Eminor3rd

Kevin Slowey to the Rockies for PTBNL. Man, I don't understand the Twinks.

There is an argument to made for the value in not having a COMPLETELY decimated pitching staff even while rebuilding, and it's a combination of maintaining fan interest in the face of a talent dump, providing veteran leadership for the rookies, and maintaining a shot in the dark at winning a weak division if the albatrosses bounce back. It's like the Royals signing guys like Jeff Francis to one year deals like they did last year -- the alternative (or at least the fear) is ending up like the Orioles with their recent crop of busted top pitching prospects (Britton, Tillman, Matusz). But, this only makes sense if BOTH Floyd and Danks go for prospect packages AND Buerhle is willing to come back on some sort of a hometown discount because we give him a NTC and essentially the opportunity to retire in Chicago. And, to be clear, the rebuild has to be the top priority. And there still has to be a net salary drop team-wide. Basiclaly, there is a situation where it would make sense to CONSIDER bringing Buerhle back at some point this offseason, but it's certainly not right now, and it's very, very unlikely given the dominoes that would have to fall and Buerhle's leverage in driving his own price up. I'm sorry, guys. I like him too, but it just isn't going to work out.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Dec 5, 2011 -> 04:55 PM) Oh, gotcha. I know nothing about their current farm, so I assumed you were listing former busts I'd also never heard of. Yeah, my phrases were in a weird order.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Dec 5, 2011 -> 04:46 PM) Phil Humber? No, sorry. I was listing the high ceiling arms they have now, not guys they've busted.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Dec 5, 2011 -> 04:39 PM) This is so flawed. The White Sox need to be sending out a f***ing net fishing for talent anywhere. You don't dismiss a Yonder Alonso because Alex Rios and Carlos Quentin are presently employed. They are not part of the next White Sox Championship team. How is it flawed to target guys that fill holes in the depth chart? I didn't say avoid Alonso at all costs, I said Grandal is much preferable.

Yeah, Alonso has nowhere to play unless both CQ and Rios go, or unless you want De Aza on the bench. Grandal would be far preferable IMO

QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 5, 2011 -> 03:46 PM) That's why I said I "desperately" want to keep him. If Sox are too cheap and want to slap the loyal fans in the face and let him go, then I'd rather see him stay in Chicago and not be on the f***ing Twins beating us six times a year and like somebody said, no-hitting us, which he would. It makes NO business sense whatsoever for the Sox to sign a borderline #2/#3 veteran starter to a multiyear deal at $12m-$15m per year right now. If KW signs Buerhle ot anything other than a below-market deal, THAT will be slapping the fans in the face.

I feel like Floyd has a lot more value than Thornton.

QUOTE (knightni @ Dec 5, 2011 -> 03:33 PM) Do the Mets have a replacement for Reyes? How good is their farm? Daniel Murphy and eventually Wilmer Flores, I think. Farm has some high-ceiling pitchers, but Mets pitchers ALWAYS bust, don't they? Mejia, Harvey, and at least one more good one.

QUOTE (SOXOBAMA @ Dec 5, 2011 -> 02:57 PM) Floyd for Morrison? Plausible if Florida signs Pujols or Fielder. They could move Sanchez to LF in that case.

QUOTE (SOXOBAMA @ Dec 5, 2011 -> 09:59 AM) I'd like to see Danks traded to Boston for Reddick and Lowrie I wouldn't want Reddick. We already have a corner OF logjam as it is. Lowrie makes sense only if we want to dump Alexei. Brewers do a make a lot of sense for Alexei, but their farm system is total garbage. Now, the Cardinals might be an intriguing team for Alexei, as their other choices are overpay for Rollins or overpay for Furcal.

While I'd love to see some pieces get moved this week, I'm not going to flip out if nothing happens. Intuitively, I think it may make a lot of sense to let the big free agents sign before pulling the trigger on a trade, ESPECIALLY because we have pitchers to deal and the list of suitors for SPs is much larger than the pool of talent available on the market. Now, the Quentin market, I think, is smaller so it may make sense to dump him before guys like Willingham sign. But that's just my speculation.

Ha, I was following you through #1 and #2. Was trying to figure out how #3 made sense at all for the Padres, who just lost Heath Bell, and then I started laughing when Matt Moore got involved.

Wow. Guys, they'd roster him if we was worth it. He's never shown evidence that he can hit at anything close to an acceptable rate. We can find someone to play solid defense and hit like a pitcher if we need. Let's not let this stress us out.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Dec 1, 2011 -> 02:15 PM) Plus, f*** Jake Peavy. The guy can't stay healthy for us and has contributed far less than Floyd. If he or anyone else thinks he deserves an opening day start, they can blow me. I'd say it would be less of an issue of 'deserves,' and much more about who would give us the best chance to win. With no Buerhle or Danks, (the mythical) healthy Peavy is probably our best pitcher.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 1, 2011 -> 01:22 PM) Sweet jesus. 100 losses, easy. Though I doubt Floyd and Danks will be traded. You're right, it's more likely that one will go and the other will stay. I'd guess Floyd stays, but who knows. Do you give Gavin the opening day start over Peavy?

Think about this: It's likley that Mark is gone, and plausible that both Danks and Floyd are gone. If Peavy isn't healthy, Phil Humber could be our opening day starter. Ha Peavy Humber Sale Stewart Axelrod Now THAT, my friends, is a proper AL Central pitching rotation.

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Dec 1, 2011 -> 11:08 AM) For what its worth, and probably not alot, I ran into a friend of mine who writes a sports column for the Columbus Dispatch prior to the OSU/Duke B-ball game and we got to talking baseball. This was just bar talk and by no means is meant to be a pending trade or anything like that, but he told me the Sox and Reds have discussed multiple deals involving the following names: The usual suspects from the Sox side, Danks, Floyd, Quentin, and Thornton. From the Reds side: Alonso, whichever catcher the like least of Mesoraco/Grandal although the Reds like them both, SP Homer Bailey, LHP Donnie Jones, Drew Stubbs. Said prospects 2B/SS Billy Hamilton, an OF named Rodriguez, SS Cozart, and 3B Francisco were pretty much untouchable. Doubts they trade Votto or Bruce because they think they can win this year. Nothing earth shattering, just thought I'd pass it on. I'd much rather have Grandal than Alonso, even though KW probably prefers Alonso because he's ML ready. I don't think we have any place to put him though. Maybe LF? Alonso/De Aza/Vicedo would work I guess, if you bench Rios. But Grandal, a switch-hitting, power-hitting C with a solid throwing arm that is a year or two away -- sign me up. Gives Flowers time to make or break, and then we dump one or the other for pitching in 2013.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Nov 30, 2011 -> 10:58 AM) Have it your way. I have been around long enough to know what to believe and not believe. If it happens ok, but be prepared for several years of second division ball. Now if you want to truly shed payroll you get rid of the high priced non-performers. Suck it up! No one. Wants. High priced non-performers. So you can't trade them. You can't. Trade them.

I love Mark as much as everyone else, but we all know it doesn't make any sense to bring him back unless he gives us a huge hometown discount, which it sounds like he is not going to do. We have to let him go, guys.

I guess I'd rather let Flowers turn into an average C. It's a fair return, but I think the Sox could try to fill their holes better. A half-relaistic SP prospect would be preferable.

Good two-seamer. I think he needs a good cutter or better change-up to stick as a mid-rotation guy.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Nov 18, 2011 -> 03:06 PM) A lot of fans (myself included) probably overvalue Mark because of what he means to the team. I think if the Sox signed him for 3 years at $13 or $14 million per he would probably earn the money with his pitching. Much more than that and I think the Sox would be paying for Mark Buehrle the man vs. Mark Buehrle the pitcher. I'd love to see him back, and even if the Sox overpaid I'd be happy. But the more analytical part of me would be yelling at the emotional part of me saying he's being paid money that should have been used elsewhere. I think it makes sense to bring him back at market value IF Danks and Floyd are gone. Likewise, if Buerhle walks, we can probably only afford to trade one fo those guys.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Nov 18, 2011 -> 02:42 PM) I thought Bill James had him hitting .210 with 20 bombs next year. Something like that. Bill James' projections are notoriously different than most of the popular formats. Generally, speaking they are a lot more optimistic than ZiPS. Weird that Dunn's is less optimistic.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Nov 17, 2011 -> 09:36 AM) As long they can keep the ball in the park, the other 24 Lillibombs would catch everything. The OF Lillibombs would back up the IF Lillibombs and get to all of their fielding errors quickly.