witesoxfan

Cabrera could be a good fit at USCF...but he may not be at the same time. His inconsistency bugs me, as I mentioned in my last post. And the fact that he will get around $6-7 mill is not what I'm looking for. Meanwhile, Polanco has been a bit more consistent, and I do know what I'll get from him. To put it into perspective...I'm almost positive I'll get .300 15 60 10 .780 from Polanco, while I could get .310 20 75 25 .825 from Cabrera, or I could get .265 10 50 10 .725 from him. That's how I look at it anyways.

Thank you for mentioning this...if you hadn't I would have. Another thing to look at...Cabrera has never consistently put up good years. He had OPS's of .673 in 00, .752 in 01, .701 in 02, .807 in 03, and .689 this past year. You don't know what the hell you are going to get year in and year out. In the meantime, the last time Polanco's OPS was below .725 was 1999, and it has been .765 or better in 3 of the last 5 years, including the last two in a row. Give me the better player in Polanco before Cabrera, considering he will also be cheaper too.

I keep them long(just like me, wink wink )...everything Spiff said is true for me, but I can't stand eating them broken up. Not sure why. Just one of those things I guess. Also, chicken is definately my favorite flavor, but I'll eat any kind, really.

I said Minnesota pre-season to win the SuperBowl, I see no reason to change now. You do see how big of an impact Moss has on the Vikings though. And you see that without Moss, Culpepper is just another good QB, not the second coming.

Cabrera may end up getting $7 mill a year from some team, while we could get Polanco for $4-5 mill a year. Polanco gets my vote.

From what I can tell, Ozzie does not like Harris at all. There was a reason that Valentin was playing from August on nearly everyday with Uribe at 2B, and it was not because we were in contention. And I don't think you're going to convince anyone on here that signing Polanco would be a bad move. The guy hit .289 14 63 .800 in 03 with 14 SBs in 16 attempts, and he hit .298 17 55 .786 with 7 SBs in 11 attempts this past year. He could be a .310 20 70 .825 hitter at USCF in the weak pitching AL Central, easily. The only middle infielder we have who can top that is Uribe, and there is a reason he should be starting.

If by this you are suggesting that Oakland will accept Konerko and Garland for any of the big 3, then I think you are sorely mistaken. Konerko will make $9 mill if traded, and Garland is due probably around $3.5 mill in arbitration, putting them at a combined total of about $12.5 mill...and the most any of Oakland's Big 3 makes is $6 mill(both Hudson and Mulder will make $6 mill next year with Zito making $4.8 mill). That means that Oakland is taking on $6.5 mill, and that's not something Beane would do, with them being as financially strapped as they are. I quite firmly believe that if we were to get Hudson that it would cost Kendall in return. I am not sure the Sox and A's match up well otherwise.

Really? Then why was Willie constantly riding the bench behind Uribe, and why was it apparent that Ozzie had grown frustrated with Willie?

That's irony at it's best right there. Calling Jose Guillen a nutjob and then suggesting we get Jeromy Burnitz...considering that Burnitz has never played on a winner, although he has been on teams that have been capable of winning. Might be a coincidence...but I'm not gonna risk it.

Because he's been awesome the past 2 years offensively and he's been one of the reasons his team has been in the playoffs 2 straight years. He may not be the best guy in the clubhouse, but there are bigger things to worry about then a guy who can do things to piss off a team. Hell, sometimes teams can fuel off of players acting like assholes...remember 2002 what happened after Bonds and Kent went after each other's throats? Ozzie's the kind of manager that could try to build momentum around that, like Baker did in San Fran.

Polanco hit like .290 15 60 .780 per year both years in Philly...how's that a bust? I wouldn't mind signing Polanco and then having him take on Uribe's assumed role this year, that being the guy who pushes the 3Bman, SS, and 2Bman.

Whew, dodged a big bullet there. Great news. Now who does Minnesota look to play at SS...Jose Valentin?

Agreed 100%. Nothing more I can add...just that I agree.

Why would he not get both surgeries? If you need both, why would you put it off? That seems a bit selfish to me, personally. Maybe that's just me though.

Where is this potential you see? I see a guy that has played in 840 games in his career and has 3277 career at bats. If he hasn't reached his potential by now, then he never will. I don't care that he's young...he's a major league veteran, and he will not improve very much, if at all. If the Sox give Guzman $5 mill a year, they are making the biggest mistake of the offseason. Yeah except that he doesn't have a World Series ring yet, so there goes that argument.

Just to make sure everyone is clear on this...Guy406's numbers are correct...in fact, they are probably better then one would make you believe. Overall, for the year, Jose Contreras's ERA at home was 4.76, and his ERA on the road was 6.09. The craziest thing about that is that his ERA at USCF was 4.13. That's just insane, quite frankly.

FWIW...no need to apologize for the f***in swearing. So long as it's not directed at anybody on the board, it's pretty much A-OK As for the post...I agree 100% with it. Problem is I don't think Contreras will ever get away from his inconsistency. I see a guy with 2 good pitches, and then maybe a secondary pitch. He depends strictly on the fastball-splitter, combo, and when that doesn't work, he has nothing to fall back on, so he gets the s*** hit out of him. I don't see him ever getting away from being a 4.50 ERA type pitcher at his very best.

Dammit I want GTA San Andreas to come out on XBox. Anybody have any idea when it will? I know it has to clear some date like GTA 3 and Vice City did...anybody know when that is? EDIT: Sorry for attempt at hi-jacking the thread, lol. I need to get Halo 2. I just dont have the money at the moment.

I wouldn't say that...lol

Sorry to hear about the car, but good to hear you're ok. I guess the guy in me is coming out(not that it's a bad thing)...what kind of car was it?

I feel the same way for right now. I really don't think he'll end up in the pen this year...I was just basically throwing it out there. I do see Contreras ending up in some team's bullpen though within the next couple years, be it with us or with someone else. I'm not sure I see him busting out and having a real good year as a starter, but I could see him becoming a dominant reliever, sort of like Gagne. I think if we get to the postseason, having him in our bullpen will be huge.

If Sanchez is let loose, he'd be a hell of a pickup. He can swipe a base and can flat out fly. If he ever learns how to take a pitch, he'll be one of the better leadoff hitters in the game.

Call this a stretch...but what would people here do if Contreras was moved to the bullpen and he was the bullpen arm we added? I know it won't happen...the Sox seem very high on him starting and potentially becoming an ace with his stuff...but say come midseason his ERA is around 5.50 and his inconsistency is killing the staff. Would trading for a decent starter and moving Contreras to the bullpen be a possibility?

I think I've made it clear that I want Hudson the most. I think Hudson does so much for us, and I think Beane is leaving him out to keep his value up. Why else would they mention 2 of the big 3 that still have years left and are going to be cheaper?

LOL Jas, Zero said that if you throw out everything regarding trading for people...and that it was just who would you rather have, Gload or Konerko...who would you choose. If what we do otherwise has absolutely no effect on my decision...I want Konerko any day of the week. You can have a 8 guys who hit 30 homers on your team...so long as they get on base and can hit more then just solo blasts, I'm fine with it. I'm also fine with only hitting like 170 homers, if that's what it takes to put a winner on the field.