Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (VAfan @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 04:26 PM) Nate McLouth, the gold glove winning CF for the Pirates, just ended up in Atlanta for 3 minor league prospects, one rated #4, another #7, and a third unrated. Further, McLouth is 27 and signed for 3 more seasons. He's got speed, some pop, and enough of an eye to have an OBP in the mid-.300s. I don't follow the NL that much, but am I wrong in thinking this guy could have been the answer we've been seeking in CF since Aaron Rowand rode out of town? Plus he's a lefty with some power, and by next year when Thome is gone, the Sox will have no one who can fill that job. What am I missing? Couldn't we have bettered Atlanta's deal and filled a glaring hole in our lineup and roster? Yeah, we easily could have bettered Atlanta’s deal, but McLouth is simply not worth the cost. We have a very good CF and leadoff prospect in Jordan Danks, who is probably a 1 - 1 ½ years away. Once Danks is ready, we’d have to move McLouth to a corner spot, where his production would only be league average at best. No reason to waste valuable assets on a short-term upgrade in CF. Also, it’s pretty clear that Kenny’s focus right now is a front-line starter who can help this year and in the future. We shouldn’t trade any of the young players we have in AA unless it’s for a right-handed, stud pitcher who’s locked up for several seasons. If we need do an upgrade at CF or 2B, we should be able to find some cheap short-term options once we get closer to the trading deadline just because of the economy.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 12:07 PM) I'm with you Rock. I should have qualified it by saying "until JorDanks arrives". The lineup I'd like to see post ASB: 1. Beckham 3B 2. Getz (a lot to prove still, granted, but a good handler of the bat, and you just KNOW Ozzie will love bunting GB over to 3rd after those leadoff doubles, to get that 1-0 lead. Needs to get steady AB's soon, so we know what we have, or don't have) 3. Q 4. JD 5. Thome 6. Paulie 7. Missile 8. AJP 9. BA (His potentially good OBP will help the lineup turnover, while his terrible situational hitting will do the least damage here) I've ALMOST given up on Fields, but I can see him as backing up 3B and 1B, as well as occasional DH against lefties - though Thome's been hitting LHP better of late. I think he's trade fodder, not that anything good will be sent our way for him. His chances of becoming a valuable piece in a trade are nearly gone. I don’t like moving Alexei out of the 2-hole. He’s been extremely productive there, especially with his speed and improved walk-rate this season. Once Quentin comes back, I think you got to keep riding Pods in the leadoff spot (and unfortunately in CF) until he gets injured or unproductive. At that point, you hope that Beckham or Getz has shown enough to hit one of them at leadoff and put BA in CF. As for Q himself, I’d hit him 6th until he gets his s*** together and then move him back to 3rd in the lineup. I really like the idea of the high-OBP of a healthy Quentin (if even possible this season) and Thome in front of Dye, Konerko and AJ.

My Top 10 prospects excluding Beckham: 1. Aaron Poreda 2. Jordan Danks 3. Dayan Viciedo 4. Brandon Allen 5. Tyler Flowers 6. Dan Hudson 7. Charlie Leesman 8. Dexter Carter 9. John Shelby 10. Jon Gilmore