beck72

The Sox could only get Renteria if they moved additional salary other than PK and Garland [like Lee, Everett or contreras] and sign someone cheaper to fill those spots. Not likely. Lee has value, Carl little to none [though I think he'll be decent in '05]. Contreras will be the Sox pitching project

True. The recent signings show that teams will overpay to get who they want. I don't see the Sox doing that. Others will. But I haven't heard of many offers for the vast majority of SP's out there only the Pedro's and Pavano's]--esp. the #3's the sox might be looking at

The first move of the offseason. Before the 12-7 deadline, Kendall for Jon

Here's how I see things working out: 1] Garland is traded before the Dec. 7th arb deadline [prob to Pitt for Kendall and cash, w/ Kendall making $6 mill ayr] payroll now around $65 mill 2] Pk could be traded before Dec 7th, for a solid arm for the bullpen and prospects [payroll down to $55 mill] 3] sox sign a #3 SP after 12-7 for $6, 7 mill [payroll at $62 mill] after this, who knows what will pan out. Probably depends on who is still available via free agency, etc. *4 A] sox sign a FA RFer like Dye or Hidalgo for $5, 6 mill [payroll under or near $70 mill] Ideally, an OFer who could play 1B as well, to hit vs LHP would be nice protection for Gload here. But names escape me]; could get a veteran for the 5th SP spot for $1-2 mill, as well *4 B] A long shot would be signing Renteria at $9 mill a yr instead of an OFer--making payroll just over $70 mill [then bring in scrap heap SP's like the Sox did w/ Loaiza in 2003] *sox bring two scrap heap pitchers to compete for the 5th SP spot

It makes sense that teams will wait until after the arb. deadline so they won't have to give up draft picks. If the sox are interested in a guy, chances are they make an offer until the guy has at least one on the table [don't want to get burned like Vizquel w/ a team swooping in]. Until we hear some #3's [like Lieber, Clement, Perez] getting offers, my guess is the sox name won't be mentioned at all in media reports. If their name is talked about after a guy gets a public offer, that would mean they're serious.

I see Garland being traded soon. Just not in any deal for RJ

Going after a #1 SP seemed to be the Sox 1st choice. Yet that sounds less likely. Getting a #3 [Clement or the 2 you mentioned] would still help the Sox. That leaves more money to fill other holes. I look for something sooner rather than later With the garland signing, I look for him to be dealt soon. No way would he have gotten a $1.1 mill raise in ARB. If they were looking to keep him they would have let it go to ARB. It must be better for trades to get him signed

Scott Gregor of the Daily Herald said that the most likely KW move would be signing a FA SP, w/ Matt Clement being the "prime candidate". I don't know if I buy it. Yet w/ clement being around Chi. the last few yrs, Gregor might have heard some whispers. [And if clement likes Chi. why move to another city when you can stay for 3, 4 more yrs?] Signing Clement is more likely then trading for RJ, or one of the big 3 [which would cost a lot of talent, not much cash], esp as the sox need to fill their other holes. They would have money left over to trade for a Kendall, and possibly another guy for the IF [prob not Renteria though he may come under $10 mill a yr] http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/sports_s...?intID=38311103

Blaming 7, 8 managers for mishandling a guy like Jose Guillen sounds like a reach. I bet Jose was one headache Ozzie didn't want though.

Koskie's agent is expecting an offer from Sea. very soon. Didn't mention an amount though. Interesting that Koskie has interest in 3 or 4 teams, with Sea being one of them. Toronto probably the other. Would the Sox and Det. be the two others? http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mari...170_mari19.html A MN paper said the Twins may have upped their offer, from $7 mill over 2 yrs to $7.75 mill. Big jump. Won't be enough if Sea. offers $5 mill / yr though. I'll be interested to see what the numbers Sea is offering.

Not targetting a head case, who was his teams #2 power hitter, but still was kicked off his team in the final month which was fighting to make the playoffs?! It would have been a mistake TO target him, regardless of his talent. BTW, how many teams has Jose Guillen been on, 7,8? Are all these teams wrong, or are the teams that go after him the ones that are wrong?

Ozzie doesn't have confidence in Willie because Willie didn't show a lot of confidence on the field for a good portion of the yr. Sure he talks. But most of the year he was tentative [this showed esp. on the basepaths]. When he was hitting over .300 the first half of the yr, he had a nice approach at the plate--working counts, fouling off good pitches, short stroke. When he went sour, Willie got impatient, looked like he was guessing up there. If Willie was so horrible, the Sox would get a vet like Polanco. Ozzie has made comments about Willie, sure. Yet Willie seems the type who can take it. Crede OTOH, isn't the type who can take "public criticism" [ie, publicly challenging him to get the most out of his abilities] Does it show lack of faith in the players? Or is it speaking the truth and trying to spur on the player, telling them what they need to work on? Personally, as I look back and recall what Ozzie has said in the media, I see Ozzie having less faith in Crede than Willie. Ozzie has made comments saying Joe takes the game too seriously, that he doesn't have fun out there, that maybe people have expected too much out of him, hinting that Joe may never be the .300 hitter he was cracked up to be. I do see a problem with 3 young guys in the IF, that the manager cannot truly rely on going into the next season. If I were part of the Sox brain trust, I'd replace the biggest question mark with a solid vet who they could count on. In this case, I think its Crede.

For what the Sox need [sB's, OBP, avg]? Yes I'm of the opinion Harris is the project of the Sox for 2005. Tim Raines isn't coming aboard for nothing. [and has long ties w/ Harris, as Jr. Raines and Willie are best buds--per the MLB article]

Exactly. That's why trading the guy with the least amont of upside, Crede, and replacing him with a very solid vet, makes me less nauseous

I wouldn't get into a bidding war with other teams. But anything more than $5 mill a yr seems too steep

Right now, Willie vs RHP and Rowand vs LHP look like the leadoff combo. Getting Koskie would solve a few question marks, with OBP, a vet for the IF, and doesnt stop the Sox from getting a leadoff guy or SP. In fact it helps as it give the sox more guys to trade for other needs. Would Pitt take Crede + for Kendall and cash instead of Garland? Could be

I did read that Radke only wanted a 2 yr deal [why I'm not sure]. He seems the safer bet to offer a "hometown" discount. With Koskie wanting more yrs and prob more cash than Minn is offering [though he said the offer was "encouraging"], it's hard to see how Minn can top at least a 3 yr, $15 mill deal for Koskie.

It's harder to get a SP and a leadoff hitter w/ only PK and Garland as trade bait. Add Crede to the mix, and the sox have more flexibility and more options. I agree getting a leadoff hitter [like Kendall] is priority #1. But say the sox trade Jon for Kendall and cash [as has been rumored]. The Sox then only have 3 SP's. Say the sox don't sign a FA [took too much time, no one wants to come etc] and trading PK won't net a strong SP. The sox are left with trying to dust the scrap heap. I just believe the Sox need to put some other guys on the block besides Jon and PK in order to fill their holes in the rotation and lineup. A question mark like Crede [who I still think will turn it around] shouldn't be discounted if a replacement could be had for Vizquel type dollars

Minn's first priority is re-signing Radke. He's likely to cost a lot more than MN thinks. The Twins have options at 3B at least, with Cuddyer, etc. I also have heard [through various articles] that Minn's payroll will stay the same low number. If there are only "X" amount of dollars, they'll likely go to Radke. Minn could very well up their offer and top the Sox'. Good for them. the sox shouldn't nreak the bank for Koskie. Life goes on. But that means they drive up the price to retain him. I'm saying $3.5 mill for Koskie is cheap. And the Sox could add another yr [no 4 yrs] at up to $5 mill per and it would still be a reasonable deal [if you compare that to Kris Benson close to signing a 3 yr $23 mill deal :puke ]

November 18 St. Paul Pioneer Press columnist Charley Walters (Scroll Down) (registration required): "The Twins have offered free-agent third baseman Corey Koskie, who was paid $4.5 million last season, a $7 million, two-year contract." ------------------------------------------------------------

Here's the part where he hadn't received an offer yet. Another article mentioned what the offer was------------------------------------------------ Thu, Nov. 18, 2004 Twins, Koskie negotiate BY GORDON WITTENMYER Pioneer Press Even before they lost shortstop Cristian Guzman to the Washington franchise Tuesday, the Twins took the first step in an effort to prevent losing the entire left side of their infield, opening negotiations with free-agent third baseman Corey Koskie. The Twins made what Koskie said he hopes is a starting-point offer early in the week. He wouldn't reveal details of the offer, but it is believed to be a multiyear deal. He made $4.5 million in 2004, the final year of a four-year, $10.5 million package. "It's pretty encouraging," Koskie said. "We'll just have to wait and see how it all pans out." Koskie said he hasn't received offers from any other teams, although several expressed interest last week when the free-agent period opened. Seattle and Toronto are expected to be two of his strongest pursuers, and he confirmed that Detroit has contacted his agent. The relocating Montreal Expos also tried to get Koskie, along with Guzman, before signing the more affordable Vinny Castilla (two years, $6.2 million) Tuesday. Washington general manager Jim Bowden said Koskie wanted more money and more years. Koskie, a .280 lifetime hitter and one of the better-fielding third basemen in the American League, said he views an acceptable offer less in terms of market value than "fair" value. "I've got a number in my head, and I figure it's a fair number, so we'll just have to wait and see," he said.

Koskie told the local MN paper that only MN's offer was on the table. I think it was the Pioneer Press but I'll include the Link. He also said he wanted "fair value". Sounded like he didn't think MN's offer was fair.

With Koskie signed, Crede could be traded for an additional piece, say a bullpen arm. Would a team like TB trade Danys Baez [a good player who is making too much money for their team] for Crede and minor leaguers or cheap players? Probably. There are a lot of teams "stuck" with veterans while a younger guy could do the job. The guy is valuable, but salary relief is also valuable for the team. Yet Crede has the "breakout" potential low payroll teams need to get out of players if they are to have a decent season. TB is one for instance. Milw could be another.

Right now, only Minn's offer is on the table, per Koskie in todays Pioneer Press [?]. The sox could come w/ a 3yr deal that Minn can't beat. Then the other teams have to s*** or get off the pot. At worst, an offer pushes him away from Minn.

Thanks. Now let's get KW to get on board