witesoxfan

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 6, 2010 -> 05:18 PM) Makes you wonder why they traded Brandon Morrow away? I'm sure they know something nobody else does, but seems like he could of step in the rotation nicely. Aussie Ryan Rowland-Smith stepped in nicely for them last year, but his splits suggest hes more of a product of the spacious ballpark, and probably the defense as well Rowland-Smith has been a decent road pitcher for his career, what with a 4.25 ERA in like 100 innings. If he's healthy, he's a solid 3 or 4.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jan 6, 2010 -> 05:52 PM) It's an absolute f***in joke that Robbie isn't in. Pisses me off. I know he's going to get in, but I would love to see one person that didn't vote for him try and justify it. Impossible. BUT HE SPIT IN THE UMPS FACE (of course, the backstory behind that is that Alomar and Hirschbeck are actually good friends now)

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 6, 2010 -> 06:59 PM) Jay Mariotti has a Hall of Fame vote? Are you f***ing kidding me? Yeah, I stand by my statement about the Baseball Writers group being as stupid as the fans who vote for the all-star game. That's what he said. This says he's not, but I he got the final say in Around the Horn on like the 4th or 5th and he talked about it then. I left my speakers at school and can't find any headphones, but if someone wants to verify, here's a link to the ATH podcasts. (sorry in advance for putting you through hell)

QUOTE (CanOfCorn @ Jan 6, 2010 -> 06:14 PM) Just by longevity's sake, he should be among the top 5 lefty pitchers ever. And probably the top 10 to 15 pitchers ever. He was dominant into his 40's. He didn't start dominating until he got into his 30s. The first time he pitched a full season and walked fewer than 100 batters was 1993 - he was 29 in 1993. At that point in a players career, he is looking to get his one final contract that's going to set him up for the rest of his life. Johnson pitched for 15 more years. When he signed with the Diamondbacks, he was 35 and had "only" won 143 games. Randy Johnson has to be one of the weirdest statistical pitchers ever. There has to be like more than 99% of pitchers whose career paths go completely differently than Johnson's. The late career surge actually reminds me of Bonds and Clemens, but I think in Johnson's case, it is actually because it just took him that long to harness his stuff and really hone it to the point where he knew exactly what he was doing, and the fact that he really only threw 2 pitches was probably rather easy on his elbow. His slider was obviously ferocious, but it never looked like he was overly exerting himself when he threw it or the 95+ MPH fastball. He was just f***ing good.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jan 6, 2010 -> 06:44 PM) I'm not defending Mariotti, but on the Blyleven thing...it's interesting where he was in the voting early in his eligibility: 1998- 17.5% 1999- 14.1% 2000- 17.4% 2001- 23.5% It wasn't until his 5th year when he got over 25% of the votes. It's an obvious sign that the criteria to get in the Hall has loosened over the years. I think in this new era, you can just look at his 287 wins and 3700 K's and automatically say YES, but if you did a little deeper, you could say he falls just short of Hall status. They say it's the top 1% of players that get in the Hall. I think we're getting to the point where it's the top 1.5-2%, and I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing. We all know who are all-time greats even with the current guys in the Hall. If more players are recognized, I don't have a huge problem with that. I mean, we're coming off an era of baseball that just s*** all over the record book. The Hall of Fame is almost becoming irrelevant anyway. Yep, agree all the way around. I think with the way technology and ways to communicate evolving, people have become much more aware of how good a lot of these guys are. It wouldn't surprise me if 10 years ago people didn't realize how good Blyleven was. I do think it's nice that a player can be an all-star like 5 times or even more can be completely snubbed from the Hall though too. The Hall of Fame is still reserved for the all-time greats, but as you said, they are just letting more of them in because more of them may well be deserving. I'll argue till I'm blue in the face that a guy like Miguel Tejada has been a great player throughout his career, but he's not a Hall of Famer.

QUOTE (joeynach @ Jan 6, 2010 -> 05:33 PM) UPDATE??? The only players not on there are Pierre and Dolsi. As I remember, Pierre is getting like $3 mill this year and $5 mill next year from the Sox. As such, the Sox payroll is roughly $83,375,000 without considering Danks, Jenks, Quentin, Pena, or the pre-arbitration players. I would imagine Danks getting around $3.5 mill or so, Jenks getting around $7.5 mill, Pena getting into 7 figures but not much more, and Quentin getting around $3 mill. Those are guesses, but I figure they're pretty close. That would put the Sox right around $98 mill, which means they might be able to add a small piece for about $2-4 mill, but nothing too expensive. I think $105 mill is probably the limit to the payroll but I'm expecting much closer to $102 mill.

Jay Mariotti came out publicly on Around the Horn and said he didn't vote for Alomar on the first ballot because "no one belongs on the first ballot" or some spewing bulls***, and I'm pretty sure he didn't vote for Blyleven because he said something like "if it's been this long then he obviously doesn't deserve it." I hope that man is sterilized.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Jan 6, 2010 -> 04:53 PM) Yankees fans don't like Swisher. All you have to do is go to one of their message boards. If they got ousted in the first round they would hate him even more, like we did. They won the world series so he gets a pass, but i'd say the majority consider him the weak link in the outfield. And that's with his .900 OPS! Perhaps OPS doesn't tell the whole story?? Hmmm???? As far as this team is concerned, I'd much rather not sign anybody than take Thome or Cust; total opposite direction we are headed. Why go from trying to have all good baseball players to signing fluff stat players. Can't we let AJ get some RBIs this year? Do we really have to put 3 slow guys in front of him and his .300 average again? Ughhhh.. We are so close to being so good; no steps backward please. yeah, "fluff stat players" don't hit home runs in the last game of the season to send their team to the playoffs Fluff stat players? You mean to tell me that 30 homers and an on base percentage in the .375 range is really going to hurt this team and that they are fluff stat players? There's nothing wrong with a player that hits 30 homers, walks 80 times and strikes out 120 times so long as they are hitting right around .250. In fact, if you have that type of player on your team, there's a good chance you are scoring a lot of runs. Thome or Guerrero make all the sense in the world to this team. Thome doesn't have to play everyday and Guerrero can play a little bit of outfield here or there if needed, they will require a short-term and relatively cheap contract, and they will be good at what they do. It's not like we're talking about signing Darin Erstad to be a full-time DH.

Jones Kotsay Flowers (or whoever) Vizquel Nix/De Aza/3rd catcher/whoever to me, it looks like Kroeger would be an injury to Kotsay and/or De Aza away from making the roster. I imagine if Jones gets hurt, the team would go with Gartrell; if Flowers/catcher, they'll go with Armstrong/Flowers; if Vizquel or Nix, they'd go with Retherford, Nix, or Lillibridge. If it's a starter, I wouldn't be surprised to see them investigate calling up Danks, though I wouldn't count on it. I'm just not crazy about 27 year old minor leaguers who struggle in AAA.

QUOTE (Brian @ Jan 6, 2010 -> 12:28 PM) Well, i hate to say it, but since JD split, the last 3 episodes were pretty good and watchable. Cole still sucks but with more Drew and Denise it makes up for things. I still can't stand Lucy. Drew and Denise are good though. It's just gotten way more over the top and it seems the acting has gotten worse overall. It just doesn't feel like Scrubs.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jan 6, 2010 -> 02:47 PM) I like Raines, don't get me wrong. But here's my problem with him: He had a great career for about 7 years (1981-1987), then he was just kinda there for the rest of his career. Not really close to being one of the best players in baseball after that. I just don't think the flame was lit long enough. If he extended that greatness for about 3-4 more years, he would be more of a slam dunk. eh? Raines stole bases at an 84.7% clip throughout his entire career (808 out of 954), had a career line of .294/.385/.425/.810, and between 1981 and 1998 - 18 seasons - he had an OPS+ below 100 once, though did miss some time in both 96 and 97 with the Yankees. Raines was a great player his entire career, and a career OBP of .385 is fantastic. He was a great player during the 80s and a very good player during the 90s. He is very much Hall of Fame worthy, even if he did like cocaine.

remember when you didn't know how to ride a bike?

QUOTE (qwerty @ Jan 4, 2010 -> 06:23 PM) Couple of jokers we have on our hands here. So what you're trying to say is that Kroeger's .267/.319/.423/.742 line in AAA last year as a 26 year old in his 5th year at AAA doesn't scream future superstar?

I will eat a sheet of 8.5x11 paper if the White Sox trade for Adrian Gonzalez.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jan 3, 2010 -> 11:52 PM) The reason I'd be fine with it, is the way we've been drafting lately gives me the idea that they could keep drafting some good prospects so by 2012 we're still in the clear. Also, it is likely that Gonzalez would be gone after 2011, but lets say the team makes the ALCS or WS, Reinsdorf might jump the payroll up a bit. The problem I have with it is that those players won't be ready by 2012. Some might be close, but there won't be enough of them capable of putting up average production at the major league level by that point in time. Right now, Flowers, Hudson, Viciedo, Danks, and whoever else will be in line to receive playing time this year or next while (hopefully) being capable of starting and contributing well by 2011 or 2012. As such, if you make a big trade for Gonzalez, come 2012 you have a hole at C, 1B, LF, and two starting pitchers. I'm well aware that Williams' MO is to move prospects for proven players, and I don't see that changing. I do think he has a couple of players in mind that he views as contributors to the MLB team rather than to some other team, and I think, though I don't know anything (especially with his freewill to deal minor league pitching) that two of them are Flowers and Hudson, and they are obviously high on Viciedo considering they gave him $10 mill. Now isn't the time to deal Viciedo anyways, as his value is quite low at the moment.

the Cubs won the World Series

QUOTE (Ranger @ Jan 3, 2010 -> 07:04 PM) That's assuming it is actually possible to acquire a firstbaseman that is better but won't cost as much. The market may be different now in that the money isn't flowing quite as freely as it was a few years ago, but first base is, on average, the highest-paid position in baseball. Everything you consider should be done so in the larger picture. That picture is that the Sox basically had to re-sign him when they did (even though moves shouldn't be made because it's what the fans want, you all know fans would have been livid had they not brought him back at the time), and there weren't better, cheaper free-agent available options at the time. What they didn't know is that he would struggle in year 2 and 3 of that contract. They were, as they should, expecting some regression by the final season or two. But, sometimes that's the rub with a multi-year deal. Teams have to expect some regression for players in their early 30s. Within the context of Konerko having been signed to a slightly-less-than-market-value multi-year extension (in the 2006 offseason), how could they have realistically signed a better, cheaper first baseman for this year? I don't think anyone is arguing that the Sox shouldn't have resigned Konerko. That was a certainty. It doesn't change the fact that Konerko has been rather underwhelming over the past 2 seasons. He's going to be the 1Bman this year, barring some completely unforeseen move, and he's likely going to put up mediocre numbers for a 1Bman, like he has for the past 3 years. That doesn't change the fact that he's still probably going to be an above average offensive player in general who is going to hit 25-30 homers and put up an OPS in the .825-.850 area.

QUOTE (Mattchoo @ Jan 3, 2010 -> 06:49 PM) I like my video game world For some reason I thought that Chris Young was being paid closer to $10M this year. My bad. Matsui can play LF and PK would DH. Yes, Matsui can play LF. However, that's Juan Rivera's position. Rivera makes $5.25 mill, put up an .810 OPS and 50 XBHs last year. The Angels aren't just going to bench him, especially when they already have Matthews Jr on the bench making about as much as Konerko. DH - Matsui 1B - Morales LF - Rivera CF - Hunter RF - Abreu The Angels have absolutely no room whatsoever for Konerko, and that pipedream can be laid to rest. QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jan 3, 2010 -> 07:08 PM) Which reminds me: Fields, Owens, Betemit, for Halladay. Yes, the game took that trade. If only we had those 3 players still, we'd have Halladay. Anyway if we went after Gonzalez, I'd explore every possible avenue without giving up Paulie or the rotation. Lets look at what the Braves gave up for Teixeira: Saltalamacchia, Andrus, Beau Jones, Neftali Feliz and Matt Harrison. To match Saltalamacchia, we could send them Flowers. To match Andrus, we'd probably send Viciedo (as in terms of how good the prospect is, and as far as I know, the Padres don't need a SS) To match Feliz, send Hudson. To match Harrison and Jones, you could PTBNL Mitchell or heck, Carlos Torres and Retherford. That's fine and dandy, but then the Sox lose whatever they have built up in the last two years for one player who is likely gone following the 2011 season and could easily go into full blown rebuilding mode come 2012. I'd prefer to sign Thome or Guerrero while keeping the above prospects, and using them at a more appropriate time in a deal.

QUOTE (Mattchoo @ Jan 3, 2010 -> 06:35 PM) I predict that KW will not make a move before Sox fest. Nonetheless, if I was the GM I would try to do to that rumored deal for Adrian Gonzalez. That trade involving PK to LAA would be something interesting that has at least a small possibility (although probably less than 5%) of actually being a realistic scenario. I would try a package involving Gavin Floyd as a center piece too and we could take back that horribly over paid pitcher Chris Young off SD's hands. If we landed Adrian Gonzalez and had to give up PK in the process, then I would also try to trade for Dan Uggla as our DH/backup IF. -Konerko to LAA has no potential whatsoever. They have Morales at 1B, Matsui DHing, and an outfield of Rivera, Hunter, and Abreu. The White Sox will have to explore a different avenue if they are to trade for Adrian Gonzalez, and odds are very good that they won't even consider it due to the cost of it this late in the offseason with good pieces already off the market. -Chris Young is not horribly paid. His contract entails for $6.25 mill next year and then a club option for $8.25 mill. Odds are pretty damn good the Padres are going to be looking to deal him separately at the deadline with the hope that he puts up a good and healthy first half of the season. -Dan Uggla is going to cost waayy too much to be a backup infielder, and I don't know why you'd trade for him when you can just sign Thome or Guerrero to a similar contract without having to give up the prospects. This isn't a video game world.

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ Jan 3, 2010 -> 12:53 PM) Gavin Floyd and spects for Adam Dunn oh how id love that, Adam Dunn would make the cell look like a little league field Or the Sox can just sign Thome for $5 mill or less and get similar production.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 3, 2010 -> 01:17 PM) I should re-phrase it, it seems a lot of people here are satisfied the Sox DH is Jones/Kotsay and wouldn't mind if that's how it turned out. I think those people need to open their eyes. Jones and Kotsay are bench players. Jones may be a platoon partner, but I'm not going to count on that. Atleast one more hitter needs to be brought in, and Williams is a fool if he doesn't agree.

QUOTE (pktmotion @ Jan 3, 2010 -> 01:25 AM) Gavin was almost traded to the Orioles for Brian Roberts, before the O's signed him to that ridiculous deal. So I wouldn't say he isn't likely to get traded. Gavin's a good pitcher, and one of my favorite players, but I think the organization knows he's not much more than a back of the rotation guy and he has tremendous value to a team looking for SP, as I mentioned the Nationals. I actually don't think he has much value to the Nationals or a rebuilding team such as that period. He's going to be a free agent after his contract is up, and that's not enough time for these teams to get on their feet. They'd be wasting prospects for a pitcher that will ultimately do little for them. Teams that would be interested would be talented teams who are very close to putting something together - the Orioles, Brewers, Rangers, maybe even the Reds, Astros, or Mets. Further, I don't think the Sox consider Gavin Floyd to be a back of the rotation starter. Floyd put up an ERA of 2.97 in his final 22 starts of the season, and I think he could very easily be the 2nd best starter on the Sox next year.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jan 1, 2010 -> 05:24 AM) Gleichowski has to be one of the crappiest agents you can get apparently. Why is he telling Pods to push for so much? It's not gonna work, and right now it seems as if the Giants are the only team left interested in him. Heck, they could sign Dye (haven't they liked him for some time, and he could provide a bat (well, maybe)) and have 1/2 of the 2005 Sox position players. Sign Crede for reclamation, lure Iguchi out of retirement, trade Bonser, Liriano, Nathan for AJ, and Sanchez for Konerko and they'll win it all. Juan Pierre got a 5/$45 mill contract due to a .292/.330/.388/.717 season with the Cubs. Given, it was a different market and was a horrendous decision at the time, but Pods' agent would get fired if he settled for a contract this early in the offseason. It makes perfect sense to try and get what he can for Podsednik, but he will have to settle for a contract within the next month or so.

QUOTE (pktmotion @ Jan 3, 2010 -> 01:46 AM) You know I'm in the minority here, but I'm pulling for Jack Cust. His K-rate is atrocious, but he did hit 25 homers in OAKLAND! He can draw a walk and (the thing that puts him over the top of Thome or Vlad) he still has fresh legs. Vlad has knee problems and Thome is a well-known base clogger. Cust stole 4 bases last year, which is nothing to brag about, but it's 2 more than Vlad or Thome did combined. Given that his home run totals would increase slightly with a move to a park like the Cell and I think Cust is a good choice for DH. Cust, Jones, Quentin rotate DH responsibilities according to opponent pitching; with Jones covering RF when Carlos is the DH; Cust is only played as a DH. I'll take base-clogging if it's at a .370+ clip. And, as slow as Thome is, he's a solid baserunner. There was also the thought that bringing Swisher in was going to improve his homer totals, but that proved false. The Coliseum is much bigger than the Cell and will sometimes allow for better averages. It's entirely possible that Cust would come in and do exactly what Swisher did - they are pretty similar players. I will take better hitters who may be older and more injury prone rather than a fresher player who is very likely to be worse.

QUOTE (sircaffey @ Jan 2, 2010 -> 11:02 AM) It must vary on what level each prospect is when they are part of the top 100 list. For instance, players like Martin Perez who are and have been in the top 100 (top 10 pitching prospects) while in the low levels have a much higher percentage of busting than guys like Hudson who cracked the top 100 when they "breakout" in the high levels. It would be interesting to see the percentage difference in these two types of pitching prospects. Agreed. I also think it would be interesting to see what type of learning curve there is in the majors (just meaning how long it takes for a player to become a fully productive player). QUOTE (Ozzie Ball @ Jan 1, 2010 -> 05:21 PM) Yes: I'm not familiar with WAB but I'm guessing it's at least somewhat similar to WAR. You can read the full study here: http://philbirnbaum.com/btn2007-11.pdf Very interesting. Thanks for posting.