Kenny Hates Prospects

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 25, 2008 -> 11:11 AM) The reason why all these people started getting these rapid contracts is Ryan Howard. The dude won $10 mil in arbitration his first year. Right after that we saw that surge of Ramirez, Longoria, etc., all being locked up for years, because those teams were smart enough to realize that Howard's deal set a new bar. G*d will probably be in that same ballpark for his first arbitration year if you don't lock him up soon. Shoot for an $8-$9 million a year average and try to get an option year on the end to buy out a FA year, and hope he is willing to sign because you're taking the risk on his injury history Great post. There are always risks involved with longterm contracts, and that goes for every single player regardless of his injury history or lack thereof, but with players like Carlos it can be a very smart move. With Carlos, it's more about betting on his health than his production. If he's healthy he'll keep tearing the league up, and if not, he won't. I hope the Sox go longterm with him soon because it could save them a lot of money, and that money should translate to better players on the Major League team and/or better prospects in the draft or as international free agents. Danks OTOH I would definitely wait on, same goes for Floyd. Danks needs to show in '09 that the workload of this season hasn't affected him all that much, and he also has to show he's capable of pitching deeper into ballgames before we lock him up on a large deal. With Floyd, he needs to put up another good year in '09 as well. Alexei is already locked up through 2011 at the cost of a decent backup catcher, but with another great year out of him in '09 I'd think it would be very wise to re-work his contract, possibly even mid-season '09, so that he gets paid more through 2011 but we get him for another year or two on top of it at a nice rate. Por ejemplo, if you change the contract to give him $4M in 2010 and 2011 with $5M coming in 2012 and, if the world doesn't end, 2013, you could look at it as his current contract plus two additional years at $8M per, which would be a hell of a bargain given inflation and the rise in baseball salaries year to year.

I think the Sox specifically target Figgins and make their best run at him. Beltre will get serious consideration, but he might be dealt elsewhere. I think he'll be the Sox #2 option. My pick for 2009: Chad Tracy. I think KW swings yet another deal with his favorite trading partner and Fields is then traded in a different deal, maybe for Roberts?

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 16, 2008 -> 12:14 PM) I take it you've seen him pitch. Poreda? No, but everything I've read says he doesn't have anything to keep hitters off his fastball. There's even an article today about that where Coop says he still needs a lot of work on his secondary stuff, even though he's making some progress. Everyone admits it, even Poreda himself admits he's not ready. I highly doubt that we'd have seen guys like Broadway, Richard, Carrasco, Russell, Horacio Ramirez, and Ehren Wassermann come up over Poreda if he had anything even close to an average change-up to go along with his fastball. The Sox are notorious for rushing pitchers, and the fact that Poreda isn't even an option right now (despite a media article that says it's possible, but also while admitting it was the media to begin with that has caused the speculation) says he doesn't have anything to offer other than maybe a spot as a LOOGY. Poreda would get killed at the Major League level.

Third base going into the 2009 season is probably going to be one of, if not the most, debated hole we have to fill. Some people are going to want to bring back Crede while overlooking his continuing back problems, others will want to turn to Fields, and then others will want to make a trade or sign a free agent. Here are the options for 3B next year: Certainties (options we have no matter what): Josh Fields Free Agents (per Kalapse's list mainly): Joe Crede Casey Blake Rich Aurilia Wes Helms (TO) Morgan Ensberg Geoff Blum (TO) Russell Branyan Greg Norton Juan Uribe - have to include him if we're including these other guys Unlikely Free Agents (again per Kalapse's list): Chipper Jones - team option should be picked up Troy Glaus - should exercise his option Hank Blalock - option should be picked up Likely Trade Candidates: Scott Rolen (TOR) Marco Scutaro (TOR) - FA after '09, UT player Bill Hall (MIL) - change of scenery? Craig Counsell (MIL) - FA after '09 Felipe Lopez (STL) - sucks Chad Tracy (AZ) - FA after '09 Andy Marte (CLE) - career over? Adrian Beltre (SEA) Dallas McPherson (FLA) - second chance? Aubrey Huff (BAL) - can he still play even a mediocre 3B? Melvin Mora (BAL) - salary dump guy, FA after '09 Eric Hinske (TB) Garret Atkins (COL) - probably the best available bat at 3B Clint Barmes (COL) Mike Lamb (MIN) - sucks so bad the Twins would probably love to dump him on us Possible Trade Candidates: Chone Figgins (LAA) - due to be a FA after '09 Brandon Wood (LAA) - could there be a fit? Doesn't seem to be in LA's plans Ty Wigginton (HOU) - FA after '09 Blake DeWitt (LAD) - Dodgers don't seem to like him very much Greg Dobbs (PHI) Pedro Feliz (PHI) Akinori Iwamura (TB) - played 3B in Japan Mark Teahen (KC) - played well at 3B before they moved him to RF Wilson Betemit (NYY) - part time player with full time talent that he's never shown Unlikely Trade Candidates: Mark Reynolds (AZ) Johnny Peralta (CLE) - should be available, should move to 3B, but he's not getting dealt to us Ryan Zimmerman (WSH) - bad this year, Crede-like last year, is there a chance he's moved? Chase Headley (SD) - will he stay in LF? Kevin Kouzmanoff (SD) - logjam at 3B, will he stay? Ian Stewart (COL) - if Atkins extends it's possible he's available, just not for what we've got Brandon Inge (DET) - fulltime catcher now? Tigs still regret the contract? intra-divisional trade unlikely Wildcards: Dayan Viciedo - Cuban defector, how much time does he need? Hirokazu Ibata - Japanese SS, worth a chance? Tomohiro Nioka - Japanese SS, could he move to 3B? Is there anyone else to add? Who would you want to go after?

Question... If Broadway is just going to be called up in a few days to start again, why can't Broadway stay with the team while the Sox option him to the minors on paper? I'm pretty sure he can't be on the bench or anything, but can't he just hang out in the clubhouse for the next few days and take practice on the field and throw on the side? When players are on the DL they're allowed to stay with the team, even though they're not on the 25-man roster. I understand the need for another pitcher (although not Richard specifically) but it just kind of sucks to see Broadway sent down after today's start. I had no hope for him at all because of his last few outings in Charlotte, but I think the kid deserves to stick around after getting the job done today. If the 5th spot is still undecided, it should be Broadway's to lose right now.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 14, 2008 -> 07:13 PM) That's not unusual...looks at startribune.com/sports or the Twins' boards after losses. MANY of their fans feel the same way about Gardenhire and Bill Smith, despite their unprecedented level of success getting lemonade out of lemons. It kind of reminds me of Braves' and Yankees' fans, they're getting spoiled...combined with their lack of belief they can actually get somewhere in the playoffs and that ownership is cheap, cheap, cheap. Well, the new stadium will bring up two interesting questions. Will the Twins' homefield advantage evaporate, and second, will the Pohlad family suck the profits out of the luxury suites and new revenue streams and not plug in an extra $20-30 million into the payroll? Twins fans have as much right to b**** as any fans in baseball outside of those in Florida and Pittsburgh. They've had so many chances to add a player or two to make them legit WS contenders yet they haven't done it. You can't compare Sox fans b****ing about JR not spending money and KW trading prospects to the plight of the Twins' fans, who had a GM that up until this past offseason would never trade anything decent to get a Major League player in his prime and who had/has an owner who won't pony up to add a significant piece through FA after making the playoffs.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 12, 2008 -> 12:30 AM) I don't know that I'd call Fuentes a big name. Good pitcher but not worth a pitcher who could very realistically put up similar numbers to him this season out of the pen with youth and the ability to start on his side. Very realistically? How the hell is Poreda with his no secondary stuff going to come in and put up numbers similar to a 3.07 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 9.88 K/9, 2.63 BB/9, 7.46 H/9, 0.22 HR/9 in 41 innings of Major League Baseball mostly played in Colorado? 1-pitch Poreda is not all that special. Maybe he'll be something more than a set-up man at some point in the future, but to say he's anywhere near a pitcher the caliber of Fuentes is ridiculous. Yeah he's got an explosive FB with sink, but that alone is not enough in the big leagues.

QUOTE (Jimbo's Drinker @ Aug 13, 2008 -> 07:51 PM) I have friends who in denver who say the Rockies are the dumbest organization in baseball. Why? They've made some really big mistakes in the past contractually for which they are still paying for (Helton's contract as an example) but what else is so wrong about them? They've got a lot of talent on the field and in the farm. Maybe the Rockies played over their heads last year and suck this year, but they should have a formidable offense in the future. They still will need pitching, but they'll always need pitching so long as they stay in Denver.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Aug 13, 2008 -> 07:11 PM) If we would have traded Poreda for Fuentes, well, that would have been stupid to put in bluntly. If all it cost was Poreda straight up I would have loved that move in theory. Fuentes helps us in the pen this year and makes Thornton into the #2 lefty option instead of the #1 and then we collect on draft picks and select a pitcher who has a better chance of reaching his ceiling than Poreda. Basically we could deal a guy who could be a LOOGY right now and a set-up man next year or maybe a starter in a couple of years for relief help now and a 1st round draft pick on top of that. Of course this would all depend on whether or not the Sox would spend the money on the picks, but I would have loved it if they did. Just think about going into the '09 draft with our own 1st rounder, plus 1st and supplemental 1st picks for Fuentes, Griffey, Cabrera, and possibly Thome (although unlikely) plus maybe a second rounder for Crede. If the Sox did that and spent the money necessary, the Sox could have an amazing draft like the Red Sox had in 2005 and the A's had in 2002. I mean, if we do that Fuentes deal and don't sign a big name FA, and we use Fields and a couple of other pieces to make a couple improvements over the offseason via trade, we could end up 11 picks in the top 80 or so. If the Sox spent the money there, they could improve the farm system by leaps and bounds and all of the sudden when the 2010 trade deadline comes we've got some real trade chips and some optimism for the future of our farm.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Aug 12, 2008 -> 01:38 PM) Technically Linebrink cost us a 2nd round pick and the Cabrera/Garland deal should be a net gain prospect wise when both hit free agency after this season. After seeing us pass on Tim Melville in the third round in order to draft Brent Morel when we could have replaced that pick, I'm convinced the Sox didn't lose anything at all.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Aug 12, 2008 -> 06:48 PM) Paul Byrd cleared waivers last week right around the time Contreras was cleared to start on Saturday, meaning at the time the Sox had 5 starters already. He wasn't going to claim a player that he had no room for. Ahh, I just posted about that. Yeah, if that's the case then it makes sense.

BTW, my above post is assuming that Byrd hadn't cleared waivers before Contreras went down. If Byrd did clear before Kenny needed a replacement, then Shapiro would have had a choice in the matter.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Aug 12, 2008 -> 05:00 PM) If you're Mark Shapiro and you get very similar offers from both the Red Sox and White Sox which team would you rather send Paul Byrd to? Considering the player being dealt, there's not going to be a huge difference between offers if any at all. Shapiro wouldn't have a choice. The Red Sox have the better record between the two, so if the good Sox made a claim it would be either a deal with us or no deal at all. The Red Sox offered an organizational player, not a prospect, per Theo Epstein. Byrd would have cost nothing at all yet the Sox didn't even put in a claim. It's probably because KW can't add salary, as there would be no other reason not to add Paul Byrd right now. We have nothing worth noting in the minors. *Edit: Even if Byrd couldn't be added due to salary, since there's I believe a 48-hour window for waivers, it would have been nice to see if Kenny could have talked with Shapiro first and offered Mike MacDougal instead of an organizational player. If Shapiro would have accepted then the Sox could put in a claim and cut some salary off of the '09 team, and if not, the Sox could have let him go to Boston. This non-move really annoys me though because taking Carrasco out of the bullpen to start likely hurts us in the bullpen by replacing him with someone who isn't good and it probably hurts us in the rotation also. Byrd at least would have been able to go out there every five days, and we'd still have a LR who can get the job done.

QUOTE (joesaiditstrue @ Aug 11, 2008 -> 05:22 PM) Total Bases (2008): Kinsler: 249 TB Young: 198 TB ------ Cabrera: 167 TB Pierzynski: 163 TB lol, what a joke. how many RBI's would Quentin have if he had multiple runners on base for him as many times as Hamilton has? his RBI totals could very easily match or trump Hamilton's And don't forget about that IF over there. You're talking about a park where utility players like Ramon Vasquez and Gary Matthews, Jr. can go and come out looking like perennial All-Stars. Sure they've got a fantastic hitting coach in Rudy Jaramillo, but that only goes so far.

QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Aug 11, 2008 -> 08:31 AM) I don't get the asterisks. There's no way Webb or Beckett are going anywhere this year. Did I misunderstand something? Yeah, I like how Beckett, Webb, and Lee are more possible than Jason Marquis. You'd need like 5 PS3's, 7 XBOX's, 15 bags of crack, and like 4 bucketfuls of roofies just to get one of those teams to make one of those players available and then convince everyone else to let them through waivers unclaimed. And if you could pull that off, we're still talking truckloads of KY and the services of about 1/4 of all the female independent contractors South America has to offer if we're to convince a GM to give one of those guys up for what we've got on the farm.

I highly doubt Kenny is looking at any of these guys for a myriad of reasons. I'd take Penny as a FA over the offseason though (if he'll go three years, which is another matter altogether).

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Aug 11, 2008 -> 05:24 PM) Well, PTBL usually arent show stoppers. Gio Gonzalez was a PTBNL All that means is that generally a team has to wait X amount of time to deal a player, and as soon as the player is able to be dealt the deal is completed, or it means there's a choice. It could be that CIN has a choice of any 2 of 3/4 prospects that they have their eye on and are still deciding on which ones they prefer. They could be getting some pretty good talent back, and I'm guessing they are since they're giving up the shot at compensation picks.

QUOTE (letsgoarow @ Aug 10, 2008 -> 07:38 PM) I watched Dewon this year, and wow. He might be the worst pitcher ever. He's certainly up there. With Andy Gonzalez already on the Major League team vying for the title of "Worst Position Player Ever," and with Ryan Garko and Francisco Gutierrez in the everyday lineup, bringing in Day to pitch - and preferably start - would give them something like an inverted All-Star team. I still remember the Cleveland Assholes playing that song "The Night Chicago Died" or whatever it was during 2006. Thankfully, I also remember the Charlotte Knights sweeping them right out of the playoffs in 2005, the Indians missing the playoffs in '06, the Indians' best pitchers throwing up all over the mound like Boone Logan during last year's ALCS, and of course this magical 2008 season. I hate Cleveland, but I can hate them with a smile. I hope KW does send some of our most putrid garbage over to Cleveland for Byrd. A move like that helps us both now and in the future.

QUOTE (santo=dorf @ Aug 10, 2008 -> 04:53 PM) Me too. Do we have any other players like Andy Gonzalez where the Indians would be interested in them and Sox fans would love to see them go? Mike MacDougal and Dewon Day for Paul Byrd right now. Get it done, Kenny.

Unless Crede comes back with a bang like he did after going down in 2005, he's not much of a loss at all. Uribe seems to be more reliable at third than Crede was, and even though he's clutch, Crede's still a pop-up machine. The big injuries here are Contreras and Linebrink. Those hurt a TON. Crede IMO is not even a factor at this point. Hopefully Ramirez for Logan will prove to be an upgrade, Carrasco for Masset will continue to be an upgrade, Russell will survive until Linebrink gets back, and KW picks up a Major League starter that allows the Sox to play .500 baseball in his starts for the rest of the year. Overall I'm not all that worried, although if I had any expectations whatsoever for this year's team I'd be freaking out - and not because of the Twins, who for the first time in seemingly forever are choking in opportunities to put the Sox behind them, but because it looks like we may very well have nothing left come playoff time.

QUOTE (santo=dorf @ Aug 10, 2008 -> 10:56 AM) What about Adrian Beltre? If Beltre could get to the Sox on waivers, and if Mariners want something decent in return for Washburn, I'd much rather see the Sox do a deal where they get both players in a package. Losing good prospects wouldn't hurt as much knowing that we'd have a 3B under contract for '09 as well. I'd do Poreda + a couple pitching prospects (hopefully without including Griffith, Shirek, or Carter, but one would probably have to go) + all the throw-in guys like Cook, Owens, or Haeger the M's would want, but I doubt that would be enough. Richard, Broadway, and Egbert don't make it through waivers, and I wouldn't want to give up both Shelby and Poreda for those guys. Maybe there would be someone at the Class A level, besides Jose Martinez, who would interest Seattle. That said, I doubt Beltre gets through because he's a guy that teams would be interested in and also know will be available.

Ahh, read again and saw we got him for pinch runner prospect Paulo Orlando. Good move, and looks like a good will gesture/favor from Dayton Moore. Horacio was doing well in KC out of the pen.

Wow, that was quick... Kenny Williams works faster than John Paxson thinks. We probably gave up nothing so I like it. Horacio has seriously sucked in the past, but he's better than what we've got at Charlotte.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 10:06 PM) Keep this in mind....we have 3 guys in PK, Thome, and Griffey Jr. that require a pinch runner anytime they're on in a late inning, close game. True, but Anderson as a pinch runner over Wise >>>> no extra pitcher. When rosters expand Wise and/or Owens can come back up to fill that need.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 9, 2008 -> 09:36 PM) It was a total joke...making fun of the poor posts calling for Wise to be sent down. We need pitching help a lot more than we need 6 outfielders. Wise is the weakest link on the bench, and IMO the second-weakest link on the team behind Logan, as at least Russell can eat innings when we need it.