beck72

QUOTE(JUGGERNAUT @ Mar 8, 2005 -> 02:31 AM) Consider close & late: Crede gets a hit. Oz can replace with Harris which greatly increases the possibility of a SB & an RISP situation. That's the difference betw winning & losing. Crede is sucking all game. Replacing him with Harris again increases the odds of the Sox gettting an RISP situation. Also consider this scenario: after Willie pinch runs, he goes into SS and moves Uribe to 3b [or you'd have willie at 3b]. After Willie's first error late in the game that costs the sox a game, who among the willie backers will say "I'm sorry, that was a really bad idea". Willie would blow more games with his defense than Koch did in the two yrs he was here. Now I like Willie to play 2b. That's his spot. This talk of him playing SS and 3b is silly. It shouldn't happen with the sox. Not for a team that expects to contend for the playoffs. The Sox need a guy who can play 3b, SS and 2b without hurting the team with his defense. Willie would hurt the team w/ his defense at 3b and SS.

Frank was really enjoying himself, with B and B, and later w/ Hawk. He seems really relaxed, and excited about the upcoming season. He deflected the steroid talk pretty easily. It sounds like he's heard some of the praise coming his way for what he did in the early 90's. Now he wants to prove that he's got a few good yrs left. Him coming to ST in great shape [even w/ being on crutches for 7 months] shows he's dedicated to having a great 2005

QUOTE(GreenSox @ Mar 6, 2005 -> 04:03 PM) We need these young pitchers - every young pitcher we can plug in is one less we have to mash our teeth in a trade or free agent signing. If he can pitch, there will be a spot in the rotation for him soon enough that was the smart thing about only 2 year contracts for our acquisitions - by that time, some young players can be ready and you need some of that to build a ballclub. There are only so many years the Sox can keep their young guys in the minors before they aren't young anymore. I think Baj is the 2nd guy behind Adkins. I'm all for keeping him. I just hope the sox plan on pitching him

QUOTE(YASNY @ Mar 5, 2005 -> 04:40 PM) I certainly didn't expect that to be taken seriously. I know. But Baj should get a chance somewhere, if not for the sox then another team in need of a closer

QUOTE(JimH @ Mar 5, 2005 -> 03:20 PM) Hard to say what guys like Adkins or Baj or Diaz might net in a trade but the Sox have a good problem, they have a few extra arms. We also need to keep in mind KW likes to have about 15 major league ready arms at his disposal so it's possible he might not be too anxious to part with these guys. Adkins for sure has minor league options left so from that standpoint there's no rush to trade him. He seems to be a guy who can fill in when someone invariably misses a start. Adkins would seem to have the most value, as he's proven himself in the bigs, and he can fill multiple roles [long relief, start, short relief]. I'd hate to part with him, as he'd likely be needed at some point this year. But to get a UTL guy who could also be a regular starter like Cintron, it would be hard to pass up such a deal. I think it would be a win-win deal for both sides. Part of why I thought Adkins could be easily replaced was his high HR's allowed. In looking at Adkins' stats, though, he gave up 6 of his 13 HR's in the last month and a half. I also didn't realize his GB/ FB ratio was 1.34, and got 10 DP's in his 62 IP. Not bad for the cell That article where Joey Cora worked with Cintron over the winter was very interesting. He should have a good handle on what Cintron could do for the sox.

QUOTE(JimH @ Mar 5, 2005 -> 03:20 PM) I can't wait to see Ozuna next week and get a better read on him, he's off to a good start but I completely agree with your thought on Cintron. One thing to consider is Cintron adds almost no speed. He is an up and coming player with quite a bit of talent for sure. Ozuna adds speed and so does Valdez and of course Harris has that raw ability as well. As far as I can tell, Guillen wants speed on the bench but it's likely he and KW would like to have a talent like Cintron in the fold. From this article, Joey Cora is familiar with Cintron as well, workign w/ him over the winter. http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/NASApp...5news&fext=.jsp

QUOTE(YASNY @ Mar 5, 2005 -> 02:06 PM) The trading of Soxtalk members is unacceptable. If Baj isn't going to get much of a chance with the Sox [he'd likely be the 3rd or 4th guy called up as it stands now], he should get a chance somewhere else. I think his coming up hurt in Sept. didn't help him. But he should get a chance on a number of small market teams looking for relief help. While this may help the Sox, it would also help his career. If Gary Majewski can catch on with Montreal, Baj could help a number of clubs to start 2005

QUOTE(JimH @ Mar 5, 2005 -> 01:47 PM) Personally I feel they will definitely want two lefties in the pen, especially with Marte coming off a slightly down year. Ozzie likes Cotts and we'll have to see how it plays out this spring. As for Adkins, credit goes to Adkins himself and the White Sox. They showed patience with him and it's a safe bet all those scouts who watched him Wed. came away impressed. The Sox gave him an opportunity and thus far, Adkins has done well with it. One of the papers this morning mentioned Alex Cintron again. Diamondbacks need a guy like Adkins, it seems like a good fit. Defintely a "stay tuned" scenario. that's the key. Adkins has come around and would be worth even more than Cintron. With Ariz stocked in the IF, teams know they don't have to give up the farm for him. One the papers around here? Cintron would be a guy who'd get a lot of time in. The Sox need to give Uribe, Crede and Tad a lot of time off this yr, to stay fresh. In order to do that, the sox need to put a major league caliber player in as a sub. Ozuna won't cut it, methinks. Cotts should be around, unless he has a terrible spring with poor control, and very bad "stuff". Having the 2 LHP's is a must, esp. with the LH hitters in the AL central [mauer, morneau, hafner, etc] With adkins being so versatile, a one dimesional guy like Baj could be made available to a team in need of a closer/ setup man. I like his control and makeup. But Baj has a lot of guys ahead of him in setup. And based on his 2004 season, teams should be looking for him.

I'm one of those who thought Adkins could be used as trade bait to beef up the sox bench or provide depth at AA and AAA. You look at his final stats, and it looks like any guy out there from AAA could come in and do his job. Yet looking a little closer, particularly in his final month and a half when he was overused and probably tired, he's not as replaceable as I thought. Adkins had a an ERA of 3.27 on august 19th. In 45 IP, he had a WHIP of 1.44, gave up 47 H, 16 ER, 18 BB, 29k's, and 7 Hr allowed. Jon ended the season with an ERA of 4.65, with 62 IP, 75 H, 32 ER, 20 BB, a WHIP of 1.53, 44 K's and 13 HR's allowed. In that month and a half [most of it when Politte was out and the sox bullpen was tired], Jon in 17 IP, gave up 16 ER, 28 H, 6 HR allowed, 2 BB and 15 K's. With reports Jon is in better shape and that Ozzie has liked him from the start of last season [and I still remember when Jon pitched against the Yanks heart of the order, made perfect pitches and set them down 1,2,3], there is no reason to believe Jon will leave the organization. Not unless another team makes the sox an offer they can't refuse. [Which may happen, as the large number of scouts attending the sox 1st game when Jon pitched may be an indication of his worth]. With Adkins proven in the bullpen and ability to start, [which he'll likely do in AAA if he doesn't make the team], I'd be against trading him at this point. Though the sox should get a UTL guy and/ or guys who could fill in at SS or 3B in case Uribe or Crede go down with an injury, the Sox might be better off trading 2 guys [say Diaz and Munoz] in a deal, where Adkins alone might get a deal done.

QUOTE(JimH @ Mar 4, 2005 -> 01:18 AM) All I know is, after listening to today's game, wow would I love to pry Alex Cintron away from the Diamondbacks. Simply put, that kid can play the game. My dad has watched him play quite a bit since he lives in the Phoenix area and he is not effusive with praise at all ... he says Cintron is "a talent". Cintron also was at 3b and fielded a Timo bunt, threw him out by a lot, Farmer said. If he can play solid 3b, the sox should strike a deal for him. The question is, would the sox give up the pitching for him [adkins probably]. Then trading willie wouldn't have near the drawbacks. The sox would have another young guy with upside. Hell, the sox could still get a guy like Bill Hall and groom him at AAA for a bench role. He has the tools but could use the time to make adjustments. that way, the sox have two guys waiting in the wings in case of injury to any of the sox 3 starters, Crede, Juan and Tad.

QUOTE(JimH @ Mar 3, 2005 -> 05:33 PM) Re: Bill Hall, it would be a case of change of scenery for both players. Brewers are concerned with Hall's undisciplined play on offense and defense. But yes, I agree, Hall would probably be a better fit than Helms but IMO Hall is nothing special either. Hall plus a minor league arm would probably do it for me for Harris. Harris has "proven" himself a little, Hall hasn't. Hall could provide the sox with a possible SS should Uribe go down, and give Iguchi a rest vs some RHP's [as he hits better vs RHp than LH]. Check out Hall's highlights though. He showed he has a lot of tools and more to give the sox than Willie. The numbers by themselves look a little ugly. SS also was/ is his best position. With the Brewers going with JJ Hardy, Hall should be gone. [though I don't see a backup SS for them]

Anyone interested in seeing some of Bill Hall, check out mlb's brewers top plays archive. Hall is on there a lot, for his defense, Hr's, GW hits [3 of them], a 3B vs the cubs on 8-17. The best was 4-27 when he hit a GW 2run HR with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth and the brewers down 8-7. Also his GW squeeze bunt the next day on 4-28. http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/NASApp/ml...ve.jsp?c_id=mil For a UTL guy, Hall could be a nice find for the sox.

QUOTE(SoxFan562004 @ Mar 3, 2005 -> 04:53 PM) I think they are taking a wait and see attitude with money because of Frank. I think they really want to see where he's at, because if he's healthy they don't need to find another power hitter, but if he's not going to recover well or quickly enough they may have to spend their money there I think the sox are holding some money back in case they need to fill any spot, whether its DH or an injury/ ineffectiveness somewhere else.

QUOTE(shakes @ Mar 3, 2005 -> 04:37 PM) Sounds too much like Jose. :puke If Jose could play 3 spots and only made $300 k, I'd take him. I don't know anything about Hall, or if he's the butcher in the field his stats make him out to be. But if he had good tools for a back up, he would seem to meet the sox requirements for UTL guy---hits RH, has some pop, can play SS mostly and also 3b and 2b; has some speed for late inning pinch running. IMO, sounds like a much better fit than Helms.

Instead of Helms, a guy like Bill Hall might be a better fit. He's played 68 games at SS, 68 at 2b, and 14 at 3b. I know he's a .264 hitter in the minors. But he has some pop, is versatile, and hits RH pitchers better than LHP. His defensive numbers aren't great. But he was the Brewers #2 prospect at one time, coming up as a SS. Here's his BA write up back in 2002: "no player in the organization moved up more than Hall did in 2001. Ranked as the club's #21 prospect a yr ago, he was named the Brewers' minor league player of the year. He showed the offensive capabilities to be something special at SS, though he found the going a lot tougher at AA Hunstville. Few SS's can hit like Hall. Not only did he hit for avg at high A , but he also showed previously untapped power. Hall also runs well and has great range in the field. He often gts cute on defense, resulting in needless errors. Hall had a combined 45 errors in 2001, a career high. He gets to balls other SS's don't, but he has to learn when to eat the ball and when to attempt a fabulous play. He also must work onplate discipline, as shown by his .279 OBP in AA. If Hall's defense catches up to his offense, look out. One member of the organization compares him to Miguel Tejada at this stage of their careers. Tejada's defense once was considered a possible roadblock to the majors as well"

If the Willie to MILW. rumor indeed has legs to it, couldn't it be for someone else besides Helms? Dumping Helms and his $2+ mill salary would be great for MILW, but I don't see him being the best fit for the sox.

Thanks for the update. Based on the sox m.o. the last few years with KW, I couldn't see the sox passing up chances to improve midseason. It's good to hear JR confirm they could put out some cash to get a guy or two.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Mar 3, 2005 -> 06:47 AM) If Garland has a year like that, why would we want to let him go? Hell, that's what we've been waiting for him to do. With Garland, it's a double edged sword. Would you sign a guy to a long term deal based on one very good yr, after a string of mediocre ones? Or would teams be willing to overpay in the trade market, thereby getting 2 or 3 good players that could help the sox for years to come? I don't know. My guess is even if Jon has a breakout yr, he'll show some inconsistencies that will give the sox and us fans some reason to pause on a giving him a long term deal

FWIW, Mac, jurko and harry had Pods on am 1000 yesterday around 6 pm and mentioned the rumor to him. Pods said Helms was a great guy to have in the clubhouse, had some nice pop to his bat, and would be good to have another familiar face like him around.

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Mar 2, 2005 -> 03:56 PM) Somebody with more knowledge of the situation can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that Matsuzaka will be "posted". Posted meaning auctioned off to the highest bidder, just for the right to negotiate a deal. It's a double dip. First you pay his old team for the right to have him, then you pay him whatever his demands are. That means he's going to end up on a team with deep pockets(read Yankees). Garland isn't a FA until following the '06 season, but he could be traded or non-tendered after this season. It's not like we're locked into a multi-year deal with him. I'm not too sure how the Japanese FA's become available. I know there are other avenues besides the posting system. But all things being equal, the Sox have to be attractive to any Japanese players if Iguchi works out. As for Garland, unless he has a Ben Sheets-like coming out season, the sox might be better off trading him [like the A's did with Hudson and Mulder] than paying him $5 mill +, even for a one yr deal.

QUOTE(POPPY_HIDALGO @ Mar 2, 2005 -> 03:35 PM) This is nothing more than the Sox trying to bring guys in for as cheap as possible. Kenny: Hey should I go find some real bullpen help? JR: Nope, Just bring over some more of them there Asians, the fans eat it up! 23 awesome stuff and people aren't bidding over him? This is crap. Don't get your hopes up for this guy. I guess Hermanson and Vizcaino don't qualify as "real bullpen help"?! This Moon guy is for AA and AAA depth [and for guys with upside who could help the Sox in 2006 or 2007], which the sox need. This guy could have a lot of upside, throwing 95 mph after 4 yrs off shows he's got a gun My guess is people aren't bidding on him because he won't help the major league teams this yr, because he hasn't played in so long. I for one don't care where a pitcher or player comes from. If they have talent, it'll show itself.

QUOTE(qwerty @ Mar 2, 2005 -> 04:14 AM) Daisuke matsuzaka please. The sox would have to one of the top teams in consideration to sign him. Esp if Shingo stays healthy and has another good yr and is resigned. Matsuzaka's numbers look real good, good control, low walks and a lot of K's. I could see the Sox letting Garland go [isn't he eligible to be a FA in '06?] and signing Matsuzaka at half the price as Jon would likely get on the open market [esp if Jon has a yr with a sub 4 ERA and wins 15+ games].

QUOTE(AnthraxFan93 @ Mar 2, 2005 -> 02:20 PM) So.. Knights here comes Bochard!! KW, do something right for a change and cut him, The Mexican league figured out he sucks, why can't you.. The sox will give Joe every chance to prove himself this spring, though it's for a spot on some other teams 25 man roster. The writing is on the wall that they should be parting ways pretty soon. The sox respect his hard work, dedication and character. But give the guy a break. There are guys far worthier of being lambasted for their lack of effort, and questionable character than Joe B, who by all accounts is a stand up guy, just not a very good baseball player. give it a rest

Doesn't sound like a UTL guy is on KW's radar.

Here's Rogers' piece. Sounds like Rogers has issues w/ Ozzie. *********************************************** Guillen two-faced in ripping Ordonez Tough to reconcile attacks with own rant vs. Sox in '98 BY PHIL ROGERS Published March 1, 2005 LAKELAND, Fla. -- The transformation seems complete. Ozzie Guillen, still the only major-leaguer I've seen smoke a cigar during pregame stretching, apparently has gone from outspoken shortstop to just another company man. Maybe he wants to be the White Sox's manager for life. Why else do you take on Jerry Reinsdorf's fights? And how else do you explain Guillen summoning righteous indignation toward recent comments by a confused Magglio Ordonez about his financially driven departure from the South Side? No one says the Sox had to pay Ordonez $15 million a year indefinitely, especially in light of the serious knee injury that limited him to 52 games last season. In fact, given the club's spending limits--reasonable with their middle-market attendance and revenue--they made the right decision to let Ordonez walk. But why keep beating him up? And why turn Guillen loose as an attack dog? Come on. This is silly. The manager who went off on Ordonez at least twice Sunday to reporters after reading some less-than-explosive quotes from Ordonez is a 7-years-older version of a guy who himself did one of the all-time torch jobs on the Sox. While Ordonez was at the top of his game a short time before the Sox allowed him to walk away, Guillen had gone downhill for six years before then-general manager Ron Schueler decided not to exercise a $4 million option for his services in 1998. Guillen played three more seasons with three different teams but never again got 300 at-bats. The point is, this wasn't a veteran who was getting a bad deal. It was a guy near the end of his career who was being moved aside to start a youth movement, even if history shows he was right to raise an eyebrow about his replacement, Mike Caruso. Yet I couldn't wait to call my sports editor after interviewing Guillen at the Baltimore Orioles' camp in the spring of 1998. His quotes were much more provocative than anything Sammy Sosa said at the same Ft. Lauderdale Stadium last week, and the Sosa-Dusty Baker feud makes Ordonez-White Sox seem like a C-SPAN snoozefest. When that 1998 story ran in the Tribune, the Sox either removed or defaced a photo of Guillen that hung in the hallway of their new clubhouse in Tucson, Ariz. To be honest, I can't remember which. But either way, the manner in which his remarks were received makes it remarkable that club Chairman Reinsdorf and his GM, Ken Williams, hired Guillen to manage the White Sox and that he would come out swinging at Ordonez, a countryman and friend, for exercising freedom of speech. Consider Guillen's candor that year. On Jerry Manuel, who had been hired to replace Terry Bevington as manager: "Anybody they get there, he'll look like a genius after that fiasco last year. They could put [trainer] Herm Schneider there." On an infield featuring Frank Thomas at first, Ray Durham at second and either Benji Gil or Caruso at shortstop: "That's going to be some kind of ugly. ... The guys on [the Baltimore] bench are better than the guys in their lineup." On Robin Ventura, who was eligible for free agency after that season: "I hope Robin gets out of there as quick as possible. I know Robin doesn't want to be there. ... I don't think they're going to trade him this quick. They will trade him during the season. I don't think they want everything to go bad in spring training." On the Sox organization: "They're all fake. I deserved better--not because I had been there a long time, but because I did a lot for them. It was my fault. I did all those things when maybe I shouldn't have. ... They talk about being fan-friendly, media-friendly--that's what I am. They give Albert [belle] all that money, and he doesn't do anything for them. They won't give me $500,000, and that's my organization." That's funny. The quotes from Ordonez that seemed to anger Guillen most were about the White Sox giving contracts to people coming in from outside the organization instead of taking care of their own. Sound familiar? When I saw Ordonez at the Detroit Tigers' camp last week, he seemed like a guy who wanted to get on to the future, not rehash the past. He answered my questions and in doing so raised one or two of his own about his old organization. The best was about deferred money in contracts: "`We pay you in 2020?' What the heck is that?" But he hardly seemed interested in challenging Reinsdorf or anyone else in Chicago to a cage match. I didn't use his specific quotes about Guillen because they were so down the middle of the road. He only seemed sorry that he hadn't been able to be around him more. After all, Guillen was the first to campaign for Ordonez. In a story I wrote in 1997, he said the White Sox should have invited Ordonez to their major-league camp but didn't because he was "not a first-round draft choice, and he has an ugly Latino name." Guillen periodically tells me that the quotes in that story got him released. I don't know if he's joking or serious. Same way with the ones about Ordonez, although the stories I read Monday didn't indicate he was laughing.