whitesox61382

Fiction - If you add the additions through contract increases and arbitration eligible players it doesn't add up to the estimated final payroll total. At least 1 big contract WILL be moved and I think Maggs is a good canidate. Investing about 25% of your payroll in 1 player isn't a good idea and as good as Maggs is he IS NOT worth 14M/yr. Fact - With Clemens retiring and DWells not likely coming back GS will be looking for starting pitching and anything but the best is unacceptible. Fiction - Unless Maggs/Lee are traded AND no outfielder is picked up in a trade/FA, than he might make the team. However, I think Rowand will start in CF and Reed will start in AAA, and be called up 2 or 3 months after the start of the season(assuming he is playing well). Fiction - The Sox will get someone with managerial expereince. Cito would be my choice. Fact - His overall record isn't that bad and he has a bunch of friends in the coaching ranks, and I am sure one of them will give him a job. Fact - He has steadly gone down since his 1st full season in the minors. With his age, other propsects passing him, and his inability to make constant contact he is no longer a prospect in my book. That doesn't mean that he can not be a decent player in the majors. Fiction - I think it is 50/50 right about now, but I dont think Alomar will take a big enough pay decrease and the Sox will need to find cheap solutions. Fiction - It will be hard to make this team better with the salary currently tied up and too many holes. The Twins won't be as good next year with the lose of a couple of key players, but they will still be better then the Sox. I don't envy KW this offseason.

"Stupid question but is ANY team going to be INCREASING payroll this year? Could this free agent market be cheaper than last year? The only teams I hear that are talking about spending money are Baltimore and San Diego." That is an interesting question. All I keep reading and hearing about is how a most teams are either going to cut payroll or remain about the same. You might see the big 3: Boston, NNY, and LA slightly increase payroll, but I don't see any big increases from those 3. Teams like the NYM, Philly, and Cubs might add a little payroll, but once agian nothing big. Baltimore and San Diego appear to be the only organizations that could see a fairly drastic increase in payroll, and with all the potential big name players looking for increases things don't add up. I really think you might be able to get some guys at bargain prices, especially second-tier players. I think salaries are beginning to level off after about a 5-year span of inflation.

That is a very good article. It would be interesting to see what the Sox could get for Lee and/or Loaiza. I like Lee, but unless he finds the plate disipline he had in 2002 he will never be a great player, and the 6+M/yr he will probably get through arbitration seems a little steep for his production. There is still the hope that this years power increase and ability to get his average up is a preview of better things to come, but you have to look at it both ways. Maybe that is as high as Lee goes. For years we have talked about potential for Lee, and most years we turn into Cubs fans and say wait for next year. I am on the fence with Lee. I like him, but if the Sox can get a good deal in return for him then I wouldn't be against trading him either(just hope he doesn't finally put it all together). Loaiza is also an interesting possibility. He is getting an increase of 3M this up coming year(assuming the Sox pick up his option). While 3.5M/yr is very cheap for his production last year there is no guarantee that he will duplicate. In fact, I would say the odds are in favor of him regressing a good amount in 2004. VERY rarely do 31 year old pitchers with career ERA's around 5 all of a sudden see the light and drasticly turn things around. His trade value is probably as high as it will ever be. With almost every team in baseball looking for cheap quality pitching, Loaiza could net the Sox a heafty ruturn. You can think of it as selling a stock at its highest point when you are pretty sure that the stock will go down in the near future. If the Sox got a good deal with players that address MULTIPLE other weaknesses, than I think a Loaiza trade would be worth it, especially if he regresses drasticly in 2004. Still you have to look at it the other way as well. 3.5M/yr for a pitcher coming off a season in which he posted a sub-3 ERA is hard to give up. IRod is a pipedream, especially if the article suggests BOTH Colon and IRod. Stick with Olivo. I think you will see improvements. Even IRod didn't start off his career with guns blazing. 1st year(91) .264 AVG .630 OPS, 2nd year(92) .260 AVG .660 OPS, 3rd year(93) .273 AVG .727 OPS, and it was his 4th year that he started to breakout. So give Olivo some time to develop. This is going to be a VERY active offseason for the Sox. With the number of FAs, arbitration eliegible players, big salaries tied up in players, and a team with a good amount of hole there will most likely be a lot of moves(mostly trades) and you could see a very different Sox team in 2004, which might be good(if they fix a couple of holes and put a team that can contend on the field) or bad(if they deceide to semi-rebuild). At this point it is all speculation, because one big trade could answer a lot of questions. I don't envy KW, because he is going to have his hands full with a limited budget to attempt to make improvements.

If the Yankees sign Castillo and move Soriano to the outfield, than that means they probably won't go after Guerrero or another power hitting outfielder(Maggs, Sheffield, ect.). They would have an outfield of Soriano, Bernie, and Matsui with Johnson and Giambi playing 1B and DH(I would love to see the Sox get their hands on Johnson). There is no room for Guerrero or another outfielder unless they move someone(I am sure that they would love to move Bernie). That is interesting that the Yankees would go after Castillo, because all of the talk has be centered around Guerrero being their top proirity. I think Castillo might be a better fit, because as someone else pointed out, he would be a much better leadoff hitter then Soriano. I question Soriano's ability to play the outfield though. He is a great athlete, but has never played their before. I would say it is far from a guarantee that Castillo will sign with the Yankees, so don't get those slim hopes completely down. Stay away from Maddux. Besides the fact that he is a big name he doesn't have much left(at 37), and is certainly not worth the money that some team is going to overpay him. I think that new device that is watch the umps has really affected him now that he isn't getting the pitch 6 inches of the plate. If you think Maddux at this point in his career would be a better signing then Colon, than you deserve to be beaten over the head with a hammer for being stupid.

I thought I read somewhere that Ryan is planning on cutting his payroll to something in the 40-45M range with the drop in attendence, which would be a pretty significant decrease from 55M that it started at in 2003. I wouldn't mind seeing the Sox get their hands on any of their FA or arbitration eligible players. That is a pretty talented list of players. I have a feeling that Stewart(although Ryan would love to keep him) and either Guardado/Hawkins(possible both) are gone for sure. I think they might trade Pierzynski mid-season next year if they feel Mauer is ready. Jones and Guzman are also names to keep on eye on in trade talks. The Twins SHOULD be weaker next season. I just hope that JR and KW see this and put a team that can take advantage of this on the field.

"I guess I am going to have to defend my comment because some of you aren't smart enough to grasp conceptual thinking..." If you read the 1st couple of words I typed, than you will notice that I understood the concept. No need to get pissed off about and start making personal attacks. I thought you were better then that. We were just having a little fun with you to beign with, so relax, don't take it so personally, and laugh a little. "And for those of you that need a history lesson, Ozzie Smith made himself into a more than respectable hitter. He averaged .279 over the last 10 years, including 25 doubles. (I excluded his last two years because he was not a full time player and his total AB's in those two years barely equaled 1/2 of one full season)" You say this is though we should be impressed. A .279 average is nothing special even during the pitcher dominated era of the 1970's-1980's. Don't pretend that his offense is what got him into the HOF. Even before Ozzie started hitting for a decent average he still showed good plate disipline(never SO more then he BB) and great speed. I realize once again that it was a different era, but Izturis has shown the ability to do neither. "For the time he played, Ozzie was a very respectable hitter and hardly can be considered overrated. He was a key player on three Cardinals WS teams. Overrated players do not make the Hall of Fame near unanimously." I am not going to start a huge arguement over this, but just because you are in the HOF CERTAINLY doesn't mean you aren't overrated, so please don't fall back on that as being your only reasoning. The HOF has a lot to do with politics and how a select few feel you measured up to your peers. Half the guys that vote for the HOF were never everyday players in the majors. Smith was an average offensive player, great defesive player, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY media and fan friendly with his antics. He would be considered a middle of the pack SS in todays game. His closest comparison today is probably Omar Vizquel who is very good, but NOT A FUTURE HOF. He was a good SS, but IMO not a HOF and OVERRATED.

"I wouldn't touch Livan at 6 mill a year. He's a solid pitcher, but the only way I take him is if the Expos pay half is salary and do the trade for someone like Ginter." I think you are underestimating LHernandez. His numbers last year were arguable better than Colon's and he is a workhorse/innings eater just like him. It might have been a career year and his numbers are a little inconsistant, but his career ERA of 4.20 is very respectible and quite a better lower than Ponson's career ERA of 4.54. He isn't that much older then Ponson either, only 2 years(it seems like LHernandez has been around forever). I think LHernandez would be a great pick up if the Sox lose Colon, and if Ponson is worth 6M/yr, than LHernandez should be too.

"Giles contract is MUCH more attractive than Magglio's. Cheaper and longer. The prospects given up where nowhere near what everyone is talking about Ordonez. Look at what the Sox were able to get Colon with . He had 1 year and $8.5 million left. 1 year and $14 million is going to get you a heck of a lot less." 1 year longer and a LITTLE doesn't make Giles MUCH more attractive than Maggs. The prospects Pittsburgh got were very good. Perez was arguable their top pitching prospect. He has dynomite stuff from the left side and is already pitching in the majors at 22. Bay is a top outfield prospect, plus they got another player. That 2 very good prospects and another player. What was my purposal from LA? 2 very good prospects and Mota. I don't know about you but that seems very realistic.

Yes, but that 116M INCLUDES the full amount of Burnitz's and Ventura's salaries, so if you didn't include them to begin with the starting payroll would be 99M. Either way you get the same answer.

They have the potential to lose a TON of salary this offseason. Ashby and his 8.5M are likely gone, Burnitz and his 12M are likely gone(although I don't know how much they paid of that), McGriff and his 3.75M are likely gone, Ventura and his 5M are likely gone(see Burnitz), and IF they got Maggs they would probably let Jordan and his 9.6M go. LA's payroll(including the full salaries of Burnitz and Ventura on ESPN) is just short of 116M, but they have the potential to lose about 39M making the payroll around 77M to start(not including raises from within). So I certainly think LA will be active this year and they REALLY need some offense so Maggs would be a likely target of theirs.

"I'd be much happier getting Khalil Greene, Jake Peavy and a prospect." San Diego isn't a realistic option for Maggs. They just traded for a power hitting outfielder in Giles, so why would they add a similar player when they can use the 14M/yr(Maggs salary) to fill other holes. LA is the most likely destination for Maggs if he is traded. "Yep...Dodgers system is barren. I want good prospects/players from a good system." The Dodger system might not be one of the tops in the game, but it is far from barren. There are a couple very good pitching prospects that will be in the upper minors next year: Miller, Guiterez(although I dont think he pitched in the majors last year), and Hanrahan. They also have a good amount of position player prospects: Loney - a powerful 1B with good plate disipline, Abyar - a solid 3B that lead their league in Fielding %, Thurston - ready for the majors and could be an everyday 2B, Young - might be the gem of their system and is a talented middle infielder coming off a GREAT year. If the Sox got Mota, one of the pitching prospects, and one of the position prospects, than they would be a great trade(when you factor in the 13M/yr they are saving as well) and you probably wont get much more from any other team(including Sad Diego who isnt going to part with Greene anyways).

"To think you would get a slew of prospects, and have someone take Magglio's salary is a pipedream of the greatest proportions. If you want prospects, you will have to pick up some of his salary, if not most. If you want full salary relief, you will get a 2nd or 3rd tier prospect at best for him. The White Sox could ill afford the backlash from that, so he'll probably play out his contract here." I think you are wrong on this. If you trade Maggs to BIG MARKET TEAM(ie NYY, NYM, Boston, LA) who have the flexibility to add payroll, than you can certainly get a couple of good prospects WHILE getting rid of his salary. Case in point is Giles being traded to San Diego. Giles is a similar player to Maggs talent and contract wise, and Pittsburgh got a couple of good young players/prospects WHILE not having to pay any of Giles contract. Even with Maggs big contract his value is still very high, and if you look at the history of trading big contract hitters for prospects you will see that they ALMOST NEVER pick up part of the contract, so it is ANYTHING but I pipedream AND very realistic. As this offseason goes on I really think trading Maggs is a greater possibility. "I have to disagree with you as well, the White Sox first priority should be acquiring another pitcher to strenghten their rotation. The number one problem for the Sox last year was that 5th starter. Acquiring Ishii or Perez helps right away, and we don't have to wait for them to develop." In all likelyhood Colon will NOT resign with the Sox, and the Sox will go after a second-tier starting pitcher through trade of FA. As far as the 5th spot goes, that will be solved from within. Thats why Shoey was acquired. His numbers as a starter aren't great(8-10 5.20 ERA average year) but is a SIGNIFICANT improvement over the production the Sox got in 2003(3-11 6.75 ERA). You have to raise a red flag when looking at LA pitchers. Perez and Ishii both have SIGNIFICANTLY higher ERA's on the road, than at home in pitcher friendly Dodger Stadium(Ishii 3.12 home ERA 4.70 away ERA; Perez 2.73 home ERA 5.59 away ERA). I really think that if they pitched in Commisky AND in the AL you would see a total ERA close to their road averages, which isn't good, especially for the money they are making. No thanks to Perez or Ishii. "As for saving money we're already doing enough of that! Colon is as good as gone, that opens up a TON of room to sign guys already." You really dont understand the economics of baseball and the financial contraints that the Sox have if you make a statement like above. Last years starting payroll was around 51M(give or take a M) and reports say that it will only increase marginally, which means that a 55M payroll is likely and probably no higher then 60M. The 9M/yr that the Sox save without Colon with go to salary increases AND still wont be enough to cover them all: Maggs 03' 9M - 04' 14M(increase of 5M) Konerko 03' 6M - 04' 8M(increase of 2M) Thomas 03' 5M - 04' 6M, 8M, FA(increase of 1M, 3M, or he is gone) Koch 03' 4M - 04' 6M(increase of 2M) Loiaza 03' 500K - 04' 3.5M(assuming they pick up the option increase of 3M) Arbitration eligible players Buehrle 03' 500K - 04' 3M(likely increase of about 2.5M) Lee 03' 4M - 04' 6M(likely increase of about 2M) Garland 03' 400K - 04" 1M(likely increas of 600K) When you add the salary increase and likely increases through arbitration it comes to an increase of about 17M(not including Thomas). So subtract Colon's 9M/yr from the 51M payroll and you get 42M, but then increase that total by the 17M in increases and you are at 59M, which is probably more then the final payroll will end up being. The point is that even if Colon doesn't sign the Sox certainly don't have financial flexibility. If you get rid of Maggs and his 14M/yr and dont receive any big contracts in return that will give you about 12-14M/yr to play with, otherwise the Sox are pretty restricted in the things they can do financially. "13 Million a year may not even be enough to sign Castillo and Cabrera. Castillo is already making 4.5 million with the Marlins this year, and I gurantee it his price will go up because the entire league knows he's a free agent after this year. Cabrera made 3.3 million a year and I gurantee that will go up as well. So you see 13 million will most likely not be enough to sign both of these guys, especially if Castillo wants money like Durham did." I think 13M will be enough to sign both. I think Castillo could be had for about 7M/yr, which is a pretty drastic increase of 2.5M/yr on his current contract. Anything more then 8M/yr for Castillo and you are overpaying, so I doubt that he will get more then that. I think Cabrera will get around 6M/yr, which is almost double his current salary. His inconsistancy and the fact that Tejada and Matsui are above him on the depth chart will probably drive down his asking price, and he could be had for around 5M/yr because of it. I certainly think around 13M will be enough to sign bother Castillo and Cabrera. "quality shortstop like Cristian Guzman." Minnesota has a option with Guzman and reports say they will exercise it or give him a new contract, so he isn't available at the current moment, although I think he would be a decent option if he does become available(as long as he doesn't want more they 4M/yr). "I don't know Itzuris that well and am not making a prediction whatsoever with this comment, but at one time, Ozzie Smith was a "younger version of Rey Ordonez"." I understand the concept, but I am going to nitpick and say that Ozzie Smith came before Ordonez, therefore he could have never been a younger version of Rey Ordonez. I also think Ozzie Smith is one of the most OVERRATED players in the game. His antics and great D, made up for a below average offensive player(a .262 career average is not good). Izturis is similar to Smith, although he doesn't have the antics to draw as much attention. Also, Smith drew a healthy number of walks and stole a good amount of bases. Izturis has yet to show he can do either and hasn't shown improvement that would lead you to believe that he is going to get better in either catogory. Have have seen Izturis play quite a bit living on the west coast, and my advice would be to stay away from him. He has also been OVERHYPED as a prospect and will never amount to a good everyday SS.

Thats what the offseason is for. Reflection, speculation, and analysis. In all honesty I highly doubt Cameron will be back. I didn't say that was going to be the likely roster, but a team that I wouldn't mind seeing(that fits the financial contraints). Here is what I think is realisticly going to happen. The Sox won't be active on the FA market(1 or 2 decent signings and thats it), but will be active on the trade market. At least one big trade will take place with one of the following leaving the Sox(Thomas, Konerko, Lee, Maggs, Koch). You could see as many as 2 or 3 trades including the above mentioned players. The Sox have too much payroll tied up in power hitting OF/1B/DH type players, and KW loves to trade, so you can pretty much bank on one of the above being traded. In all likelyhood a trade will net the Sox a cheaper replacement for the traded player and/or prospects and/or a second-tier pitcher and/or a middle infielder. Colon will sign elsewhere, but the Sox will get a second-tier starting pitcher either via FA or trade(see above). Alomar and Valentin have about a 50/50 shot of being back if they are willing to take a paycut. If they aren't back then the Sox will most likely trade for a middle infielder or sign a cheap replacement or maybe turn to Miles or Harris at 2B. The Sox will probably add a right handed reliever via trade or FA Everett is a good as gone. I know that I have not be too detailed about the whats going to happen this offseason, but I think you get the general idea of how I think the offseason will turn out. At this point it is hard to say. One big trade could answer a bunch of these questions, so at this point it is anyones guess.

"Izturis is great defensivly, is 22 yrs old, and seems to be heading towards a break out season soon" Actually he is 23 and will be 24 by the start of next season, but your point that he is still young is valid. Why do you seem to think he is heading towards a break out year? There is nothing in his stats that suggest that. I have a feeling that Izturis is a younger version of Rey Ordonez. Great glove and no offense. He hasn't shown the ability to hit for average, refuses to walk, has no power, has average speed, and posted a DOWN RIGHT TERRIBLE OPS of .597. That makes my stomach churn thinking of a .597 OPS. If the Sox get Mota and prospects for Maggs, than they will save about 13M/yr, which is enough to sign BOTH Castillo and Cabrera. I would MUCH rather have Cabrera than Izturis. "we would improve our starting staff with aother young lefty arm" Here are the 2 most important stats when looking at pitchers from LA(Perez's numbers from 03'): 03' home: 6-3 2.73 ERA 03' away: 6-9 5.59 ERA LA is probably the best pitchers park in the majors, so you have to take that into consideration. If Perez were to pitch in a park like Commisky on a regular basis, than his ERA will most likely be closer to his away ERA of 5.59, which is terrible, especially when you consider thats in the NL where ERA's are usually .25-.30 lower than AL ERA's. My advice would be to stay away from both Izturis and Pezez. They both have red flags when I hear their names mentioned, and I think thats one of the reasons that LA has them on the trading block. "i could see LA wanting Valentin for lefty power" I think LA might be interested in Valentin as well, although they will probably go after Tejada, Matsui, and Cabrera 1st. That should tell you something about their feelings towards Izturis when they are going after a replacement. That tells me that they feel Izturis just isn't good enough to be an everyday SS in the majors. A sign and trade is VERY rare in baseball(maybe in basketball) so it probably wont happen. I still think the best deal for the Sox would be to trade Maggs for Mota and 2 very good prospects(I listed a bunch earilier). That way the Sox get a cheap, good right handed reliever, 2 good prospects, and 13M/yr to play with(sign Castillo and Cabrera to play the middle infield). The money you save by not resigning Alomar and Valentin can then go to finding a cheaper replacement for Maggs(Ibanez, White, Jones/Stewart, Guillen, Cameron, Sanders) to name a few. Personally I would love to bring Cameron back for about 6-7M/yr IF the Sox traded Maggs. If you look at Cameron's home and away splits you will see that Safeco being a good pitchers park has affected his numbers. Cameron would bring GG calibur D to CF(moving Rowand to RF), great speed, some pop, and a good walk total(the one weakness of this team is OBP and Cameron's high walk totals are a nice addition). I think a lineup like this would be realistic(financial wise) and better then last year. C Olivo (500K) 1B Spiezo (3M) - If Frank wants his 8M/yr option, than he will probably be gone. Spiezo is a solid offensively, a GG calibur defensive 1B, a lefty bat in the middle, and cost about half of what Frank would 2B Castillo (7M) SS Cabrera (6M) 3B Crede (500K) LF Lee (6M) CF Cameron (6M) RF Rowand (500K) DH Konerko (8M) - I would love to trade him, but his 8M/yr salary wil be hard to move SP Buehrle (3M) SP LHernandez/Ponson (6M) - I have a feeling that Colon is going elsewhere and the Sox will settle for a second-tier pitcher via FA or trade SP Loiaza (3.5M) SP Garland (1M) SP Shoey/Alverez (1M) - I would love to see the Sox take a 1-2M/yr risk on Alverez BP Mota (1M) - via Maggs trade BP Koch (6M) - impossible to move his 6M/yr salary BP Marte (1M) BP Wunsch (1M) BP Ginter (500K) BP Wright (500K) IF Miles (500K) IF/CF Harris (500K) OF Reed/Borchard (500K) C Rivera/Burke (500K) OF - other (500K) Total Payroll 64.5M - 2M(rounding up for minimum wage to make it easier to add) = 62.5M Plus the Sox will improve their minor league system with 2 good prospects and compensation for Colon.

You guys are looking at this the wrong way. You first need to understand that most of baseball is based around economics and financial flexibility, that is how much is your owner/management willing to spend. JR will probably have a payroll around 60M for 2004, and to be honest there is no reason for him to make it much higher than that(after all this is a business and he is in it to make money). Maggs is a very good player, but he IS NOT worth 14M/yr. The only current hitters worth 14M/yr are Bonds, Pujols, Helton, ARod, and Delgado. The Sox CAN NOT afford to pay a player 4-5M/yr more then he is worth. If we had Steinbrenner as an owner, than that can happen, but not when you have a 60M/yr limit. So you have to look at more then just the players received, you also have to consider that it will free up 14M to invest in other areas. So trading Maggs for Mota, 2 very good prospects, and having 13M to fix other holes is certainly worth it and it is pretty easy to see. You need to understand the economics of baseball to fully understand why this would be a great deal for the Sox. Maggs is my favorite player, but I would pack his bags for him if it means the Sox could put a more talented team on the field, which this trade would do(assuming the Sox use the extra 13M to fill other holes).

My wish list is: SS Cabrera 2B Castillo SP LHernandez/Ponson - would rather have Colon, but I need so realistic picks RP quality right handed reliever I also wouldn't mind the Sox taking a look at Batista(if he will take less then 4M/yr) and Alverez(I have a feeling he could be next years Loiaza). In order to do the above the Sox would have to get rid of at least 2 of the following without receiving any big salaries in return OR paying a big portion of their salaries(Maggs, Lee, Konerko, Thomas, Koch). In reality I think the Sox and KW will be more active on the trade market then the FA market(based on previous history and the fact that the Sox have a lot of money tied up in big contracts). We will have to wait and see, but I have a feeling at least one big trade will happen with the above mentioned players, and possible 2 or 3. We will have to see what we get/give away in trades and then fill in the wholes with 1 or 2 FA's.

I disagree. Here is how you have to look at it. Not only would the Sox be getting Mota and 2 very good prospects, but they would be saving 13M/yr(Mota makes about 1M/yr). So you can invest that 13M/yr into getting Cabrera and Castillo. So in the end you can think of it like this: Maggs for Mota 2 very good prospects Castillo Cabrera If you won't take that deal then you are crazy. The Sox probably wont get more then 2 or 3 good prospects for Maggs, ESPECIALLY if they want the team they are trading him too to pay his entire salary. Like I mentioned before, be careful with taking LA pitchers. They pitch in the friendliest pitchers park in the game, and it is always wise to check their home and away splits, because their away numbers are more likely then their home or overall numbers. LA pitchers dont have a good track record after leaving LA. I would rather have Mota and 2 very good prospects.

I mentioned the possibility of trading Maggs to LA earlier and I do think it could happen. LA has the financial flexibility to add payroll and will probably make a run at Guerrero, although I see him ending up in a Yankee uniform. Maggs would be a good fall back plan for LA because they REALLY need some offense. The good news is that Evans might be the worst GM in baseball and the Sox might be able to steal some good players from them. I purposed a trade that went something like this: LA gets: Maggs Sox get: Mota 2 prospects from this list(2B Thurston, SP Hanrahan, 2B/SS Young, 1B Loney, SP Miller, 3B Aybar) A sign and trade of Valentin isn't likely either, although LA might be interested in signing him as a FA to add offense any way they can get it. Perez might be avalaible because I think he was mentioned in some trade talks. He might be a good addition, although I am always a little cautious about LA pitchers since they pitch in probably the best pitchers park in the game. Perez's home and away numbers are pretty drastic and suggest that he might struggle away from LA. I would rather have Mota instead of Quantrill, especially when you consider salaries. I don't know why people keep mentioning Izturis. Sure he is a very good defensive SS, but he cant hit his weight. He might get a little better, but I have a feeling he will always be below average offensively. He offers little besides his D and I hope the Sox stay away from him.

Beat me to the punch. Hawkins, Cotts, and Majewski are the only Sox playing in the AFL this year. Last time I checked Hawkins was hitting .500 in 8 AB's, Cotts hadn't allowed a run in 2.1/3 innings, and Majewski had a 6 ERA with 4 walks in 2+ innings.

"I got one question What if Thomas accepts his $6 mill option(which I think he will)? What happens to your lineup then?" I highly doubt he will take the 6Myr option. A guy that hit 42 HR's and posted a .952 OPS is worth more then that on the open market. I also have a feeling that the Sox wont give him his 8M/yr if he wants that. However, IF he does accept the 6M/yr option then you trade Konerko. Personally, I would rather have this senerio happen because it would probably save the Sox 2M/yr(assuming that the Sox can get rid of Konerko without receiving a big salary in return OR having to pay some of his contract) AND give them a better offensive player. The lineup would remain the same, just insert Thomas for Konerko in the 5th hole. Not a huge problem, but like I said before it is highly unlikely that he will take the 6M/yr option.

I think the 5th starter will be Shoey. I think Rauch and Diaz will be waiting in the wings if a starter gets hurt or struggles. Cotts needs AT LEAST 1/2 a season in AAA to improve his control before the Sox even think about calling him up. The only other youngster that might get a shot is Pacheco, however, I believe he also needs AT LEAST 1/2 in AAA. Last year was his 1st solid year in the minors so I am a little skeptical about him, especially making the jump to the majors. If you are looking for a possible Loiaza on the FA market, than look no further then Wilson Alverez. He appears to be fully healthy and was one of the most dominating pitchers in the second half. He might be had for 1-2M/yr(maybe a little more) and I would love to see the Sox take a flyer on him. The starting CF SHOULD AND WILL BE Rowand. He deserves another shot. I have a feeling that his injury affected his play early in the season, and he really turned it around in the second half. He is very solid defensively in CF, and certainly an upgrade over Everett or Borchard. All I want from my CF is a .750 OPS and solid D, and I really think Rowand can do that. He has a very respectible .743 career OPS in 500+ AB's(the equivalent to a full season). I am one of the biggest fans of Reed, but he needs a couple of months in AAA before coming to the majors. IF Rowand is struggling AND Reed is doing well at AAA, THAN give Reed a chance in CF, BUT not before. Borchard needs to show me that he can get his swing back and sustain sucess for an extended period of time, which means he needs 1/2 season at AAA before even thinking of calling him up. Everett is as good as gone, although I wouldn't mind the Sox trading Maggs for prospects and then resign Everett to play RF. Why trade for Erstad? He had one career year and has done little since. I really think the Sox have their own Erstad in the form of Rowand. Erstad has only had 1 season in the last 5 when he posted an OPS better then .702(his career year in 2000). I really think you can get better offense from Rowand, and both are solid defensively using hussle and good jumps to make up for a lack of natural CF ability. I wont even get into Erstad's contract, because that is a joke. He might be one of the most overpaid players in the game, and the Sox cant afford to add biug salaries with little production. They have enough of their own(Konerko and Koch).

Why not use that 10-12M/yr you were going to give Colon and sign Ponson/LHernandez AND take a chance on Wilson Alverez. That would probably cost you 8-10M/yr, so you save about 2M/yr, get compensation for Colon, find a decent SLIGHT downgrade for Colon, and improve your 5th starter drasticly. That would make sense to me, hopefully it makes as much sense to KW and JR. Weaver would be a mistake. The Sox are trying to get rid of overpaid underachievers with terrible contracts(Konerko and Koch come to mind) not add more. I don't care if the Yankees pay his entire contract AND take Konerko/Koch. Weaver is not that good, and to top it offer he spit in the Sox face when he didn't sign with them after he was drafted. Please stay away from him and refrain from mentioning his name. Vazquez would be great, but I have a feeling thats a pipedream. Then again I thought the Sox getting Colon last offseason was a pipedream so you never know. I still think it would be unlikely(and would cost a few good prospects) and that the Sox would be better offer signing Ponson/LHernandez AND WAlverez.

The team from the 1st post would be very good. I second the idea of Castillo and Cabrera up the middle(I have been saying that for about the past week). Some minor changes that I would make to YOUR DREAM TEAM are the following. Replace Harris with Rowand. By your name I assume that you are a big Harris fan, but he has yet to show that he can hit major league hitting and looks more like a utility IF/OF off the bench. I think you should let both Alomars and Graffy walk. There is no reason to spend that much money on a bench when you can get similar production for younger players from within the Sox minor league system(Miles, Gload, Burke, Rivera, ect). Your team would be a little too much for JR liking, but not TOO unrealistic. It would also have enough talent to win 90+ games and possibly go far in the playoffs. Getting rid of Konerko and Koch will be hard to do. I have a bad feeling that Koch will be back no matter what unless the Sox pay at least half of his salary AND get little in return. Trading Konerko is a little more likely, but they might also have to pay some of his salary AND get little in return. "10-12 mill for your up the middle combo (It could be less..I've heard a few reports saying Cabrerra is gonna get between 3/4 so ti would be a no brainer to sign him at that). I assume Castillo gets more like 5-6. Couldn't see him getting more. " I think Cabrera will cost 5-6M/yr and Castillo will make 6-7M.yr. Casillo and Cabrera up the middle will probably cost 12M/yr. Cabrera is the guy that teams who cant afford Matsui and Tejada will go after which should up his value. Castillo will out a doubt is the best 2B on the market. "Thomas -6 mill" Assuming he takes his 6M/yr option. If he wants his 8M/yr option, than he might be gone. "Lee - 5 mill" Lee will probably get at least 6M/yr after the year he had. "Everett - 5 mill" No way do you get Everett for 5M/yr. He got 9M/yr this year, and while that is more then he is worth. He will probably get at least 8M/yr on the open market. "Colon - 12 mill" I dont think Colon will be back with his agent saying he is looking for 13-15M/yr. Besides I think it would be a better investment to sign LHernandez for about 6M/yr. He put up almost identical numbers to Colon last year. I think it was a career year for him, but his 4.20 career ERA is respectible and he is a workhorse just like Colon. That will save you about 6M/yr to invest in other areas(the middle infield that everyone wants, maybe resigning Everett, improving the pen). After thinking it over this is the lineup I would like to see. 1) Castillo 2B(6M/yr) 2) Cabrera SS(5M/yr) 3) Lee LF(6M/yr) 4) Everett RF(8M/yr) 5) Konerko DH(8M/yr) 6) Spiezio 1B(3M/yr) 7) Crede 3B(500K/yr) 8) Rowand CF(500K/yr) 9) Olivo C(500K/yr) 1) Buehrle LH(3M/yr) 2) LHernandez RH(6M/yr) 3) Loiaza RH(3.5M/yr) 4) Garland(1M/yr) 5) Shoey(1M/yr) 1) Hawkins RH(4M/yr) 2) Koch RH(6M/yr) - impossible to move his contract with the number of quality relievers on the market 3) Marte LH(1M/yr) 4) Wunsch LH(1M/yr) 5) Ginter RH(500K/yr) 6) Wright RH(500K/yr) 1) Miles IF(500K/yr) 2) Harris IF/OF(500K/yr) 3) Burke/Rivera C(500K/yr) 4-5) Either from the minors or cheap FA(1M/yr combined) I figure that this team would cost about 64-65M/yr which is realistic. I would love to get rid of Konerko and/or Koch, but I think it is near impossible to do it without receiving a big contract in return and/or eating some of their salary. Plus you aren't going to get much in return, so I think the Sox best chance is to keep both and hope that they revert back to their old ways. I think the Sox should trade Maggs and get 2 or 3 very good prospects in the upper minors(at least 1 of which being a starting pitcher. The offense wont have as much power, but Cabrera and Castillo improve OBP and speed, which are 2 areas that are really lacking. You still have possible 5 20+ HR hitters in the middle as well. LHernandez would be a SLIGHT decrease from Colon AND Loiaza will probably slide some, but the Sox should get a SLIGHT increase from Garland and Buehrle AND a DRASTIC increase from the 5th spot with Shoey. The defense would be one of the best in the game. The bullpen could improve drasticly IF Koch can find his old self. I just wish JR would take a chance and increase the payroll to about 70M/yr, so the Sox could put enoguh talent on the field to win. The current roster just needs a little tinkering, but with a 60M/yr limit it is hard to find all the right pieces. In reality look for the Sox to be active in trades, but not that active on the FA market. I have a feeling a few big salaries will be traded. We will have to wait and see. Thats the fun of the offseason.

"Arthur Rhodes (who carries a 3.5 million salary) Demaso Marte Flash Gordon Scott Sullivan Kelly Wunsch Billy Koch Scott Schoenweiss (if not given a 5th starter spot) Danny Wright (long relief)" Thats roughly 18M/yr dedicated towards the bullpen. For a team that has about a 60M/yr limit it is plain STUPID to invst almost 1/3rd of it in a bullpen. The Sox don't need Rhodes when they have Marte and Wunsch. Either Sullivan or Gordon, and maybe both, will be gone.

The type of hitter and numbers that I think of when I see Reed is Mark Grace. Or in other words, I think he will be a patient line drive hitter with good gap power. I could see Reed putting up numbers like this in his prime: .290-.310/10-15/70-80 90-100 runs 30-35 2B 70-80 BB 50-60 SO 20-30 SB .370-.390 OBP .420-.440 SLG .800-.820 OPS This is exactly the type of hitter/player the current Sox need. They need to get away from the one-dimensional power hitters and find more complete players like Reed. The one advantage that Reed will have over a player like Grace is speed. IF Reed continues to develop I also believe that he will be a perfect #2 hitter. I dont see Reed as a Super Star, but an above average hard working player that could make an AS team or 2 with a fewer above average years. I have always been a Reed supporter, and told Sox fans that follow the minors to keep an eye on him this year, although I could have never guessed he would have put up the numbers he did. I wish him the best of luck and hope to see him in a Sox uniform in the near future(after a little seasoning at AAA to start off next year).