Kenny Hates Prospects

QUOTE (SouthsideDon48 @ Dec 7, 2010 -> 01:38 PM) This is exactly why I think divorce laws in this country is messed up. I don't think one spouse is entitled to half of what the other spouse makes, and I also think if it can be proven that one spouse "did all the work" (such as how the husband owned the Dodgers) that the other spouse shouldn't be entitled to a dime. Wives should get jobs and support themselves, even if they're married to millionaire husbands. This is also why I disagree with how a lot of wives in this country are "homemakers" when they marry rich guys, that's just laziness to me and they don't deserve anything that they didn't earn from income tax receipts with their name on it. Divorce laws in this country protects women too much. And 7.5 million a year in spousal support is ridiculous. Jamie McCourt should just downsize her lifestyle and get a job. Spousal support is ridiculous if the other spouse isn't physically unable to work. It's the millionaires' own faults. They need to protect themselves via prenups and women in very low-leverage situations, like Russian and Filipino internet brides who get deported for refusing the wash the dishes. IMO divorce proceedings nowadays are bass-ackwards and I think we should all wake up and realize that it's the 21st century and such issues are more easily resolved through the use of trebouchets capable of flinging large objects 600-700 yards. But seriously though, props to Jaime McCourt. That's quite a haul.

QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ Dec 7, 2010 -> 12:53 PM) But how do you "lose" instincts? He was rated well on defense all through his career and a fly ball in AA is a fly ball in the MLB. I'm convinced the flaw is in there somewhere. All last offseason I argued how s***ty he'd be in RF and I kept getting this metric stuff thrown at me saying he'd be good in RF and was only bad in LF because of blah blah blah. I have no idea why he was rated well, but it appears that he's not much of a defensive player. He just isn't. He's got that "oh s***" look on his face too much to be a good defensive player.

QUOTE (IamtheHBOMB @ Dec 7, 2010 -> 10:28 AM) After watching him last year, I came to the conclusion that he doesn't have the best instincts. He would get bad reads pretty often and get caught in between on liners into RF. His bad defense can be attributed to more than just physical problems. I came to the conclusion he sucked when he was in LF and didn't even know where to throw the baseball upon receiving it. He has an arm and the mentality of a football player on defense - but that's really it from what I can see. He's awesome as a LF killing the ball, but as a slumpy, offensive rollercoaster windmilling his way to the baseball in RF he's atrocious. The only problem is that it's hard to trade a guy who could win you an MVP if he stays healthy and confident for even 2/3 of a season.

QUOTE (bighurt574 @ Dec 7, 2010 -> 12:49 PM) I doubt it. The O's low-balled Dunn (reportedly $10-11M/year, I believe), so I doubt they're offering $15M/year to Konerko. Dunn isn't a 1B though. They're the Orioles, who knows. One wouldn't think they'd want to offer a bunch of money to him but one wouldn't have figured the Tigers to throw mountains of cash at IRoid and the Venezuelan Piece of s*** several years ago either, and that kind of worked out for them... for a while.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 7, 2010 -> 12:42 PM) I don't think he goes to the O's unless the offer is far above the Sox and D-Backs. I'd guess its a question of playing near home and family versus the franchise he knows and can win now. And that is a tough call, if the money is very similar. I agree, but I do think if the O's or D'Backs or whoever else want to go 4 years then PK is probably gone. I think he's loyal, but he has to be looking at this as his final contract. I'm sure Paulie's agent knows by now how far he can stretch Jerry's leash. I'm sure the final offer is already out there considering how open the Sox have been about the whole process.

Hell no. Never liked this dude and he's still a project. Because of his potential he'll cost money, probably $1-2M to stink it up in a bad team's bullpen. There's too much lefty velocityness for a MiLB deal IMO. I'd only want him on a MiLB deal or as part of some deal where we can watch him in ST and then cut him/grant him FA without paying his contract by say March 15 or something. We should just look to find another Williams or Threets. May not be exciting but with Thornton as the lefty setup man and Sale closing, or vice versa, all we'd need is someone to get out lefties on occasion. I'd certainly want more Threets than Williams, but sometimes the Randy Williams types work out for a season or two. It happens.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 7, 2010 -> 12:30 PM) Jayson Werth? That s*** happens early. Same thing with Soriano when he signed his deal. Same thing with Torii Hunter. Guys sign early for megabucks and teams blow their wads and then suddenly nobody has any money anymore. The #1 and #2 options get their money but Pena isn't in that category IMO.

QUOTE (sin city sox fan @ Dec 7, 2010 -> 12:25 PM) Nothing wrong with Konerko asking for $15 million per season. We are probably offering $10 million at this time and the sides will probably settle somewhere around $12-13 million per season. Thats how negotiations work. If we offered $12 to begin with and they asked for $15....we'd probably end up closer to $14 million per season. Have some patience grasshopper....the deal will get done. I'm not so sure about that. Jerry's been involved in this thing since it's started and he's known both as a firm negotiator and a loyal guy. I wouldn't be shocked if the Sox started right around $11-12M and put a cap on it at $13M. IIRC the figures in the Ben Gordon and Luol Deng extensions pretty much stayed where they were, with JR making what he thought was a fair, loyal offer but refusing to go much above it. The wildcard here is what the O's are offering IMO. If they're well ahead of the Sox then PK is in no position to turn that down and look to make up for it in his next contract.

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 7, 2010 -> 12:21 PM) Don't know why people are talking about Carlos Pena. His asking price is supposedly way too high, Boras is his agent, and he's the Cubs #1 target. No thanks to him...I don't want to have to hear Hawk talk naively about how the ball just started to jump off Pena's bat a few years ago for no particular reason. Borass has been terribly, terribly, terribly wrong about the value of his clients in the past. In fact, this seems to happen every year now. Teams really get frugal a week or so after the winter meetings and agents with their heads in the clouds start coming back down to earth.

QUOTE (Real @ Dec 7, 2010 -> 12:06 PM) Reinsdorf is gonna give Konerko at least 13m/year, which will cripple our payroll as far as not being able to add any other pieces where we obviously need to fill holes Sucks that D.Lee is even older that Konerko, though I bet we could sign him to a two year deal and have Viciedo waiting Kenny said the Sox had room for Dunn, PK, AND a reliever without trading anyone. This was also well before the Linebrink deal where we freed another $2M. I'm sure Kenny was at least planning on $12M for Paulie when he said that. It may actually be the case that JR is going to give it one last shot in 2011 and try to spend for a division title and more. There's still reason to believe we could afford PK + a righty MR or SU and then add a little bit here or there in other ways - like maybe we can pull another Linebrink type deal with Teahen and gain $2-3M in flexibility there, or maybe we can target some cheap productive MLB players and trade extra prospects for them to get some cash back in the deal. And of course, maybe JR just lets Kenny go a little bit further out there if he needs another mil or two to add what looks like a special bargain that really makes the team look better. We should just wait and see, because it does appear the Sox are willing to spend this year. Strangely enough...

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 7, 2010 -> 11:59 AM) Hell, if PK and Lee both go off the board...I'd rather go with Viciedo. The only other obvious options are Pena (terrible fit with Dunn) and LaRoche (Less bad fit with Dunn, but still overloads that position with LH Bats). I think Viciedo may be in the picture no matter what, and I think he's in the front row of it if we bring in a vet on a reclamation deal. A Viciedo/LaRoche/Dunn 1B/DH rotation could end up being extremely productive in the end, especially if you throw a mostly good CQ in the middle of it. Depends on the price though. I'd also be tempted to do like you're saying and go straight with Viciedo at 1B and then look to spend the 1B money on pitching and OF improvements. Just an idea, but what about trying a Quentin for Beltran and cash deal, then using the 1B money to nab BJ Upton, a reliever, and bring back Freddy as the 5th starter if Peavy isn't ready? Ozzie has a hard-on for Pierre and I know Kenny probably will never trade him because he's so great and everything, but a 4-man OF rotation of Rios/Beltran/Pierre/Upton pretty much rapes the American League in defense and gives us some serious pop and athleticism.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 7, 2010 -> 11:47 AM) Worth noting...Pena is a really bad fit in the same lineup with Dunn. That's true. I think Lee is the target if PK signs elsewhere but we'd still have to do our due diligence and check into Pena IMO, even if it's not an ideal fit. If PK and Lee both go off the board then there really isn't an ideal fit anyway.

QUOTE (bschmaranz @ Dec 7, 2010 -> 11:40 AM) Move on Kenny, Landis is trying to "Jeter" us! It's also very possible that the O's or some other non-contender is trying to "Washington Nationals" us and make a splash with a bunch of extra cash. Paulie's heart is still in Chicago and he's tight with Jerry. Not coming back here will be a tough decision for him if he makes it, but it may also be the best decision for his family in the longterm. Remember, he already has a ring, so while winning is important, it may not be more important than another several million dollars at the end of his playing career.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 7, 2010 -> 11:37 AM) Yep. He didn't earn the $60 million over the life of the deal. He also failed to earn his yearly salary in 3 of the 5 years of the contract, according to fangraphs' value measurements. Now he is 5 years older and he wants a pay raise? If the Orioles are throwing a ton of money at Paulie then he's probably strongly considering taking it since this should be his last chance at a multiyear deal. If the difference between the Sox and O's (I imagine they're the "snag" and that report about Paulie not considering them is total BS) is a mil or two over the same number of years then he should be back with the Sox, but if the O's or some other team are offering a 4th year then there's a pretty good chance he's gone. Nothing wrong with that either. Anyone in his shoes would probably do the same. Paulie's deal looked like fish in a barrel but maybe it's not. And maybe this is actually a blessing in disguise for the Sox. I imagine a Lee or Pena type looking for a 1-year reclamation deal would much rather sign with a contender to pad their numbers a bit more, so we'd be looking pretty good should Paulie go elsewhere. Especially if it's Lee, who could very well still be partially rooted in Chicago.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Dec 3, 2010 -> 09:50 PM) I am so amped. Now resign PK already! We have to wait until Monday for that. In the mean time it will be fun to see if Kenny even further strengthens his position by adding Putz to the mix.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 2, 2010 -> 10:08 PM) I don't need a sig bet. All I need is I told you so. Ha! I said he'd get 2/$10M and he walked away with 2/$8M on a hometown discount. I'm also thrilled about it! You OTOH walked away with nothing, because not only did your nemesis AJ actually return to your favorite team on a 2-year contract and completely ruin your day, but you also walked away from the situation knowing that you tucked - yes, you tucked, Tucky McTuckerson - on what would have been a wonderful opportunity to use my sig against me. You would have been able to embarrass me, in every post I make, beyond any level of embarrassment I could have otherwise brought on myself. I'm sure there are posters on this site who would have relished the opportunity to have free reign over such hallowed domain. What would someone like, say, The Artist Formerly Known As SoxAce do with such privileges? What would he say? What possible pictures could he have added to that space? I mean, it could have been anything at all so long as the mods thought it was okay, and by seeing what they allow me to get away with already, you could have really come up with a gem. But dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind... Tsk, tsk, my little tucking friend. I've won in every way possible, and when you tuck yourself in at night you should remember that. Hopefully next time you will NOT waste such an opportunity!

QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 3, 2010 -> 02:28 PM) Not to pile on Linebrink, but he was godawful. Bye bye. Hope you are successful in the NL with the Braves. Can't think of a Sox pitcher who was as bad as Linebrink. Well, yes I can, but he was awful. From a dollar-for-inning perspective, there sure haven't been many.

One bad thing about that offseason was that we left the career year guys in the pen unprotected. Hopefully this year is different. The Javy deal was to put the then-future starter in the pen and go with 5 vets. We don't need to make that one this year. We also turned CF over to BA that year. This team may well have a higher payroll and less holes when it's all said and done. The markets are different, and there are probably more bargains out there now than before. One other thing was we traded the unwanted Marte for Mack who was basically our Teahen. Hopefully this time we trade both types and get cash.

The meetings are nothing more than a formality for Paulie at this point. This is amazing. The last couple days have completely taken this offseason and turned it on its head. KW is saying he DOESNT HAVE TO MOVE A BIG SALARY as I type this. Incredible.

QUOTE (Disco72 @ Dec 3, 2010 -> 01:46 PM) All these posts and not a single "Coop will fix 'em" for the hard throwing, no control prospect we got from the Braves? Ok, fine...I'll go there. This is exactly the kind of pitcher that Coop could have success with. If not, it really doesn't matter! And you know what else? He just may be good enough - or rather, not bad enough - to push that crap flinger Marquez out the door as well. This move is just so great in so many ways. I never thought we could pull off such a steal.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Dec 3, 2010 -> 01:40 PM) Kalapse has made a new banner for this special occasion. He looks so playful in those pics. Like a big furry kitten with a ball of string! No, no, put the glove down you big cutie and come snugglezies with Papa! Lefty power bats are so awesome. Especially when they complement righty power bats so well.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Dec 3, 2010 -> 01:27 PM) You're starting to assume way too much, man. Just wait. It's like an avalanche of good news. More is coming.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Dec 3, 2010 -> 01:27 PM) Better make sure the podium is big enough to fit KHP under it. If he had to delay the press conference in order to finishing wiping Mark Teahen's blood off the bottom of his shoes then you know EXACTLY where I'd be.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Dec 3, 2010 -> 01:18 PM) Lets hope our bullpen doesn't collectively s*** itself like it did in 2006. We also know the rotation ran into some trouble after being over-extended in the postseason the year before. But man, that pen was horrific. Putz is going to come back, too. Ever heard of a "bromance?" Because that's him and Thornton. In fact, this Linebrink move might be the move Kenny needed to make to bring JJ back. Imagine Kenny at his press conference today announcing AJ coming back, Dunn signing, the Linebrink trade, and an agreement with Putz. Kenny's like superman.

IMO PK is already signed, sealed, and delivered. He'll show up at the meetings, grab a coke, listen to some timeshare balogna or whatever, take a dump, then get serious and sign his name on the dotted line. If Jerry is going for it then you KNOW Jerry personally told that to Paulie and asked him to come back. The Sox will give him a fair deal and he won't be able to pass it up. It's already done. We're looking awesome!