beck72

Adding 2 FA's and getting a player via trade [maybe not Damon but another starter is likely] isn't exactly dreaming. It's possible. Vizquel is very likely to come to the Sox if his option isn't picked up [can sign a 2 yr deal for a contender, stays within his division, etc]. The Sox could give Koskie more money than most teams will offer as they've seen what he can do within the division.

Given that, who are they, in no particular order--Frank, Rowand, Lee and Konerko. Keep one of Pk and Lee to go with Aaron and Frank then you re-evaluate. My take on Lee and Pk are they are very similar hitters [RH, power, streaky] and fielders [solid, not gold glovers]. Trading one to fill other holes [in pitching, hitting, young AA or AAA prospects] makes sense. I'm all for getting guys like Koskie and Vizquel. But if the Sox keep the $8 mill salary of Lee or PK then they probably can't get a top notch SP and bullpen help. Also, if the Sox hitting woes are solved by letting Jose and Maggs go, are we to believe these two guys were to blame for everything? [i don't count Crede because he's been with the Sox for 2 years in a supporting role, rather than the "core"] I don't think so. IMO, one of the other two guys should be part of the purging and re-tooling.

It's doable. What I'd add to that is Vizquel at SS. That would make a lineup a little different: CF Damon SS Vizquel DH Frank LF Lee RF Rowand 3B Koskie 2b Uribe [Harris at #9 vs RHP] 1B Gload c Davis

I think two guys who would fit the bill would be FA's Tony Clark and Travis Lee [Lee might be more expensive]. Lee might be a LH hitter though. But a LH who can hit both RHP and LHP decently would be OK, seeing how RH the sox bats are.

Very good point about the Twins. Trading away players doesn't mean a team is giving up or packing it in.

Atl could very well could deal Furcal. Getting his 2nd DUI in 2 years says something, and drops his price. I don't think it will sit well w/ Bobby Cox. Maybe Ozzie and Co. could get the kid to settle down. I think they have a SS [don't they always] not far off from the bigs

The point is the Sox will have power from guys other than just the 3, 4 + 5 hitters.

If PK were traded [i'm more in the trade Carlos lee camp myself] the 3, 4 + 5 hitters would probably be Lee, Frank and Everett [or a RF replacement] [if Lee is traded, Frank would prob. hit 3, Everett 4, PK, 5. Rowand's approaching 20 HR's which is highly unusual for a CFer. Uribe has more power than a typical 2Bman as well. Crede is going on 20 as well. The Sox will still have power, even if Lee or PK are traded.

The Sox do have too many leadoff hitters who can hit .300, hit LH and steal bases.

Statistics alone don't tell the whole story. I'm talking about which player has a plan up there, and which one is swinging away. To say Lee's a "thinking man" is like saying the Mona Lisa was hot. Lee is a talent. He's much improved defensively. But IMO, Lee's not the type of all around guy a playoff team can build around, ala Rolen, Pujols, Derek Jeter, etc.

Solo HR's come from people in front of him not getting on base. Pk is a better situational and thinking hitter than Lee. [it might not be saying much, but I compared the two players] He's cut down on his DP's this year. He's learned to hit to the opposite field this year as well [Walker talked about this fact a few weeks back].

Seattle would have to interested in PK. Bucky Jacobsen is like 28 and looks like a DH. I don't know if they'll have Spezio at 3b or 1B.

Most people would love to have a Doug Mientzkiwitz or a JT Snow type player on the Sox. Gload could be that type of player- a hard nosed grinder with solid baseball instincts, plays above average defense [the games I've seen him at 1B he's been stellar there], a lh bat who makes contact, runs well, hits LH and RHP well. He's done everything asked of him this year, without any complaint, braincramps, or lack of intensity. Kind of like Rowand in years past. And we know how that's turned out when the sox gave him a chance.

I meant that one of the two should be gone. the Sox would have to drastically restructure the team if they traded both, which I don't think they're going to do, esp as Maggs won't be back. They'd have to have all the right pieces fall into place, via trade, FA signings to fill the holes left by the trades of Lee and PK. I'm not against trading both. Yet realistically it probably won't happen.

With Rowand's power numbers [over .500 slg] I wouldn't be surprised if the Sox found a good CFer that Aaron could move to LF or Rf

It wouldn't matter who is agent is if he's traded with 1 yr left on his contract

Regardless of numbers [which don't tell the whole story] IMO, PK is a smarter hitter/ baseball player than Lee. Lee is more talented, sure, and could get the Sox better players via a trade. But which guy would you want hitting in a big game, against a tough pitcher? Which guy is more likely to chase a pitch out of the zone? Which player is more likely to watch fights in the stands while the team is losing instead of concentrating on the game and taking a loss to heart? Don't get me wrong, both are good players. Yet I don't think both will be back. And the guy who may be less talented but has better intangibles may stick around

Pedro will get more money than he's worth, at least $12+ mill a yr [He's lost some of his heat, and health has always been an issue] If the sox could get an Odalis Perez or Matt Clement at $8 mill a yr, guys with a proven record of staying healthy and pitching well, they could use the rest to shore up the bullpen or other holes. Teams like Ana and NYY will go for Pedro, who can throw all the money in the world around. The sox can't and shouldn't.

Everett's work ethic in the past has never been questioned. I think his leg injury prevented him from running, and kept him out of shape. If he does get healthy, he could very well be in Lf or RF next yr. If he could play CF in 2003 [albeit not very well] he should be able to handle a corner spot. CArl will be around in 2005. But he has to prove he can play in 2006 for his next contract. My guess is he'll come to spring in shape, and rebound from this bad year. Whether he stays healthy who knows. But he's a guy who takes pride in playing, and playing well.

Either Lee or PK should be gone, IMO, both to re-tool the Sox [via adding younger and different type players] and to give them payroll flexibility. PK is a hitter. Lee is a slugger. The sox have had far too many sluggers. PK has made adjustments hitting to all fields this year working w/ Walker and has become a much more dangerous hitter. Lee can be pitched around by good pitchers [look at how many time he swings at inside pitches that he can't possibly put in play, thereby getting Lee in disadvantageous counts] and has feasted off of mistakes by medicore pitchers. PK will do the little things necessary to help the team win. Lee as more trade value and the Sox have more options to add a LF than they have options at 1B.

I'd like a younger option at SS, such as Cabrera if at all possible. I've advocated Vizquel for the short term, [1, 2 yrs] as it's more likely that some team will offer Cabrera more than he's worth [$8+ mill] for a long term deal. Cabrera's speed, defense and contact to all fields [and power potential], does make him a nice SS. Though his hitting RH [along with Uribe, Valdez and Crede] would make the Sox need a few LH bats somewhere. I don't know how much Cabrera's hit in leadoff, if at all. He could be an option yet he doesn't walk much. But Rowand should be up in the lineup, anywhere from #2-6.

If he loses weight and is healthy, I could see Everett playing Lf or RF in 2005. [Esp seeing how the Sox have him for 2005-is he going to decline $4 mill?!] With Aaron set for CF, if one of the other corners OFers has speed and range, a healthy everett wouldn't be too horrible. I could see Frank batting 3rd, Carl 4th and PK 5th. Lee won't be around

*Odalis Perez hasn't had the best relationship with LA. So it's likely he'll take a similar money offer from another team as long he likes where he's headed. Ozzie and Co. with the latin influence may have a leg up if the Sox decide to go hard after him. They should. *The Cubs will need to get a SS, and still pay for alou and Sosa. Clement probably won't get an offer from the Cubs that he'll like. $7, 8 mill is likely for him. *Guzman has an $5+ million option for 2005. It's more likely the Twins will re-sign him even at that steep price. 2B is up in the air with Luis Rivas, who the Twins aren't sold on and may try Punto there. 3B will be unsettled as well, with Koskie probably able to get a much better offer than the Twins will be willing to ante up. This would make an offer from the Sox look pretty good. Not a lot of teams will go out on a limb for Koskie. But the Sox have played the Twins so much and seen him play very well against them, that they might be more willing to take a "risK" on him than other teams. Esp as a lot of 3Bmen seem to be available *If Cabrera could be had for $5 mill a yr [for 3 yr deal], he could be a decent option at SS. He seems like an Ozzie type SS, though this was a down yr. It probably depends on how the Red sox do in the playoffs and how Cabrera performs if they go after him or not.

For all the talk of Koskie being a "health risk" [he's been injured, yes] he hasn't missed many games. 2000- 140 games; 2001--153 games; 2002--140 games; 2003--131 games. Shows me he's a grinder, who can play hurt, and has always come up big vs the sox. With Uribe around, Koskie can take time off vs LHP. Koskie wouldn't single handedly remake the Sox. But his career avg's of .280/ .374/ .461 would make the sox better than Crede's .256/ .303/ .430. Koskie could get on base far better than Crede or Valentin, even w/ his K's, and has for years.

Maybe, 'cause it'll show Ozzie and KW have both lost their minds.