caulfield12

•The Angels have checked into the condition of Carlos Delgado, who is making his way back from hip surgery and could return in six weeks, if all goes well. They're looking for a Kendry Morales replacement, of course. (this message was around June 5th, so that would put Delgado in the vicinity of the 15-20th of July on that timeframe) Delgado Aiming For July Return By Nick Collias [May 17, 2010 at 7:06am CST] Nearly three months after undergoing his second right hip labrum surgery in the last year, Carlos Delgado is finally off crutches and is eyeing a return to action in July, the free agent told Ruben A. Rodriguez at the Puerto Rican paper El Nuevo Dia (link and interview in Spanish). Delgado will travel to Colorado soon to get his doctor's approval before beginning a strengthening program, but insists he isn't "married" to his timeline and won't rush his recovery just to play this summer. Delgado's name has been bandied as a possible mid-season hired gun for a contender, but the 37-year-old first baseman sounds more humble in the interview, conceding he may find it difficult to convince any teams to sign him following reconstructive surgery and more than a year away from Major League pitching. He declined to mention any specific suitors and seems resigned to taking whatever work he can find, rather than waiting, Jermaine Dye-esque, for the right price or team. "I understand the technical side and I'm willing to deal with that," Delgado told Rodriguez. "It's not like I'll sign and be the cleanup hitter. To get a job you have to go through another process. People have to see me play." To that end, Delgado said he is open to the possibility of playing during the offseason in Puerto Rico, as he did last winter. Barring all other options, though, he acknowledged that he may have to simply "face reality," a theme which popped up in previous interviews with the Puerto Rican press even prior to his latest operation.

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Jul 7, 2010 -> 04:42 AM) I'd also say no to Berkman if he insists that option be picked up. For Oswalt, if the Sox could get Houston to pick up 4 mill, or so, I would have no problem with him making 12 mill from the Sox next year. This year seems to be shaping up as one of the worst trade markets i can remember. Players are either not available(Fielder), have too large a contract(Berkman), or have free agency looming(Dunn) and are just rentals. Plus, other than Fielder, none have really been playing at a high enough level to merit the asking price. We need those damn Padres to go on about a 15 game losing streak so AG becomes available. BJ Upton would have been one of those "buy low" deals that KW loves to make for talented players, but no way now...because he needs Hudson in the major league rotation. The only way to get Upton would be to trade Floyd/Santos....I don't think we can get away with packaging the likes of Flowers, Viciedo and Santos, although that's a possibility I suppose. Flowers, Viciedo and Santos undoubtedly wouldn't be enough to get Cliff Lee, either.

I think it's more likely we'd be looking at a pitcher like Shaun Marcum, Jeremy Guthrie, Dontrelle Willis...hitters like Garrett Atkins, Wigginton, Miguel Tejada, etc. Just don't see any way the White Sox can take on one of those contracts, let alone both. Berkman would be the much more likely, and logical, one of the two high-priced veterans. •Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link) hears that the White Sox aren't currently "heavily involved" in trade talk, but concedes that with Chicago, that could change at any moment •According to AOL Fanhouse's Price, the Astros are looking for teams interested in Roy Oswalt to take on Oswalt's entire salary and give up three major-league-ready players. There have been indications lately that the Astros would be willing to pay part of their ace's salary in order to get better prospects, so it's hard to believe the team will stick to the demands described by Price.

Berkman and Oswalt??? You just added another $33 million in salary for 2010 and 2011 when we couldn't even afford Damon at $7 million. Wow...wow...and wow. If Peavy going down has proven anything, it's the value of having young/affordable pitchers in the system available. Not only would we take on unsustainable budget numbers for 2011, it would cost us Danks or Floyd, Santos, Viciedo and Flowers. And there's simply no guarantee those guys would enjoy great success in the AL, adjusting on the fly to a new league isn't the easiest thing to do. Lance Berkman- 1B - Rest of Season Salary: $7.25M - Rest of Season Projection: .384 wOBA, 15.5 wRAA (~1.5 offensive WAR) - Contract Status: $15M club option for 2011, $2M buyout. - Notes: Berkman wants to be traded, but he has a no-trade clause and has stated that he won't accept a trade unless the receiving team picks up his option for 2011. Berkman will probably back off of those demands once he realizes no one wants to trade for him at that cost, but when you include his buyout for next year, that's close to a $10M cost for the White Sox to pick him up. ROY OSWALT Rest of Season Salary: $7.5M - Rest of Season Projection: 3.54 FIP, 117 IP - Contract Status: Owed $16M in 2011; $16M club option for 2012, $2 million buyout. - Notes: He's still a great pitcher, although his numbers have slipped slightly due to aging. The Astros should want to unload him if possible and get some prospects in return, but that contract knocks the Rays (White Sox) out of the bidding. Paying a pitcher $16M next season? No thank you.

Fister takes no-hitter into 7th, M's top Orioles Apr 20, 2010 Orioles OF Felix Pie will miss three months after doctors determined he has a torn left latissimus dorsi muscle. No surgery is required, just rest and rehab. (MSNBC -- Sports) That was April 20th, he came back on July 6th, so worst case scenario (an actual TEAR, and not strain/sprain) would be 2 or 2 1/2 months. Other pitchers/players with similar issues recently include Brad Penny, Kerry Wood and Gabe Kapler. Sept. 20th "Brett Myers boarded an airplane to South Florida last night, ready to rejoin the Phillies today and hoping to pitch by early next week. But a timetable set by the team was more conservative.An MRI in Philadelphia yesterday showed that Myers had suffered a Grade 1 strain of his right latissimus dorsi (back) muscle, a team spokesman said last night. The righthander is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Tuesday, and the Phillies hope - but did not guarantee - that he will return by the end of the regular season.Reached by telephone yesterday afternoon, Myers told The Inquirer that he was optimistic about appearing in a game early next week."I think I could be ready by the homestand,""

Any of the numerous muscles and tendons that contribute to the movement and coordinated stability of these joints can become strained in a shoulder injury. The main muscles associated with the shoulder include the trapezius, latissimus dorsi, pectoralis major, deltoid, rotator cuff (SITS muscles), serratus anterior, and the biceps and triceps muscles. Manual testing can often quickly identify which of these muscles are weakened and painful upon contraction after an injury. Shoulder Injury Mechanics While shoulder injuries can be quite individual and complex, several common patterns have been identified:4 ■an arm forced into external rotation and abduction (anterior dislocation and/or labrum tear); ■a blow to the anterior shoulder (can cause ligamentous tears resulting in dislocation); ■a fall onto top of shoulder (may cause a ligamentous tear resulting in AC joint separation); ■a fall on an outstretched arm (can result in AC separation, posterior dislocation, labrum or rotator cuff tear); ■sudden traction to the arm (momentary subluxation or brachial plexus traction injury); or ■sudden pain during activity or lifting (consider rupture of muscle/tendon or labrum tear). Rehabilitation of Shoulder Sprains Significant damage to one or more of the connective tissues of the shoulder can result in joint instability and chronic dislocations. Treatment of grade 3 or moderate-to-severe grade 2 sprains generally includes some external support (sling or taping) and restricted activities. Once the ligaments have undergone sufficient early repair, controlled passive motion can help to prevent the formation of adhesions (scarring in areas of movement). Resistance exercises are introduced to stimulate a stronger repair and to assist in remodeling. Isometric is progressed to isotonic forms of resistance, based on the patient's tolerance for joint motion. For athletes, regaining full stability may require advanced forms of exercise in the functional phase of rehabilitation, such as proprioceptive training and plyometrics. These maneuvers help to re-coordinate the sensory receptors and motor controls at the spinal cord (nonthinking) levels.5 Rehabilitation of Shoulder Strains Injured muscles and tendons of the shoulder girdle may need a brief period of support and restricted activity, but controlled restrengthening should be initiated early. Elastic tubing is a safe and effective method of providing progressive resistance exercises.6 A very easy and effective program starts with a consistent isotonic exercise routine using surgical tubing equipment to perform external rotation. This is initially performed within a limited, pain-free range of motion, building to full range as pain subsides. Eventually, additional shoulder exercises should be performed as indicated, including internal rotation; flexion; extension; abduction; and adduction. This inexpensive rehabilitative program should initially be practiced under supervision to ensure proper performance. Once good exercise mechanics and control are demonstrated, a self-directed program of home exercises is appropriate. As with sprain injuries, shoulder strains in athletes may require more specific, sports-performance exercises, such as eccentrics and plyometrics. Specific sports skills (such as throwing) may also need to be retrained.

Teahen is simply not an option for 2B. They can play Vizquel there, Lillibridge or bring up Hudson...or make a move for an older veteran (like a Grudzielanek type) for only a Type B/C prospect. There's no way, with how he has been playing that they move Alexei off SS to 2B, play Omar at SS and Teahen/Viciedo at 3B.

So we have a wide variety of diagnoses, anywhere from missing 1-2 starts, obviously the DL, to out for one month (I think Gonzales was the Giants' beat reporter back when Bill Swift was pitching, that's how that 4 week timeframe came up)...all the way to 6-8 weeks or the rest of the season. I would just guess we're looking at early to mid August before he returns....so Hudson will have to start at least 4-5-6 times. If he got totally shellacked, they would have to go with Torres, possibly Marquez but PROBABLY pick up someone like Dontrelle Willis and give him one last chance at turning things around. I don't want KW to overpay for a 5th starter type just to be the "bridge" back to Peavy coming back into the rotation.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/bl...L7PQLanchO7DiUr Twins' blogger reminds fans of Doyle Alexander/John Smoltz consequences of Lee or Oswalt trade Daniels really really looked like he was in over his head the first 2 years as GM, but he's really righted the ship...he made some horrible trades in those days, like acquiring Adam Eaton and Otsuka for Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez, Danks/McCarthy, etc. Elvis Andrus, Jarrod Saltalamcchia, Matt Harrison, Neftali Felix (two All-Stars) for Mark Teixeira rental (for two months) and Ron Mahay, not bad at all...especially compared to some of the recent hauls from Cliff Lee, Halladay and CC Sabathia. Salty has disappointed, but it was still a great trade...and he obviously struck gold with Josh Hamilton and Vladdy Guerrero (we'll see how he holds up in the 2nd half). Hard to imagine how could the White Sox would be with Guerrero...many of us were arguing for that move during the offseason, if we weren't going to keep Thome.

Garrett Atkins (31) - $8.5MM club option with a $500K buyout Lance Berkman (35) - $15MM club option with a $2MM buyout Wilson Betemit (29) Hank Blalock (30) Russell Branyan (35) - $5MM mutual option Jorge Cantu (29) Frank Catalanotto (37) Adam Dunn (31) Troy Glaus (34) Wes Helms (35) Eric Hinske (33) for 25th man role Aubrey Huff (34) Mike Jacobs (30) Nick Johnson (32) - $5.5MM mutual option with a $250K buyout Paul Konerko (35) Adam LaRoche (31) - $7.5MM mutual option with a $1.5MM buyout Derrek Lee (35) Doug Mientkiewicz (37) Kevin Millar (39) Lyle Overbay (34) Carlos Pena (33) Albert Pujols (31) - $16MM club option with a $5MM buyout Fernando Tatis (36) Chad Tracy (31) Ty Wigginton (33) It's pretty bleak. Konerko actually looks good compared to most of those options, but you're going to base a long-term deal on Paulie's production in 2010 at age 35, that's VERY VERY dangerous. KW has already been down that road with Contreras and Konerko, once. Wigginton will get overpaid coming off this season as well. Carlos Pena and Dunn are the best options, but that's definitely not saying much...along with LaRoche. Derrek Lee, Huff and Cantu would be interesting options, but it's not like any of those guys are clearly going to be better than Konerko. I guess I'd take my chances with Cantu, but he's been SO erratic and up and down in his career, in the AL....not sure if that's a wise gamble. Or maybe you take a chance that Berkman can find a second home in Chicago and want to stay as a FA...but still, I have a sneaking suspicion Konerko comes back...depending on how the rest of the season plays out, like JD in 2nd half 2009, anything's possible.

DOUBLE POST, please erase

Berkman will cost even less than LaRoche, because of Lance's very high salary and the buyout. The only question is whether KW and JR feel he's the piece to put them over the top. I think that's pretty questionable, but he definitely adds a presence to the line-up because of his career accomplishments, and he's not like Griffey, Jr., or Todd Helton coming to town 5 years too late Maybe 2-3 years later than we'd have liked, but this is the first time the Astros 1) wanted to part with him and 2) won't be asking an arm and a leg. That Carlos Lee contract was the beginning of the end with that franchise.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Jul 6, 2010 -> 08:44 AM) I wonder if Alejandro De Aza could put up DeJesus-like numbers if he was given enough playing time in the majors... I think somewhere between Pierre and DeJesus. The problem is that you can't have to bats like that in your line-up, not at USCF. If you want to replace Pierre with De Aza, that's one thing...but to have both those guys in the line-up at the same time? I guess the theory is that you could have Pierre-De Aza-Rios as your OF with Quentin DHing, but it's going to take 2-3 more weeks of Andruw Jones struggling, maybe even more time than that, before they throw in the towel and look elsewhere. Then the odds would be about 1/4 they would stick with De Aza over an external candidate. We'll see, Kotsay has been doing pretty well (for him) the last month or so.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 11:40 PM) Kenny will have a better hand then the Twins. He upstaged them last year. Ummm....the Twins actually added some pieces last year, like Orlando Cabrera, Jon Rauch, Ron Mahay and Carl Pavano. We might have upstaged them in the PR battle with the controversial Rios move (everyone thought KW was crazy crazy!!) and Peavy (although Richard has turned out to be an NL All-Star, nearly). But the team basically wallowed in the mire (thanks, Jim Morrison) between 5 games below and 5 games above .500 for much of the 2nd half, never got any type of momentum or identity going. Ironically enough, the two players we've shed, Swisher and Pods, would be two quite important pieces had they stayed around (or, in Swisher's case, managed not to pull an imitation of AJ Pierzynski in SF). Then they added Hudson and Thome, those have all been key pieces, maybe not HUGE signings, but the money/prospects are there if they want to go after either Lee or Oswalt. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see them end up with Oswalt.

Well, with AJ, Pierre and Beckham we have 3 out of the bottom 12 players in all of MLB for OPS, so we have a lot of room for improvement. Unfortunately, we're just going to have to hope for better results with all 3 of those guys, Beckham is the only one who might be replaced.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 11:59 PM) I would hate to be the team that gave Cliff Lee 5 years, ~$115M. Talk about a crippler. Since he had his coming out party at age 29 I do wonder if people realize he'll be 32 next year. Hell, I'd be ecstatic if the Twins traded for Lee with the stipulation that he sign an extension, alas he would almost definitely be a rental. I would rather straighten out Dontrelle Willis for free. Even if the odds are only 5-10% in our favor, heck, he could probably hit better than Andruw Jones has the last month.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 11:44 PM) So that's basically Flowers/Hudson from our perspective. Except Hicks and Revere are more like Mitchell, being "huge upside" players with tons of athleticism. Gibson is thought by many to be a #1-2 or 2A type of starter on most MLB teams, whereas Hudson is more like a 4-5 guy or maybe a 3 at the very best. The Mariners have already had disasters with Johjima and Clement, they won't be in a hurry to botch another catching choice...heck, Miguel Olivo six years ago was yet another huge miss, as he was a key component in the Garcia deal.

The Twins have all the pieces to trump our offer, Kyle Gibson, Ramos at catcher (although injured/non-performing this year), Revere, Hicks, etc. Heck, they could trade Duensing/Blackburn/Slowey as part of the deal too and not miss a beat. If the Twins really want to go head-to-head with us, there's no way Kenny can beat that unless he gives up 2/3 (Hudson/Flowers/Viciedo) and Danks or Floyd. The problem is that the Twins won't have to weaken their major league roster as much as we would because of their much deeper system...and they wouldn't have to seriously damage their 2011-2013 chances either, because we're counting a ton on Hudson/Flowers/Viciedo all making major contribution in the coming years at cost-controlled prices. Things would be a heckuva lot easier if Beckham would have showed up to play and had not KW got an itchy trigger finger with not only the Teahen move (and duious extension) but also giving up prematurely on Viciedo at that position as well. Perhaps his play at 3B (so far) has been the most pleasant surprise so far to me about Dayan's brief major league stay.

The way he's going, Lillibridge might end up leading off one of these days and actually deserving it. Never saw this one coming....just ride him while he's hot. In the meantime, Beckham can sit on the bench, but if it gets to be a 2-3 week thing, they really should think about sending him down to Charlotte and see if he can rediscover his swing and confidence down there.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 04:54 PM) I don't tell them what to think. But I'll take the word of those who watch every game. Brandon Inge is the Joe Crede of Detroit. Neither were consistent All-Star players, but both were premium fielders with some pop...Crede has the "Mr. Clutch" moniker, Inge is one of the most versatile and athletic players in the league. Inge isn't a BAD player by any stretch of the imagination, but he's far from consistent offensively and his salary is getting to be like Jenks', where he is no longer a clear bargain.

I wouldnt want Leyland. I would be curious to see how both the Twins would respond to Guillen (and for how long) and how well the White Sox would respond to Gardenhire. Personally, I think that we've overrated our own talent a bit sometimes and underrated the Twins...citing Gardy as the reason for their success. To many Twins' fans, it's STILL Tom Kelly's "system" and many in their fanbase are convinced Gardenhire isn't the man to lead them to playoff success. His historical lack of success is the thing that scares everyone up there, they're getting to be like Braves' fans, where they don't believe the team has what it takes to get out of the first round without Oswalt or Lee. The two true pennant races, 2005 and 2008, the White Sox triumphed in the end....coin flip luck or Rick Hahn's son or whatever you want to call it. 2006, the White Sox pitching staff just faded and Jenks wasn't healthy, there's not much any manager could have done to hold off the Twins and Tigers. Two times head-to-head, the Twins took out the Tigers, although DET obviously ended up in the World Series. So you can also say that you would rather have Guillen or Leyland in the playoffs than Gardenhire, hard not to argue that one. When everyone (myself included) gave up on the White Sox in 2007 (coming into 08) and then again in 2010, Ozzie was able to steer the ship to calm waters....now you can say that the players did it on both occasions, but I feel there's a lot more to it than that. 2009, if you want to blame Ozzie, that team just never jelled or had any type of identity, and not having a healthy Peavy for most of the 2nd half...and I don't think any manager or hitting coach could have straightened out Rios last year or Beckham in 2010.

Ramirez back up to a really really legit OPS for a SS, 738.

Alisay, YESSSSSSS!!!!! Not such a bad shortstop after all.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 11:12 AM) Kotsay would likely play RF in that scenario. (Dunn + DeJesus) >> (Kotsay/Jones + Quentin) I agree. The problem is whether our budget does, too? If I was Washington, I would probably make that move...Quentin for Dunn, for sure. The question is what we'd have to give up to get DeJesus? You need a RFer or CFer in that scenario. The price is going to be pretty steep, Moore has looked pretty silly with some of his trades the last 2 years so he's going to be asking for a lot.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jul 5, 2010 -> 10:42 AM) Why does Putz figure into this equation? You're not trading any bullpen pieces. If I knew I was losing Putz, Jenks and then trading Santos, that would be too many pieces to replace.