beck72

Wright's injury track record prob. doesn't justify those type of $'s being talked about. $5 mill? Prob. More than that? Prob. not. And the Yanks are mentioned w/ every pitcher out there, FA or not

I'd say there would be few Sox players [majors or minors] that would be considered "untouchables" if they were to trade for Pierre or Castillo. A few come to mind--Buehrle, Rowand, Sweeney, Garcia, Shingo, maybe Anderson. Lee doesn't make my list. Why? A lot has been said about the Sox' "3 yr board". I see Rowand on it. Sweeney. Prob. Brian Anderson. Maybe Chris Young. Lee will be seeking a long term deal for a lot of cash in 2, 3 yrs. Would the sox pay him when they have at least 2 guys who could take his place? Mostly why I see Lee as being a "touchable" is prob. subjective. I don't see Lee as a serious baseball player. Sure he's talented. And he can swing for the fences with the best of them. But is he a guy to build a team around? If Maggs wasn't, then Carlos surely isn't.

People can b**** all they want, but if a straight deal went through, but IMO, Castillo would make the Sox a better team than if the sox just kept Lee. The sox have had great numbers out of individuals but haven't been able to put it together. A guy like Castillo batting and getting on base before the 3, 4 and 5 hitters will allow our RBI guys to swing away If the Sox don't get themselves a leadoff hitter, Lee can hit .300 all he wants. No one will be on base for him to drive in, or Frank or PK, or Dye, or Everett etc. Good leadoff hitters don't come cheap for a reason. Castillo can do everything the sox currently are very short on--switch hit, steal bases, hit .300, get on base at a .370 clip, lead off or hit #2, play solid d. The Sox have power and could more easily replace Lee and his talent than what Castillo would bring to the table with his abilities Put another way--who would you rather have in LF, Rowand or Lee? I see an OF of Rowand in LF, Anderson in CF, and Sweeney in RF in 2, 3 yrs. I see Lee off playing for the Nationals or somewhere when his contract is up.

If there was any chance FLA would trade either Castillo or Pierre, Ozzie would have KW throw his son in on the deal. It's very possible Castillo or Pierre could be on the trading block. And if they are, the Sox would have to be the favorites to land either player, as KW would prob. top any offer. It wouldn't just be to appease Ozzie. KW's fate is tied into Ozzie's. KW needs to win or he could be out of a job. And he needs to trust Ozzie and get him all the resources he needs and wants. The Sox need a guy like Castillo to get on base and hit .300 at the top of the order, vs LHP and RHP.

No way is Podsednik worth Anderson straight up. But Castillo, IMO. is at least equal to Lee and prob. worth more than Lee, esp for what he could provide the Sox [a switch hitting leadoff hitter, high % sb threat, solid defense].

I found this on the player rankings for the AL. I was looking for Jaret Wright but only came across the AL Interesting what players will get what tag. Both Contreras and Garland would be type B http://www.cincypost.com/2004/11/02/baseal11-02-2004.html

There are a lot of misstatements here. First, wasn't 2001 KW's 1st draft? And two, Schueler was the one who coordinated the Ritchie deal. 3rd, the "great" minor league system KW inherited [from 1998, 1999, 2000] was filled with busts. Few are making a big impact these days

If I can add something [not much but at least I'll try to stay onto the posted topic--FA pitching], there a lot of FA SP's out there. It should take a while to sort out who will go where, and when. My guess is the sox are looking via trade first to get some pitching, and if that doesn't work try the market. With teams seeming to wait until Dec. 7th to sign guys, the GM meetings starting the 10th should see some deals done. While the FA is rich in SP, there are very few guys for the bullpen. Most are old has beens/ never beens who aren't better than what the sox have. One guy I'd like the Sox to try a Cliff Politte 2004 type contract [1 yr, $800k with a decent 2006 option] with is Ramiro Mendoza. If he can even sniff his 2002 numbers with any consistency [when he was able to spot start, throw 1, 2 or 3 innings at a time], the sox would be in good shape. He could allow Cotts, Adkins and possibly Bajenaru to get into games in more of a consistent basis. A veteran is more likely to get success being moved around. We saw how Cotts and adkins did when they were put into a lot of different situations coming out of the pen.

Agreed. A much more thoughtful response than calling him a jackass and throwing him on the scrapheap. With age comes experience, huh

I thought you were talking about the current incident in Clev. BTW-I didn't call you out. I just asked where you got it from. Some people like to make statements about real people not backed up by fact. Sorry if I'm a little skeptical believing everyone's words over the internet

I agree some pro athletes are too easily forgiven [esp in the NBA, where the PR flacks hide all the dope and whoring around]. Yet on the flip side, all the media stories make our eyes roll. We see another misfit pro athlete who can't stay out of trouble despite having all that money. Yet we write them off. Yet even these guys have problems. As long as they are willing to work on their issues, they should be helped. In Bradleys case, the sox could help him and he could help them. No doubt some team will seek to capitalize on the situation w/o trying the help Bradley, exploiting the guy by trying to keep a lid on his antics. The Sox, IMO, have some personnel who could help the guy w/o getting caught up in his problems [whatever they are, they should be researched fully as well]

If I'm not mistaken, this is the 1st of Bradley's legal problems. A weird situation but one that has info just coming out. As far as on the field antics, how do the brawls, players throwing bats and helmets on the field, the chair throwing incident, the players going into the stands, compare with Bradley's? I don't know how much coverage these incidents have received compared w/ Bradley's negative press. I will suggest some things are overlooked on the field by the media [such as Clemens' throwing of the broken bat at Piazza, where Piazza could easily of been seriously hurt]. Is it a dangerous pattern? Hard to tell. Like I've said all along, I don't know the full extent of his problems. But, IMO, he shouldn't be written off as unsalvageable just yet.

Even without knowing all of Bradley's problems, I can understand why a young club like Cle. would get rid of Bradley. Young players can be easily misled/ influenced/ have their play affected by a personality around them. I've only said that the sox with the vets they have, could handle a few distractions, as long as Bradley's problems weren't that bad. I don;t know the full extent of his issues. I don't think anyone on this board does. But before everyone labels Bradley the next Artest / potential serial killer we need to know more. I don;t think he'll be getting any citizen of the yr awards anytime soon. I'm not stupid. But I also know that society in general likes to write off people who've gotten into trouble. I also know and have worked with those "lost causes" who have turned their lives around are among the most loyal and hardest working people on the planet, and are extremely grateful and appreciative to those who helped them when they were down. They'd give their lives to those who stuck with them and believed in them when no one else did. I don't know enough about Bradley to consider him a lost cause or not If the sox could help Bradley, and he turned things around, w/ his talent, the organ. could only benefit. If he had problems, it's a short term, inexpensive attempt to build a better team and life goes on.

You said he was drinking. I didn't see that part

I didn't see the article or media report you're quoting from

Without even knowing much about the guy, you seem pretty sure about jackass qualities. But anyone can jump on a few media reports about a sports figure and then know exactly what they're all about

I don't recall that drinking was ever said to be his problem

Roberto and Carl had some baggage and the sox got them in '03 and '04. Albeit both were older and "over" their youthful transgressions. :rolly But the sox shouldn't overlook Bradley. They have a two yr window with the strong SP, Frank, Shingo, Marte and Lee around, and should make a play for the playoffs. The key players are all vets. After those two yrs, the sox will prob. build around Anderson, Sweeney, Fields and younger guys where a guy like Bradley wouldn't be the best guy to have in a clubhouse. The key is, I still don't see how the sox will get the talent to compete w/ Minn and Cle, without giving up Lee via trade as well as PK, and Garland. [even if the Sox signed vets like Dye, Nomar and Blanco, I see a 2nd place finish] They could make a play for Nomar on a 1 yr deal. Yet the sox need some surprises in young guys, like Crede and Harris breaking out. Crede may become "Joe Randa lite", and I know how you feel about Willie. About the only surprises could be negative ones, with Uribe and Rowand falling back to earth. Bradley might not be the guy. But, IMO, the Sox season rests on getting a leadoff or #2 hitter with the ability to hit .300 in his sleep and get on base.

Is Bradley the long term answer for the Sox, where he could play for them the next 10 years? No. Could he be "defused" until Anderson and Sweeney are ready, by the end of 2006, and help the Sox win with his top of the order bat and defense, without disrupting team chemistry? Probably with the vets the Sox have now and next yr. And I'm sure there will be plenty of other guys we can agree on Rex. I'll be looking for some

But the teams that would want JV, contenders, wouldn't have pitching to burn. Ariz, has so many holes, if they could fill a big one [1B] that should be good enough. Right now JV is a one yr rental. He can be a FA after 2005.

Not me. Guillen's issues were related to his being a baseball palyer. Bradley's issue are personal. The personal issues are easier to overlok and solve than the baseball ones

Ariz. will be saving cash on RJ [$16 mill] and w/ Sexton. They could and should sign a FA SP to a 3 yr deal. Seeing how you've talked about them wanting and needing to brings fans to the park, they can't fill the roster w/ scrubs. They'll spend some cash and should go the FA route Pk and a midlevel prospect [in the 11-20 range of BA] would likely do it. With Vazquez' escape clause, they can't get much for him. Who will trade SP for a guy who could leave after one yr [most likely only a playoff contender with a few spare parts]. With the D-backs hole at 1B, Vazquez plus some cash for PK + would be very doable and generous for the sox.

Except Guillen came w/ far more baggage and question marks

Very true. the only way Vazquez would be a decent pickup is with the Yanks paying a lot of his salary. Ariz. wouldn't pick up much if any. It's hard to see Ariz. giving away $6, 8 mill they get w/ Vazquez to deal him. Though few teams will risk trading for him with his after the 2005 season escape clause. So maybe its not that impossible to get Vazquez and some cash from Ariz, with a PK trade where he signs an extension before the trade is finalized.

Well, it looks like Bradley could be very available. And for less than Garland. Seems he's gotten into a bit more trouble. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...1833EST0378.DTL I'd still deal for him. With his talent, hothead or not, the sox would be helped more than hurt. The sox clubhouse isn't filled with a bunch of impressionable rookies. They could handle and help Bradley.