BearSox

If there was a moral victory, it was Thursday game. Less night we just blew.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Jul 10, 2009 -> 11:09 PM) I thought we should have traded Thornton a month ago, when he was pitching like the best lefty reliever in the league. But didn't we just trade for a reliever - and at a pretty decent price? you can't be serious. First off, Dotel walked Nick freaking Punto to start off the inning, and Thornton got the first two outs before he had to face probably the best or second best left handed hitter in baseball. Also, whoever's bright idea it was to actually pitch to Mauer with a 2-0 count is an idiot. As soon as you fall behind 2-0 to Mauer, you throw him nothing he can hit and basically intentionally unintentionally walk him. Ozzie or Cora should have gave the sign or Pierzynski shoulda ran out there to tell him "Hey, he's in a great hitters count. Lets pitch around him and go after Morneau now." However, I'll allow you to blame Thornton for that, because pitchers don't think for themselves anymore.

That's Alsip for ya....

never been a biter. I clip them probably once every 5-7 days, or once a week. Now a better question would be toe-nails. I think I probably do them once a month, if not longer. I just kinda forget about them until they got long enough to where they hurt (as in they cut your toe or provide some discomfort). But I guess if you wear sandals a lot, you'd clip them a lot more often.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jul 10, 2009 -> 08:11 PM) All I'm saying is that if Nix could hit better (like .265, keep the slugging, and a OBP of about .330) then I would like him much better as the everyday 2B and I'd like Getz in the utility role. For now I like Getz there. Well if you meant that, say that I agree. But right now, you gotta get Nix AB's, regardless of position. Plus, Nix has a better skillset to play more positions. Getz is basically limited to 2B, LF, and maybe CF and 3B.

The problem I have with moving Alexei is if that would hurt our cuban connection. However, if they are professionals, it should be no problem. I got no problem trading Alexei while his value is high though. He's probably at maximum value right now as teams probably feel he can still play SS, but in the long run he'll have to move to 2B, CF, or LF.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jul 10, 2009 -> 08:00 PM) His value defensively? What's untrue about that statement? Plus defense 2B is better than plus defense in LF and I'm pretty sure that's what Thunderbolt was getting at. His defensive value at 2B means nothing if Getz is the primary 2B vs. lefties. His role is as a utility player, value has means nothing, at least right now. Of course he is at maximum value at 2B defensively, but he'll only play 2B if Getz is injured and vs. lefties.

I'd f***ing love a trade involving Dotel and maybe a prospect or two for Hermida. Hermida's got a ton of potential still, and he's still only 25. Right now he is an average player, someone who will hit .250, .350 OBP, ~.400 SLG, 15-20 HR, 60+ RBI, a couple of steals, and mediocre D. But that only scratches the surface of his potential. However, I have read he does have a bit of Nick Swisheritis in him where he will look for the BB instead of looking to hit the ball. But because of that .270/.370/.450+ potential he has, especially in the cell, it'd be worth the risk. This year he could provide us with a solid left handed bat who can play LF or RF and perhaps maybe we could even try him out as the backup 1B. He would fight for playing time, but as previously stated, his value would come next year as he would be the RF with hopefully Dye at DH. Hell, I would also probably try and get Alex Rios from Toronto as well if we could get them to pick up close to half of Rios' remaining contract.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jul 10, 2009 -> 06:14 PM) I like Nix so much better as an infielder. More than Getz actually, if Nix could actually hit (he hasn't really proved he can't FWIW). whoa now, you make it seem like we're moving Nix out there permanently. Right now his best role is as the utility guy. He'll mostly play 2B vs. lefties, but if he shows he can hit more consistently, we'll get him spot starts at SS, 3B, LF and maybe even RF. The funny thing is, he has hit his best after not seeing live pitching for a week, and when he gets consistent starts, that's when he starts to not hit the ball. Very odd. But he does have a lot of upside on O.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jul 10, 2009 -> 06:30 PM) I'd argue that we could save about 10 plus runs per year if we had Nix and BA starting everyday for us at 2b and CF.. I say this as a guy who has nearly completely given up on BA. What about all the runs we lose with BA in the lineup?

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jul 10, 2009 -> 06:08 PM) I will reiterate by disdain for this idea. I am not opposed to Nix being in the lineup everyday, but I feel like we're seriously undermining his value by putting him in a less than premium defensive position. Oh my god, please tell me you are joking. I am so freaking sick of that argument. You put the best lineup out there, period, regardless of position.

At least he doesn't have an invisible leprechaun in his head like Freel. What's the leprechaun's name again?

This makes no sense for the Braves. Perhaps the Braves see Francouer as a lost cause, but why would you risk him tapping into his potential with one of your top divisional rivals? That makes no sense unless the Braves are planning on doing a complete rebuilding. As for the Mets, they don't lose much on offense and maybe even gain, but they upgrade big time on D. Church was mediocre out there with a lot of boneheaded plays it seemed like to me, but Francouer is a legit GG caliber defender, IMO. As for Church, he's a mediocre player. I'd trade his mediocrity for a player of Francouers age and potential anyday of the week. He's still only 25.

Wow, that's a lotta money for what seems to be a glove man.

Looks like Cortes' prospect status really took a hit this year with a mediocre season and his arrest. Still doesn't make sense to trade him for Yuniesky Betancourt. I'd rather stick it out with Tony Pena as while he might be even worse defensively, he's still a very good defensive player at least. Yuniesky is average at best on D. It looks more and more like Moore was just a hyped up product from an incredible Braves system.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jul 9, 2009 -> 11:42 PM) BearSox has finally come to terms with Ryan Sweeney and what he really is. Ryan broke his heart. it was a long bumpy ride that ended tragically.... I'd still take him, Gio, and DLS over Swisher though.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Jul 9, 2009 -> 10:26 PM) What do you guys think KW could get from Cleveland for him? We won't trade him to Cleveland unless for some unknown reason they give up something worth while for him.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Jul 9, 2009 -> 10:17 PM) Bull, He and Hudson had nearly identical numbers in their first 4 starts in April. Hudson (rightfully so), gets the promotion and Carter is still pitching in low A. Now I don't know if it was mechanics to work on more with Carter or maturity issues (which I heard a rumor from) but he was actually well ahead of the curve in low A. I don't care if his era was 4.50, if your striking out guys at a ridiculous pace (10+ K9), not to mention your BB is very low (2.5 BB9), and your H to IP is solid, with a low WHIP, your ass should not be stuck in low A this long. Hell he had better numbers than Hudson in Great falls last year and was one of their dynamic go to pitchers in the playoffs. He should not be in low A this long plain and simple, even if it was maturity issues which I still seriously doubt. Ever think he still is very raw as a pitcher and we are still working on him refining his mechanics/stuff?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 9, 2009 -> 10:07 PM) Fielder and Braun, the trio the Phillies are throwing out there, Longoria and Pena are alternates that come to mind. Fielder and Braun are close, but I still give the award to M&M. I wonder if the Brewers are gonna shop Fielder in the offseason.

Barack Obama likes big butts and he cannot lie:

M&M is easily the best duo in all of baseball, isn't it?

QUOTE (bighurt4life @ Jul 9, 2009 -> 09:55 PM) Halladay pitches in one of the toughest divisions year in and year out while Haren pitches in a pretty weak NL division. Lots different going up against San Diego LA and Colorado all year versus Boston NY and Tampa Bay. Are you forgetting about the years he pitched in the AL and when he pitched pretty damn solid for the A's in the playoffs? Even in his sophomore season he was very solid for the Cards in the 04 WS. He's proven in both leagues.

QUOTE (knightni @ Jul 9, 2009 -> 09:08 PM) Dreams of Lebron, Bosh and Wade will probably go unfulfilled for Chicago in '10. Besides, I'd rather have Lee than Bosh anyway. He'd be cheaper and he gets the same amount of boards. I'm with ya! I'd love to get Lee.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Jul 9, 2009 -> 09:38 PM) I would say at this point, Dexter Carter probably has to throw a no hitter to finally move up to high A. He has a great K:BB ratio, but he has been far from dominant in low A. His ERA is solid but unspectacular, and while he K's a lot of people, he also gives up a decent amount of hits as his opp. BA is not that impressive as it is .245, probably closer to .250 after today. I like Carter, but I don't think he's quite really earned a promotion yet.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jul 9, 2009 -> 08:37 PM) After the last post that said he was good at baseball, I was going to post "correction, he is OK at baseball" but passed. Now I'll say it, he's not terrible, and he's not good either. He's ok. He's about a league average outfielder, and has a crappy batting average (albeit with some pop) and strikes out a lot, but a really good OBP raises his status from "bad baseball player" to "all right player." People get carried away talking about his OBP making him underrated, this doesn't mean he's good. It just means he's not bad. Stats are only a part of why I call him a bad baseball player. I call him a bad baseball player mainly because he doesn't act/play like a baseball player should. I don't like the way he carries himself on the field, I think he's got a god awful approach at bat, he doesn't seem to take anything seriously, he crys when he gets benched, etc. Big whoop, he walks a lot. I still say he's a bad baseball player. I also throw BA and Fields into the category of bad baseball players. Neither of them seem to know the fundamentals of the game. Well, BA knows how to field and run, but he has no clue at bat and is just going basically got by so far with god given talent. But with both of them, you see little leaguers with better swings then them. Good athletes with talent, but just bad baseball players.