats just like courtside Bulls tickets when Jordan was winning championships.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 02:11 PM) The Marlins already shed some salary, they dont need to trade Hermida anymore. Also, i'm pretty comfortable with their trading history to believe they wouldnt trade someone as coveted as him for that kind of crap. The Marlins get a revenue sharing check larger than their payroll. They don't NEED to trade anybody.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 01:38 PM) Yes. Giambi, Mussina, Pavano, etc. Another key thing about the Yankees and Mets...both of them are opening new ballparks next opening day. That is sure to blunt the impact of the economic collapse on those teams. There are a few seats at the new Yankee Stadium that are $2500 a game. I hope they come with hookers. Multiple hookers.

QUOTE (Hatchetman @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 01:06 PM) It's interesting that NY City is the epicenter of the economic crisis, but those two teams don't seem to be cutting back. Didn't the Yankees have $85 million come off their books?

QUOTE (klaus kinski @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 01:09 PM) Every year we get fired up for Winter Meetings and GM Meetings and all we get to hear about is Cub acquisitions and rumors. I am disappointed-we have gaping holes-and all we hear about is payroll. If spring training started next week, I would agree with you about not filling holes. I will always agree with you about payroll. Why KW has to bring up the now $.75 and everything costs $1.00 thing year after year, especially when he didn't sign Hunter, and saved $50 million when Fukudome turned him down last year is beyond tired. If, Hell freezes over and the White Sox wind up cutting payroll by as much as people are fearing, and the team doesn't contend, I hope every season ticketholder next offseason refuses to renew and uses the $.75 vs $1.00 excuse. I do think they will cut payroll, but not by a large amount.

QUOTE (thedoctor @ Dec 10, 2008 -> 12:58 PM) everyone thought he was full of crap when he said it last year, too. Why does that mean it will work again, and if it does, is a first round exit from the playoffs what the White Sox are looking for? Just remember, KW also said great things about Cabrera and Swisher. He called Borchard a big impact player. Said Willie Harris will be an All Star. Jon Adkins was going to be all world. He is full of crap if he thinks this current roster can win. But there is no chance this current roster will be the same when it comes time to play the games. He apparently felt some things didn't get done last offseason because people knew what he was doing.

Sox general manager Ken Williams, sticking to his stealth plan, ducked a question about free agents he might meet with this week. ''If I answered that question, it would go against my tactics of trying to mislead you guys as much as I can,'' he said. ''So I just have to continue on with my pattern of dodging and weaving. We generally have more success when we are operating out of sight.''

QUOTE (heirdog @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 03:20 PM) Seems counterintuitive as KW is the "scout" and wheeler and dealer while Hahn is more of the numbers guy. I would think Hahn would be talking to player agents and KW working the GM route in "listening mode." I think the Sox have a couple preliminary guys in Vegas. I think Hahn might be doing that right now. I read where KW gave his "guys" strategies for their discussions. I think Hahn wants to be a GM someday. Just negotiating contracts isn't going to get him a job. I'm sure he's been involved in trade discussions before.

Hahn could be discussing trades.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 02:23 PM) Jesus Christ... f*** you, Jake Peavy. I hope you lose your arm somewhere up Eddie Vedder's overrated ass. And... If they're going to eat that much of his contract, and then take back an arb-eligible player probably making just as much, how is that trimming salary? All the other GM's are playing this game on Level: Difficult, meanwhile Jim Hendry is the retard in the propellered hat working on Easy Mode with a list of cheat codes in front of him. Being a Tribune employee must really be great right now. Your basically f***ed out of all the money you throw into the employee stock plan, but one of your satellite companies apparently has free reign to throw money around like its nothing. How about a guy like Sam Smith? He takes a buyout, unless he was paid in one lump sum, which I doubt, he's screwed, but the Cubbies still can pay someone $6 million to pitch for another team. Sweet.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 02:19 PM) We got lucky with OC's big ego there. He would've been tough to move in this market. Absolutely, and his entire act is common knowledge around the league for sure. It certainly won't add to his value.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 02:17 PM) The value of the team is meaningless unless the team is sold. It does not factor in the money flow in or out of the organization unless JR used the value of the team as equity to borrow against the value. you cannot pay a player with the value of the franchise. It needs to be the revenue that is generated. They also had them making a profit in 2007. If they had lost money that season, I don't think you would have seen the contracts handed out for Linebrink, and Dotel nor the offers for Hunter and Fukudome.