Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 27, 2012 -> 08:23 AM) MDGonzales Mark Gonzales Humber no. 5 starter at this point. As he should be. I'm fine with so called "competition" for the 5th spot in the rotation, but it should really take something significant to bump Humber from this spot. IMO, he earned this spot based on last season.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jan 26, 2012 -> 10:56 PM) Then if the 05 players were that good, why should Ozzie get credit for being the best manager in Sox history for winning the WS? You can't blame last season all on the players, then give Ozzie all the credit for 2005. You're missing Greg's point, everyone deserves credit for winning it all in 2005, it's just that the players, KW, & Cooper deserve all the blame for the team sucking last season. Ozzie was simply spectacular in both of these seasons.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jan 26, 2012 -> 02:22 PM) Not only that but he had one of the best records as well. Ozzie was a very good manager for the White Sox. He deserves the credit. That being said, I also think he wore out his welcome and it was time for him to go. It isn't black and white scenario. Thank him for the championship and the fun times but also don't let the door hit to in the arse on the way out. I just don't get how someone can have this line of reasoning. Wins alone don't tell you if someone is a good manager. Don't you think the actual amount of talent on a roster is single biggest driver of wins? Sure, the manager can impact that production by motivating his players and having them prepared to play, but there's no easy way to measure exactly how much of a difference he made. The manager's in-game decision-making is the other major way he can improve his team's chances to win and that is also difficult to measure. Regardless, wins only tell you how all the individual pieces performed in aggregate, they do not tell you anything about manager's specific contributions. Unfortunately, evaluating a manager has to be subjective. Look at how his roster performed versus how much talent it posesses. Consider how well his team did in close games, where the manager can actually make a difference. The worst team in baseball record-wise could very well have the best manager, if he got more out of his talent and made better decisions than all other managers would have in his role. You use wins to defend Ozzie as a great manager, while I would say his teams did not live up to expections since 2005. He may have the best record in Sox history, but IMO it should have been better given the talent he had. On top of that, he became a terrible in-game manager in recent years, making decisions so confounding it almost seems like he made them simply to put his stamp on the games. Guillen did a good job in 2005, but has progressively gotten worse to the point where he is a bad manager. If people don't agree, they must have missed the past couple seasons, because he cost a lot of games during that time with his idiotic decisions.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 26, 2012 -> 10:12 AM) This, if he is successful, increases his trade value. They could get rid of him now but the return probably does not help the Sox in the short or long term except for JRs wallet. If he can close it could change that. QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Jan 26, 2012 -> 11:04 AM) Yes, and the same thing can also be true of Crain. This has been my stance for a while. Let's just hope that Robin will factor in KW's input and what's best for the organization into his decision-making moreso than Guillen. I think everyone here would agree that the GM and manager should have their own opinions, but at the end of day they should come to some sort of agreement on what the right course of action is. The manager's job isn't always to maximize wins, sometimes it's more important to develop young talent or play a player in hopes of increasing his trade value. I honesty think KW and Robin will be on the page in regard to these types of decisions, which should be a significant improvement from Ozzie.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Jan 26, 2012 -> 07:14 AM) I really don't understand why this sentiment has such a strong hold here. It's not as if he's this DeWayne Wise type player who got hot. He's always put up solid minor league numbers, he has the physical tools, he's made opening day rosters in the past and he came through a pretty well respected minor league system. The only reason it's taken him so long to make it to the majors full time is injuries. The leg injury he suffered in Florida was quite bad and detrimental to his development. Concerns over his ability to stay healthy are one thing, but I think he's proven that, when healthy, he is quite capable of being a major league starter. As the roster is currently constructed, he definitely deserves to be the everyday CF and leadoff hitter. If Robin wants to go with a straight platoon with De Aza and Lillibridge, I'd be more than fine with that. I do have more faith in De Aza as a regular than Lillibridge though. Both have a nice set of physical tools, but De Aza has a history of actually turning those tools into production in the minors. People keep forgetting that Lillibridge suddenly put everything together last year at the major league level and that screams fluke to me. Right now, I would try to limit him as a lefty-masher and defensive replacement off the bench. If he succeeds in that role again in 2012, then you can consider expanding his role. Now, if we somehow manage to sign Cespedes, which seems very unlikely, I'm cool with doing a four man OF rotation with him, Rios, Viciedo, and De Aza, with De Aza starting all games against right-handed pitching.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jan 25, 2012 -> 01:10 PM) Maybe he has found the light? Forgiveness is divine they say... Anything is possible I guess and it appears he must have been well regarded as a prospect at one time I think people make too much of young people doing stupid things. Not saying his behavior was acceptable, but people can change over time and maybe he's finally grown up. None of us really have a clue, but hopefully the Sox did their homework and feel that he's actually matured. Either way, give him a short leash and there's essentially no risk with this signing.

QUOTE (flavum @ Jan 25, 2012 -> 12:45 PM) Sox are stupid if they don't let Reed close from the start. They have nothing to lose, and they should know by now that Thornton and Crain aren't closers. No they're not. Thornton and Crain may or not be able to close, that still remains to be seen. Regardless, you may as well roll the dice on one of them and hope they can get the job done. If so, you've exponentially increased their value (especially Crain) and could get back something really nice for one of them come the deadline. Then you can think moving Reed into the role if you want. Also, what's the rush in making Reed our closer? He'd probaly get more innings in a non-closer role, and I'd rather have him work through any initial nerves or adjustments in a low pressure role anyways. If we don't plan on competing next year, we can wait a few months to make him our closer.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Jan 25, 2012 -> 08:26 AM) A long high-pitched wail was just heard coming from Kansas. When your organization lacks as much talent as us, you got to take chances on guys like this. He clearly had some physical tools when he was in the Marlins system (BA Top 100 prospect from 04 to 06) and is still relatively young at 28. The odds are definitely against and it's possible that the shoulder injury has impacted his stuff, but I really see nothing to lose here. If he has attitude problems in Charlotte, then you simply release him. Given our current situation and our history with reclamation projects (both physical and personal), I'm willing to take a gamble on a guy like this.

Honestly, the articles on Dunn's off-season are not giving me much faith in him having a major rebound. Hasn't gotten in better shape, hasn't swung the bat much, and hasn't watched any tape of his terrible 2011 to determine if there are mechanical flaws that need correcting. If I were Dunn, I would have spent the entire off-season trying figure what caused my problems in 2011 and done anything in my power correcting them. Sounds like the off-season getting over his embarrassment.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 23, 2012 -> 07:16 PM) Nothing like giving guys promotions for the fine job they are doing overseeing what some call the worst farm system in baseball. Are you really go to blame him for our organization's poor scouting, refusal to go above slot, and complete lack of a Latin presence? I think it's still too early to evaluate him properly. He's simply not had enough talent to work with during his time here. One thing I like about him is that he actually pushes prospects. Guys that perform well are much more likely to moved to the next level mid-season than under the previous regime. I also think he does a better job of challening older pospects by putting them in more age appropriate leagues.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 19, 2012 -> 01:59 PM) I would say the burden of proof is yours. There are plenty of stories about Hamilton shutting down Wade, and not the other way around. I'd say the people who are saying it isn't true owe the work here. I'm pretty sure those stories were about Wade having trouble defending Hamilton, because Rip is constantly running around on offense. I'm never heard or read anything about Rip being a Wade stopper.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 19, 2012 -> 01:59 PM) I would say the burden of proof is yours. There are plenty of stories about Hamilton shutting down Wade, and not the other way around. I'd say the people who are saying it isn't true owe the work here. I'm pretty sure those stories were about Wade having trouble defending Hamilton, because Rip is constantly running around on offense. I'm never heard or read anything about Rip being a Wade stopper.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 18, 2012 -> 02:06 PM) There's just no way he winds up worth that cash. What cash? I haven't see anything reported other than the posting fee.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jan 18, 2012 -> 04:05 AM) Here's hoping Alexei and Dayan can convince Soler or Cespedes, or hopefully both, to come here. Soler would be our #1 prospect and Cespedes would be in the bigs probably midseason. I'll say this much, if KW is really pursuing both of these guys aggressively and we don't end up with one of them, given the Ramirez/Viciedo connection, it would have to be considered a massive fail. I honestly don't care which one either, we just desperately need to add some potential impact talent to the organization and we seem to have a card, if the money is right, should give us an edge over other teams.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 17, 2012 -> 07:45 PM) After the Fukudome experience, you'd have to think that organization would still be a little bit gunshy about an international FA outfielder, we shall see. New F.O., new scouting system in places, Ricketts will certainly trust Epstein's judgement to a large extent for at least 2-3 years. Why would the new front office and ownership group be concerned about a mistake the previous regime made?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jan 16, 2012 -> 07:35 PM) Myles Jaye rated equal to Tyler Saladino??? Really!! Jaye is a much better prospect than people are giving him credit for. He was a very good get for Frasor.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 16, 2012 -> 06:11 PM) Beckham ought to get the first month at least just to see if he can snap his head into the game, longer if he has a good spring. Same for Rios and De Aza. After that, start playing whoever is earning it. Give Beckham the whole year or at least most of it. Next year should not be about competing, but determing what we have and to start building for 2013 & 2014. This coming season is really Beckham's make-or-break year and I'm not going to let a poor April convince me it's time to give up on him. Not when Lillibridge is next on the depth chart. I still have serious concerns about Lillibridge. I'm fine with him as a backup OF/IF next year, but he's going to have to prove to me that last year wasn't a fluke before I consider him for anything more.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 16, 2012 -> 08:23 AM) Again it's the same problem...if I'm boston, why would I want to give up enough prospect-wise to get Gavin Floyd when I can just sign Edwin Jackson or Roy Oswalt and also be able to keep nice precious prospects? That's why the only way something like this works is if you go out and sign Jackson first and then look into dealing Floyd. There would be two issues with such a series of moves. First, you may need to temporarily go over budget to pull it off. While there would be no real financial repercussions as long as you moved Floyd before you had to start paying him, I still don't see Reinsdorf giving Williams the ok to do this. Second, you'd lose some leverage in the Floyd talks, since teams would know we'd have to move a starter before opening day. I'd be fine with that, as I like Jackson more than Floyd and anything you could get for Floyd would simply be a bonus. If demand was right, you'd sill get a pretty decent package for him. I really think there is some logic to the idea, I just don't think our organization has the balls to do what it takes to pull it off.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Jan 13, 2012 -> 06:00 PM) jcrasnick Jerry Crasnick The #Mariners are moving closer to a trade for a young impact hitter, two baseball sources confirmed. 1 minute ago Favorite Retweet Reply jcrasnick Jerry Crasnick It's a "significant trade,'' says one source. And Brandon League is not part of the return package. 56 seconds ago Favorite Retweet Reply McCutchen maybe? Can't think of another young impact hitter that might be available where the trade would be considered significant. I guess Hanley would meet the criteria, but I can't believe the Marlins would even considering deal him. I could see the Pirates dealing McCutchen if blown away.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jan 13, 2012 -> 04:24 PM) After reading Rogers' article, it seems like the Chicago media is sick of the Sox like many of the fans. My guess is most people believe Kenny has jumped the shark and like me, think the wrong guy won the war between KW and Ozzie. Sox are going to have to prove a lot on the field and in acquiring good players in the next 2-3 years. I would think only the true die-hard fans would buy tickets to see the Dunn/Rios White Sox. For f***'s sake, can one of the admins please ban Greg? He seems like a perfectly nice guy, but I simply can't take anymore of his naïveté and ridiculously-biased pro Guillen comments. GREG - KW DIDN'T WIN THE "WAR", OZZIE JUST SURRENDERED LIKE A BIG f***ING p****

I really hope people aren't judging this guy off one game.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 12, 2012 -> 01:23 PM) He's pretty much just the same Noah we saw last year post-hand-injury, except now Asik is playing better and so Noah's moving to the bench more often. I agree offensively, which the hand injury clearly affected, but his defense/energy seems worse this season. He's now had more than a full offseason to recover from the injury and it seems like he's just a worse player overall IMO.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jan 12, 2012 -> 12:14 PM) http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story/_/id/...lls-joakim-noah Scoop Jackson taking Joakim to task I honestly wouldn't be surprised if smoking too much weed during the lockout has had some effect on him so far. I'm just not seeing anything physically wrong with him that would explain his problems this season.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 12, 2012 -> 08:18 AM) It would really, really suck to make baseball decisions based on marketing. Then you need stick to fantasy baseball, because revenue does affect baseball decisions. You don't think teams consider the additional revenue coming in when offering Japanese superstars huge contracts? You don't think Jerry & KW are aware what trading away Konerko would do to ticket sales? There is always some cost-benefit element at play with every single move or acquisition. I honesty wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if we couldn't afford Cespedes in our current budget without the assumption he sells some tickets. So if KW believes he'll need to spend significant time in the minors, then there's a good chance he doesn't sign him. We're talking about a guy who will likely get $8 million per season. At some point it's cost prohibitive to spend that kind of money on a AAA season. I'm sure KW is taking this all into consideration before an offer.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 12, 2012 -> 07:43 AM) Alexei also looked totally overmatched for about 6 weeks too. Really hard to predict how long that might last for a different guy, depends on what issues he might have. Heck, Alexei still never seems to live up to what he could really do with the bats to this day. Cespedes is a much better player/prospect than Alexei ever was. To assume he'll require minor league seasoning when Alexei didn't, although entirely possible, would definitely not be my guess at this time. Furthermore, if we sign this guy, my guess is that KW and the marketing department will hype him up a ton. If you want to sell some tickets in April and May, considering our moves so far, you'll want your big attraction in Chicago and not Charlotte.