chw42

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ Jan 30, 2010 -> 07:16 PM) Yes, I remember perfectly well that they don't have Bradley anymore, I also remember they have Fukudome who they are moving over there, it's why they got Byrd to play center and when the rumors were going around that's what the sources were telling Levine and the guys on the score. Fukudome is making around 10m and Dye would have been around 3m, they would have given Fukudome every chance to lose that spot Doh, totally forgot about Byrd.

QUOTE (chunk23 @ Jan 30, 2010 -> 11:36 PM) I would definitely slot the Mariners to take the west, with maybe the Rangers in second, A's 3rd and Angels last. The Angels have lost a lot of talent, have terrible D, especially in the outfield, and jeez that rotation is just a bunch of #4s. Their defense isn't that bad. I think the Angels have a legit shot at 85 wins. Mariners should take the division though with the Rangers second.

The Bulls should have a 7 game winning streak going into a tough game against the Hawks.

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ Jan 30, 2010 -> 05:23 PM) with Sheets and Dye the Cubs were hoping that the myth that it's an honor to play for the Cubs was true and players would take less money or less of a role than they are looking for. Dye has said all along he wants to play the OF and be a regular player, so why would he go to the Cubs and be a 4th OF? If there's no offers for him out there for full time OF I could see him bending a little and playing a majority DH somewhere and occasional OF duty and if he can't find that, I wouldn't be shocked if he just retired. I still think the best fit for JD is San Francisco. I know he struggles in the OF, but it's the NL and I think his bat would come around and the Giants still need some offense IMO Why was JD going to be a bench player? RF was open for him to start. They don't have Bradley anymore, remember?

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Jan 30, 2010 -> 05:23 PM) I'd love to see them add Downs over Williams. that could be a pretty sick pitching staff and with improved D behind it, the Sox could be a very stingy team. That would be the second best thing to happen. I'd rather take the money we're going to pay Downs and add a couple of million to it to sign Damon.

QUOTE (SockMe @ Jan 30, 2010 -> 04:16 PM) I think we will win the division just because of the pitching. WIth our staff all we need is a decent offense imo. Which we kind of don't have, thanks to our rotating DH filled with bad players.

QUOTE (chunk23 @ Jan 30, 2010 -> 01:08 PM) They corrected the PECOTA projections. Sox now projected to take 2nd at 80-82, and with significantly fewer runs scored. And 60 less runs given up.

Neyer's projections actually look somewhat right in terms of wins. PECTOA is an extremely conservative system...

Turns out JD turned down the Cubs' $3.3 million offer. I wonder why...

QUOTE (MattZakrowski @ Jan 29, 2010 -> 11:00 AM) A WAR of 2 is average. The fact is, Konerko gets destroyed because of the positional adjustment. Alexei had a down year, but I think he rebound, and his plate discipline continues to improve. As for Beckham, I think he'll be a good 2B, probably a tier below Utley, Pedroia, and Kinsler (and maybe Zobrist) though. For a starting player, it is. For any player, it's not. I don't really know what MLBN was getting at, but Konerko, Beckham, and Ramirez are still above average players.

Konerko's still slightly above league average. As a 2.5 win player, that's better than your average starting player. Gordon Beckham posted a 2 WAR last year in 100 games and he'll probably progress, so definitely above average. Even Alexei was slightly above average last year on a down offensive year. They really picked the wrong guys to call "average". Usually, when we talk about league average, we mean replacement player, which means a WAR of 0. All three of these guys are far beyond that level.

It's been too long. Well deserved spot for Derrick. He's really been lighting it up since his slow start.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 12:42 PM) Iguchi's diving play or D Wizzle's perfect game saving catch or Derek Jeter's backhand flip to Posada to nail Giambi in the 2001 ALDS Which one is the coolest? Wise's play. Anybody could have made the play Jeter made. That had more to do with his mental ability as a smart player than his actual skills.

QUOTE (jasonxctf @ Jan 28, 2010 -> 06:36 PM) hey dont worry.. they've got the Yanks finishing 3rd the Angels having the 3rd worst record in the AL only 3 teams winning 90 games, and all of them reside in the AL East. (after 7 teams had 90+ wins in 2009) Oakland winning the AL West Oakland winning the West? Hahahahaa xD

QUOTE (Ranger @ Jan 27, 2010 -> 02:38 PM) Thome is going to be a bench player, according to their early plans. If that's true, you won't get teh same production you're used to from him...which was declining as it is. But when you go to war, all plans go to hell. I'm pretty sure Gardenhire will notice that Thome>Young offensively and start playing Thome more when Young struggles, which will probably happen.

QUOTE (Ranger @ Jan 27, 2010 -> 12:04 PM) Since when was Nick Punto the Twins DH? He's not. The comparison was done as a means of total offensive production, this does not include defense or positioning. When you take Thome out of the lineup, you have to put Punto or Young back in. If you want Thome in, you have to take out either Young or Punto because you have to assume that Cuddyer will now be at 3B and Punto will move to the bench. OR if Thome gets regular ABs, Young would go to the bench and Kubel will play LF. Either way, Punto and Young are both bad offensively, you can literally swap one out for the other.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 26, 2010 -> 07:03 PM) Because I saw him hit in the first half? Also, maybe playing less in the field and spending more time at DH would be good for his legs...which means better strength at the plate? What's the rules though on signing someone you didn't offer arbitration to? Also, how do we know this doesn't mean Carl or Robbie aren't coming back? Thome was obviously the better option, he's left handed, will provide better OBP, and will hit for about as much power. If they don't want Thome, I don't see why they would want Dye.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 26, 2010 -> 06:42 PM) THis is kinda interesting... From Merkins tweets... Could we be sneaking DYe in the backdoor under the cover of Thome? Why would you want Dye after seeing him hit in the second half of last season?

Wow, I guess the A's were impressed with his throwing sessions.

Why is it old guys who join this team love the number 17? First Griffey, now Vizquel?

*Sigh. We better sign an actual DH.

Notice how many former Dodgers are in bold, lol. I count 5.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 02:27 PM) But...there are more than a few teams out there who Damon in one of the corner OF spots would be an upgrade. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense for him to sign as a DH if he can still find someone to pay him to play the field; you'd be paying that premium price for a guy who can still occasionally catch the ball. His defense diminishes his offensive value though. He's not much worse than Quentin in LF, but in RF, that's another story. I know some guys take pride in playing defense, but maybe Damon will keep himself away from the OF in order to stay healthy.

QUOTE (dmbjeff @ Jan 25, 2010 -> 02:21 PM) There are still alot of decent free agent options available. Damon, Thome, Orlando Hudson, Felipe Lopez, Dye, Delgado,Blalock. Maybe the Sox are so set in stone not to bring Thome back because they want flexibility from the DH spot as someone who can also play D. Maybe they want a guy like Lopez or Hudson, someone with good OBP skills, can play good defense, giving all the IF's a day off from time to time. Neither one of these guys are big power guys, but both would be excellent #2 hitters on this team, allowing Beckham to hit for more power lower in the order. Maybe they want an OF who can platoon with Quentin at the DH spot/RF. Someone like Damon comes to mind. Damon's a DH and nothing more. Having him in the OF scares me.

If we can get Damon for $5 million or less, I would be more than excited.