beck72

QUOTE(sox-r-us @ May 10, 2005 -> 07:34 PM) I am amazed no one has mentioned this yet, but we do not need to add anything to the bullpen because we will have Count going to the BP once the playoffs start folks. Count can be unhittable for an inning or two in the playoffs. Heck he could close too if required. I did think about the fact that one of the SP's [el duque, Jose or Jon--all RHP's] would be in the pen. That's why a LH closer like Wagner would be a good fit with the abundance of RH pitchers now in the pen, and only Marte and Cotts from the left side

QUOTE(AnthraxFan93 @ May 10, 2005 -> 05:43 PM) Instead of Wagner, what about KW old Pal Beane.. and get Dotel? No to Dotel. If the Sox were giving up good talent, they should get as close to a sure thing as possible. Dotel isn't a sure thing.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ May 10, 2005 -> 05:33 PM) Its a really tough call. I would basically call Anderson untouchable, but is anyone REALLY untouchable with a chance to win the World Series? I guess it would depend mostly on how the pen looked at that point in time. If we were getting the kinds of efforts out of Marte and Hermanson that we are now, I might be tempted to stay the course, or see if I could find another closer for cheaper. The key is will the Sox pen come back down to earth a bit. I think Hermanson will get scored upon--I love him in a setup role, but as closer.....and Marte is usually good for a walk or HBP--he scares the s*** out of me. Getting a guy like Wagner with his control, and 100 mph heat to compliment the current sox arms, would make the bullpen truly remarkable. Also figuring into this is the sox starting pitching. If they can keep dominating, they wouldn't need Wagner. Yet they fall back down a bit, they'll need to rely on the bullpen coming in and stopping teams in their tracks for the 7th-9th innings. In a short playoff series, the Sox could throw a ton of arms at teams and have one guy to lock down games

QUOTE(tonyho7476 @ May 10, 2005 -> 05:26 PM) I'm with you on this one. It's the age old question----does a team trade a little bit of its future for a chance to win now? I think with Pods, Rowand and Dye around for a few yrs, not a lot of the future would be traded in Anderson, with Sweeney and Chris Young only 1 level below Anderson. Esp. if it would help improve the Sox chances of getting to and winning a world series

QUOTE(JDsDirtySox @ May 10, 2005 -> 05:19 PM) At this point I don't want to trade Brian Anderson. I really like his game, and think he could be an above average player. I also think Wagner is nearing the end of his career, and is very likely to breakdown. Getting Wagner would be for 3 months-- August, Sept, and Oct. If Wagner doesn't have any health problems by July, he'd be as solid as closers come.

QUOTE(AnthraxFan93 @ May 10, 2005 -> 05:14 PM) My biggest problem with the deal, is Dye's health. I would keep anderson for insurance. That's a good point. Having Carl in RF isn't the best of options. I'd say would you trade Anderson or Ryan Sweeney for a true closer, yet Anderson came to mind because the Phillies need a CFer.

Fast forward to the trade deadline, and the Sox are still sitting atop the AL Central and hold one of the best records in the AL as well. Say the Sox hold a 5 game lead on the Twins, and about a 10 game lead for the wild card. Say the Sox regulars are playing well, with no injuries, and are rounding into decent shape [Dye, Rowand and PK all get back close to their regular avg's, and Frank provides a good lift, splitting time with Everett to make Carl a big bat off the bench]. Say the pitching comes back to earth a bit, but not that big of a fall. The Sox won't be adding a starting pitcher, with B-Mac good insurance even if an injury would occur. The sox likely wouldn't be adding an everyday player or a starting pitcher. Maybe a bench guy, but the price wouldn't be high. The only real spot where the Sox could add an impact player would be the bullpen [a complete, true closer--I like the Sox bullpen, but no guy is the "unhittable" type]. Would you do a deal centered around prospect Brian Anderson [and probably a bullpen arm or two like Baj or Diaz] for Billy Wagner? I know Wagner is a FA in 2006. And the sox likely wouldn't offer a closer making $9 mill arbitration, so they'd lose him for nothing. A deal like this would be for getting deep into the playoffs, and a possible world series appearance. With the depth in the Sox OF [Dye for another yr, Pods should be re-signed, Aaron for 3 more yrs], Anderson likely wouldn't get a shot. By the time the Sox may need Anderson, Sweeney and Chris Young would likely be ready. The flipside is how often have the sox been a team with a solid chance to win a world series. If the Sox keep up their current play, they would have a very good chance keeping the roster as is. But adding a dominating LH closer like Wagner would compliment the Sox current pen very nicely. Thoughts?

No to Mesa. Billy Wagner I'd take, though the price would be way too much, in terms of talent and salary.

It seems to me that Cotts is the long man in the pen. The Sox plan is to use Walker to get one LH hitter out, with Marte saved for late in games. What is confusing is Arnie Munoz had out pitched Walker.

I don't see this as a "make or break month". The Sox, with a good month though, could make themselves a solid shot for making the playoffs. Getting to 20 games above .500 after only 2 months could give them a big enough cushion to play .500 ball the rest of the way and still make the wild card or win the division. But I'm still looking at the Sox one game at a time and one series at a time.

QUOTE(YASNY @ May 7, 2005 -> 06:58 AM) In addition to all the other reasons mentioned, AJ's attitude is paramount to the early success of the team. He brought a cockiness, a brashness, a chip on his shoulder that seems to be contagious to the rest of the team. The lack of that has always been our downfall in the past. AJ! Agreed. Also, AJ being a "goofball". On Tv last night, they showed AJ, laughing putting away Konerko's ball breaking his O-for streak, like they would for a rookie getting his first hit. Buehrle and other guys were laughing along. A few minutes later, AJ comes through in the clutch. The Sox in recent years have had guys who take themselves too seriously, or are too hard on themselves when they screw up [PK, Crede, Garland come to mind]. Whether it's AJ's influence or not [he's a big part of it no doubt], the atmosphere around the sox is very loose. Aj's game seems to be "laugh at yourself, have fun, play the game right".

I can see something getting done near the end of the season [ala Freddy Garcia to prevent the cost from getting out of hand, or early in the offseason. He could get decent money [as either Carl or Frank won't be back]

QUOTE(KWs OK for Me @ May 6, 2005 -> 02:26 PM) That's a good point. So around the break when Frank comes back it means that 2 out of 4 of, hypothetically, Tony G, Willie, Ross, and Ozuna will remain on the team. Which ones do you think it would be? I'm thinking Willie and Tony and Ross and Pablo go back down to Triple AAA for two months until call ups. But I believe in the old adage, if aint broke don't fix it If [and its a big if] the sox got Tony G, they could do some switching around, depending on health and needs. Yet Willie only has one option left in the minors, meaning he could only be sent down 1 more time.

A Tony G move could coincide w/ Frank coming back [and KC isn't exactly going to ask for BMac--more than likely a guy who can pitch now for them--Baj, Munoz]. Having someone who can play 1b, 2b, SS and 3b would lessen the need for any two of Gload [who's hurt, may not be healthy for a while], Harris or Ozuna. The Sox big thing is having guys who can make the plays, not hurt the team with stupid mistakes. Tony G can do that for the sox at 4 IF positions.

QUOTE(YASNY @ May 3, 2005 -> 10:06 AM) The answer to that dilemma is so obvious, there is no viable excuse why it hasn't been implemented. Ten day minimum suspension and clean drug test before reinstatement. The players giving a clean test before they come back should be a no brainer. But wouldn't they still have the drugs in their system after only 10 days? That's why players should be gone for more than 10 games. I could see a compromise with Selig's 50 game suspension to something like 25 or 30 games for 1st positives

QUOTE(SEALgep @ May 3, 2005 -> 12:30 AM) http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/8437604 Interesting... Something new was in your CBS article. Mike Sciocias [sp?] comments were right on. That in 10 days, Rincon would still be getting the benefits of the drugs, and the penalty should be harsher.

QUOTE(Nokona @ Apr 30, 2005 -> 04:39 AM) He will play a role in this team's run for the division title. A big one. I agree

QUOTE(JimH @ Apr 27, 2005 -> 02:33 PM) beck, they have a guy down there, Freddie Martinez. Thought he played in the Boston system last year. He got a fair amount of playing time the last two weeks of spring training. Where is Martinez playing now?

The Sox will stick with Dye, like they should. He's a vet who has proven himself. Maybe he should be dropped in the order. But he'll come around. Unless Dye is hurt, Anderson will be in AAA.

QUOTE(Al Lopez's Ghost @ Apr 27, 2005 -> 11:06 AM) Right now I'd like a healthy middle infielder. The sox at least should get a SS in AAA who could play in the majors, esp for an instance where Uribe could be out for a bit. Ozuna is the UTL guy. And Pedro Lopez in AAA is a bit young to help the sox now.

The only guys I could see the sox trading would be someone like Jenks, Adkins or Baj. If the sox could get a decent SP prospect, they should do it. You can never have enough solid SP's.

Bmac would give the sox the best chance to win, while keeping the rest of the staff fresh. We've all seen the merry go round call ups and it hasn't been pretty. Get the best guy a shot [bmac] if Jose can't go.

QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Apr 20, 2005 -> 04:31 PM) How does Shingo fix the problem? IIRC, last year, he was getting hitters to chase pitches out of the zone. This year, they seem to be taking more of those pitches and forcing him to throw strikes, when he does, they are making better contact. I also noticed the Twins hitters seem to be timing the frisbee a little bit better, what do you guys see? Shingo hasn't been able to get his slow stuff over for strikes. then he's behind in the count, and hitters wait on his FB. I still haven't seen guys hit his "frisbee", only his fastball.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Apr 20, 2005 -> 03:12 PM) I'm more inclined to give the guy that's done the job for the Sox the benefit of the doubt, with a short leash. That said, I think DH will eventually be the closer, but Shingo has earned the right to try and get his s*** together. I agree. Shingo proved last year he was the closer. If he shows he can't get both LH and RH hitters out, then he should go back to set up.

It looks the Sox have a bullpen full of guys who all want the same thing---to get the Sox wins. If a guy gets into trouble, by walking or hitting guys, or getting tattooed, they should expect to come out, if someone else is available to pitch. I don't see any huge egos, who will be upset if they get taken out. They know it's not personal, it's business. And they're in the business of getting outs late in games.