beck72

Looks like its Viciedo to replace Nix. Nix has been DFA.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Jun 17, 2010 -> 05:19 PM) I think he's more pissed off this thread was started. I would much rather have the younger Nix and like another poster said.. that ain't saying much at all. Forget the younger Nix, do you want the present day Nix, that's been just as bad in 09 and 08, being trotted out there everyday? Not that Iwamura would be a savior, not at all. But he couldn't be worse than Nix. Even an injured Iwamura seems better than a healthy Nix.

QUOTE (scotty22hotty @ Jun 17, 2010 -> 05:02 PM) 31 years old, slower/weaker due to knee injury, -1.1 WAR, bad fielder at 2b, hasnt played 3b in 2+ years, cant hit NL pitching where do I sign up? Nix is the better overall player and thats not saying much... I'd rather he be able to hit AL pitching.[which Iwamura has shown he's been able to do for 3 yrs] If healthy, and if he was as cheap as Nix would be if Pitt. kicked in salary, Iwamura would be a better player and a better fit for the sox than Nix.

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Jun 17, 2010 -> 03:56 PM) His .192 average makes me cringe. However, I wouldn't mind getting him for cheap, send him down to triple-a for consistent playing time to see if he can fix his swing. About the only additions the sox could make are with guys who are struggling yet have had a proven track record. Iwamura has a decent track record with a .281 avg and .350+ obp the last 3 years prior to 2010.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jun 17, 2010 -> 03:16 PM) I think any replacement for Nix should come from within our own farm system. If we see continued development of someone like Morel than maybe Teahan becomes expendable next season? I wish we had kept Juan Uribe. Anyway that didn't happen and rather than sign someone elses castoffs let us look internally for replacements I was just thinking someone to play everyday until Teahen was ready. The sox don't have someone from within for that UTL spot and to fill in for Teahen. Why bat with a NL lineup everyday Nix is out there? The sox can't afford to be batting 8 guys and putting a liability out there at 3b with Nix. Omar is good for 2 days a week, yet the other 5 are wasted.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jun 17, 2010 -> 01:29 PM) I would just worry that the knee surgery has affected his swing somehow and thats why hes been so worthless this season. That would be my concern as well. Yet the sox doctors should be able to determine if he's healthy enough.

Akinori Iwamura has been designated for assignment by the Pirates. As bad as he's been this year, Iwamura had been solid for the Rays his last 3 yrs, playing both 3b and 2b. http://espn.go.com/mlb/players/splits?play...p;type=batting3 . With Teahen out, Iwamura would look a lot better than Nix out there. And if he gets back to his pre-2010 hitting, could give the sox an alternative at leadoff to Pierre. He could play 2b and give Gordon a day off or two as well. Olney reports that the Pirates will be willing to eat a lot of his salary--[which at $4 + mill. a yr, he's still owed a bit]. http://twitter.com/Buster_ESPN/statuses/16339749330 Trade them Nix or release him and be done. He's a UTL IFer who can only play 2b and has shown he can't hit major league pitching.

I say Rios, Danks and Mark

If the sox were to add some pieces going forward, I would look to go with guys who are under-performing now but have upside. The price in terms of talent would be less, as the sox shouldn't be subtracting keys parts of the future for a short term fix. One such young guy would be Cameron Maybin. Not to say he's available. I'd also look at someone in the mold of Alex Rios last year. Someone who has a good track record, is playing poorly, but may be getting expensive to keep. Yet with Konerko coming off the books, the player's salary could be added for the rest of this year and the next.

Konerko

Andruw Jones

Beckham

Teahen

Rios

Teahen

Konerko

Beckham

Quentin

Juan Pierre

Rios

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Apr 6, 2010 -> 09:55 PM) What does that even mean? Kotsay is pressure proof and Teahan needs to be handled with gloves? It means that Kotsay is a vet that can be moved around, and the Sox probably want Teahen to have some success before they put him in an RBI spot like #5.

IMO, Kotsay is hitting 5th in the short term. Teahen is likely going to hit there very soon, and he seems best suited for it after Konerko. Esp. if he hits like most think he will in the Cell and hit like he did in '06 and '07 vs RHP with his .896 OPS and .800. But why put extra pressure on Teahen now?

Peavy's intensity seems like a good fit on the sox. He not only leads by example but can fire up others. The sox have had low key, nice guy leaders--Burls, PK, Dye, Thome. Peavy seems like another though with more fire, confidence and attitude. Hopefully his intensity will be contagious.

Teahen doesn't scare me. It is spring. Yet I wouldn't have signed him to the extension, though. Of course, if Teahen turns it up a notch offensively, his contract could be a bargain. He may be meh, but I don't think he's going to be Swisher bad. I'm not worried about Rios. His track record of being good is longer than his sub par 2009. Even if he doesn't get back to his .850 OPS days [though he did steal 32 bases and hit 70 XBH with his .798 OPS in 2008, so it's not like he was terrible without posting a .850 + OPS], his value lays in his above avg. defense, and his ability to get 70 extra base hits. While he may not be worth his salary, the sox lineup was in dire need of his type of talent. It's like overpaying via free agency. The sox probably overpaid to claim him. Yet what was available on the free agent market [Figgins, Bay, Holliday, etc] wasn't worth it either. No matter how you look at it, the Sox had to make changes to their lineup from being a station to station, aging, streaky, power hitting team, one that could not come back from a deficit, and was below average defensively. The sox want to have a lineup that is more consistent, and can play above average defense. The jury is out on guys like Rios and Teahen and whether this offense can score and prevent enough runs to help a solid pitching staff win the Central. But the lineup took a step forward with the additions and the subtractions, IMO, with Pierre, Teahen and Rios, esp. if Carlos plays close to what he did in 2008, Alexei improves on his 2008 like he was "supposed" to, and Beckham keeps improving. That's a lot of "ifs", I know. Yet with a potentially stellar pitching staff--that is being paid very well--the sox have to rely on some players on offense outperforming their projections. Overall, I like the looks of the 2010 Sox roster better than the 2009 one. They have room to improve, certainly. The 2009 lineup though was surely one on the decline, while the 2010 lineup has upside. In the Central, that may be enough, coupled with a healthy pitching staff.

QUOTE (Disco72 @ Mar 15, 2010 -> 06:40 PM) So, given that the Sox have a pitching heavy team with an offense that most feel won't be able to rally from a large deficit, wouldn't you rather have the guy that helps you win the (likely more numerable) close games than the handful of blowouts that the Sox have a small shot at coming back to win? I don't think it's an "either", "or" situation. The Sox need a bullpen arm who can go multiple innings, given the make up of the current group of vets. That helps the rest of the bullpen by not having them used up. Yet the Sox should also go with the best pitcher. That is why you are seeing guys get stretched out like Aquino, Torres, and Santos. Also, I think the Sox are trying to get a lineup that will more likely come back from deficits-similar to what the Twins offense has done in the past. The Twins have had bullpens that have held teams close while the offense can cut into leads.