oldsox

Sox need the General Manager to have a bounce back decade.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 08:14 AM) ChiTribRogers Phil Rogers #WhiteSox minor-league RHR Ryan Kussmaul has 21 Ks in 13 2-3 winter innings, and picked up hold in Puerto Rico's Caribbean Series opener. Kussmaul had great stats last yeat at Winston-Salem; never understood why he wasn't held in higher regard by Sox. Here's hoping 2012 is big year for him.

Copied from Trib's Mark Gonzales Mailbag. As a long-time Sox fan, I'm deeply saddened by the complete collapse of our major and minor league talent pool caused by poor drafts, irresponsible trades, and underachieving, high-priced players. Diminishing further hope, we have only one player recognized as a top 100 prospect, and I hear that might be a gift so that all teams are represented. This feeling of despair has recently been amplified by the recent trade of arguably our best hitter Carlos Quentin for two obscure minor league prospects. This is after trading Sergio Santos, a proven closer, for just one prospect. Sox fans are beginning to wonder if we are getting outwitted and outmaneuvered. Now add this to the collective body of work negotiated over the last three years, and you begin to see the evidence of what's causing the problem: a flawed talent-acquisition strategy. Sox fans are appreciative of what Jerry Reinsdorf has done for the organization. He wrote the checks last year to fund the all-in strategy. That was a brave and courageous move by probably the only owner in baseball that would spend more than he took it in for the chance of winning another championship. But we were eventually equally dismayed when we found out that the field manager and general manager were not on same page squandering a precious opportunity for moving the organization forward. Adding to our despair, we are now hearing that the Sox have the WORST minor league system in baseball because they drafted poorly, traded away high-potential prospects, and mismanaged their Latin American development efforts. This news is coupled with the fact that they haven't made the playoffs in two years. As fans, we will always appreciate Kenny and Ozzie for winning the 2005 World Series. It was a magical run and a monumental accomplishment. But based on recent poor results, it is time for a new game plan of rebuilding the organization from the ground up with highly talented youth so that we as fans have hope for the future. Please begin to implement this new strategy by signing the free-agent Cuban players. We need a vote of confidence in our future and we need it now. -- Ed Lasak; Riverside, CA

We'll have a better sense about Adam Dunn after 3-4 weeks of Spring Training. Right now, I don't think he could hit 45 Home Runs at Kannapolis.

Do the three Cuban prospects have the same agent?

Tigers signing The Prince. Cabrera to third?

Omar signed with Toronto. Clayton Richard re-signed with Pads.

Hawk's comments about the bad OF defense are certainly valid, and they are also indirectly an indictment of GM Kenny Williams, since he is the one who put that outfield together at great expense and with little offensive production to compensate for the poor defense.

I was hoping Sox would go after Seth Smith of Rockies, before they traded him to A's earlier this week for two pitchers. He had just signed for $2.4 MM so he was affordable. He's a solid hitter.

QUOTE (JohnCangelosi @ Jan 7, 2012 -> 11:46 AM) Brian Bruney has a straighter fastball with less life on it than the 2003 version of Billy Koch, which is saying something. ....and Kenny gave Koch $6MM.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Jan 6, 2012 -> 02:06 PM) Soriano is what he is. He was grossly overpaid. He is now older and even more grossly overpaid. He has some talent and it is what is was last year and will be going forward. A streaky hitter that is average but paid to be a superstar. Soriano is yet another tribute to the wisdom of GM's throughout MLB.

Why doesn't MLB get these foreign born players to go thru the draft, just like home grown players? It just blows my mind how inept the owners are when it comes to money. I think they all have printing presses hidden someplace.

Neither one of these guys were on the San Diego 40 man roster. We are now down to 35 on ours. Why did we expose Doyle again?

He was literally the most consistent player in terms of production out there that we could have gotten. I disagree. I did not like the acquistion from Day One, although I did not think he would be this bad. He was already overweight, slow and struck out way too much, could not play defense, and he would thus have little or no trading value. Those were givens at the time of signing. Even if he hit his numbers for one year, he would not be worth an expenditure of $56 Million. Plus we gave up a Number 1 draft pick. What is that worth to an organization that needs talent everywhere? Why would anyone have thought that he would be able to hit his old numbers for four more years? If Kenny had offered similar money for two years, I maybe could have accepted it. But Dunn's Agent wanted four years, obviously, so Kenny caves and gives him whatever he wants. Classic case of Kenny being out-negotiated by the Agent, and the White Sox getting stuck withn the bills and forced to play with a 24 man roster.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Dec 22, 2011 -> 07:03 PM) Dan Hudson was actually in the pros when we traded him.....Gio just repeated AA. Those are not the same things. I would love to review Gio's last two minor league season stats....Anybody here know how to get that?

A's trade Gio to Nats for 4 prospects. Same guy that KW gave away. Way to go, Kenny.

Kevan Smith not even mentioned??

Rockies are after Cuddy in big way.

QUOTE (EvilJester99 @ Dec 14, 2011 -> 12:24 AM) Cowley is a joke... he has to be one of the worst writers out there... next to Phil Rogers that is. I don't get the Phil Rogers crucifixtion. I agree, Crowley is a poor man's Jay Marriotti. Rogers' work is pretty good.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 12, 2011 -> 01:56 PM) Hmmm, Stults threw 50 innings for the Dodgers in 09, might have caught him on TV, that's probably why. Lefty, started a few games for them, but doesnt' have great numbers against lefties in his career. It is org fodder from the LH Reliever side, which seems like something we're piling up. Stults spent some time with the Rockies in 2011. Got hit pretty hard in one game, got cut right after that.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Dec 10, 2011 -> 02:03 PM) Speaking of Sale, I think it'd be a good idea to approach him with a long-term contract offer. And, why would Sale accept the long term contract?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 19, 2011 -> 01:23 PM) If I looked at other team's lists of players who went to the AFL and had moderate success, do you think I could find a decent number who weren't protected? No, I don't.

Is there a chance that the Sox/Kenny exposed/gave away Doyle just for the $50 Grand? Do the Sox need the money that badly?

QUOTE (ScottyDo @ Dec 8, 2011 -> 11:05 AM) He's referencing the fact that everyone (myself included) has been lamenting the status of our minor leagues as barren and disgraceful. Yet, in our barren, disgraceful farm system, Doyle isn't even in the top 10 on any list I've seen, so losing him should upset nobody. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't adding/removing people from the 40-man affect how much they get paid? If so, why would you use up a transaction on a guy who is waaaaay down your pecking order on the off chance that they might get drafted? If there is no way in which messing with the 40-man affects anything, then yes, it is really stupid to leave any roster spots open before the Rule V draft. There has to be some sort of consequence to adding people right before the Rule V and then dropping them from the 40-man immediately after, right? I could be totally wrong on that. Either way, care little about the loss of some pitcher who could not even crack our terrible Top 10. They still sent Doyle to the AFL, where he excelled. That is what made some, including myownself, to think that he was worth protecting.

There is a note in today's Denver Post that the Rockies are interested in Gordon Beckham. Second base is a position where they think they need an upgrade. If Kenny listens, the Rockettes have several verry good prospects.