Dick Allen

I think it obviously depends on his performance and the team's peformance this season, and who will be available next off season. Frank will probably be bought out for $3.5, but could come back at a lower salary. So, assuming the team does well and attendance is up, the Sox may have some money to play with next off season. Who will be available at the end of the season? I don't know if Konerko is a guy you really want to lock up for a long time. I, for one, am still very concerned about his hip.

QUOTE(Jeckle2000 @ Jan 27, 2005 -> 07:49 PM) IMO there are quite a few teams that I could see being interested in Willie. Not only as a second basemen but he could become a CF in the Lance Johnson, Kenny Lofton mold. There is too much talent there for some GM to not want to take a gamble on him. I think we can also add the Yankees as a team that could be interested in him. Lets face it he'll come cheap and he'd be one hell of an insurance policy incase Womack goes back to sucking. Worse case scenario he doesn't get any better and he ends up coming off the bench for them (and I doubt even Willie would be stupid enough to complain about that) Why would Harris provide an insurance policy in case Womack goes back to sucking? Willie doesn't have to go back there, he's there. Willie Harris and all the distractions in NYC-he's not professional enough to play for Torre. The Sox are a team with budget restraints. Harris makes close to minimum. There is nothing more the White Sox would want than Harris being an everyday player making contributions to winning. There are obviously other issues to Harris besides his most inconsistent play on the field. They aren't going to be able to get much for him, after all, all they had to give up to get him was Chris Singleton 3 or 4 years ago, and his potential had to be more highly regarded around the league then than it is now. They should just see if he can somehow increase his trade value during spring training. I have a feeling he will eventually be traded for a 26 year old AA player we will never hear of again.

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Jan 27, 2005 -> 01:46 PM) Can on of the Insider posters PLEASE c'n'p this story. As has been previously mentioned, It says the Sox might be trading Harris. I'd imagine this article has specifics. If found, please start a new thread. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/index It just quotes the Southtown article. No further information.

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Jan 27, 2005 -> 12:03 PM) Jimh, If the manager says Willie is not performing, and that same manager performed exactly the same way, you have to wonder if it is personal, as opposed to real criticism. ::shrugs:: I also specifically state in my post, I would be relying on hearsay, therefore instead of getting into a hearsay argument, I would rely on facts. SB What's not hearsay is the White Sox took the rest of their available funds and used it on a guy to take Harris' spot. They did not do this to placate Ozzie. They did it to be a better team. If the organization besides Ozzie was happy with him and thought he was a capable everyday player, this move would not have been made. Actions always speak louder than words. They spent money to replace him. Money Harris would have to have at least 2 real good years to get to, so obviously he is not very highly thought of by the organization as a whole. He's an ass, plain and simple. Sometimes its worth the trouble to have to deal with an ass, but with the production Harris provides, its obviously not.

The article basically confirms Dave Wills' contention that Willie thinks he's a star. He has accomplished nothing his major league career yet has the nerve to b**** about the team trying to improve itself and bring in a possible upgrade to his postion. He can talk all he wants, but he needs to get a clue and do his talking on the field. Willie hasn't earned the benefit of the doubt yet. Everytime the White Sox have counted on him, they have eventually had to bring in someone else. He says he didn't play last year, that's why he struggled. Give me a break.

If the White Sox thought Willie could play SS even for limited stretches, we would have seen him there by now.

They signed him during last season, probably just to play in the minors. I believe he has since been released.

QUOTE(JUGGERNAUT @ Jan 25, 2005 -> 07:10 PM) They have exceeded us in creativity. Delgado gets 4M/05, 13.5M/06, 14.5M/07, 16M/08. There is a complex 5th yr option. If he plays at an MVP caliber level all 4 yrs he can earn 16M/09. If he fails to do that but is a LCS MVP or WS MVP he can still earn the 16M/09. If he fails to do that as well he'll either earn 12M/09 or be bought out for 4M. I doubt very much he will achieve what he needs to earn 16M/09. If he does Cub fans should just shoot themselves because the Marlins will have won the WS twice in this decade. So this really looks more like a 60M/5 yr deal. That's pretty savy of Loria. Congrats! Yet another signing that leaves me scratching my head why not the White Sox? I know you all love Konerko but he is no Delgado. Nor is Maggs. We were willing to give this same $ to Maggs but not to Delgado? This is a contract we could have gotten done. Delgado runs much better than Koney. The Sox would have saved 4M in the first year. A new Koney contract is likely to cost an avg of 10-11M/yr. So your paying a litte more for a much great boost in production. Loria get's my vote for the best signing of the off-season. He signed a perenial MVP caliber player to a price comparable to lesser talented players like Drew. The White Sox had a trade worked out for Delgado last season and HE didn't want to come here. He refused to waive his no trade clause.

QUOTE(HSC's Biggest Fan @ Jan 25, 2005 -> 02:22 PM) My feelings are that he will sit this entire year. Any team taking the risk will want to be rewarded if he is healthy, not the Boras style. Wasn't he suppossed to work out at the winter meetings a month ago? We're still waiting for this workout. Any team would be foolish to offer anything more than $1M of $2 guaranteed. If I were a GM I would offer $3M for next year and two team options the following years at $8M each. Again, not the Boras style. If he can play at all, there is no way he sits the entire year. If he did he would be at best, in exactly the same position and predicament he is in now, if not worse. No team would pay big money and a long term contract to a guy who has sat out a year and a half. He will get more than you think. Boras' guys (with the exception of draft choices) always do.

QUOTE(Y2HH @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 05:23 PM) We should trade Willie Harris for Neil Peart. -y2 That would be just fine by me.

QUOTE(JimH @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 05:17 PM) So Bruce Levine thinks Harris will be traded, eh? What a shock. It's one thing to have depth, it's quite another to have depth in the form of guys who can play well off the bench. And, depth that can play multiple positions per the team needs. In this case those needs are middle infield and also 3B. That ain't Harris. On this attitude discussion w/Harris ... I was reading another board and someone who was there said Harris, while signing autographs during his session , was talking on his cell phone. Did anyone see that? Does anyone think that's maybe a little clueless (rude) on his part? Isn't the idea to provide a bit of personal interaction with the fans? He also was signing his autograph upside down on those mini helmets. Its Willie being Willie. A total jackass.

I can't imagine there being a big market for Harris right now. As much as I despise him as a player, I think the Sox would be wise to hang on to him into spring training. Maybe this latest slap to his face ignites something inside him. I think Iguchi is going to be good, but he may struggle at least initially. Maybe the competition makes Harris play better, and at the very least, increases his trade value.

These catchers have basically no chance to make the team. You need a lot of catchers for spring training.

QUOTE(TLAK @ Jan 19, 2005 -> 07:33 PM) But Boros said it was just minor tear, like a golfer gets! What a fraud, foisting damaged goods for millions of dollars. That guys going to end up in jail some day. The only invasive surgery done in Austria was to repair a minicus tear according to this article, so while Boras my not be forthcoming, he is not lying. And, if true, shows White Sox team doctors missed this tear while repairing the other one, which they missed a few times. The shock treatment was non- invasive. Boras is fully aware no team will sign Magglio without a workout or 2 and a stringent medical exam. Time will tell if the procedure works. Magglio would be in the same boat or worse had he elected not to go to Austria. He actually avoided more surgery by going there, and by best case scenerio wouldn't have been able to go full out until at least March, so the White Sox wouldn't have and couldn't have or shouldn't have offered him arbitration if he elected conventional treatment. One other thing to add to this entire story, a pretty credible poster at WSI, who claims to be a doctor and is quite familiar with Dr. Weil said that Dr. Weil is or at least was a White Sox shareholder.

QUOTE(JUGGERNAUT @ Jan 19, 2005 -> 02:49 PM) Whoa .... where's all this Harris hate coming from? Have you looked at his numbers? Harris' problem is that he can't hit LH's. He put up pretty respectable #'s vs RH's. Considering that typically around 1/4 to 1/3 of MLB ab's vs LH for an full-time player the Sox can bench him at those times. It's not something the Sox can't deal with. Harris is extremely inconsistent. His numbers last season are very misleading. A hot streak in meaningless games against AAA pitchers, which he has already proven he hits well against, gave him respectable numbers, just like a monster game at the end of 2003 got his average over .200. He has an attitude problem. He said all the right things at Soxfest this year, but he said all right things at Soxfest last year and in 2003. The White Sox are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to upgrade. I think that says a lot about what they truly think about him.

Depending on his physical condition, I wouldn't be surprised if the Sox have a lot of interest in Paul Shuey.

They need to have a system like they have in the NBA slotting amounts to be paid by the order in which guys are drafted. It would have to be something creative considering there are so many rounds, but make a maximum amount of bonus for anyone drafted in the 2nd round or later, less than the bonus given the last player in the first round. Also let teams trade their picks. This will end this ridiculousness of holding out. It will allow teams to budget their money. It will end the practice of teams having to draft by signability rather than ability. It will free up more money for players who have established themselves.

QUOTE(qwerty @ Jan 18, 2005 -> 05:05 PM) If there is no option for 2006 this is a really stupid deal. This reminds me of when Hendry gave Mike Sirotka $900,000 to make a few starts in Des Moines. Very curious move if there is no 2006 team option.

The scout seats will be at least close to sold out, IMHO. Corporations will buy them. Remember, the price includes all the concessions, plus access to the new lounge.

QUOTE(Tannerfan @ Jan 17, 2005 -> 06:36 PM) In this day and age an angioplasty procedure is not that big of a deal, he'll be fine When dealing with heart issues, there is no such thing as not that big of a deal.

I think they are on delay. When they had Goose Gossage on Friday night, the Goose let out a "s***". I don't know if it made the airwaves.

One other thing I noticed was Uribe's alledged massive weight gain was total BS. He seems to be in great shape.

QUOTE(3E8 @ Jan 13, 2005 -> 08:24 PM) Is he insinuating KW is done looking for a middle infielder? Levine is screwed up a little tonight. A caller asked about Alex Cora, and Levine said the Dodgers may let him go. They already did. He also said he was a possiblility for the Sox, but hasn't he agreed to go to Cleveland?

Yes. Basically the arbitrator decides if the player's worth is closer to management's figure or the player's figure, and they get that figure. Example: If Santana's figure was $10 million and the Twins was $8 million. If the arbitrator figured Santana deserved $9,000,000.01 he would get $10 million. If he decided he was worth $8,999,999.99 he would get $8 million.

Since the Sox are going from speed to power, can someone tell me who else besides Pods the White Sox have acquired this winter has any speed? Dye can't run anymore, AJ thinks Konerko can beat him in a race. Pods is the only guy, and he might not get on base very often. To characterize last year's team as a power team, and this year's as a speed team is a mistake IMHO, at least as the roster stands right now. The saying, speed doesn't go in slumps is usually correct, but if its only Pods, I can assure you speed will go into slumps.