witesoxfan

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 6, 2010 -> 04:40 PM) So that's the problem! Beckham's bat is injured! I actually enjoyed that too

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Jul 6, 2010 -> 04:23 PM) LaRoche has better power but other than that, they are very simlar. Plus LaRoche has played mainly in the weaker NL. averge stats projected over a 162 game season for their career. LaRoche: AB-558, R-79,H-152, 2B-39, 3B-1, HR-26, RBI-92, BA-.272 Teahen: AB-588, R-81, H-158, 2B-34, 3B-6, HR-14, RBI-69, BA .268 I'm not saying Teahen is as good but I wouldn't give up a whole lot for LaRoche becuase in half a season he's not going to be significantly better than Teahan. At least, in my mind. Just looking at the extremely raw numbers you provided, LaRoche averages 66 extra base hits in a season, while Teahen averages 54. The entirety of that difference is made up in the difference in their home runs, because LaRoche averages 12 more homers a season. LaRoche also walks 7 times more a year...it's not hugely significant, but it's there. Because of that difference in home run production, and the small difference in the amount of times they walk, LaRoche's career line is .272/.342/.489/.831, opposed to Teahen's .268/.331/.417/.748. On top of all of that, LaRoche is a ridiculous second half hitter, a career .300/.363/.546/.909. It'd basically be adding a left handed Konerko to the lineup. I don't know about you, but I'd say Konerko's a better hitter than Teahen, wouldn't you?

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 6, 2010 -> 04:21 PM) B.J. Upton is so overrated! He's got a world of talent and needs a change of scenery at this point to try and salvage any of his career, but he's just not that good of an offensive player. He's Corey Patterson, except that he can draw a walk.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Jul 6, 2010 -> 10:35 AM) Yes I start my new job on the 19th. I have had several standing job offers from a few companies over the years. I was lucky enough just to have to let people know that I would be in the market for a move before I had a few competing offers. I can't stress enough the power of personal networking when you are in your career. It can help you in a pinch. I actually got a small raise moving to this new company as well. I will be working on the consulting side of things now. Which is a different walk of live than what I have been doing for the last 7 years. I imagine all the Cubs fans at your former office will be relieved to find out that they can now order opening day tickets again. Good luck with the move, it's good to hear that you're going to be making more money in the transition too.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Jul 6, 2010 -> 03:29 PM) Preach qwerty! I bet you typed all that without even smiling once didn't you? He smiles less than Darin Erstad.

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Jul 6, 2010 -> 03:57 PM) Well, i think LaRoche's production won't be much better, if any, than Teahen's. So,using that theory, we might as well just wait on Mark. . My order of preference for guys we have mentioned is: 1-Fielder 2-Upton 3-Dunn 4-Berkman 5-LaRoche other possibilities that have had little, or no mention are: Corey Hart Ludwick Huff Overbay Fukudome Aramis Ramirez. BJ Upton, he of the .237/.316/.382/.697 line of the past season and a half. He of the 24.1% strikeout rate. He of the s***ty attitude. Yes, that's the acquisition that's going to put the Sox over the top. Among the others, St. Louis won't deal Ludwick (considering they're in a playoff race and all), Overbay has been more bad than good over the past 4 years (and he's been bad this year), Fukudome is an overpaid, bad baseball player, and Aramis Ramirez has been one of the worst hitters in the league this year and he doesn't field well.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jul 6, 2010 -> 04:09 PM) You must be missing something But, seriously Surely getting sent down isn't the answer to everything Surely you are correct, but it Surely could be the answer to getting Beckham back on track.

QUOTE (South Side Fireworks Man @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 11:54 PM) The fact that catcher is the single most difficult position to field an adequate offensive player is a good reason to be more tolerant of AJ, a proven hitter who is just having a bit of a rough season so far. OR "The fact that catcher is the single most difficult position to field an adequate offensive player is a good reason to be more tolerant of Flowers, a young hitter who is just having a bit of a rough season so far." both work, no? Beyond that, Pierzynski turns 34 next year, and it's entirely possible that he'll never put up a .700 OPS again and that the season he is having isn't just him having a rough year, but instead is him just being a bad offensive player. Catching an average of 132 games for 9 straight seasons speaks volumes about his durability, but it also speaks volumes about the wear and tear on his body. Investing anything more into AJ Pierzynski, unless on a cheap, 1 year deal for $5 million at the very, very most, would be a bad investment. (you can also debate about whether it's harder to find offensive help at SS or C, but that's another story) Flowers definitely isn't a can't miss prospect by any stretch of the imagination, but he would be a significant chip in a deal, if the Sox were to go that route. Catchers that have 30 homer power and can draw a walk have quite a bit of value. Hell, John Buck was part of a package (that included Mark Teahen) that was sent to KC for Carlos Beltran, and Buck can't draw a walk. John Buck might have been more highly regarded, but actually put up worse numbers than Flowers did as well (ranked #43 in 2002 while putting up .275/.345/.483/.828 in high A in 2001, and was ranked #67 after putting up .263/.314/.422/.736 in AA in 2002), but I think much of that is predicated on the belief that Flowers wasn't going to stick at catcher. I do agree about the second part, because trading Quentin at this point would be very dumb.

I don't know what I'm going to have for dinner tonight, but I do know that I'm going to have a glass of scotch with it (THE Glenlivet...I wouldn't dare drink a cheap blended malt), I'm going to hope for a Sox winner, and I'm gonna have a few drinks tonight too. Should be a good night. Thanks for the wishes on this, the day of vast celebration. And the great thing about today is that you all can go out with me! cuz you're not hungover from July 4th anymore

QUOTE (hi8is @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 11:50 PM) The reason I don't mind losing Danks for Lee would hinge on signability. Danks and Boras haven't accepted any extentions in the past. Boras always wants to get his clients to free agency... and in free agency Danks and Lee are looking at similar numbers. So, if you can trade for Lee and sign him to an extention... Do it - even if it means losing Danks. I don't understand your infatuation with acquiring Lee. Anything he would potentially give to the Sox would be a marginal upgrade over Danks, plus he's going to cost 3 times as much as Danks next year, and twice as much as Danks in 2012. In 2013, Lee will be 35, and will probably be a solid #2 starter. Even further, his ERA this year has undoubtedly been aided by pitching at Safeco with the GREATEST DEFENSE EVER ASSEMBLED pitching behind him...his 0.74 GO/AO would not play well at USCF and would result in many more baseballs leaving the ballpark. The Sox aren't interested in Cliff Lee whatsoever. I suppose you can dream, but I don't know why you would be doing so in the first place, because Cliff Lee isn't the answer.

All I want for my birthday is for the Sox to be in first place at the end of the day. That's not too much to ask for, right?

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jul 6, 2010 -> 08:55 AM) .333/.469/.923/1.392 in his last 13 games. That's a pretty good way to raise your season OPS from .702 to .811 in 2 weeks.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 10:16 PM) Lets spitball a bit. Who out of all the contenders will be in need of a 1B/DH? Those teams would be: NYY, BOS, TBR, DET, MIN, CHW, TEX, LAA, ATL, NYM, PHI, CIN, STL, SDP, LAD, COL, SFG? These 4 could use an upgrade if it became available. However, James Loney is cheap and under control for another 2 years, and I'm not sure LA can really afford to add salary. Texas can't afford to add salary, and have cheap options in Smoak and Davis. LAA could use him, but they could also either try and strike up a deal with Milwaukee or Washington, or they could stick with Napoli and whatever AAAA flavor of the week they have. Chicago could certainly use him, but Kotsay is heating up, and Ozzie Guillen loves his beard.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 10:04 PM) Wite, right now we have $41 million locked up in 3 players. Considering how much money is invested in our pitching staff right now, I don't think it's necessarily impossible to put together a playoff roster even if you've got $50M locked up in 3 guys. Even at $41 million, that still allows you to spend $10 mill on one more player than the $51 mill between 3. That 4th $10 mill man this year is Alex Rios, and he's been pretty damn valuable. I don't think it's impossible, but it would take a lot of fancy maneuvering, and you either need a great boost from the farm system, some great trades, and a hell of a lot of luck. Personally, I'd rather spread $51 mill over 4 players than 3, especially when one of the 3 players plays 1B, which is a generally easy position to fill with a solid offensive player. If I'm going to spend $20 million on someone, I want to say that, without a doubt, they are one of the best in baseball. Can you really say that about Prince Fielder?

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 10:01 PM) That is ridiculous. I know, I never thought the Rangers would pitch well over any 30 game stretch, but there they are, 2nd best in the majors over the past 30 games.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 09:52 PM) The problem is, personally I think we need another big bat to keep up with the current Twins roster. If they add Cliff Lee, well, I just don't know what to think. You stay the course. That's been Williams' MO his entire career. If the right deal comes up, you make it. If not, don't. It doesn't matter if they're winning or losing, that's all he's ever done. If the Twins add Cliff Lee, then s*** happens, and you either try and add someone else, or you keep the current team and hope there's a God and he's on your side. If the pitching staff remains crazy good the rest of the year, and I certainly think that's a possibility, that bat may not be required. It's just a wait and see game at that point.

QUOTE (opwhitesoxfan @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 09:51 PM) Every extra seat that is sold in a serious playoff run is more money in the pot to spend on upgrading the team. Who will sell more tickets this year and next year and give the Sox a better chance of making the playoffs Prince or the combo of Kotsay & Jones? But even a serious playoff run wouldn't be enough to sign Fielder, who is a Boras client, to an extension worth $20 mill per season, which he is almost certain to get. And of course Fielder would sell more tickets and making the playoffs, but the Sox can't make decisions that are going to put them in the red. As was pointed out above, if the Sox were to sign Fielder to an extension, they'd have half of their payroll locked up in 3 players. That's not the way the Sox operate, and, under Reinsdorf, never will be. Doing so would be putting all of their eggs into 3 baskets, and if they failed even a little bit, the Sox would be monumentally screwed.

QUOTE (opwhitesoxfan @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 09:37 PM) If the Sox can pull off the Prince deal they could afford to sign him to an extension. Don't forget the Sox found an extra 6 million for their offer to Johny Damon. The extra seats they sell in a playoff run will also hlp pay the bills. It'd take a little more than an extra $6 million to resign Fielder.

QUOTE (Sockin @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 09:29 PM) Twins source denies it. http://twitter.com/jclong/status/17835099604 Yeah, that sounds about right. Wouldn't surprise me if the Twins were close though.

And it looks like it was first reported by Mark Anderson. Here's his bio: "I cover UNLV football and women's basketball for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and the Arena Football League for Pro Football Weekly." uhh, what?

You can't take this as a guarantee yet, as it's the Cincinnati Reds beat writer citing a Detroit radio station, but, just to echo everyone's thoughts, it would be bad for the Sox.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 09:01 PM) Everybody is talking about Prince Fielder, Adam Dunn and Adam Laroche...I feel like we've already added two bats in CQ and 'Lexi. With that said, I'd still prefer another one. Brent f***ing Lillibridge

QUOTE (MHizzle85 @ Jul 4, 2010 -> 07:56 PM) I feel like I should of known this. I'm glad you also feel the need to be accurate when eating. But on to the topic at hand, I do everything righty. Wouldn't it suck to be inaccurate when eating though? "Oh this bite of steak looks delicious, let me put it in my OWW NOT MY EYE AGAIN!"

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 06:06 PM) Wite, what would you rather do though, spend all this money on a competitive team that simply does not have the tools to actually win anything, or spend a bit more and field a team that actually can win something? I think Kenny and Jerry have always taken the latter approach. --- What it comes down to is I believe the difference in our offense between Fielder and Kotsay would be far greater than the dropoff between Danks and Hudson, which would improve us overall and possibly put us over the top, while not killing us for the immediate future or the long term. And if need be, if it doesn't work out, I am sure Fielder could be dealt midseason next year to add cheap pieces for the remainder of 2011 and beyond. I think you wait and try and find the right deal for the team. If that's an impact bat like Fielder, then so be it. If it's a smaller acquistion or two, so be it. If you don't find that deal, stick with your horses and pray like hell that it works out. It worked in 2005, didn't work in 2006, and worked in 2008. There were obviously additions made to all of those teams, but nothing major (I don't consider Griffey a major move...he was a big name, and made a big play in game 163, but, in all reality, his addition was simply adding a better than replacement level bat to the club...it has its value, but it's not a huge deal). I also find it hard to justify acquiring a big bat because all of the other teams have great lineups. It is true that they have great lineups, but the Sox also have a great pitching staff (and it is one of the best in the AL), which is a counter to those teams with great lineups. Beyond that, the two main competitors for the Sox are the Twins and Tigers, and neither has the pitching staff that can pitch with the likes of the Sox. The Twins could, especially if they added Cliff Lee (at which point I do think a move would probably be necessary), but I don't think you need to jump the gun yet. I certainly do believe the Sox can win without Danks, and I understand exactly where you are coming from. I just don't want to rob Peter to pay Paul with any move they make. (I also think it would be harder to win in the postseason without that 4th starter...I like Peavy-Buehrle-Floyd-Hudson/Garcia, but, to me, it doesn't seem nearly as threatening as Danks-Peavy-Buehrle-Floyd does...that's an entirely different debate though)

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 05:33 PM) Well my scenario does not include trading Flowers, as I clearly stated Danks and a prospect not named Hudson, Flowers, or Viciedo. Secondly, this is the only way to get a true impact bat without both impairing the long-term health of the franchise, IMO. Yes, it's $7 million. I don't think $7 million is going to make fielding a competitive team next season "fiscally unfathomable." Thirdly, I don't agree that we are going to be able to acquire LaRoche without trading one of Hudson/Flowers/Viciedo. Fourth, I don't think acquiring Juan Uribe is going to guarantee us much of anything at this point. Fifth, I think Kelly Johnson is going to be more difficult to acquire than you think. But hey, it's all just speculation at this point. I just generally don't think that trading Danks to acquire Fielder is really in the best interest of the team. Danks is the best starter the Sox have. You would have to be 100% sure that Hudson is ready to step in and put up atleast a 4.00 ERA if you're even going to consider making that trade, and I don't know that you can say that, considering his control isn't superb and that lefties are hitting him pretty hard still (when they make contact, that is). He's a good prospect, but I think he should be eased into the rotation, rather than thrust into it in the middle of a pennant race with the expectation of him being the club's #4 starter and the media looking at it as him replacing John Danks. I also say I think it's fiscally unfathomable because I don't see any way the Brewers can justify dealing Fielder and getting only Danks and a prospect not named Hudson, Flowers, or Viciedo. The best case for the Sox, in that instance, would be Danks and Viciedo, since it does help cut out some of that $7 million that would be added (it'd only be $5.75 mill, wee!), and the Sox could still use Flowers at C, which I think would be the hardest position to fill cheaply. Even considering that, the Sox would have between $9-14 mill to fill a hole at DH, the 5th spot, the bench, and the bullpen, and that just doesn't seem reasonable. In regards to LaRoche, I would say that each passing day lowers his value. Williams would basically be playing a waiting game and hoping that no one acquires him and that the Sox stay in the race if he were to acquire him. The DBacks may be asking for one of the top 3 now, but if the Sox wait a while, the DBacks may cave and give into a package of "good prospect and so-so prospect" for him. Acquiring Uribe would simply be for the marginal improvement he would provide over Beckham. If he maintained his .773 OPS, that'd honestly be fantastic, but the Sox would be acquiring him for depth purposes and because they figure the .700 OPS he would put up would be an improvement over what Beckham/Lillibridge would put up for the rest of the season. I also agree with the Johnson stuff. Even as mediocre as he is defensively, the fact that he's cost controlled and a great bat would increase his value a ton. He's a good player, but he's going to cost quite a bit. --- Williams is definitely making calls about players, but I imagine he's also a bit in wait and see mode. He's in a bit of a catch 22...if he makes a move now to get said player(s) for an extra month, he's going to have to pay a premium (because he's going to be paying for 17% more playing time from whatever player he would acquire right now for the rest of the season), but if he waits until the price drops, the Sox may be 3-4 games out, playing slightly above .500 ball, while the Tigers and Twins either get hot or make a move to improve their ballclubs. I wouldn't want to be in his position right now.