beck72

The Mets won't be trading Glavine. They'll be buyers not sellers come July. The East is wide open and they'll hang around long enough to keep him. I'm going by who is available now, and who is likely to be available.

There's risk/ reward involved in acquiring any pitcher. I think Garcia provides the Sox with the lowest risk/ highest reward of the names being bandied about. Esp. as his 2004 numbers [bAA, OBP, OPS, Hr's allowed] fall in line with his 2001 and before numbers. I'm also realistic knowing Sox mgmt won't acquire the big contracts of old pitchers [Johnson, Leiter, Glavine-they're liable to get injured and the Sox would get stuck with a huge contract]. The Sox would be better off getting a 1 year guy to win games, with the choice to resign the guy or not. In addition, Garcia would seem to be a good fit with the Sox--salary wise, clubhouse wise, age wise, culture wise etc. Guillen knows him, his work ethic, health, etc. If Ozzie believes in the guy and tells KW he's a good guy to go after, that's good enough for me. If Garcia winds up on the south side, then we'll all know the answer. The health, personal side of a player [too emotional, could be hurt] is mostly speculation. Without hard and fast information, I'm leery of those reports. Few true #1's or #2's are out there ready for trade now. [Plenty of #5's though] And very few will be available nearer the trade deadline.

I think you answered your own question.

I agree. Ozzie has done a good job keeping his bench productive. Keep riding the guy until he fizzles, while still getting others in enough games to stay semi-sharp when needed. Rowand, more than most guys, should be decent in a platoon role. His past numbers inidicate as much.

With most contending teams, they won't trade any of their top pitchers [1-3]. Even by the deadline, most teams will still be in contention. So right off you can forget about anyone from Ana, Oak, NYY, Bos, Balt, Tex [prob]. and Minn. Most other non-contending teams only have one or two decent starters and will be reluctant to trade them away. [Roy Holliday, Sabathia I'm reluctant to trade for a NL SP because of the adjustments they have to make. I don't want a SP having to think too much during aug. and Sept. I want them to just throw and get outs. [unless its a top veteran. But then they come with their own baggage-like Johnson and his $34 mill contract, no-trade clauses, etc]

By your logic, the sox should also forget about acquiring CC Sabathia, Zito, Vazquez, Moyer, Radke, Moyer and Lilly, because they all have higher FB/ GB ratios than Garcia, throughout their careers and this year. And Sidney Ponson would be a much better acquisition, due to his 1.73 ratio. Garcia is not an extreme FB pitcher. For his career his is 1.22. Even if he were a FB pitcher, the stats don;t tell the whole story. Is he getting pop ups or warning track outs? Looking at 8 starts doesn't tell the whole story. If he were, and LH, then he might struggle, as USCF is particularly friendly to RH power hitters. The Sox need a pitcher who can get strikeouts, go deep into games, has playoff experience, and can keep the Sox in games. The Sox need a solid pitcher who can hit his spots, keep the ball in the park, and shut down an opponent when he's on. Garcia can probably do that, regardless of how he gets his outs. Propaganda? Don't think so. Just tossing out names of players who could be and are available. Do you have other realistic names that would be better suited for the Sox? And Derek Lowe doesn't qualify.

I'd say Rauch or Munoz. Whoever would better matchup against Ana[?]. Cotts should be kept in the bullpen. It's not fair to Neal to put him out there when he's not stretched out, or fully prepared to be a SP from the get go.

I think those numbers are just for this year. I believe his road record is pretty decent over the course of his career. And he's done well vs. the Yanks Garcia's FB/ GB ratio isn't all that bad. He gets more GB's overall. He'd be fine for USCF, as a RHP. A LHP, who gave up a lot of FB [like Jarod Washburn] might struggle more than a guy like Garcia.

Garcia is having a year just like his stellar 2001. The personal innuendo aside, Garcia is the best, most logical and practical pitcher the Sox could expect to get. [At least anytime before late July]. Look at some of the numbers. Garcia not giving up the long ball is a sure sign he has his good "stuff". http://www.whitesoxcentral.com/becker002.php

Sea. could trade for Garcia for Carlos without giving up the season. The M's need offense. They could move Ibanez to 1B and sit Olerud. Olerud, Winn and Aurilia are the biggest disappointments. Lee could DH as well next season if Edgar doesn't come back. [Probably not] If Seattle gets swept by Det. at home, [sea's up 2-1 in the 7th] I'd look for a trade Monday morning.

Valentin and PK are valuable. They shouldn't be moved unless a great offer is put on the table. As none will probably be in the offing, sticking with these guys makes sense. One thing about Valentin though. Having him at SS may hinder both Uribe's and Harris' development. Ozzie has a tought task ahead to give these guys and Crede the necessary playing time. While it makes sense to make a decision next year, with Uribe being the full time SS, having all these guys this year will help in case someone gets hurt [Having Harris go down probably shot down any spec. about trading Jose]

I agree, Lee is expendable. He has a lot of talent but doesn't have baseball smarts. He was almost picked off 1st base for the umpteenth time yesterday, swung again at ball four whne the Sox needed baserunners, etc. He doesn't justify his next year salary of $9 mill. Trade now or the Sox will regret it next year. If Lee is traded, the Sox need Borchard as another OF option to go with Reed. Sweeney and Anderson are a few years away. The Sox brass should go with Reed as the Sox need on base guys not another slugger.

Until the Sox get a better option in CF, a Timo/ Rowand platoon should work out. I'd expect Rowand to be traded if a new CF comes in, though. He has some value, as a 4th Ofer or a team that thinks Aaron got a raw deal and can hit better for them. Not out of the question. Crede is the Sox third baseman. But Uribe should see some time there, as well as at SS and 2B, until he stops hitting. Crede will hit [like he always has], and Uribe will cool off [like he always has]. It's just a matter of time. Sitting Crede for an extended period will hurt him, both in the short term and long term. The Sox need Crede this year and for the future. There are no other 3rd basemen near ready for the bigs. The Sox should sit Willie Harris for a while until he's completely healed. Though they don't want to cool off his bat. This might give Crede time to get his swing together.

Everett makes no sense. Unless Carlos is traded away and Carl can play LF. Please no Everett for CF. Isn't he also injured? Benson reminds me of the 2002 version of Jon Garland, too inconsistent to rely on to pitch a big game. Garcia would be worth trading for. His upside is much higher than most other SP's whose names are being talked about.

No AJ. The Sox have Olivo, who's making near the league minimum. The Sox couldn't get a SP and a CF, the two biggest needs now. Potential injuries also factor in if the Sox then have needs to fill. The sox don't and shouldn't pick up a long term contract. Whatever they do, it'll likely be for the short term, ie for the 2004 season.

The Sox don't need power. Though they could use Snow's LH bat, playoff experience at 1B, and on the bench. For the league minimum, it wouldn't be bad if Pk wasn't around. [i'm not talking about adding him now. But if someone needed to be added for a playoff run maybe] I like Gload. But it remains to be seen how well he does in pressure situations.

I think Ozzie is being patient w/ Crede and deservedly so. The Sox need Joe for the entire season. Sitting him down for a long spell could hurt him for the year. Ozzie putting Joe in vs guys he'll have success against is the best bet for now, and letting him work through his struggles. Give him a day or two off a week, so he can be fresh when he gets in. Crede's shown how dangerous he can be when he gets hot. Though Uribe might be able to fill in at 3B for a spell, the Sox need Joe's bat and glove for 2004 and beyond. Not many quality 3B out there as far as I can tell. Crede has shown the ability to go 0 for 3 and then hit a HR. Most guys look horrible and offer nothing when they're struggling. At least he's been able to get some HR's while he's been at his worst. His being "streaky" also wouldn't matter as much if Konerko, Lee, Maggs and Frank weren't streaky as well. Yet at the salary differential [particularly PK and Lee], I say let Crede be Crede. He'll bounce out of it.

JT Snow would be a decent pick up if he were released and PK was traded. [which could happen the way PK is swinging the bat]

The Sox are still a streaky power hitting team that will have trouble scoring runs against tough pitchers the Sox would see in the playoffs. They've been like this since 2000. Now's the time to deal some of the RH power guys when they have the most value [specifically, Carlos or PK] to balance the lineup for this year and the coming years.

Teams get draft picks based on the type of free agent they are classified, and those who are offered arbitration. [based on performance over the last couple of years] I believe Colon and Gordon were type "A" FA. The Sox got 2nd rd picks for Gordon. Minn. got 4 picks after the 1st round by losing Eddie and LaTroy. Loaiza might qualify. Yet Koch and Valentin won't be offered arbitration. That would mean they'd get a salary similar to the one they had in 2004 if the sox went to arbitration w/ them. No thanks. Schoeneweis has a team option for 2005, similar to what Loaiza had this year. The Sox could get him back for a bargain [around $3, 4 mill] if he continues like this all year.

If KC trades Beltran, to whomever, they are giving up the season. With their pitching the way it is [and not hitting as advertised w/ Berroa, Juan Gone and Santiago slumping] I'd say their season is toast soon anyway. Trading Beltran to the Sox will hurt them this year. No question. Yet it's only for 1 year, a season they have thrown in the towel. KC knows the Sox can't afford to keep both Maggs and Beltran in 2005. If the sox sign Beltran, no Maggs. Sign Maggs, no Beltran. The 2005 Sox won't be a juggernaut that KC made by trading Beltran. Beltran likely won't be in the division. It's the Sox who stand to get bitten by the trade within the division not KC. Trading Beltran is to improve KC for the future. Where they can get the best deal is who they'll trade with. The Sox should match up very well with what KC's asking price is. KC needs pitching and OF help. With Borchard now coming on, you can add his name into the mix for trades or as part of the Sox future. With Cotts a probable part of the Sox SP plans for 2005, another pitching prospect is expendable. For those who hate the rent-a-player: Don't forget. Letting Beltran go but offering him arbitration will yield two supplement picks. The Sox picked up 4 early draft picks with Colon and Gordon leaving via free agency. I think KW likes a decent rent a player who can yield picks. With Beltran making $9 mill. this year and looking to make $15mill, per, he'll decline arbitration. So the rent a year guys to avoid would be those who would probably accept it and would be making more than they were worth.

If new homes could be found for PK + Jose, or Jose+ Lee, or Lee + PK, it would be very possible salary wise to get this done. It's just a matter of trading basically 2 prospects for Beltran [-4 prospects, gain +2 draft picks as compensation for offering him arbitration and not resigning him= net loss of 2 players] I'd keep Reed, Sweeney and Honel. But something could get done here. KC knows we probably won't resign Beltran. So trading within the division wouldn't be an issue w/ them once they decide their season is over. Only the Sox who might not want to get hurt by their own guys. The Sox could offer them one of the best deals [sP and OF help]

KC knows that Beltran probably won't be in a Sox uniform in 2005. They know the Sox can only afford Maggs or Beltran, not both. The Sox are the ones who don't want to have their draft picks come back and hurt them in the future. Getting Beltran won't cost that much, in terms of talent or salary. Esp. if our high priced RH hitters are traded to make room.

The Sox can't keep a .350 hitter on the bench and keep their best 2B in CF. Crede, Uribe and Harris are the infield of the future and the present. No matter if Crede hits .200. He'll turn it around. Uribe's defense has always been "playoff ready". His offense has picked up. Will it stick around .300? Maybe not. But it should be better than what Jose has done in recent years. Anything more than .250 and he's fine. Beltran doesn't have to resign to make a trade worth it. He could almost singlehandedly turn our RH hitting, slow, power crew into an offensive power house capable of beating the best pitchers in the game. The key is what changes are possible with him on the team. With his addition [KC should find the best offers from the Sox, most teams can't fill the needs the Royals have of OF and pitching--the cost might be one top guy like Brian Anderson or a Ryan Wing [keep Sweeney, Reed and Honel], plus the price won't be as high as most people think. Also, keep in mind the two high draft picks the Sox would get for letting Beltran go as a FA. They'd offer him arbitration and he'd refuse it. Two high picks to replace the four guys needed to get Beltran would be at a total cost of 2 prospects, who may or may not ever make the bigs], the Sox would cut loose 2 guys of Jose, Lee and Konerko. With 2 of these guys gone, you make room for a Gload, a Reed or acquire another LH hitter by the deadline, such as a Randy Winn, or an Olerud. With a trade of the Sox proven vets, the Sox could probably get a top of the line pitcher. Or at least prospects that could be used to replace the ones needed to acquire a top pitcher at the deadline. The cost savings from losing 2 of these guys [hopefully PK's 2005 salary] also could go towards signing Maggs and a top of the rotation starter for next year. With Beltran, trading guys like Jose, Lee or PK isn't trading one problem for another. Its putting the best team on the field possible now. And helping the team build for the future [by giving them payroll flexibility, and not depleting the farm system too much [don't forget, the Sox have 6 picks in the first 70 in this years draft by getting 1 year rentals Colon and Gordon--KW can show this works and has big benefits to the owners]. Beltran solves a lot of problems this year. Imagine him in the #2 spot. Imagine the pitches Harris will get, Maggs and Frank. You think having the speed of Harris and Beltran for the Sox won't make Ozzie's mouth water?! Ozzie only has a 2 year contract. I think he'd go right with Kenny W and roll the dice on half a year with Beltran. BTW-Beltran is also a Latino from Puerto Rico.

If Jose is traded--to Ana. or anywhere else--look for Carlos Beltran to be wearing a Sox uniform. The only way Jose is traded away is to replace his LH power with LH power. Sele or Ortiz + ____ is more likely for Jose. Don't count out Sea. as well for Jose. I believe Jose will be traded though. Its the only way to get Harris and Uribe playing their best positions. It's unfair to ask Harris to kill himself in CF when he's payed great at 2B. Last night's fly to CF where Willie hit the wall was painful to watch, in more ways than one. That also means another RH hitter with a big salary like Lee or Konerko would be gone as well. Beltran's power, speed and .300 avg would more than make up for the loss of two of the 3 guys.