Kenny Hates Prospects

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 5, 2008 -> 11:29 PM) Logan's a good call...just not sure if KW and Ozzie have thrown in the towel with him yet. Still, he can be showcased in the spring. He's not Sean Tracey...lots of teams are on the lookout for lefties who throw 92-94 mph out of the pen. Brian Anderson and Josh Fields also come to mind. I think Josh lets things outside of his control get to him too much, and he really seems affected by the media and perception. Didn't Thornton go to a sports psychologist? MacDougal, with his arm and stuff, would be yet another candidate. Logan would be a good fit for the Cubs. Not just because they also suck, but because the Cubs could always send him to their Triple A team in Iowa, and if I'm not mistaken, there are a lot of cows in Iowa that Logan could milk if things don't work out for him on the mound. Anderson seems to have gotten some of the stuff in his head figured out. At this point I think the issue is mostly mechanical and the fact that he doesn't get regular play. Fields I agree with you on, but I cut the guy a lot of slack because he's been battling injuries and after impressing in '07 he got sent back to the minors. I'll wait for a while before I call him a headcase. MacDougal, with his delivery, is never going to find a consistent release point. He'll always be hit-or-miss, mostly hit.

A brief comparison of our starters: Buerhle average outing: 6.43 IP Buehrle innings 1-3: 394 AB, .277/.321/.416/.737 Buehrle innings 4-6: 364 AB, .294/.332/.448/.779 Buehrle innings 7-9: 95 AB, .253/.304/.358/.662 Vazquez average outing: 6.31 IP Vazquez innings 1-3: 378 AB, .209/.307/.407/.714 Vazquez innings 4-6: 358 AB, .288/.332/.494/.826 Vazquez innings 7-9: 79 AB, .215/.287/.329/.616 Danks average outing: 5.91 IP Danks innings 1-3: 358 AB, .223/.296/.324/.621 Danks innings 4-6: 320 AB, .250/.288/.394/.682 Danks innings 7-9: 61 AB, .361/.409/.525/.934 Floyd average outing: 6.25 IP Floyd innings 1-3: 370 AB, .230/.311/.368/.679 Floyd innings 4-6: 341 AB, .240/.299/.469/.768 Floyd innings 7-9: 76 AB, .303/.316/.553/.869 When you look at Buehrle's numbers, they are always like this for some reason. He gives up a lot of hits but his game balls allow him to continue pitching. Buehrle's jockstrap is larger than Javy's Puerto Rican home which he'll return to once his playing days are over. When you look at Danks and Floyd you see young guys getting tired. They dominate until late and then they falter, which doesn't hurt quite as much because by that time they have done their jobs and the late inning relief crew can come in and do theirs. When you look at Javy you see a guy that almost allows a .500 SLG% in the middle of the freaking game. That third time through the lineup is brutal for him and it sucks to happen in the 4th-6th innings, as that is the time for a team to take control of a ballgame. When the offense keeps it close or puts the team ahead, it has to be demoralizing for the players to have a guy like Javy out there coughing up the momentum or control over the game because that puts them in a position where they have to score runs in the 7th inning or later.

From the article: "While that is not completely clear, the feeling about Vazquez seems to be someone else's big contract, offsetting his $23 million for two years. The Mets might offer disappointing second baseman Luis Castillo, who is owed $18 million over three years. The Sox could use a second baseman, with Alexei Ramirez slated for shortstop. The Red Sox, looking for a reliable starter, could offer veteran infielder Julio Lugo, who has two years and $18 million left. Lugo is a potential leadoff hitter with speed." Whatever Dave van Dyck is feeling, it is probably something up his ass since the above smells like bulls***. There is no way Javy's contract at 2 years/$11.5M per is an albatross. AJ Burnett is just as shaky as Javy, yet he has an injury history and will be looking for 4/$60 or so, maybe more. I want Javy off this team as much or possibly even more than anybody else, but mentioning Javy with the likes of Julio Lugo and a hobbled Luis Castillo is like me saying the Sox could get a similarly talented player coming off a bad year, like Huston Street, for Mike MacDougal. It's a f***ing joke. The only way a deal like that goes through is if 1) the Mets assume all of Javy's salary, 2) the Mets/Red Sox assume most of Castillo's or Lugo's salary, and 3) if that team gives us some very nice additional pieces. Javy is signed to the type of contract that is impossible to receive on the FA market. He gives you 200K's or near it, an ERA in the 4's, 200+ IP, and the ability to dominate. This piece of the article is bulls***, completely. As for Swisher, I have no problem dealing him at all, and if we could get a similar reclamation project or prospect(s), I would jump at the chance. In terms of his lack of hitting ability, his mediocre at best CF defense, his salary owed, and the talent traded to acquire him, Swisher in 2008 was the biggest disappointment I have seen on this team ever. I honestly cannot recall a bigger flop than last year's Nick Swisher. At least Jaime Navarro didn't cost a load of prospects that could have gotten us a very good player. Perhaps worst of all were those annoying commercials of him doing the worm that aired in between his epic strikeouts where he worked the count full just to watch a meatball sail down the heart of the plate.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 3, 2008 -> 11:44 PM) Unlike the last couple years, I'm not sure there's anything I really want from the Mets right now. Pitching prospects. We're not getting Fernando Martinez, but I think if the Sox can get their hands on about 3-4 legit SP prospects with ceilings of #3 or higher by trading a slugger and Javy, they could sign a reclamation project veteran and hold an open competition for two rotation spots. When the difference between a guy who can reasonably be expected to put up an ERA of like 5.00 or better over 170-180IP and a guy who can be expected to put up an ERA in the mid-to-high 4's over 200+IP is about $12-13M+ on the free agent market, we should take advantage of that and look to get younger, better, and cheaper. If we're going to spend $11.5 on Javy the 4th/5th starter, I'd rather give an insane deal to a legit ace and fill another hole with a pre-arb guy.

Good, now get Atlanta on the phone. Call up the Rangers who love K guys. See if Houston is interested. Get some conversations going with the Nationals and Phillies if possible. Despite Javy's piss-poor end of '08, if he had hit the FA market he'd be just behind Burnett and maybe Lowe in the FA class. The only clear, significant upgrade is CC. Dempster had a career year after relieving, can he keep that up? Sheets is never healthy for a full season. Burnett is just as hit-or-miss as Javy. Lowe is old and is coming from the NL. Garland continued to decline in an environment that appeared to favor slight improvement. Javy gives 200 IP, is under control below market for 2 seasons, has good stuff, has the peripheral stats, and is a good bet to continue staying healthy. Let's get a bidding war going, Kenny. Don't sell low.

Another bump... Does anyone know anything about Jose's injury yet? Like, is he expected to be ready for ST next year? How did he get injured? What did he injure? Is his injury significant enough to take away his status as a prospect? If no one knows anything about this guy, is there someone that one of the minor league gurus here could email to find out? I'd really like to know what is going on with this dude. He went from supposedly being our best position prospect in terms of ceiling to disappearing somewhere in the Bermuda triangle.

Willy Taveras is a much better baseball player than Owens because he can play CF very well, versus Owens who cannot play CF at all with his arm. There is no reason to go any further. Owens is a LF and a very poor hitting one at that. Owens will hurt the team on both sides of the field. Taveras will only hurt you on one. Taveras wouldn't bother me at all because he's had good years every year in the Majors except for last season. If the Sox feel he'll turn it around he's very much worth a shot. Worse case scenario you hit him 9th and add some CF defense and speed to the bottom of the order. If he's too bad to hit 9th, play Brian Anderson. He's proven he deserves a shot anyway. I don't want to see the Sox add a guy like Taveras however, who is coming off a very poor offensive year, and tab him as the lead-off guy just because he is fast. If they want a lead-off guy they should go after Roberts or Figgins, both as second baseman if Fields is expected to be a starter. Adding speed like Taveras could work out very well if you get a real lead-off guy and make Taveras the #9 hitter and make him beat out Brian Anderson in ST. Adding speed and defense at premium positions at the expense of offense is fine with me. I just don't want to see the Sox go with a slap-hitting speedster at a power position. That means no Owens, no way, no how. If I could be GM for the Sox for one day, the first thing I would do would be trade Jerry Owens to whoever wants him for absolutely nothing, just so I'd know I'd never have to hear his name in the conversation for starting CF ever again.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 31, 2008 -> 01:24 AM) Actually, Zumaya and Rodney have very good stuff, they just don't always execute...even Dolsi to a lesser extent. Now the Indians are a different story...they deserved the problems they got going into last season as they did what THAT pen. Yeah some of the Tigers guys have good stuff, but that's why I listed the four criteria: staying healthy, having good stuff, not being a headcase, and no major control problems. Most RP fail in at least one of those areas, and that makes guys like Thornton special. It wasn't too long ago that the Tigers counted Todd Jones as their most reliable reliever. Yuck.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 31, 2008 -> 01:27 AM) Do you really feel confident Dotel will stay 100% healthy for another season? I'm not so sure. We shall see. Would you, as another team's GM, sign Octavio Dotel if it meant giving up two high draft picks? I wouldn't even consider it for a nano-second. I wouldn't either, but some team will sign him. I'm sure either of us could go through the Type A and Type B free agents of this offseason and pick out a bunch of guys we wouldn't sign even if we didn't have to give up any draft picks. Just off the top of my head, Orlando Cabrera is one. He's going to want at least 3 years and probably $12M+ per as he declines. Hell no. Some team will salivate over him though.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Oct 30, 2008 -> 10:08 PM) Besides, the guy you offer to Tampa would be Octavio. Octavio is off the books after '09 and barring a total collapse next year will bring Type A compensation. Even though he gets bumped up to I believe $6M next year, he's still affordable. In order for the Sox to give up Type A comp in 2010 plus open up a hole in the bullpen and only get $6M in salary relief they would have to be bowled over, and I doubt any team is going to give up the type of talent necessary to do that when they could just sign a reliever on the open market. With Jenks it is another story because he's under control for a while still.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 30, 2008 -> 08:34 PM) If you're going to make this move, it's better to do Jenks for Jackson and a prospect (3B/CF/plus arm out of pen) I think it's too risky to sell a star like Jenks for position prospects, but I'd do Jenks for Jackson and Morlan in a heartbeat. My original idea was to try to add Dye and work in another SP prospect too because that would allow the Sox to deal Javy for pitching. The Braves, Nats, and Mets all look like reasonable targets for Javy. JoJo Reyes + Cole Rohrbaugh, Joel Hanrahan + Josh Smoker, Jon Niese + Duaner Sanchez - those are the kinds of deals I'd like to see for Javy. If you want to send Dye elsewhere, what about to Texas for a deal centered around Eric Hurley? Again, I don't know how realistic this would be, but if the Sox could end up trading Dye, Jenks, and Javy, and bring back Edwin Jackson, Eric Hurley, and Jon Niese to compete for two SP slots, and then add a potential future closer in Morlan to the front of the pen, and in the process drop about $26M off of payroll, deepen the farm, and get younger in the future, why not? QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 30, 2008 -> 08:34 PM) Dye is much more valuable to the White Sox than perhaps any team out there, because of the park he plays in...that's why he has led MLB RF'ers in home runs from 2005-2008. I'm sure there are other places Dye can go to hit just as well. He is better at home than on the road, but he still hit 16 HR's away compared to 18 at home last year. The average and SLG% is down away, but that's like that with a lot of players. If you're saying Dye can't get the ball over the fence in other parks I think you're wrong and understating his power. QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 30, 2008 -> 08:34 PM) I'm not serious about Perez...although I would love to have Baldelli as a fourth outfielder, not sure that's realistic. But we are not going to get Carl Crawford or BJ Upton, end of story. I don't want Baldelli. If he was perfectly healthy I'd love to pencil him in CF every day, but only playing a few days per week and sometimes not even full games is just waaaay too much hassle. Every spot on the 25-man roster is important, and I'd want the comfort of knowing that my fourth OF can play a full 9 innings three or four days in a row if necessary without collapsing on the field. Yeah we're not getting BJ or CC but everybody knows that. Besides I wouldn't want to target players like that anyway. We need to take our few valuable but aging assets and continue to exchange them for a younger core. Targeting a Crawford or Upton type would require us to deal our core from several areas to become significantly better in one, and then we'd have to fill the new holes we've opened with older players again. QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 30, 2008 -> 08:34 PM) If we really are serious thinking that Jenks' value (and fastball) have peaked, and this is certainly the window of time when he is most valuable to another team (before he hits Free Agency and gets an even bigger contract)...then KW will take that risk. I just don't think he does it unless he feels 100% confident in either Thornton or Russell. The White Sox have shown time and time again (Howry, Foulke, Takatsu, Hermanson, Jenks...Koch was the only "name" reliever and his name was mud quickly enough) that they have the ability to find "under the radar" closers who don't cost tons of money. As someone mentioned, is the difference between a 75 and 85% save conversion rate worth having an extra $12 million to play around with and a young/affordable/high potential starter in Edwin Jackson that's under our control for X number of years? However, as the Indians and Tigers have learned (and we saw during the Koch Era), not having a legit closer can have disastrous results on overall team morale. Not having a legit closer can really hurt, but it helps to have a pitcher who is 1) not a headcase, 2) has at least pretty good control, 3) is generally healthy over an entire season, and 4) has good enough stuff to get hitters out. Thornton fits that criteria and many of the guys that teams like the Tigs and Indians have trotted out there do not. When you put garbage on the mound you should at some point expect garbage results, and thankfully Thornton isn't garbage.

QUOTE (Melissa1334 @ Oct 30, 2008 -> 07:03 PM) i agree with a lot of what u said, but if theyre going to trade jenks, u better be 100% sure ur getting the right players, not busts. 4 example, on paper, reed morse and olivo for freddy looked great for seattle. where r those players now? You make a great point, but I think it works out a little better with pitching prospects than hitting prospects, especially if those pitchers have the kind of stuff the Rays' guys I mentioned earlier have. Pitchers can be brought along slowly and protected or they can be thrown into the fire. They can work out of the pen or experiment out of the rotation, so they give you a fall back option if one thing doesn't work out. Hitters OTOH have to be thrown into the fire, they have to stay in the fire, and if they can't adjust to Major League pitching their window of opportunity closes very quickly. Plus, as long as pitchers stay healthy they hold their value better as a good arm with poor results is always going to be more likely to succeed in the future than a guy who has never hit big league pitching, because the guy who can't hit big league pitching isn't going to get many chances to prove otherwise. Overall pitching prospects are sooo much safer, and it makes sense to stock up on them, especially with the market for SP the way it is. When our own Javy Vazquez of the 4.67 ERA is considered a bargain at $11.5M for the next two years because of his stuff and ability to eat innings, it only makes sense to go after guys who can provide similar results over 180 IP at the league minimum and then use the funds saved to pay established hitters.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 30, 2008 -> 06:36 PM) Do the Giants want to keep getting older and slower, though? With the move from the opening post, we're taking way too many chances. For all I know, Adam Russell would be a better closer than Matt Thornton. One thing's for certain, I don't think I would ever want to see Thornton come into a close or tied game in the 9th inning with runners on base...maybe his actual stats counter this somewhat, but his numbers of runners inherited/scored can't be all that great. Maybe I am letting some particularly bad memories influence me here. Edwin Jackson was so valued by the Rays that he was left off their post-season roster...the White Sox might be better off targeting someone who really knows how to pitch, like Sonnanstine, even though Jackson has much better stuff overall. While the idea is a good one, Jermaine Dye on turf (I mentioned this elsewhere) even for one year is a risky proposition for any team. 85-90 games counting TOR and MIN, not to mention the fact he's a West Coast guy. I don't think we can begin to count on anything from Contreras for 09, and KW certainly isn't...hopefully he learned from the Crede situation, although we accidentally (the Uribe re-signing) had a capable back-up there to fill in the gap. If we went into 08 with Fields as the starter and Crede gone, we might (even probably) would have ended up missing the playoffs. Just a feeling. As far as more realistic, start talking Fernando Perez and Rocco Baldelli, lol. Or Johnny Gomes. Gomes, like Cantu, put up some very solid offensive seasons but has fallen off the map and is still a relatively young player. Jackson was left off the ALDS roster only because they needed 3, at most 4, SP plus they have a ton of middle relievers. He was on the ALCS and WS roster, going 4.1IP and giving up 1 run on 2 H. Edwin Jackson would have made our team's full postseason roster and most other teams' full postseason rosters. The Rays have an embarrassment of talent if you haven't heard. Fernando Perez? Are you serious? I want real difference makers, not soon-to-be 26-year-old fast guys who can't hit for any power. The guy struck out 156 times in Triple A in 2008. I want him nowhere near this team. Gomes is another all-or-nothing hacker. The idea is to get better, not tread water.

QUOTE (Melissa1334 @ Oct 30, 2008 -> 06:17 PM) thank you. look at the very good setup men that got put into that role and didnt do well. take it however u want, but he has 5 saves in his career in 19 opportunities. There have been those who have failed, yes, but there have been some very good closers to make the transition. Just off the top of my head, both Dotel and Lidge were setup men under Wager, and Dotel was doing pretty well for himself before he blew out his shoulder or whatever. One of Thornton's closest comparables, George Sherrill, made the transition successfully last year. The fact is, the sample size is way too small to say he wouldn't be effective. Established roles is all I think he needs. We saw in the post season this year that he is capable of working under pressure. Bobby Jenks' career line: 235.2 IP, 3.09 ERA, 7.49 H/9, 0.50 HR/9, 2.90 BB/9, 8.55 K/9, 1.15 WHIP Matt Thornton's career line: 267.1 IP, 3.97 ERA, 7.98 H/9, 0.98 HR/9, 4.48 BB/9, 9.02 K/9, 1.38 WHIP About 1/3 of Thornton's numbers come from Seattle where he was pretty bad. Still, on paper going from Jenks to Thornton is a slight downgrade, but there are other factors. Thornton is owned $6.575M over the next three years, and through arbitration who knows how much Bobby is going to get? The difference should be at least $12M or more over that period, plus by dealing Bobby you get a package that really helps the team now and in the future. Is Bobby the closer and Thornton the lefty setup man worth more than Thornton the closer, Poreda/Richard as the lefty setup man, $12M+, and a couple young players who have the potential to be very good for a long time? That's a question the Sox need to ask themselves. I don't see them trading Bobby overall because Kenny doesn't usually like to deal Major League players until they've lost some value, but a Jenks deal could end up working out great.

QUOTE (Melissa1334 @ Oct 30, 2008 -> 06:03 PM) its funny how people just assume thornton would be a good closer lol Why wouldn't he? He struggled in a couple shots there last season, but I think that was all due to changing roles and upsetting the pen as a whole after Jenks went down. I could easily see him being a dominant closer if roles are established very early on, and honestly it makes perfect sense to me given his contract situation. We have him through 2011. His deal: 07:$0.55M, 08:$0.875M, 09:$1.325M, 10:$2.25M club option ($0.25M buyout), 11:$3M club option. Jenks is going to be far more expensive than that.

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Oct 30, 2008 -> 05:59 PM) Tampa Bay is in the market for a new DH/1B. They have the depth and flexibility to trade with any team in baseball for it. I expect them to make a big push for Prince Fielder. Perhaps for Garza and Sonnestine or Jackson. Makes more sense to me rather than trading for an aging veteran. The thing that makes me think Dye would be a great fit is his flexibility. He can spend some time in the OF or DH for them, he is on an affordable contract and would be easier to retain, he hits RH, and he is the type of character guy the Rays would be looking for. Plus I don't think Garza is going anywhere. They love Matt Garza over there. I think Price, Garza, Kaz, and Shields are untouchable, McGee and Sonnanstine are close to it, and Niemann, Jackson, and Davis can all be had for the right deal. You are right though in that they can trade with any team in baseball. The Rays will be the team to watch this offseason.

Per http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/ it says the Rays are looking for a RH hitting corner OF. They should also need a closer. To me, this seems like the perfect team to deal with. I'd be willing to offer Dye and Jenks in a package if the Rays would be willing to part with one of Edwin Jackson/Jeff Niemann, one of Jake McGee/Wade Davis, and Eduardo Morlan. Slide Thornton to closer and sign a lefty set-up man, with Richard as the 2nd non-closing lefty out of the pen. I don't know if that deal would be realistic or not, but there are several possibilities with the Rays. The only guy I wouldn't want is Reid Brignac. The best possible moves for the Sox IMO would be to do something like the above, then deal Javy for pitching prospects. If the Sox could go into 2009 with 2 rotation openings but 3-4 legit prospects who are ready and have ceilings of #3 or higher it could actually be an improvement over Javy + Richard in 2009, save us money, and help us get much younger in the future. If the Sox did something like that and Contreras came back in the second half, they would be able to go to a 6-man rotation to give the young guys extra rest, or just have a guy skip a start here and there. So anyway, anyone have any thoughts on a potential TB deal? Who would you target? Who would you trade? What is realistic?

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Oct 29, 2008 -> 02:00 AM) I think now is the time to trade Floyd, hes value is ridiculously high and we could get a team to absolutely shell out to get him. I, of course, wouldn't mind keeping him but we could great value in return. Floyd isn't Konerko, Thome, Vaz or Dye, he's got real value that can make your team much better. Offer him up in a deal for Prince then and look to move a couple sluggers for pitching. Don't deal him for suspects.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Oct 28, 2008 -> 11:09 PM) Don't ever bring up the name Sean Rodriguez. He makes Brian Anderson look like Babe Ruth at the plate. And there ain't a chance in hell I'm trading Floyd without getting another young potential front of the rotation starter in return. Yeah, trading a pre-arbitration pitcher who just had a season that is worth $15 million on the free agent market for more prospects is a pretty dumb thing to do. Floyd shouldn't be available for anything less than the elite of MLB. If Paulie goes to the Angels I hope it's because we had just somehow picked up a better hitting 1B than Nick Swisher. My whole feeling on the glut of sluggers is that if the Sox are going to move someone, do it for the right reasons. Do it to get younger and better, preferably both with the Major League team and in the minor leagues. Don't do it simply to open a spot for a guy who was the P4P worst regular position player on the team last year.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 28, 2008 -> 11:26 PM) Is that because you think we can't get anything good for him (which I'd agree with) or the fact you think he's going to help us win a division and advance in the playoffs (I have some serious doubts about that). I don't know if there would be any interest, but I wonder if Swisher and some other high talent headcase like Logan could fetch a guy in a contract year like Beltre, Roberts, or Figgins? If that's the case, I'd gladly send Swisher out of town for one year of a better player plus Type A compensation in the 2010 draft. Ditto with Fields for that matter. I'm liking the overall results from the 2008 draft so far and essentially swapping underachieving players for picks that the Sox might actually do something with would be fine by me. Ideally, I'd like to see Fields, Getz, and Russell or something for Roberts, then Swisher, Logan, and some other crap for Beltre. That way the team is competitive in 2009, and then after the season they've got a bunch of money coming off the books and probably at least four first round draft picks provided they don't sign a Type A (because of Dotel hitting FA as well). Then you sign a stopgap somewhere for 2010 with Beckham likely to arrive by September of that year at the latest.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 27, 2008 -> 11:43 PM) You know what? I respectfully disagree. The guy hit .210. That simply sucks. I don't care how many OBP stats, etc., you unveil. The guy had a very miniscule number of hits. Swisher had a s***ty season and I feel his batting average showed that. I mean Sox pitcher Gary Peters back in the day could have outhit Swisher this season. Yep. Swish in April: .211/.368/.333 Swish in May: .176/.272/.275 Swish in June: .315/.402/.630 Swish in July: .193/.327/.349 Swish in August: .224/.337/.539 Swish in September: .164/.235/.311 Yeah, um, Swish was f***ing pathetic last year. He had one great month and everything else was like looking at Andy Gonzalez version 2.0. With his lack of defensive abilities in CF there is absolutely no reason to justify those horrific numbers. Take all the stats you want, in the end the guy hit .193 or lower 3 out of 6 months of the season, he hit .224 or lower 5 out of 6 months out of the season, got on base at a .337 clip or lower 4 out of 6 months of the season, and slugged .349 or lower 4 out of 6 months of the season. June is the only month that I could safely say Brian Anderson couldn't have out-produced him. BTW, for all the people who think batting average is a dumb stat, walks don't drive in runs unless the bases are loaded. Sooner or later Major League hitters need to hit the f***ing baseball. Anyone who tries to come up with stats to put a positive spin on those frighteningly bad numbers above is embarrassing himself and every intelligent baseball fan that reads it.

QUOTE (santo=dorf @ Oct 28, 2008 -> 05:22 PM) Konerko had a .248 BABIP and a LD% of 21.5. He was even more "ridculously unlucky" than Swisher but put up better numbers, yet some people think Konerko must be traded for anything and Swish should be moved to first. GMAB Paulie's past history plus his .333/.483/.591 August and .260/.321/.649 September makes me believe he's at least twice as likely to rebound in '09 than Swisher is to put up the type of numbers you'd expect from a corner OF or 1B playing in the Cell.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Oct 24, 2008 -> 09:58 PM) The Angels didn't win the series and if they don't sign Tex than they'll be in the market for a first baseman. They could fall back on Kendry Morales though, who is a guy I would target if the Sox used a couple trips and opened up a spot at 1B. Morales can be a pretty damn good pickup and develop into a good 5 hole hitter. Kendry is intriguing but his career high in walks over a full season of pro baseball is 31. He doesn't K much at all, but he's never come close to equaling out his K and BB numbers and that would concern me against better pitching, especially for a 1B. He usually K's about twice as much as he walks, and a contact-type hitter like that just doesn't do it for me without some serious power. I like the 1B position to be filled by guys who will walk enough to maintain a solid season OBP so that way they're still valuable in some area when they're not hitting for power. If Kendry were a MIF, C, or CF I'd love his minor league numbers and potential, but if he played one of those positions he'd have gotten his shot a long time ago.

QUOTE (whitesoxbrian @ Oct 24, 2008 -> 05:54 PM) Possibly trading Thome or Swisher for a CF'er and then signing Texeira? Just the idea of the Sox getting on the phone with Borass and sustaining a cordial conversation for more than five minutes would be an enormous surprise. That said, I like the Sox stance on Borass when it concerns MLB players because I don't like the idea of giving out 5+ year contracts to players without that many good seasons, or longterm contracts that take players well past their primes, or teams bidding against themselves, or paying average players star money and star players superstar money, etc. It's just the whole "we won't draft prospects repped by Borass" mentality that gets me.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Oct 24, 2008 -> 10:24 PM) What is wrong with our line-up is that we think we need 80 RBI guys at every position. That'd be nice, but balance would be much, much easier to attain. Chone kills about a million birds with one stone: -Plays 3B, 2B, and CF. Fittingly our 3 positions of need. -Adds mega speed to the slowest team in baseball -Can bat first and put up a .365 OBP(!!!) I don't know how you can say he isn't a good player. He could single handily fix our offense if everyone else returned. ^This