witesoxfan

If we are starting to include first rounders, I have to include Chad Greenway. I actually do remember Mt. Vernon playing in like the Class Z state championship or whatever the hell class it was(I actually think it was B or C, though I don't recall which specifically), and him being from SoDak...I gotta pull for him no matter where he goes.

Also, as hard as it is for me personally to let him go, as attached to him as I've become to him over the past 10 years or so...atleast I personally can find comfort in the fact that he has gone to a team that appreciates his value very much. Frank is your (proto/stereo)typical "moneyball" player...great OBP, great OPS, very cheap, but has a catch...the facts that he can't play defense, is very injury prone, and turns 38 in May. And to answer this... QUOTE(MinnySoxFan @ Jan 25, 2006 -> 08:29 PM) Is anyone else surprised at how cheap they got him? no. There is little to no market for old, injury prone DHs. That's why Mike Piazza is still a FA, though he too could be moving closer to a deal with whomever.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Jan 25, 2006 -> 05:34 PM) They should win that division. With ease

The A's wont be out of it.

Is comparing this to losing a loved one a good correlation, only on a much lower level? I mean...we all knew this day was coming...yet this has been like by and large the most depressing day of the offseason - atleast for me. It's just hard to take it all in and realize that he is no longer a member of the Chicago White Sox. Good luck to the best hitter in the history of Chicago baseball...we'll miss you tremendously, and for all the negative media you went through from the mid to late 90s until the day you left, I have a feeling you will be the only member of this era in Chicago baseball to be remembered leaving with honor, integrity, and respectability. And you got your ring too

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Jan 25, 2006 -> 05:35 AM) He will be stolen by someone in the 2nd round.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Jan 25, 2006 -> 12:01 PM) He's known as "RonDL" for a reason. His bat may be ok, but down count on him for a full season of production. I'd rather see RonDL than Matt Lecroy. Has he ever played a full season as a DH? I know he's injury prone...but I'd have to think he becomes injured after going through the grind of playing in the field day in and day out. I don't think there's a chance in hell White starts in the OF for Minnesota...not with Stewart, Hunter, Kubel, Ford, and probably others as well. I view the White signing as a good one until it is proven that he can't even handle DHing without getting injured.

I've already said on here two or three times that Minnesota is an underrated team...so I won't use them...and I'll try and shy away from other popular picks as well. Instead, I'll go with Baltimore for an AL Sleeper. They already had a good offense, and adding Ramon Hernandez is not going to hurt that. The one thing I look at when I look at this team is how soon the effect of Mazzone will occur. If it happens immediately, they are a serious contender in the East, and I have no doubt about that. If it takes a year or two to implement and start working, then this whole sleeper thing is really just a bunch of garbage. As for a bust team...I'll go with the Yankees in the AL. They're still old, their rotation is not nearly as good as some people want it to be, and I'm not a huge fan of Kyle Farnsworth, personally. Doubt it happens, but one never knows. For an NL Sleeper...I'll go with Philly. Gillick has already built a team that really has no true holes anywhere, and a solid rotation in place. They probably lack a true ace, but I am not sure how much that will matter in the regular season as if they get quality starts all around, they'll be fine. I think they'll surprise a lot of people, and I don't see them finishing worse than 2nd. Another sleeper is Arizona...Byrnes really did a lot to help them all-around. They've improved defensively, their rotation won't be worse than last year, and they will be decent offensively. I really like Arizona. For NL Bust...if Houston counts, I'd take them. Clemens was unbelieably huge for them, and there is about no chance he returns to Houston, unless it happens in May. If not...I'll take the Cards. I still think they'll win the division, but as Rock has pointed out, they keep losing players...that will not be good in the long run. Sanders, Walker, and Morris alone this offseason, and I'm just not sure Juan Encarnacion is the answer.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Jan 24, 2006 -> 03:26 PM) so if not the red sox, yankees or jays who wins the al east? i also love how the red sox rotation is suspect. usually you say that when five mediocre players are apart of it. curt schilling and josh beckett are far from mediocre, wells and wake were both above average last year, and clement, arroyo, papelbon are more options. again though, answer my original question. Wells ERA+ of 99 indicates he was slightly below average...albeit very small. That clearly points out to me that he was not above average. Wakefield was above average, with an ERA+ of 106. I would agree with you on Schilling that he is far from mediocre, as I see his starting pitching days over, thus making him a very bad starting pitcher. I love Beckett, and if he can control his blister issues, he is a bonafide ace. We'll have to see about that. I've always disliked Clement as a pitcher, as he is just incredibly inconsistent and has virtually no control whatsoever. Over the past couple years he has also become a 1 half pitcher, having posted a 5.09 ERA, 1.46 WHIP in the second half of 2004, and a 5.72 ERA, 1.51 WHIP in the second half of '05. It's also pretty apparent that Bronson Arroyo is about as average a pitcher as there gets, posting a 4.51 ERA last year with a WHIP of 1.30. He also didn't do the Red Sox much help in the second half, posting a 5.08 ERA. I like Papelbon, but he's as unproven as so many prospects before him and after him will be. For anyone to suggest that the Red Sox have a strength in their SP are lying, unless they are talking about pure depth...which is the case. They should be able to keep enough starters around this year to have a full rotation throughout the year. However, as far as actual production is concerned, I'll take many teams over the Red Sox.

QUOTE(knightni @ Jan 24, 2006 -> 12:49 AM) I won 90 games with them in DPBL. I bet I could do a decent job. Move #1. - Trade Griffey to the Yankees for prospects. Move #2 - Move Ryan Wagners stuff and movement ratings up

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Jan 24, 2006 -> 03:36 PM) I see the Twins finishing in 3rd place. Luis Castillo was a great pickup but Rondell White and Tony Batista? C'mon... Batista I agree with. However, you are big into stats, yet you somehow look over Rondell White's .313 12 53 .348/.489/.837 campaign last year? Or his career .289 average, .343/.472/.815 line? I thought White was a great pickup too, along with Castillo. I would take that out of my fulltime DH if my payroll is next to nothing anyday of the week. He should be hitting anywhere from 3-5 in the order, and any one of those makes him a very valuable player.

QUOTE(3E8 @ Jan 23, 2006 -> 05:02 PM) Hard to knock this move at just $1 million. Me personally, I'm not really knocking the move...I do like Miller...think he's a gamer and is just gritty as hell. He doesn't have the best stuff, but when he's right, he can be very effective. I just find a little irony in the fact that he's a very injury prone SP on a team where the rotation is infamous for being full of injury prone SPs(even though Wood is really about the only real injury prone one in the rotation)

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jan 23, 2006 -> 09:31 PM) Poor Timo. He's gone and he's still soxtalk's whipping boy. He sucked that badly. He will be champion whipping boy until replaced. I doubt anyone ever comes close to Timo(though had the Sox signed Jose Macias, you would see the king in flesh and blood)

The Cubs sure do love their injury prone SPs, don't they?

QUOTE(Frank the Tank 35 @ Jan 23, 2006 -> 03:02 PM) Gentlemen, you guys are so focused on ripping Steve and any semblance of an Abreu rumor apart, let's not forget that we'd be trading away AT LEAST Contreras who is owed ~$9. So at the VERY most we'd be adding, what $4 mil to next year's salary? It would be the following year that the real salary would be added. If we don't win it all again this year or at least get deep into the playoffs, we CAN trade away players if need be, correct? That's still an option, right? I say I'm leaning to just loading up this year for another run, if we don't make it we can shed some salary. All our players have reasonable contracts. Abreu's no-trade clause could come into effect in this situation. Also, the fact that even if the Sox were to look into trading him, $33 million over 2 years is a lot of money for a player.

QUOTE(rcpweiner @ Jan 23, 2006 -> 02:26 PM) I don't get it. Who cares if the Sox go over the budget? That shouldn't really be our concern at all. If they can do it, then I say do it. If they can't, then the case is moot anyway. If you like operating your organization like the Marlins, sure. They of course spend over their budget for a couple years, trying to win it all...which does happen to work...and then due to them spending over their budget, they financially f*** themselves and have to trade anyone making money. You think the Marlins just spontaneously decided to rebuild this year for the hell of it? Lowell, Delgado, Lo Duca, Pierre, Beckett, Castillo, Mota, not being able to resign Burnett, Gonzalez, Conine, Jones, Encarnacion...and I still may be missing some. Assuming I did my easy math and research correctly, the Marlins traded away just over $44 million in contracts this offseason...that doesn't include any signings to the team, but I would guess that they are around $35 mill under their payroll from last year. If you like that type of philosophy, then the Sox should trade for Abreu in a New York minute. So to answer another question of yours...yes, I'd be mad if the Sox traded for Abreu, as it either likely means a lot more talent is being given up to cover the later years of Abreu's contract, or that the Sox won't be able to resign Buehrle. Resigning Buehrle almost has to be priority #1 right now.

Have to take the Steelers with the way they're playing right now. Seattle has played a Redskins team that has no offense whatsoever, and they played a Carolina team whose running game that was destroyed...to go up against a team in Pittsburgh who knocked off the Bengals(though I imagine that would have been closer had Carson not been knocked out), the Colts, who were only an offensive juggernaut all year with a revamped D, and then a Broncos team that were pretty much clicking on all cylinders and had not lost in Denver all year. The Steelers are healthy and are dangerous as hell right now. I am taking Pittsburgh no matter what, but if they can shutdown Alexander, I don't think even think it's close.

QUOTE(Tmar28 @ Jan 23, 2006 -> 10:26 AM) but then again, you like the bears so wouldn't you have a bias towards the bears? Bit of pwnage there I agree with multiple points on this thread...I do agree with Badger that Benson was supposed to be a very good back this year, due to the easy transition from college to pros for running backs, and a lowball offer of $30 mill is crazy. However, you have to take into consideration that Benson is being paid more than LJ next year due to him being the 4th pick overall, instead of the 27th pick overall. That undoubtedly has a huge effect on it.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jan 23, 2006 -> 02:05 PM) Has anyone yet suggested that we now may actually have evidence of senility setting in on the part of Wilson and Levy? Just to stretch my memory, can someone remind me of where Jauron coached before he was with the Bears? I really am not sure how much I care. This is fugly. I was all for a Mike Martz hire, hell, a Mooooochi hiring would have been fine. Hell, call Wade Phillips the hell back up...atleast he was a little successful. Deion retired...may as well give him a shot. Dick Jauron? Marv, I love you for your 4 Superbowl losses, but Jauron?

I love beisbol. And this site.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Jan 21, 2006 -> 04:13 AM) Good question. a·nal·y·sis n. pl. a·nal·y·ses Makes sense. Atleast I was close.

QUOTE(beck72 @ Jan 22, 2006 -> 08:34 AM) If the Phils aren't sure he can be a SP, and may not be a guy who can give them 70-80 innings, getting a sure fire #1 SP could be attractive. Esp as Gillick has said he still wants a #1 SP, with few guys out there who fit that bill and are available But who's to say Jose Contreras is a sure-fire #1 starter? He had 4 very good months last season...but 4 very good months and 2 bad months don't make a sure-fire #1. They make an inconsistent pitcher, and in Contreras's case, one that can be an ace and a top 3-5 pitcher in the league period. I'm as big of a Jose Contreras fan as anyone, but to call him a sure-fire ace is a bit premature at this point. Are you willing to give up a top RFer in the game along with a great swingman in Ryan Madson for a guy who is not a guaranteed ace and is not guaranteed to be with you past 2006? I know I wouldn't be. I think on the surface, Contreras and a prospect for Abreu and Madson may make sense for both teams, but I personally feel after doing a little deeper study of it that it doesn't make much a ton of sense for either team...you're either asking Abreu to play CF, which would be like asking Magglio or Podsednik to play CF, or you asking him to play RF, in which case Dye is gone, and it would be bad business to trade Dye after he honored a handshake agreement with KW taking less money than he would have gotten from Texas, along with getting rid of one of the best value players in the game. And I'm not sure how much sense it makes for Philly losing their best offensive player for a pitcher who had 4 very good months last year with only the 1 year remaining on his contract. His production is likely to decline sooner rather than later as well, making it a bad investment for Philly to make.

Can I take medium(.280) BA with a medium(.360) OBP? He's getting on base more than the .300/.330 while undoubtedly producing more doubles and such than the .260/.400. Base stealing, speed, the ability to hit the ball to all fields, bunting, and even being able to not strike out are all nice too.

QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Jan 21, 2006 -> 03:58 PM) I don't think this deserves its own thread, but Jayson Stark has an insider article called "Innings-Eaters." For a starter, a measure of success is throwing 200 innings. Remarkably, three American League teams have at least four starters capable of this feat, writes Jayson Stark. Can someone tell me who those other two teams he's referring to are? Oh, and Anna Benson might be a crazy skank, but any one of us wouldn't pass that up...if we knew she was disease free. I did research to verify, but my guesses were right Cleveland and Oakland The one who did not may surprise some for Cleveland...or may not.

Prior to the deal, Cleveland will send Betancourt/Rhodes to Philly for Jason Michaels. The Red Sox are then probably going to sign Alex Gonzalez...the Marlins SS that actually plays defense in clutch situations instead of Stone Hands Alex.