witesoxfan

And trading guys with signing bonuses. I think the signing bonus is the guaranteed part and the actual salary can just be taken off your roster, or something like that.

Aww, it's such an honor. You're making me blush.

Which is why we throw in other players. KW is known to throw in a player or two every now and then, and sometimes throws in too many players. It may not be 4-for-1 or 5-for-1 but possibly 4-for-4 or 5-for-4....I could see us maybe taking on a bad contract that does not have 'Jeff Weaver' on it. I'm not sure what LA has for bad contracts, but I'm sure they have one or two....like(and I know I'm going to get slaughtered for it), but maybe Todd Hundley. I believe he makes like $6 or $7 mill this year and is their 3rd string catcher. Hundley comes in and is an option at 1B, an option at catcher, and an option as a LH hitter coming off the bench. Maybe we give them Ordonez, Konerko, Diaz, and Rauch for Perez, Mota, Hundley, Miller, and Jackson....something like that. I could easily see something like that happen. Neither team really gets robbed, and neither team really gets screwed over big time.

Hadn't thought about that. Spiezio may also be used off the bench. Wouldn't surprise me atleast. I gotta watch and see how this s*** shakes out.

He didn't jump on it a month ago, what makes you think he'll jump on it now? Our offer probably wasn't 4-years and $48 mill guaranteed either. How much do you wanna bet that probably something like $12 mill of it was deferred into the 20s? Regardless, he's said he wants to test the FA market. And I personally don't think we would resign him anyways. Why not get value for him now instead of watching him leave and getting nothing, not even a compensation draft pick? IMO, I think getting the rumored LA package is undoubtedly the best option out there.

Oh well, not that big of a deal. Not like we were in the hunt to get him anyways. I'm still liking the ideas that are coming out of this thread though. And if Mota is the sticking point, KW seriously needs to have his brain tested, because in all honesty, that's pretty simple to figure out. Either give them a decent prospect(a Diaz-type), give them money, or both. The guy is a good relief pitcher, and I would really like to see him on the Sox next year. If he's the sticking point, then just add a little something and get it done with. We'll see if Dan Evans was just being a jackass and trying to play us, or if he was actually serious. If he is actually serious, Maggs will be wearing blue and white next year.

Actually they don't need a 1Bman. Not only do they have Teixieria still there from last year, but also Brad Fullmer. Also sox-r-us, you said this: I'd have to imagine we would not keep Damon. He's making something like $6-8 mill this year, and Nomar is making like $12-15 mill....you add any of those numbers up that you want, and it does not work out in the Sox favor. I would assume that one of Damon or Garicaparra would be dealt, if not both. See, that's where I get lost. I don't see why the White Sox would get both Damon and Garciaparra and then deal them both immediately after we receive them. I've seen one player go from one team to the next team to the next team, but never two. That just seems a little weird to me. I would have to imagine that if the ARod for Manny deal goes through, that LA initially has the edge, but that if/after Garciaparra is dealt to LA, we can still work a deal out. If he is dealt to Anaheim, that is even better news for us, because then LA and probably Boston are in need of an OFer, and what better team for that then us. But somehow, and this is me assuming and just flat out guessing, we could get Garciaparra or Perez, Mota, and a good prospect or two, and maybe even Izturis? I'm still not quite understanding this. I mean, if they only have two OFers, Damon and Nixon, I can understand why they would want Maggs, but if they have 3 and I'm forgetting someone, why the hell would they need Maggs in the first place? To replace Manny's bat or what? How is LA not the only team that would want Maggs? Something is just not clicking in my attic.

I do recall seeing that one. That was pretty funny. If I remember correctly, that was during the Indianapolis game. And it's true.

Oh I agree 100%. I personally figured that after those first two weeks, they were gonna win about 12 games or so. IMO, you can only look one place, and that is directly at the coaching staff. I personally only want to keep on guy on board, and that is Jerry Gray the defensive coordinator, and for all I care, he can pack his bags too. I figure both New York coaches(Fassel and Edwards) will get canned, and I'd take either of them as the Bills coach. Both have good minds on their heads and know how to motivate a team in some way(either Fassel with his guarantees or Edwards with his shut up and play type of attitude). I'm not sure what Reeves is going to do, but I personally don't even think he's that great of a coach. He's just been fortunate enough to have some pretty damn talented players take him a long ways(Jamal Anderson in 1998....next season he was gone and so were the Falcons. Also Michael/Mike Vick(whatever you want to call him) last year, he took them into Green Bay and beat the Pack in Lambeau....this year, Vick was out 12 weeks, and the Falcons were done a long time ago). Bills football is turning into the same thing as Notre Dame football, or more simply, a joke. Hell, the Bills haven't won since the Wade Phillips era. That's a long ass time ago, or atleast too long ago for my liking. I'd rather make the Superbowl 4 more straight times and lose all of those games then have to suffer through s*** seasons 4 straight years. Hell, they made me endure Rob f***ing Johnson. What's worse then that?

First of all aboz....you were gone? I hardly noticed! Second of all, BEGOOD, you were the second person to welcome him back. cwsox beat you to the punch.

Yes and no. If you want your guy, it is easy as hell to get him. Offer him an extra year or two, and a little extra cash and a little extra in the signing bonus, and he's yours. One thing I noticed is that when you get like 8-10 years into it teams tend to not want to spend at all. I mean, the game is what like what it should be in real life, but it's not that way in real life. I remember like in my last season some teams had like $50-$60 mill in cap room. Only one computer owner had less then $15 mill in cap room.

Thank you. This is exactly what I felt about this article when I started to read it. And my ass is much cleaner now too.

I can give you two quick examples off the top of my head from just last year. As mentioned before, we received El Duque from New York, and then immediately shipped him off to Montreal(where he STILL has yet to throw a pitch), and also, the Marlins acquired Mike Hampton from Colorado and then shipped him off to Atlanta for Tim Spooneybarger. And in the past similar things have happened. Mike Piazza was traded from LA to Florida during like the 1998 season I believe, and then shipped off to New York. I would have to venture to guess that that deal was solely to acquire him to then move him right after that and get more value(which they did....I know they acquired AJ Burnett in that deal, and probably others too who I'm just not thinking of right now). (As a sidenote, I have a pretty rare card or had a pretty rare card somewhere in my collection....a Mike Piazza card with a Florida Marlins uniform on....it was pretty cool). So it happens, just not all the time.

I saw the article, good article. You wouldn't think that Mota would be THE sticking point in a deal. However, if he is, I'd give them a pitching prospect if needed to smooth the deal out and get it done.....maybe Diaz or even Wright. I do agree though. I think a deal could happen, and it could happen before we are all ready to say good bye to Maggs. It'd be kind of hard right away, but after a little bit, it would sink in and hopefully we'd realize what we all got. I still can't believe that we may get 2 of LA's top pitching prospects, Mota AND Perez, all for Maggs. If this deal can get done, it would do so much for the White Sox, it's sick to think of it all.

OK then, what about Maddux at $7.5 mill? I took the number Jas threw out there and the number Boras has out there of $10 mill a year and I just got the average....pretty simple. Do you do it or not?

Yeah, I'd have to agree. Konerko is far from solid at 1B. He's got a good glove, but has range 2 feet to the left and right of him.

From what I could tell, he was slightly below average....literally slightly below. Ten points in fielding percentage and 4 points in range factor? That's not that big of a deal IMO. And if he gets bad enough, no one has said that we can't maybe take on a decent hitter in the last year of his contract who we have no intent on keeping(I mean, we did it with Carl, we can do it again). If Reggie Sanders signs a 1-year deal somewhere, I'm sure we could get him, or if Bobby Higginson is in the last year of his deal(I'm not sure if he is or isn't, I'd have to check), he'd be an option as well. Anyways, I'd absolutely love to see a team similar to that on the field next year. I think that team actually would kick ass.

Which Chicago ownership, aside from the Trib, isn't in it for the money?

No, last year the dumbs***s started well, and ended on a s***ty note. This year it has been the exact opposite. I just hope they figure out sooner rather then later that 8-8 does not cut it. Regardless, it is much better to actually give your team a sign of hope.

I know I had just never explored that far. I'll get there eventually.

Thanks, I needed that.

Yeah, too bad it was on pro. Rookie....that s*** is WAY too easy. I couldn't stand to play that.

It is sick how good this team could be. Personally, I think we have the right guy in charge doing it. I think KW can get it done.....or atleast I hope he will. I'm still trying to soak in what that team could do, and with a new manager who would light a fire under your ass....this team could be for real. If possible I would trade Konerko for something else. There are better options to use at 1B....hell, we trade Konerko, and we can have Raffy Palmeiro and Thomas split time at 1B and DH....that would be a decent lineup too and would add another lefty in there as well. Raffy's always good for 25-35 homers. And doesn't USCF have a viagra advertisement somewhere around? I was pretty sure they did....maybe that would be an attracting point for Raffy.

You know, that's actually a pretty goddamn scary team. There is a chance, not a very good chance, but a chance, that that team could actually do something. I am almost thinking the exact same thing, minus a few details, though I had forgotten that Tampa supposedly at one time had Huff on the block. If we did that Maggs trade, I would give them Diaz, Borchard and Rauch if we could get Huff. Aubrey Huff can hit, and he might be the LH fire power we need in the middle of our lineup.

Josh, he means Danny Tartabull, not Tartable. Me, I kind of think that we are about as screwed as we can get. I think that if we deal Maggs we almost HAVE to get Izturis. Right now, I have no faith in any of the in-house 2Bman we have....I like Willie Harris and think he might be able to do some things some day, but I don't like him at 2B. I would much rather have him play CF and use his God-given talent and be able to cover about 50 feet to either side. That gives us one dimension in the OF that we lacked almost at all times last year and that is range - we never at one point had it with our starters. With Willie, we do, no matter who we put in RF. Speaking of RF, why not put Rowand there? That's what he came up as, he has the arm to do it, and has more then enough range(more range then Maggs). He won't put up the numbers offensively that Maggs would(unless some sort of something that is slightly short of a miracle happened). I then say we use Thomas at 1B and we sign Juan and he DH's, with Lee in LF. Our lineup then looks something like this: 1) Harris - CF 2) Rowand - RF 3) Gonzalez - DH 4) Thomas OR Lee(does not matter) - 1B for Thomas, LF for Lee 5) the non-cleanup hitter 6) Valentin - SS 7) Crede - 3B 8) Olivo - C 9) Izturis/Uribe/whoever else wants to try - 2B It's not a good lineup by any means(until you get to the middle of the order), but I think it has a chance to be successful. In this game, you MUST take risks to succeed. This is as big a risk as I would be willing to take, and I would hope that under the reign of the Ozz, Willie would be able to get his s*** figured out. BTW, Konerko would be traded elsewhere for peanuts.