caulfield12

According to Chris Haft of MLB.com, the Giants are seriously interested in signing Orlando Hudson. The Giants have already signed Jeremy Affeldt and Haft says their big off-season plans could also include C.C. Sabathia, Edgar Renteria, Rafael Furcal and Juan Cruz. Kevin Frandsen, who's played mostly at second base, could play third if the Giants obtain Hudson. The Indians, Mets, Yankees and Dodgers all seem interested in Hudson too. Doesn't look like KW is in on either Furcal or Hudson at the present time. Not sure that's a surprise. Also, the Phil Rogers story on Viciedo says that the contract was for $10 million...not the initially reported $11 million. Also, it appears the Dodgers are very interested in signing O-Cabrera to a one or two year deal. Maybe it's about time to start the annual Chone Figgins rumor mill up again?

I've never seen either of these guys in person, how would you compare former Sox prospect C. Carter with Brandon Allen? Which one do you think will have the bigger major league impact? Projected numbers over a full season? A quick glance at his (Carter's) numbers remind me of Chris Young without the speed. Strikes out about 35% of the time (say Rob Deer/Cory Snyder), hits a lot of homers and will probably have a fairly low average, .230's-.250's. Maybe a little reminiscent of Dunn as a player, with obviously a lower ceiling?

Agree that the future looks encouraging. Of course, that can all change in the blink of an eye if we suffer one or two injuries to our starting rotation. Then we're going to be really scrambling and making deals of desperation, which is not KW's forte at all. I don't see Shelby and Armstrong as projected starters at the big league level quite yet...but I'm willing to have my mind changed on that subject. Go back to 2000/01. We were the #1 organization in all of baseball in terms of prospects. Buehrle wasn't even that highly touted. We had Crede and Rowand just emerging. Along with Buehrle, Kip Wells, Jon Rauch, Jon Garland, Matt Ginter, Lorenzo Barcelo, Aaron Myette, Jason Stumm, Danny Wright, Josh Fogg (he struggled just to make it at that time to #10 prospect), Brian West, Matt Guerrier, Corwin Malone. IT LOOKED, at the time, like a Braves-like dynasty with "waves and waves" of pitching. Almost none of it ever materialized, for various reasons. Borchard flamed out. Kip Wells regressed and underachieved. Mostly injuries doomed these guys, but also non-performance, too. That said...everything feels encouraging, if we can sign a band-aid fifth starter as insurance for Richard/Poreda and deal with CF and possibly find a 2B, too. With Betemit/Fields/Viciedo and Nix/Getz/Betemit, we at least have "decent" options at 3B and 2B. But the big question remains CF.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Nov 21, 2008 -> 12:05 AM) Not possible. It just isn't going to happen. I mean, if he was offered arbitration and for some reason couldn't find a deal he liked and had to come back....but I'm sure he will either sign before December or decline to accept, he has too much pride.

If BB signs Furcal, I think I will have a heart attack. I don't think, at his age, a four year contract is a good idea...we can find other options that are better fits. And I don't think the White Sox are that mystery team, although stranger things have happened. The fact he's not a Type A player and we don't lose a prime pick for signing him is one good reason to look at Furcal, but not enough IMO. Heck, we don't even know if KW will even end up offering arb. for O-Cab. All that talk from the time of the Garland trade about us getting the better of the compensation picks might all be for naught. Then again, you keep Cabrera, leave Ramirez at 2B or move him to CF, that's not the worst thing in the world either. All depends on how bad KW and Ozzie want to have him around again next season.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Nov 20, 2008 -> 09:42 PM) KW is the man. Everyone complained that he wasn't getting the team any younger or that we hat a pitiful farm system. Look at the young core we have now... Quentin Beckham Alexei Fields Danks Floyd Viciedo Poreda Richard Getz/Nix Don't forget Jordan Danks, Bobby Jenks and "Young" Matt Thornton. Not young, but it feels like that because of how long he was germinating in the minors and underachieving. Swisher would have fit the profile too, but was never a good FIT for the White Sox. So throw Betemit at 27 into the mix as well. Not bad. And even Brian Anderson. It's pretty remarkable that we apparently have only had to weather one really down season, and that was 50% due to injuries and not rebuilding per se.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Nov 20, 2008 -> 08:05 PM) Dye draws a walk twice as often as Victorino? Um, no. Dye has never been very good at drawing walks and last season was no exception he drew 44 walks in 590 ABs, Victorino drew 45 in 570 ABs. So they're going to post similar batting averages, walk about the same, Dye is going to provide much more power (about 100 points in SLG) and Victorino is going to provide much more speed. Shane plays an excellent CF while Dye plays a subpar right, Victorino is 7 years younger, under team control for 3 more years and will make a quarter the salary of Dye next season. Which is all the more reason Amaro would be silly to make the move, unless he thinks (like KW did with Rowand) that Victorino has peaked. I don't think that is the case here...and I also think Shane brings a lot more to the table than Aaron in terms of all-around play, but that's just me. It would have to be Dye and pitching (to replace Moyer?) that they would be looking for...probably Dye/Poreda for Victorino. Or Dye and Fields.

The market for closers is going to be expanded with the addition of Valverde by the Stros. They're also putting Wigginton on the market, he's a 3B name that hasn't been discussed as much, compared to Blake, Beltre, Atkins and Kouzmanoff. I don't think KW is looking for anything beyond a 2 year player at that position (3B or even 2B)...he'll want to maintain flexibility and see how things develop with Ramirez, Viciedo and Beckham. He doesn't want to lock out any more logically-developing options over the longer term. The Taveras for Broadway and/or Russell rumor is the cheapest cost of talent for a possible solution out there. Not a perfect solution, just a better one. Anderson might even arguably be a better player than Taveras, but he's certainly never going to be a leadoff hitter. new jeff passon column at yahoo sports With a number of three-year offers in hand and more teams planning on submitting bids, Rafael Furcal’s agent said Thursday it will take at least a four-year deal to land the free-agent shortstop, even though Furcal was restricted to 36 games last season because of a back injury. “With all the interest, we’re heading in that direction,” Paul Kinzer said. Kinzer confirmed that six teams have shown interest in Furcal: San Francisco, Oakland, Baltimore, Atlanta, the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers, his team of the last three seasons. Another team Kinzer wouldn’t identify has indicated to him it intends to place a competitive bid as well. Any number of teams could be the mystery addition, with the shortstop carousel this offseason expected to spin furiously. In addition to Furcal and the two other top free agents, Edgar Renteria and Orlando Cabrera, several shortstops are available via trade, including Atlanta’s Yunel Escobar, San Diego’s Khalil Greene, Milwaukee’s J.J. Hardy, Pittsburgh’s Jack Wilson and Boston’s Julio Lugo. Because the market is tilted toward the buyers, Kinzer’s angling for a longer-term deal could cost Furcal in the average annual value of the deal. When he signed with the Dodgers three years ago, he did so for $39 million, exchanging length for bigger per-year dollars. This time around, Kinzer said, the 31-year-old Furcal “prefers the years and security. What makes him so attractive is not only shortstop but a lot of teams need a consistent leadoff hitter. And he’s pretty much wide open. He hasn’t given me any restrictions like NL or AL.” Furcal said moments after the Dodgers were eliminated in the National League Championship Series that he wanted to stay in L.A., and Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti stated that re-signing Furcal was a top priority. But since then it has become apparent to the switch-hitting .286 lifetime hitter that he is a hot enough commodity to explore all options. Certain scenarios could lop some teams out of the running. The Braves likely will pull out if they don’t trade Escobar in the Jake Peavy deal or for a power-hitting outfielder, even though Furcal enjoyed the first six years of his career in Atlanta. The Cubs, with their payroll already extended, could not afford both Peavy and Furcal. The Dodgers are balking at a four-year deal primarily because their top infield prospect, shortstop Ivan DeJesus, is considered only one year away from the big leagues. Health concerns, along with the expected cost, could keep teams such as St. Louis, Detroit, Oakland and Kansas City away from Furcal, while Toronto and Minnesota may stretch their budgets depending on other maneuvers. In other news … • Kinzer said Furcal could sign before the winter meetings. He does not expect the same of his other marquee client, closer Francisco Rodriguez. “We’re not in any hurry there,” Kinzer said. He understands the market on closers has tightened because of a heavy supply of available ones. While the five-year, $75 million deal Kinzer set as a starting point doesn’t look feasible, one general manager expects Rodriguez to fetch four years at around $14 million per.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Nov 20, 2008 -> 07:36 PM) I haven't worked this out at all, but a lineup of the following would be nice (I'm assuming Fields, Getz, and Dye are traded, among others): 1. Roberts, 2B (S) 2. DeJesus, LF (L) 3. Quentin, RF (R) 4. Thome, DH (L) 5. Konerko, 1B 6. Ramirez, SS (R) 7. Pierzynski, C (L) 8. Betemit/Hinski/Viceido/? (S/L/R/?) 9. Anderzon, CF (R) We'd need some offensive presence to fill in at CF though as I still don't buy Anderson as an everyday CF, but that lineup would be very solid with much more speed, and better D. Forget about Hinske! The biggest need for the Royals is reliable/consistent OF power. Swisher would have been a good fit for them as well. The irony is that after Quentin, the two players that might help them the most are Dye and Konerko. Now whether they would be willing to trade DeJesus for either of those guys AND take on their contracts without getting money back/subsidy, well, that's another question entirely. We don't really have any pitching depth we can afford to give up. We certainly don't have a CF, lol. We can't be sure whether Crisp will play LF or CF in KC, maybe a little of both.

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Nov 20, 2008 -> 07:26 PM) DeJesus would be a great fit for sure. Im not so sure about him in CF. I would like him better in LF. If we ended up trading Dye, you would then move CQ to RF and you can plug DeJesus to LF. How about a 1-2 punch of Roberts-DeJesus- NIIIiiiiCe! Moore is not going to just give DeJesus away to a key division rival. It's one thing to trade Horacio Ramirez...it's quite another to trade the player who is probably most identified with the franchise now to most Royals fans since Sweeney left. In order to get both Roberts and DeJesus, we're going to have to give up a lot of talent from the upper levels of our farm system. I just don't think we have the talent depth/arsenal to make both moves, just one. Of course, we have Beckham/Danks/Viciedo, but our impact players are pretty limited after Poreda/Fields and then Tier 2 with Richard/Getz/Shelby/Allen.

I look for Nix to be the revelation of ST, lol. One year it was Sweeney, Logan, Ramirez...who will rise up?

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Nov 20, 2008 -> 07:13 PM) I like this move, but you don't pay that kind of money to someone to play AA or AAA. Maybe part of 2009, but my guess is he will be in the bigs real soon if not opening day. If he plays 3B where does Josh Fields go? Maybe LF if we trade Dye and move Quentin over to RF??

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Nov 20, 2008 -> 07:05 PM) It's not necessarily low-risk. If you think about it an 11M contract would be similar to that of an 11M signing bonus (a little different, but similar). However, given the scheme of things you could have him pan out tremendously. Fantastic move but if he didn't pan out, you'd be talking about more money than the Sox spent on the entire 2008 draft. Well,from that perspective, we can say signing MacDougal and giving Contreras a contract through 2009 cost us even more, another draft. Heck, didn't we spend half a million on that Korean pitcher who's done pretty much zero? I think it's a great sign to send to the fanbase.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Nov 20, 2008 -> 05:49 PM) Rafael Furcal. Latest reports were 3 years $39 million (that's one supposedly concrete offer) and the first ideas were in the 4 year, $40 million range. I just don't think it's going to happen, not with the incredibly cheap/younger/better Ramirez in place. Unless KW really is considering the ultimate move of Ramirez to play CF and signing a SS. I guess it could happen, but not likely IMO.

No "Little Boy and Fat Man" jokes here, please!!!

QUOTE (BearSox @ Nov 20, 2008 -> 05:43 PM) I was wondering why we weren't being associated with the O-Dog much, and now I know why. No way we give him 5 years 50 million with his past, and the fact we have replacements waiting in the wings. Anyone know if the Royals are gonna give Grudz arb? I know we signed Nix and all, but Grudz would be a perfect platoon partner with Getz at 2nd base. Doubt it. His usefulness is diminishing, and he won't be around long enough for when they are a contending team in 2-3 seasons. Most importantly, they want to give the majority of playing time to Callaspo from all appearances. He was a good stopgap/transition player to give them some respectable veteran leadership in this "bridge" period the roster is undergoing from abysmal to competitive.

If we traded either Poreda or Richard, though...KW would be under a lot of stress to find a 5th starter. Then again, there's always the Colon/Garcia/Pedro/Byrd route here. I guess he could live with that. However, the O's don't want "maybe" type of players, even for one year of Roberts. Getz and Richard are far from sure things or top prospects in the majority of other organizations. Marquez? Well...if the O's will take that package, great, but I think they'll want Fields (to replace Mora eventually) and Poreda in all likelihood.

Wanted to bring this back to the front page for the posters here who don't know much about this kid and the more casual Sox fans.

I'm somewhere in my excitement level between the White Sox acquisitions of Anderson Gomes and Albert Belle in his prime. http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune....to-sign-19.html Phil Rogers article, except I'm not getting anything to come up yet here in Thailand on my computer.

The Indians are interested in Orlando Hudson, who reportedly seeks a five-year, $50MM deal. mlbtraderumors.com If this is anything close to reality, I think KW won't even think twice, especially with Beckham's continued progress, Hudson's age and his injury history. This is a non-starter. Roberts is probably out for the same reasons....why give up a boatload of talent for a player in his 30's when you have very capable replacements not to far away in the pipeline?? Maybe he will change his tune (KW) if the Indians, Tigers or Twins make some major moves, but, even then...I doubt he gets desperate enough to pull the trigger on Roberts. We also know that Hendry will be going hard after Roberts, although arguably the White Sox are now in a better position to acquire him than the Cubs. Crisp is also out... Which leaves fewer and fewer legit options. Taveras. Figgins. There are a couple of others, but those are the names that immediately come to mind.

You mean Andy Gonzalez and Pedro Lopez weren't really prospects, lol? Jason Dellaero...those were the days. Not to mention bringing in Ramirez and skipping over his minor league incubation period. Who knows, maybe Nix and/or Fields will surprise a few people, and Betemit was once one of the top 2-3 infield prospects in the game.

GM Mark Shapiro says he hasn't made any offers to free agents yet. It sounds like payroll might land in the $75-80MM range, leaving the team with roughly $15MM to spend. Shapiro admitted that he would explore a trade for Jose Valverde if the Astros closer is truly available. Astros GM Ed Wade said yesterday, "I would love to see Jose here for a long time." The 'Stros have him under team control for one more year, and there's been speculation he could be dealt to save money. The Indians may attempt to acquire Huston Street if the Rockies' asking price comes down. The Indians are interested in Orlando Hudson, who reportedly seeks a five-year, $50MM deal. from mlbtraderumors Casey Blake wants a 3 year deal, I think that eliminates him from White Sox consideration officially, and the signing of Viciedo as well. Very interesting trip down memory lane with listing of minor league free agents... http://dcsportsplus.blogspot.com/2008/11/w...nor-league.html MLB.com's Chris Haft talked to Edgar Renteria's agent Jeff Lane, who said he's actively negotiating with the Giants. At least six teams are interested in Renteria, but his future is tied to Rafael Furcal. Furcal is expected to sign first, and the shortstops share many of the same suitors. The Giants also have serious interest in Orlando Hudson. It'd be surprising to see them sign two middle infielders though. So far, looks like Cabrera will end up in the NL West, but after we make the decision to offer arbitration...Minnesota has also been mentioned. Wouldn't like to see Dontrelle Willis go to the Red Sox for J. Lugo...he gets straightened out, their rotation is unstoppable. Speaking of Red Sox, wonder if Curt Schilling can be added to our "reclamation" projects list for 5th starter, along with Garcia, Colon, Pedro Martinez and Mark Hampton? Ken Rosenthal Mulder: Coming along Free-agent left-hander Mark Mulder, rehabilitating from a pair of shoulder operations, is making significant progress in his recovery, according to his agent, Gregg Clifton. After the Cardinals bought Mulder out for $1.5 million, he began working with two new personal trainers, one of whom is Paul Hospenthal, a longtime acquaintance of Mulder's who is the husband of race-car driver Danica Patrick. Clifton said that Mulder's shoulder is fine, but that he is just now starting to build "functional strength" — in other words, the muscles that will enable him to pitch successfully again. Mulder, 31, will not begin throwing until December, but could prove a reasonable one-year risk for a team in need of starting pitching. Around the horn Here are four possible trading partners for the Red Sox if they sign free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira and need to move third baseman Mike Lowell: The Dodgers, who could lose Casey Blake in free agency; the White Sox, who currently project the unproven Josh Fields at third base; the Tigers, who could move Brandon Inge back to catcher; and the Brewers, who would need to trade third baseman Bill Hall. The Red Sox would need to be creative. Lowell, who turns 35 on Feb. 24, is expected to make a full recovery from hip surgery, but is owed $25 million over the next two seasons ... Free-agent outfielder Luis Gonzalez plans to play again next season, according to Clifton, his agent. When contacted Friday, Clifton said, "He's in the gym right now." Gonzalez, 41, is four doubles shy of 600, and needs only 28 to tie Hank Aaron for 10th on the all-time list; he is five away from Barry Bonds, seven away from Cal Ripken. Gonzalez hit 26 doubles in 341 at-bats for the Marlins last season. ... Would you trade for a pitcher who has averaged 13 wins, 192 innings and a 4.59 ERA in the National League over the past five seasons? Say hello to Cubs right-hander Jason Marquis, who will be entering the final year of his contract, valued at $9.875 million. That number likely would scare off many clubs, but Marquis would become more attractive if the Cubs included enough cash to bring another team's obligation down to say, $7 million. ...

He doesn't look incredibly out of shape right now, certainly not quite so bad as reported. But he definitely needs to shed 15-25 pounds. Let the excuses roll in from other organizations about why they didn't sign THIS Cuban, lol. It would be incredibly interesting to see which teams submitted offers to Torres, and for how many years and dollars.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Nov 20, 2008 -> 05:03 PM) This could be great news for the Sox. I'm sure we'll get plenty of comments from other team reps that saw his workouts, after the signing becomes official. Since he's "only" getting 11 mil, there must be some doubters. The Sox probably give this kid his best opportunity to get motivated and succeed at the big league level. Does this mean Fields is likely gone in a trade now? Does it make KW more likely to trade Dye? Fields SHOULD be given every chance to show how he can perform in ST...if for no other reason than to increase his value to other teams. From all reports, Viciedo is at least 1-2 years away. If nothing else, based on his being so out of shape, it will take him at least one season in the US with Sox trainers/nutritionists/strength and conditioning people. I also think there's a possibility we see either a platoon or the acquisition of a Blake level of player for NO MORE than 2 years. They also have to decide as soon as possible whether he's best-suited for LF, 3B, RF, 1B or DH and make all possible efforts to get him acclimated to playing that particular position exclusively. Cubano, when was the last time two position players from Cuba were on the same infield (or outfield, for that matter) on an MLB team? Has it ever happened before? The strange thing is that we've now found a pipeline into Cuba (and Japan with Takatsu/Iguchi to a lesser extent) but the same thing hasn't transpired with young Venezuelan players despite having the most famous/successful Venezelano ever. For now, I'll attribute this to Wilder and other internal organizational weaknesses, but there's really no excuse for not having 2-3 future studs from that country as well. But we'll take whatever we can get.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Nov 20, 2008 -> 02:42 PM) You also have to consider that he is a very well-liked player and that he was a part of the historic Yankees. I think he's definitely going to get in when you consider those things, plus his numbers. Plus he went to Stanford and can do the NY Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle.