Kenny Hates Prospects

QUOTE (DBAHO @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 12:57 PM) I forgot about Hernandez, he's a legit leadoff OF prospect. Gregor Blanco could be a guy I think we could go after. Morton and Reyes are 2 other big possibilities. Don't know if the Braves will deal Schafer, especially if they deal Francouer. I'd expect Blanco the least likely to be dealt. He's shown he can play CF, hit MLB pitching and walk whereas Schafer just got busted for roids. They still might want to hang on to Schafer, but I could see him falling down the depth chart quickly. That said, if Schafer isn't on the table (since Heyward and Hanson won't be and Blanco is unlikely) I'd like a Morton + Gorkys package, and if possible and the Braves are really down on JoJo, send a low-level prospect in the deal and pick him up too.

QUOTE (hitlesswonder @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 12:34 PM) Williams actually didn't get any of their top prospects with the last trade. The Braves have 2 good CF prospects in their system in Schaefer (sp?) and Hernandez. You'd have to hope for one of them rather than "major league ready pitching" like Reyes. Ugh. Flowers and Lillbridge were top prospects for them, although Lillibridge might have been outside the top-10. He was close though. They've still got more. Morton/Reyes + Schafer/Gorkys + possibly another prospect should get Dye.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 10:06 AM) On the surface it is highway robbery for the Braves, but they were rumored to be offering Schafer in the Peavy deal, and now the Peavy deal seems dead. With Gregor Blanco emerging for them last year, a Schafer + Hermida deal could be a nice move for the Royals (although they already have a bunch of outfielders). ^Meant Francouer, not Hermida. I always get Hermida and Francouer confused because they were both highly-touted and came up together.

QUOTE (ScottyDo @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 10:09 AM) I'm a little rusty, but I think we'll have a hard time dealing Linebrink anywhere with his contract. The move was kind of laughed at around the baseball world when we gave him all those dollars. I think we're stuck with him whether it was the right move or not (my leanings say he'll be worth the money in the long run, but another injury or two...) His contract calls for $4.5M in '09 (Age 32), $5M in '10 (Age 33), $5.5M in '11 (Age 34) so it's not all that bad. For a top set-up man even in this market you're probably talking $4-5M, maybe even a little more. Howry just signed for $2.5M in '09, $4M in '10, $4M in '11 and that was reported as a bargain, and he's not even a top set-up man. The reason Linebrink's contract was ripped a bit was probably because of his poor second half of '07 with the Brew Crew. Had he been preforming up to his usual standards it probably would have been viewed as a solid deal at market value, not above it. Of course who knows whether the Cards would actually consider that, but just thinking out loud.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 10:03 AM) If the Royals do this each and every member of that front office needs to be fired, while each member of the Braves staff needs a promotion. On the surface it is highway robbery for the Braves, but they were rumored to be offering Schafer in the Peavy deal, and now the Peavy deal seems dead. With Gregor Blanco emerging for them last year, a Schafer + Hermida deal could be a nice move for the Royals (although they already have a bunch of outfielders).

This is interesting (from MLB Trade Rumors): Ludwick is worrisome simply because he had been a AAAA player up until last year and is 30 years old, but if he's going to come that cheap then the Sox should really take a good luck at him. I assume they want more than just a top reliever under team control, but would anyone send them something like Linebrink + Richard + a prospect or two? Or something along those lines? That would seem a very cheap price to pay for a guy who hit .299/.375/.591 last year with 37 HR and 113 RBI.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 09:04 AM) I wasn't comparing them statistically - more the idea of signing an outfielder with some injury issues, who is older but not OLD yet. Seems like a Kenny-type move to me. I could be wrong of course. Just seems like the type of guy Kenny would target. Kotsay is a much better player, but I'd say a Kotsay signing would be more comparable to the Erstad signing. Kotsay would actually help if he's healthy, but like the Erstad deal, I don't think you want to give him any more than one year with the possibility of a team option for a second. A low base with incentives would be ideal, but he hit well with Atlanta last year so he might get a little bit more, like maybe $5M or something for one year.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 08:42 AM) Every team other than the Cubs, and every legit baseball fan, knew that that Soriano signing was an awful one. I laughed when I saw Dempster's contract. He's a decent enough pitcher and had an excellent season last year, but that's a lot of money. The Fukudome signing got soooo much press, and was followed with soooo much blatant racism, I'm just glad I'm not a Cubs fan. We all heralded the Iguchi signing, which was a blurb in the paper when it happened, and he wound up being the much better Major League player. The Iguchi deal and the Shingo deal worked out so well because they were smart, fiscally responsible signings. If they failed, then it's only a couple million and there's a chance you can unload them to another team without eating the salary. And if you have to eat the salary, no big deal, it's not going to be a huge wrench in the long-term planning. Fukudome was dumb though, and I can't believe the Sox were actually interested in that guy. His main offensive skill was OBP but he wasn't a CF, and he was coming from Japan where you knew the power numbers would drop. To give that much money and that many years to a Japanese hitter was very stupid and I'm just thankful Kenny didn't end up with that. The guy can still be a decent player, but he's never going to play up to his salary.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 12:45 AM) Agreed, although Murphy, Hamilton, and Salty had already produced somewhat at the Major League Level prior to being acquired, The Rangers have done a good job at facilitating their development as players. Has Salty improved behind the plate or something over the last year? He's still young, but his minor league and Major League numbers since the Tex deal aren't exactly impressive, and he actually struck out at a higher rate last year in Triple A than he did with Atlanta in the Majors. David Murphy is a mediocre baseball player. His numbers are a product of Texas: League average: .268/.336/.421 Murphy in 2008: .275/.321/.465 Road in 2008: .257/.308/.444 Home in 2008: .294/.335/.488 That's for a corner OF. He's just a mediocre player, like Hank Blalock, Ramon Vazquez, and GMJ, and when you put them in Texas they look good. Whatever the Rangers have done to help these guys pales in comparison to how much they benefit from the park.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 08:25 AM) How many seasons in a row are the Cubs going to get All-Star talent giftwrapped to them and blow it in the playoffs? Peavy Zambrano Harden Dempster Lilly That's flat ridiculous, but it still won't matter. And it's because the Cubs always back up their steals with s***ty acquistions. They'll get Peavy, but they just traded their best pitching prospect for Kevin Gregg. Obviously the Peavy deal is going to help them a lot more than the Gregg deal will hurt them, but the point is still there. It's one giant steal and then one giant brain fart. Like, the Derek Lee deal with Florida (steal) but then the Clement and Pierre deals with them (brain farts). Or they'll extend Zambrano but then sign Fukudome, or they'll make a good move signing Lily, then back it up with an idiotic Marquis signing. And it just goes on like that. All I'll say is that the Cubs are going to have a wonderful time over the next few years trying to unload the Soriano, Dempster, and Fukudome contracts, and that probably won't be all of it either.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 08:05 AM) So the Cubs won't sign any trades or deals until March? Which is when they are saying the sale will be material? No way. The Cubs have already announced their payroll will increase so I'm sure they'll be able work within their "limitations." The only reason they have to move salary is because they made a bunch of stupid FA signings like Marquis, Fukudome, and Soriano.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 07:45 AM) This morning Brian Hanley was saying that Kevin Towers has stated that Peavy will either go to the Cubs or stay a Padre. I just dont understand it That's the downside of a NTC. I just wonder why in the hell the Pads passed on a very good package of talent in Yunel Escobar + Jordan Schafer + Charlie Moron + prospect in the first place. Instead they sat on Peavy looking for more and now the rumors are Marquis (crap), Vitters (very good prospect), Garrett Olson (failing top prospect via another failing top prospect in Pie), and someone from the Phillies for DeRosa. What a crock. The Pads ownership is saying they have to trade Peavy, so now the Cubs can basically name their price simply because Peavy is a pussy afraid to pitch in the AL.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Dec 8, 2008 -> 12:29 PM) This is what my cousin who lives in Dallas had to say about Laird and the state of Texas sports/economy (in general) John Danks trade could still be OK if McCarthy can stay healthy. Rangers messed with his delivery when he got here and got him hurt. That part is hilarious. Aside from maybe a slight tweak, there was nothing the Rangers could have done. McCarthy will always be an injury risk. When the equation of violent delivery + max effort + twig frame = 90mph fastball there are some problems. Getting Danks for McCarthy was a brain fart on the part of the Texas Rangers FO, which makes me hope KW deals with them again. BTW, am I the only one angry at the Rangers for their pitching prospect depth? It's such a waste. That IF is like concrete, it's way too hot all the time, the ball soars out of the park, and the main guy running the show now, Nolan Ryan, has this dated lumberjack-like baseball player philosophy that says pitch count is irrelevant and starters need to put in as much work as possible, even in those conditions. The whole system, top to bottom, is meant to absolutely destroy good pitching prospects as soon as they reach the Majors. It's like they're just stockpiling arms to ruin them and that makes me mad.

I'd love to pick up Reggie Willits if he can play CF, but I doubt that happens. The Angels always have to be idiots with their prospects by holding on to them for far too long instead of dealing them for value, and then as soon as one of them appears to have an opening they block the guy by signing some garbage like GMJ or spending $18M/year on Torii Hunter. My guess is they'll pick up Orlando Hudson this season for 5 years, $75M when no one else is willing to go higher than 4/$48. Then everyone will go crazy thinking Howie Kendrick is available, but he won't be. He'll just sit on the Angels bench until he hits free agency.

David, are you still a member of the White Sox organization? And if so, how does it feel to be seen as less valuable than Lance Broadway and Jerry Owens?

PS some of you guys need to write the W-S people an email too. If I don't hear back from them tomorrow they're going to get an inbox full of dicks. I mean it's funny, but do we really want our top prospects wearing dicks on their uniforms? Stick up for players, people (no pun intended).

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Dec 7, 2008 -> 03:30 PM) In case anyone else wants to write an email to the Dick Dash telling them they should revise their logo, contact them at [email protected]. And, could someone photoshop the pic like Tony did (with the letters erased), except leave the head and rotate it so it's standing at attention? Not only would that be hilarious, but it would be a good thing to send the W-S people just in case they don't quite get the picture. Since no one honored my request, http://s428.photobucket.com/albums/qq5/das...s_dick_dash.jpg

I've scanned this thread and here's my take: There's something to this deal and it's closer than the latest reports have let on. I would trust the writer as far as getting information from a legitimate source because no one with his resume would print something without knowing who he is talking to. I believe the Jocketty denials as far as saying the Sox and Reds haven't talked since Thanksgiving, but I bet that's only a small piece of info that really has nothing to do with the matter. My guess is the Sox and Reds have the major components of the deal ironed out and both sides want to see if they can make some headway in other areas before completing the deal. Perhaps this rumor came out when it did because there is an already agreed-upon deadline in place and that deadline is fast approaching. Also, it sounds like there are some salary issues here on the Reds side. Going further on my thoughts above, maybe the deal has been held off because the Reds were trying to clear out some salary. Just for example, let's say the Reds want to unload Freel's contract before taking on JD. Kenny doesn't want Freel and would actually prefer Bailey + prospect for Dye, and Jocketty would also prefer that deal assuming Freel can be unloaded for scraps. However, maybe there's another deal in place, like Bailey + Freel + prospect + another prospect for Dye, and that both teams agree to make this deal by a certain date if Freel cannot be unloaded. Such a scenario would explain 1) why Kenny is being quiet, 2) why Jocketty said it's not "close" instead of denying the rumors entirely, 3) why the rumors came from a reputable source, and 4) why the source said he expected the deal done sometime this week, instead of saying it was done that day. Compare this situation to the one where reports came out saying we'd dealt Garland to Houston for Taveras, Buchholz, and Hirsh. The reporter obviously got a bad source and reported the deal as being already done that day, instead of later in the week. Both sides came out very quickly to shoot that down, and Kenny himself shot that one down. If you look at this one, Jocketty never actually denied this. He just said that it is not close (which it isn't because "this week" extends to Saturday and the GM meetings go until Thursday) and that the Sox and Reds haven't talked since around Thanksgiving. People will then read into his comments as if there's nothing there under the assumption that in order for a deal to go down both sides must remain in constant conversation, which does not have to be the case. So those are just my thoughts. I think this deal gets done, and there's a good chance we end up with Freel as part of it. Also, when the Sox first acquired Lillibridge I thought that he might have been picked up to be part of the Dye deal, and I still think that's a possibility. Lillibridge is #3 on the Sox SS depth chart and the Reds will need a SS unless they want to keep sticking with Gonzalez for no reason.

In case anyone else wants to write an email to the Dick Dash telling them they should revise their logo, contact them at [email protected]. And, could someone photoshop the pic like Tony did (with the letters erased), except leave the head and rotate it so it's standing at attention? Not only would that be hilarious, but it would be a good thing to send the W-S people just in case they don't quite get the picture.

LOL I just noticed what you titled that photo! The Dick Dash! Hahahaha, dude that totally sucks for our players but that is funny as hell.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Dec 7, 2008 -> 02:54 PM) This is with the Dash stuff erased. You be the judge...... Glad I'm not the only one who noticed this. I just sent them this email: "To Whom It May Concern: Before you start printing all those T-shirts and hats it may be wise to take a second look at your logo, because there is no question that it looks like a penis. You see, the "D" is the scrotum, the "ASH" is the shaft, and the baseball guy is the head. See how the head is curved and the baseball guy's mouth is right where the hole is? Turn the logo 180 degrees if you have to. See? That is definitely a penis, no doubt about it. I hope it's not too late to get your money back." I hope it's not too late. *Edit: I'm a dumbass. I meant to say to turn it 90 degrees. Duh. They should get the point though. The Dash logo is not far from being a boner.

I was looking at the Dash logo and trying to decide why I didn't like it, and then all of the sudden I realized that the logo looks like a penis. The baseball face thing, that's the dickhead. The "D" is balls and the "ASH" part is the shaft. Seriously, look at it. It's a penis. And by the looks of it, it's an angry penis. http://wsdash.com/team/index.html?article_id=16 ^Look at the logo on the bottom of the page and see what I mean. The Winston-Salem fans don't even realize it yet. They're going to buy all this memorabilia and s*** and then one day they'll go to put their Dash hats on and be like "Holy s***, I've been wearing a dick on my head for like three months now."

QUOTE (R.J. @ Dec 7, 2008 -> 04:06 AM) I'm betting those are the guys we asked about. I'm betting the Brewers would rather part with Weeks, Hall, Gwynn, Jefress, and Gillespie. I'd love to get Jeffress and I'd deal Jenks for him straight up in a heartbeat, but that's pretty unlikely. We'd have to give up quite a bit more. Aside from him, that's a pretty uninspiring list. Weeks is a terrible target IMO because of his injuries, K's, low batting average, and defense. And even if he does break out, he's arbitration eligible anyway so we'd just finish developing him just in time for him to bolt to another team. Hall = no thanks. I'd rather start Betemit in all honesty simply because he's cheaper, and I don't want to start Betemit. Gwynn = 4th OF who Ozzie would play everyday. Gillespie doesn't thrill me either. He's the best player here aside from Jeffress but he doesn't seem to have the type of power the Sox typically go for as far as corner OF'ers. The best realistic deal with the Brewers IMO would be some of their further away top prospects with higher ceilings, like Braddock, Nieves, and Gindl or something. It doesn't help the team this year, but I like deals like that. You have a better chance of getting a special player, and we have the depth to cover Jenks' loss IMO.

QUOTE (SEALgep @ Dec 7, 2008 -> 08:18 AM) That sounds like an exaggeration, I surely doubt MB or AJ were shopped. We don't even have a backup catcher, let alone someone to start everyday besides AJ. Sounds farfetched, even coming from "a rival GM." That sounds like someone's way of saying that the Sox were shopping Javy, Swisher, Jenks, Dye, and Paulie. Besides those already traded, it makes sense to shop Dye and Paulie for the right deals since we need pitching. Quentin's emergence coupled with Thome, who can't be moved anyway, gives the Sox one of the most powerful 3-4 combos around, and there are other guys (Alexei, Fields, Viciedo???) capable of producing as 5 and 6 hitters. It's just that if Paulie is dealt we'd need a 1B. It also makes sense to shop Jenks because he's going to get very expensive very fast and we have internal options (Thornton, Poreda, Dotel, Linebrink) that other teams just don't have.

Jenks and a lower level prospect to the Brewers for Carlos Villanueva and Lorenzo Cain Then Konerko to the Giants or A's and Dye for starting pitching prospects