Dick Allen

QUOTE(fathom @ Nov 3, 2006 -> 06:19 PM) The writing is on the wall....Juan Pierre will be our starting CF next year. I wouldn't mind him in LF. BTW does the Sox current LF have any trade value whatsoever? I would think he could fetch a B or C prospect at best.

I don't think Anderson will be traded unless KW brings in a big name CF. Anderson had a tough year, but people must remember he was a rookie. While guys like Ron Kittle have their best years when they are rookies, I think Anderson is going to get better. He probably isn't headed to Cooperstown, but he hit .257 after the all star game last year I think. If he does that for an entire year and hits 14 or 15 homers, he's better than Aaron Rowand at a fraction of the cost.

Crawford is a better player than McCarthy is a pitcher. There is no doubt about that. But.................the White Sox have a lot of high priced pitchers coming off some subpar years. They have almost $100 million committed to 12 players. Their pitchers are due to start breaking down. These pitchers are still very valuable commodities. McCarthy is even more valuable because he works for about 1/30th of what the other 5 do. The Sox are going to half to shave some payroll somewhere. This is the obvious place to do it. Crawford would be a great addition. But acquiring him for McCarthy while it seems like a steal for the Sox, could really come back and bite them down the road. The payroll would be maxed and probably then some. The starters all paid well and starting to get a little long in the tooth. Moving one of the other 5, pares some payroll, giving KW some flexibility to get other things done, and gets McCarthy into the rotation. McCarthy doesn't have to be very good to post numbers like all the members of the greatest rotation ever assembled did in 2006. And it won't cost JR $10+million.

Ramirez puts up great numbers, but as stated before, the guy is a dog. The Cubs would be far better off without him. If they really are raising their payroll to $120 million as been reported, they will be able to spend a lot on free agents, and Hendry usually has no problem finding teams that will give him something good for nothing if he picks up a contract. As nice as Ramirez numbers usually turn out, this is addition by subtraction if you ask me.

I've got no problem with Buerhle rooting for the Cardinals, but at some point in time he must show respect and maybe even some love for the team that drafted him in the 38th round,(the Cardinals passed quite a lot of times) and will have paid him after 2007 $28 million. Any picture you take is liable to be put on the internet. Wearing a Cardinal hat when you have been an All Star pitcher for the White Sox and the supposed ace of the defending world champions' staff, and getting photographed in it, maybe isn't wrong, although I think it probably is, but it certainly is stupid.

It seems his agent has to put out the same press release every offseason. I wonder what he's going to say when Buerhle eventually makes his way to the Cardinals because there will be no way Buerhle won't say that is where he's always wanted to play. The press release is spin.

He's better than Pods, but like fathom pointed out, he rarely if ever has been able to stay healthy a full season. He has his big season during a contract year, that scares me, and he's 34 years old. That's a time a lot of players whose game depends almost entirely on their legs fall off a cliff. There aren't many 35 or 36 year olds who steal 45 bases a year. Maybe he can be one, but I wouldn't bid too high.

As I stated earlier, I don't have a problem with Buerhle cheering for the team he has loved all his life. I don't think it was necessary for him to wear a Cardinals hat, even though nothing is technically wrong with it. He's fully aware of the firestorm all these little Cardinals stories have had over the past few years. He has to know getting photographed with the hat on is just going to start those up again. I'm sure his agent is sick of damage control, and I'm sure KW and the White Sox organization are a little more upset with this than tarp sliding. While it may not be true, all these little things give the impression Buerhle would rather be somewhere else.

Kudos to a guy who gets ripped quite often, Joe Buck. He has been a Cardinals fan all his life, just like Mark Buerhle, and I believe is an announcer with them now. He was very professional in how he called the national broadcast. When the Cardinals won last night he sounded no more excited for them than he was for the White Sox, even though you know deep down how happy he was.

I think its pretty obvious and always has been that his dream is to play for the Cardinals. I'm not going to buy the comments Buerhle and/or his wife had about "hoping" the White Sox don't pick up his option. This guy said Buerhle has already spoken to the Cardinals. That would be tampering. The White Sox aren't playing so I have no problem with Buerhle putting on a Cardinal hat and rooting for the team he was a fan of long before he came to the White Sox. There's very little chance the option won't be picked up. If they pick it up and can't afford him, they easily could deal him for cheap prospects. I wouldn't mind seeing the Sox seeing what they could get for him though. He was getting battered too much just to write it off as fatigue and saying he will bounce back next season. I

Considering the Cardinals played only 2 less games last season than the White Sox, its amazing they aren't all tired out now and are in the driver's seat for a world championship. The White Sox were bushed after 11 postseason games last year. The Tigers will be exhausted next season. They really shouldn't even bother fielding a team.

Getting Cora out of the 3rd base coaching box is beyond great. Adding Shines to the staff is also good, and even if it means weakening minor league instruction a bit, Shines was going to get a major league job soon. If not 2007, although I think it was beyond likely, definitely in 2008. It also appears Man Soo Lee is going back to Korea. He will be missed. He truely is one of the greatest guys ever to wear a uniform in professional sports. His absence probably won't mean anything to the White Sox on the field, but put smiles on a lot of fan's faces anytime they were able to interact with him. Maybe Alomar becomes the new bullpen catcher.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Oct 25, 2006 -> 06:40 AM) Well that ended up being more true than I ever would have thought... and it only took 12 hours Boras isn't going to have the kind of leverage he usually does though. There is a finite period where the sides must agree on a contract or the player goes back to Japan and the team has to pay out no money. He also can't play one team off on another one. It may be as good of time as there ever will be dealing with Boras. That said, I agree the White Sox will most likelynot be competing for this guy's services.

Players get traded all the time with the teams trading them agreeing to pick up part of the contract. They don't actually send a check to the player, they pay the team they trade with. Maybe ARod is a different circumstance and maybe the Rangers still pay him, but it appears they pay the Yankees. ARod is guaranteed his full salary, whether or not the money the Rangers are passing along to the Yankees is legally supposed to move with ARod if he is dealt, can't be determined by these articles. Either way, if the Yankees don't move Texas' money with ARod, no team will assume his entire contract, so they wouldn't be able to trade him if that is their intention.

If Milledge isn't ready to play with the Mets, why would he be ready to play for the White Sox?

QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Oct 23, 2006 -> 05:16 PM) If a team pays the 25 million or whatevr it takes to negotiate with him, if a deal doesnt happen do they get that money back or is it gone for good? Also my friend is telling me the Rangers are one of the favorites to land him? A player may be posted from November 1 to March 1. For a player to be posted, both the team and player must agree on the posting; usually the player requests to be posted. The team then notifies the NPB Commissioner's Office that the player will be posted, who then notifies the MLB, which notifies all of its teams. The MLB teams then have four days to submit a "silent" bid for the right to negotiate a contract with the player to the MLB Commissioner's Office. After the fourth day, the NPB team (via the Commissioner's Office) is notified of the highest bidder and has four to accept or reject the bid. If the bid is accepted the winning MLB team has thirty (30) days to reach an agreement with the player. If the bid is rejected, the player is not posted. If the player signs a contract with the MLB team by the end of the signing period, then the player becomes part of that MLB team and the NPB team receives the bid money. If the player does not sign a contract with the MLB team by the end of the signing period, the player is returned to the NPB team and the NPB team does not receive the bid money.

QUOTE(striker62704 @ Oct 23, 2006 -> 10:55 AM) I know Dye had a great season last year but what are the odds of him repeating it? What are the odds that any replacement could do better than Dye in 2007? If the goal is trying to win the WS, you keep Dye. If KW had the attitude that trading players with expiring contracts is a must after 2004, Konerko would have been somewhere else in 2005, and so probably would be the WS trophy.

If you trade a guy based on how high his stock is and not looking at his overall importance to the team is, Michael Jordan would have played with a different team every year. Dye is a huge bargain next season as he has been the last 2. You put him in the line-up everyday in 2007 and see what happens. If the team is in contention you hang on to him, if it becomes apparent he isn't going to sign, and you try to win the WS. If the Sox somehow stumble, and it doesn't appear likely he will stick around, you trade him for some prospects. I've never totally understood trading someone for prospects a full season before their contract runs out. Sure you could lose him and get nothing in return, but you would get a full season with a bargain rate contract with said player. The prospects you get usually turn out to be nothing anyway. A lot of times its a good thing to have a player or 10 on a roster in their contract year. Their performance tends to be a little better than usual.

I do think all signs point to Crede being dealt either this winter or next. The difference of opinion on his back, I think is a huge issue. The White Sox still are going to have to be and always will be fiscally responsible. Crede is going to get a 5 year at least $50 million contract if he performs like he did in 2006. I really doubt the White Sox are willing to gamble that many years and that many dollars that his back will hold up. If Crede is dealt though, I agree with the above comments, Josh Fields is not an adequate replacement. I've posted before that I think Fields is a right handed Eric Hinske at best. A guy who will be around a while and probably have a couple of decent years, but there's something about him I've never liked. I was impressed with his ability to take pitches in September though. His walk and strikeout rate stayed about the same between 2005 and 2006, and he actually drove in more runners at Birmingham. I just don't see where you go from possible if not probable bust to great prospect after hitting .300 at Charlotte when you're 23 years old. Its also really too bad the White Sox didn't have him play LF at Charlotte this year at least when it was apparent that he wasn't going to get much time at 3B with the major league club. He should have been playing LF at least for the entire second half of the past season. Also, Fields hit 2 doubles and a homer in 20 ABs. That's not bad, but lets not get too excited. BA had 2 homers and a double in the same game in 2005 and it didn't exactly propel him to a silver slugger award in 2006.

I hope Fields is traded. Unless he's going to hit 40 homers, or drive in 120 runs, the Sox don't need to add a guy who will whiff 140 times a season to their line-up.

QUOTE(AirScott @ Oct 19, 2006 -> 06:15 PM) with that train of thought, why not just hold off on that move and keep Pods? maybe he can regain the magic he had through the first half of 2005. That ship has sailed. Say goodbye to Pods.

Ichiro's obp the last 2 seasons have been .350 and .370. They have been higher than Pierre's obviously, but not that much higher. I don't see where it makes too much sense to pay Ichiro what you would have to pay him and give up the talent it would take to acquire him, when you could get a guy like Pierre for about half the salary and not give up talent. I understand Ichiro is head and shoulder better with the glove, but he doesn't walk much either.

Nyquil does the trick. I don't have a fear of flying, but I do have a brother who lives in Europe who I visit often and I can't sleep in a plane. That was until someone turned me on to Nyquil. Drink about half a bottle when you board, and when you wake up, you will be well rested and at your destination.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Oct 17, 2006 -> 05:54 PM) Overpaid by the Cubs and useless after? Not at all a bad comparison... The Cubs got the One Dog when he was about 35 years old. When he was 33 he had a spectacular year with the Mets. He hit .333 with 21 triples and 50 steals. Pierre is 29 or 30. I think he would do very well for the White Sox for a couple of years. Offensively, his drawback is that he rarely walks. He gets a lot of hits, he steals, he can handle the bat, and he's probably as fast as anyone in baseball. He also runs down the line, something very few White Sox do. He wouldn't be my first choice as an addition, I just don't think people would really be regretting the Sox signed him next July. QUOTE(Craig Grebeck @ Oct 17, 2006 -> 05:54 PM) yes, considering the salary he will garner, he is garbage. He does not take pitches, does not drive in runs, does not get on base. Like stated earlier, we need guys to get on base so our 3-4-5 can drive them in. Juan Pierre career OBP .350 Scott Podsednik OBP for 2005 WS champs .351. People around here actually considered Pods an MVP candidate in 2005. Pierre's inability to get on base is greatly exaggerated.

Pierre gets to a lot of balls Pods would be tippy toeing to only to pick up when it stopped rolling. I wouldn't mind Pierre in LF, and he could ocassionally play CF against tough right handers. He was a better CF than I thought when I watched him this past season. He can't throw at all, but the White Sox had a couple of pretty successful years with Raines in LF and One Dog in CF, and both of them threw no better than Pierre. I think Pierre is almost a One Dog clone. Hopefully, if the Sox sign him, he won't fall off a cliff like the One Dog did after a huge season with the Mets.