witesoxfan

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Dec 8, 2010 -> 12:30 AM) If Carlos Pena and his .732 OPS are about to get 10 million, this could be bad news. I don't think it's a big deal at all. Boras almost always gets his guys relatively big money contracts, even on 1-year deals. On top of that, Hendry overpays for players all the time...he's done this with Bradley, Byrd, Soriano, Nady, Grabow, and really any other free agents the team has. The fact that he gave Carlos Pena $10 million for 1 year doesn't look like bad news to me on the Lee front at all.

I wasn't being joking about the Nationals offer, but instead the fact that they emphasized that it was going to be a "HUGE" number. I could certainly see them giving him the biggest contract to a pitcher ever, and it could certainly be a move that makes or breaks their franchise.

Nationals are going to offer a HUGE number to Cliff Lee. Probably something like 3 years, $10 million

QUOTE (Pale Sox @ Dec 6, 2010 -> 11:54 PM) Bourn isn't mediocre speed. He's had two straight 4+ WAR seasons. He might be the best defensive CF in baseball. Perhaps, but when 1.85 of his wins come from the fact that he plays good defense, and only 1 of it came from it the previous season, it makes you wonder where the middle ground is. I'm not going to suddenly suggest that Michael Bourn is a mediocre defensive player, but simply that he was mediocre offensively last year - there is no denying that -and that you can't count on him to put up a UZR of 18.5 again, especially when, in this instance, he would have Pierre to his right and Rios to his left. At the end of the day, I just don't believe the Sox need to add more defense to the outfield, unless it's as a backup. The Sox need Quentin (or someone's) bat in RF, and I don't believe that trading for Michael Bourn would satisfy enough of the problem. (I don't think Pence would either, because he can be a bit overrated or underrated offensively, depending on who you talk to, but I also think he's going to cost quite a bit more. I just think that's a situation the Sox should stay away from unless they get a great price, which is very realistic with Wade at the helm)

QUOTE (Pale Sox @ Dec 6, 2010 -> 11:49 PM) "Astros GM Ed Wade told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that rival clubs have asked about Wandy Rodriguez, Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn (Twitter link)." I would be a happy Sox fan if we somehow got Bourn The Sox have enough mediocre speed. Pence would be a bigger coup.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 6, 2010 -> 06:08 PM) This deal is probably good news for the Cardinals. The two teams that can offer Pujols the most money now have 1st basemen locked up for the next 6 or 7 years. I doubt they would let him go anyway, but it definitely helps them. I don't think the Cardinals are going to let Pujols hit free agency anyways.

QUOTE (Wanne @ Dec 6, 2010 -> 10:26 PM) Well...they lost 59 dingers getting rid of LaRoche and Reynolds. Their such and up and down team and I really don't see a whole lot more upside than we've already seen. I agree they have some decent young talent like Upton and Kelly Johnson (if you wanna call him young at 28). Could they (the young guys) put it together this year? Maybe...but I wouldn't hold my breath. You seem more optimistic than 99% of DBag fans out here... Would you feel good going into the season with a rotation of: Ian Kennedy Joe Saunders Hudson Duke ? It depends on what you mean by good. If I thought I had a playoff contending baseball team, no, I would hate that rotation. However, if I was looking to develop a few starting pitchers and develop and offense and was in the beginning phases of turning the organization around, I'd have no problem with a rotation of Kennedy, Saunders, Hudson, Duke, and Enright. I also don't think Reynolds and LaRoche's production from last year is going to be that difficult to replace. Reynolds was f***ing awful, and LaRoche was merely solid. I'd also forgotten that they got David Hernandez in that deal for Reynolds today...I haven't seen him pitch, but I've only heard good things about him as a potential bullpen arm with control being the biggest concern. I think he is probably going to end up being their setup man this year and doing a fine job of it. I'm not suggesting that they are going to win the division, but finishing around .500 is not outside the realm of possibility.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Dec 6, 2010 -> 05:52 PM) Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Viciedo have a major league contract or something? I thought he was making over $1m per year. Yes he did, but it doesn't have any effect on his service time at all, so at the end of the day, he will still need to accumulate 6 years of service or be non-tendered before he can become a free agent.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 6, 2010 -> 09:53 PM) Good points...they definitely have some nice young talent. I do still have questions about their rotation though. I think that's natural, but Hudson, Kennedy, Saunders, and Enright is a solid start, and I'm sure that Towers will add a few more pieces too. It's obviously not perfect, but there are worse rotations in the majors.

QUOTE (beautox @ Dec 6, 2010 -> 04:46 PM) I wouldn't be surprised if they had the pieces to get both geinke and gordon. something like Snider, Lawrie, Drabek and Perez or D’Arnaud, both toronto and kc match up very well. As in Alex Gordon? s***, the Newark Bears have enough pieces to get that bust.

I don't quite understand why everyone assumes the DBacks are going to be bad. They had a good offense, they had a good defense, and their rotation was pretty solid...the main thing that was awful for them was their bullpen, and it was historically bad. Putz is part of that solution, and Towers has made a couple other moves (and will continue to make moves) to shore it up. I'm not suggesting they're going to be great by any stretch, but I could certainly see them being around .500. Beyond that, he gets quite a bit of money, and the Phoenix area is generally pretty relaxing. I wish JJ the best of luck. He had a hell of a season on the South Side, and we'll be thankful. Hopefully he tears the NL apart.

QUOTE (knightni @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 10:12 AM) Rams What former Heisman winner holds the Bears team record for most passing yards in a game? Unless I am missing something here, Jim Miller holds the record for most passing yards in a game with 422 in 1999 (yes I looked it up, call me a cheater), and he did not exactly win the Heisman.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Dec 6, 2010 -> 12:43 AM) Derek Jeter f***!

QUOTE (ozzfest @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 11:28 PM) So what? He was injured...When he's healthy he's so much better than anything we had at 3rd last year. We should've gone after Beltre over Dunn, 3rd base is a huge issue for this club. I love Adrian Beltre, but he's had 2 really good seasons in his entire career. He's also going to be more expensive with a longer commitment. Beyond that, the White Sox have 2 capable 3B between Morel and Vizquel, and I'm sure the Sox, if they really felt they needed to, could find another 3B too. Crede is also done, his back is just torn to shreds. He was amazing for the White Sox in 2005 and the first 5 months of 2006, but you can't count on him for anything more than 20 games.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 10:27 PM) How come we always talk about age of players on here and the Yankees don't give a flip about age. They are gonna sign Jeter and Mariano to huge deals and there's a chance their performances could start dipping because of age. I saw somebody concerned about Lexi's age. That to me is kind of nutty. Mariano Rivera is ridiculously good still; like, best closer in the majors still. They are just being dumb with Jeter, but they kind of have to retain him.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 07:33 PM) He's not "good" offensively, he's simply okay. I'd also argue that he isn't "fantastic" defensively. And mini-building blocks don't bat in the lower third of the lineup when they are in their late 20's. His .744 OPS was just below the league average, was 50 points above the league average for SS's in the MLB, and 75 points above the AL average for SS's. Relatively speaking, Alexei Ramirez is good offensively. If you compare him to a 1B, of course he's not going to look good, as their job is to hit the ball hard and to catch balls that are thrown to them. Defense becomes a priority with SS, because good ones can save you a ton of runs and are difficult to find. with regard to that defense, I am just going to assume you didn't watch many games, nor do you pay any attention to defensive statistics. Alexei Ramirez was quite easily in the top 3 best defenders at SS last year, and he looked like the absolute best to me. And he was still good offensively. Finally, Gordon Beckham hit 9th for a good portion of the year last year, so that debunks the final piece of your post. Just because they have a manager who hits them that low, or that there happen to be better offensive options on the team doesn't change the fact that, or they aren't great offensively relative to the rest of the major leagues doesn't take away their overall ability. Sure, if you want to look at everything in a vacuum, Alexei Ramirez is simply "OK" offensively who has only had 1 great year defensively and he doesn't steal bases nor is he good enough to hit high in the order. If you are so sure that Alexei Ramirez is simply "OK," I challenge you to find 5 other shortstops who you would rather have instead of him. And Troy Tulowitski doesn't count.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 02:20 PM) I think you're overvaluing Ramirez. He's an okay player who plays a premium defensive position and there is definitely value in that. I don't know if the Reds would do a Bailey/Ramirez deal. Bailey has top-of-the-rotation stuff. You think I am overvaluing Alexei Ramirez, yet in the same post mention that Homer Bailey has top of the rotation STUFF which doesn't say anything about how good he actually is. Here is what I can tell you about Alexei Ramirez. -he plays fantastic defense and a premium defensive position -he hits for a good, not great average -he hits for good, not great power -he is fast, but not a base stealer -he has shown some ability to be "clutch," and he does a lot of things to help teams win. He is not a corner stone, but he is probably the next level...perhaps you can call him a mini-building block? Here is what I can tell you about Homer Bailey -he has good stuff -the Reds considered trading him for Jermaine Dye when Bailey actually had quite a bit of value and Jermaine Dye had 1 year left on his deal -he's never pitched a full season in the majors -he's never had a good season in the majors -he hasn't had a real good year since 2006, which was the year (along with his draft position) that made people believe he was a super prospect. I think Homer Bailey is a lot of talk, and there is nothing to support the idea that he is about to take the next step. Trading Alexei Ramirez, when the White Sox are going to end up spending somewhere around $80-100 million this offseason to try and win in the short-term, would be pretty motherf***ing stupid, wouldn't you agree? Because then the White Sox have to find someone to play SS, and there isn't much out there anymore. People that say that Alexei Ramirez is one of the 2-3 most valuable members of the White Sox say so because they mean it and not because they are filling you full of s***. Shortstops who play fantastic defense and are good offensively are rather difficult to find. He's a keeper.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 01:16 PM) You don't give Ramirez away, just remember he's entering his 30 y.o. season, not 25. If you could get Bailey for him I'd do it and worry about the SS/3B spots later. You know, I like Bailey, but this is absolute crazy talk. Cincinnati wouldn't be happier than if you proposed Alexei Ramirez, a top 5-7 SS in the entire game with a very team friendly contract still, for Homer Bailey, who, even with the promise, has still been nothing more than a 4.50 ERA pitcher. Alexei Ramirez also looks like he's going to be able to perform at like this for another 4-6 years, so I'm really not too worried about his age. Bailey for Ramirez is awful, and not in the way a lot of trades are around here, but in that it's an absolutely terrible deal for the White Sox.

QUOTE (joeynach @ Dec 4, 2010 -> 01:25 PM) I agree with this 100%, though I am also in on trading for Heath Bell, usually the asking price for closer about to make $6M+ and close to free agency isnt very high. I think Rafael Soriano was traded from the Braves to Rays last year for something like one mid level minor league. Soriano was traded because the Braves couldn't afford him. Normally, his value would have been much higher than that, and it's probably going to cost a couple of good arms to get Bell. With the number of quality arms on the free agent market, trading for one at this point in time would not be smart unless you got whoever for pennies on the dollar, and I don't see that situation arising.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Dec 4, 2010 -> 02:12 AM) I'm half way through my senior year with another semester after this one. Man, I really wish I was a sophomore in college again. Probably the best year of my life. I wish I was you. I get the "privilege" of graduating in 2 weeks. Exciting - yes; looking forward to it - dear God no.

QUOTE (Springfield SoxFan @ Dec 4, 2010 -> 08:30 AM) Ok, point well taken on the man crush and that he will get his man someday as he has many times. To be more direct and with less emotion, KW has made no secret that he wants Rasmus and I don't buy the fact that Rasmus and LaRussa have made peace. With that, the Cards are at a cross roads right now with this Pujols contract and either Quentin or Buehrle would interest them. Let's see what happens. What does Quentin bring that Rasmus doesn't? Terrible defense from an easier position? I also don't know where you get the idea that Williams has stated that the White Sox are interested in Rasmus - if he said that, he'd either be guilty of tampering or you have a pretty damn good source and shouldn't be posting that kind of information on here. Beyond ANY of that, LaRussa has (virtually) no control over personnel decisions, and it's up to John Mozeliak to determine whether or not Colby Rasmus gets moved. Considering Rasmus has like 4 years left before he hits free agency, and LaRussa has like 2 years left before he hits the links, I think he's probably going to keep Rasmus. Buehrle obviously makes no sense because they need to save money to pay for Pujols, and they have an entire rotation under contract. Where are you going to fit Buehrle into a rotation that consists of Wainwright, Carpenter, Garcia, Westbrook, and Lohse (who is due like $10 million)? What value does he add? The answer to that is "virtually nothing," so any trade involving that Cardinals does not involve starting pitching going over. The main player the Cardinals would be interested in would be Alexei Ramirez. You'd also have to include Morel or Viciedo, and then another prospect too. People like to say that Rasmus isn't proven, but, lucky or not, the guy put up a .276/.361/.498/.859 line last year while playing CF. That's pretty much like Beckham doing the same thing. Are you going to trade Beckham if he does that, even if he said that he enjoyed sex with women over the age of 60 and wanted to make love to Ozzie's wife?

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 4, 2010 -> 03:17 AM) Oh my goodness! How does a lowly WAC team defeat a team from the mighty Big Ten?!? Surely each and every team in the mighty Big Ten is head and shoulders above the lowly and pathetic WAC! You are obviously being facetious, but Fresno State has a pro-style offense and produced the 12th pick in the draft this past year. Fresno has lost to 3 teams within the conference, but all 3 teams are currently ranked too (and they lost to Nevada by 1 point). Further, Illinois is a relatively mediocre football program who have had their bright spots along with their down periods. Beyond that, Illinois was playing on the road, in California, which is 2 time zones later than they are used to (which plays a huge difference). Beyond even that, there is a poster in here who is a referee/umpire backer that called into question the officiating. Boise State would beat this Illinois team at home or on the road. I think they'd beat most teams in the Big 10. But then again, Fresno State has beaten most of the WAC, but haven't beaten any of the good teams within the conference, so WTF has that gotten them?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 4, 2010 -> 08:19 AM) Dunn also played in Cincinatti which is as big of a launching pad as USCF. He may hit 50, but you could say that about him every year. Chances are you are correct and he hits right about 40. That's about the number I have him pegged at, give or take 2.

QUOTE (Springfield SoxFan @ Dec 4, 2010 -> 08:05 AM) It has to be the Cardinals, KW has a man crush on Rasmus and he will be in the Sox outfield next year. As G&T mentioned, it was almost certainly the Linebrink trade. On top of that, the Cardinals and White Sox really don't match up that well, the Cardinals want to keep Rasmus (and Mozeliak as said as much), Rasmus has made amends with LaRussa, and Williams has said that the Sox won't be trading off any significant pieces. Again, to punctuate the first point, the Cards and Sox really don't match up that well. I also don't know why the thought that Williams has a "man crush" on Rasmus has resonated throughout Soxtalk, or the fact that he is going to pursue every single player he has a "man-crush" on, but it's a bit ridiculous. I'm sure Williams has a "man-crush" on like half of the players in the majors - it doesn't mean he's going to trade for all of them. The guy has a "man-crush" on Alex Rodriguez, but for some reason, I don't see the Sox involved with rumors for him. Call for due diligence? You bet your ass. Maybe when Rasmus is 46 though, right?

Just so we are aware, I've never* stated that I had a problem with AJ coming back. He's not the best option in the world, but he knows how to work with this pitching staff, he's not terrible offensively, and he talks a lot of s***. Quite honestly, he's my favorite kind of player. I get upset when people value him more than he's worth, and those who suggest(ed) that the Sox should have offered him arbitration were quite honestly fools, and not only did the Sox show that, but AJ AGREED to that by accepting a 2-year, $8 million contract when he would have received $7-8 million on a one year contract through arbitration. AJ and his agent both knew what was going on. Beyond that, sig bets are immature. Any signature I would have stuck you with would have been offensive beyond all belief...no humor, no joke, just terrible, and it would have gotten both you and I banned. We don't want that. Further, I take more satisfaction in knowing I was right and having a permanent record of me being right then having someone be forced to use a signature of which they do not approve. I am an American, and if you want to use a Freddy Garcia photo with paint-drawn testicles, then do it. If you want Brent Lillibridge with his body size cut in half and his head size doubled and having to deal with people asking everyday "is he smaller or is his head bigger?" and then you getting to choose your own path each and every time that question gets asked, then so be it. If you want your sig to be ANYTHING, I don't care. I was never down for a sig bet, and never will be. I was only ever down for an "I told you so" bet, and AJ beat me to agreeing with it. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. *not that I am aware. I may have said some terrible things during the season, but I believe the only way I said I never want him back was if he was at arbitration cost. I understand the value of Pierzynski, and $4 mill per year is pretty much perfect.