VAfan

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jul 24, 2005 -> 04:07 PM) Reports indicate Burnett doesn't want to be here. I don't believe he's a significant upgrade over Contreras, also his acquisition would mean El Duque who was signed in part for his playoff prowess, would become a long man in the pen for the playoffs. I wouldn't mind adding Burnett, but BMac could easily bring you a part you more desperately need, that being a middle of the order guy who can get hits with runners on base, and Marte has been inconsistent but hurt. When he's healthy he is cheap and one of the best left hand relief pitchers in the league. Just say no, KW. JUST SAY NO, KW. I read in the Washington Post this morning that Burnett wants $50-55 million over 4 years, not the $40 million that has been bandied about. Embree, Kline, Villone, Eyre??? None are as good as Marte, who will be used in more postseason games than Burnett. Indeed, if Burnett is our 4th starter, how many games will he get in the postseason? 3? 4 tops, if we play in the WS? There is no way we can sign him for $50 million, and short of that, it appears he's going to test the FA market as one of the few arms out there in the offseason. And BMac? Ozzie didn't compare him to Jack McDowell on a whim. Does anyone doubt he'll get plenty of starts next year filling in for El Duque? We have no other pitchers in the minors who can start a game. We need that 6th starter. In 2001-2004 we found out what our season looked like without a solid performance out of the 5 hole. JUST SAY NO, KW.

I suppose his L balances some W he got earlier when he didn't pitch nearly as well. It was certainly a nice game. Had we not run ourselves into 3 outs in the first two innings, we could have gotten to Wade Miller and won the game.

QUOTE(rangercal @ Jul 23, 2005 -> 10:48 PM) I think most people would trade bullpens with the Angels. Why? They have no lefties, and we saw what happened to Scott Shields when they tried to use him as the man. Plus, Rodriguez is too in love with his curve. He's not going to last. I'll take a core of Politte, Cotts, and Jenks for the next 5 years.

Marte and BMac are too high a price to pay for Burnett, even if he does re-sign. Contreras and Bajenaru is still better than Boston will offer. Throw in Diaz or Munoz to get it done.

I'd like to hear a response to my other point. Anyone think the A's young starters will fade in September-October after their innings start adding up?

Gload doesn't have to sub for Konerko all the time to get used. What I don't get is why he wasn't used as soon as he came up? He was hot in AAA. With Dye out, Ozzie should have used Everett in right and Gload as DH or at 1B. And when Dye is back, Gload should play twice a week for Konerko and twice a week for Everett (who still isn't hitting well as a lefty). Timo's .348 came mostly as a situational sub or pinch hitter, which is what he should remain. I thought Ozzie's mantra is to keep everyone involved. I think he has a blind spot for Ross Gload.

Paul Konerko and Carlos Lee. When they were on the Sox, they were always fairly comparable in OPS. Even this year, Lee's OPS is .862 and Konerko's is .839 after a slump. But the big difference is Lee has driven in 82 runs and Konerko has driven in 58. And you would think that with all that speed in Pods and Iguchi at the top of the lineup, that this would be a closer number. Why the gap? Konerko has just been horrible with men on base, while Lee seems to pick it up. My problem with Konerko is Ozzie's use of him. I think he should be dropped to fifth in the lineup, especially when he is struggling, with Rowand 3rd and Everett 4th. Plus with Gload back, there is no excuse not to rest Konerko at least twice a week if Gload is hitting well. Certainly there is no reason to start Timo Perez ever over Gload, when Everett can play the outfield slot Timo is in.

The one thing that is certain is that, without Frank, there is no one in the Sox lineup who scares any opposing pitcher. In the postseason, we need a healthy Frank drawing walks and hitting balls out of the park.

I don't understand, after what Ross did as a hitter last year, why Ozzie didn't put him in the lineup the first day he came up? We've had 3 games and all he's done is put him in defensively in the 8-4 "blowout" win. Timo Perez isn't half the offensive player that Gload is, and Everett probably hits better when he plays the field. So why didn't Everett start these games in RF, with Gload at 1B, and Konerko at DH (for a semi-rest)? C'mon Ozzie. USE GLOAD! With Frank on the DL and Dye hurt (and cooled from his great June), give Gload a shot.

Do we have the best 6-man bullpen in baseball right now? Here are some comparisons for 3 top AL teams. White Sox NAME G GS W L Sv Hld IP H ER HR BB SO K/9 P/GS WHIP ERA Cliff Politte 39 0 6 0 1 10 39.2 20 7 2 11 38 8.62 0.0 0.78 1.59 D. Hermanson 35 0 0 2 22 5 37.0 31 8 3 12 19 4.62 0.0 1.16 1.95 Neal Cotts 40 0 2 0 0 6 40.1 26 11 1 17 42 9.37 0.0 1.07 2.45 Damaso Marte 38 0 3 3 3 11 28.1 27 8 3 19 33 10.48 0.0 1.62 2.54 Luis Vizcaino 37 0 4 4 0 3 46.0 51 21 6 20 26 5.09 0.0 1.54 4.11 Bobby Jenks 4 0 0 0 0 0 4.1 6 3 0 3 9 18.69 0.0 2.08 6.23 Twins NAME G GS W L Sv Hld IP H ER HR BB SO K/9 P/GS WHIP ERA J.C. Romero 44 0 2 2 0 9 37.2 30 9 3 25 33 7.88 0.0 1.46 2.15 Jesse Crain 46 0 9 1 1 8 45.1 32 11 3 15 16 3.18 0.0 1.04 2.18 Juan Rincon 43 0 4 3 0 16 44.1 32 12 2 16 50 10.15 0.0 1.08 2.44 Joe Nathan 42 0 2 3 26 0 41.1 32 15 3 17 52 11.32 0.0 1.19 3.27 Matt Guerrier 23 0 0 1 0 0 35.2 34 14 3 12 22 5.55 0.0 1.29 3.53 T. Mulholland 31 0 0 2 0 3 39.1 46 24 5 11 9 2.06 0.0 1.45 5.49 Angels NAME G GS W L Sv Hld IP H ER HR BB SO K/9 P/GS WHIP ERA F. Rodriguez 35 0 2 1 23 0 38.2 21 8 3 14 54 12.57 0.0 0.91 1.86 Scot Shields 48 0 6 5 7 21 60.1 38 15 3 24 68 10.14 0.0 1.03 2.24 B. Donnelly 38 0 6 2 0 10 42.0 32 15 5 10 35 7.50 0.0 1.00 3.21 Esteban Yan 29 0 0 1 0 0 39.2 37 17 4 20 27 6.13 0.0 1.44 3.86 Jake Woods 27 0 1 1 0 2 27.2 28 12 6 8 20 6.51 0.0 1.30 3.90 Joel Peralta 17 0 1 0 0 0 21.0 16 10 4 8 23 9.86 0.0 1.14 4.29 I wouldn't swap our pen for either of theirs, especially since I think Jenks is going to be a future closer. Anyone want to offer up a better 6-deep bullpen?

I'm a huge Frank Thomas fan, so I hope this problem clears up. And I believe we have the luxury of resting him until September, even with a somewhat brutal August stretch against the Yanks, Twins, and BoSox. Early in the year, Dye stunk, along with Uribe, Crede, Rowand, and Konerko for stretches. Now we have more balance to counter Frank's absence, and Gload, if he hits like last year, could be a huge plus. So rest up Frank. We'll see you for the stretch run.

If the A's don't win the West outright, they are odds on to win the WC. But some writer on ESPN made a good point. With their young starters, they are likely to start hurting in September as their innings push past 150. And yet Rich Harden, their best starter, has gone only 13 games and only 3 starters, including Zito, are above 100 innings.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Jul 23, 2005 -> 09:00 PM) With how the Freddy Garica went down, I think a huge holding point in the Aj deal will be a contract extension. I beleive KW will be more hesitant to pull the trigger if he sees this is a 3 month rent-a-pitcher. With the end of July fast approaching, we're now down to a 2-month rental unless he's re-signed. The reason I'd be willing to deal Contreras for Burnett is that I think the Sox could sign Burnett into Contreras's salary slot for 3-4 years when he will likely be in his prime. But as far as this year goes, we have to remember we are getting Burnett for only 3 postseason starts, IF we're good enough to make it to the World Series. I mean, who here would be willing to put his wildness ahead of Buehrle, Garcia or Garland? As a 4th pitcher, he'd get into 1 ALDS game (if there was not a sweep), 1 ALCS game, and 1 WS game. He might start a 4th game if we ended up going the distance in one or more of the series. Now those 3-4 starts could mean a WS victory if Burnett can win them, but it is not worth selling out the future over, especially when the difference between Burnett and Contreras is not that much.

The Nevin deal is probably dead because Baltimore is one of 8 teams SD can't trade him to without his approval and his agent is suggesting it will take more money to get him to leave the West Coast. In 2002 he killed a deal to Cincy for Ken Griffey.

Here's the latest excerpt from ESPN on what's being considered for Burnett. Brandon McCarthy and Jose Contreras v. Double-A pitching prospect Anibel Sanchez and right-handed pitcher Bronson Arroyo from the Red Sox. BMac and Jose for Burnett? It's still way too costly. Contreras, Bajenaru and Munoz or Diaz. That would be my offer. I believe FL will get nothing better.

According to Jayson Stark, the White Sox are talking BMac AND Politte or Cotts or Jenks (not Marte) AND Contreras as a "second piece in the deal." Now, I don't believe this. But it would be a terrible trade for the Sox if true. The only player currently on the Sox major league club I'd give up for Burnett would be Contreras. He's better than Bronson Arroyo or anyone the Yankees could dredge up. So I don't see why KW doesn't just call Florida's bluff. Burnett is not signed next year; Contreras is. The numbers above suggest they would be getting a comparable pitcher they could put right into their rotation. And he might even draw some Cuban fans. Beyond that, Jeff Bejanaru and B-listers. No BMac. No Anderson. No Sweeney or Young. DON'T CAVE IN, KW. With Hermanson unable to pitch back to back to back, we need a 5-deep bullpen in the postseason, and since Wagner, Guardado, etc. are not getting moved, we can't afford to surrender any bullpen pitchers we currently have other than Takatsu.

Justin Germano was one of the players in the trade. 21 IP, 21 R in 2004. Should fit right in with the Reds. Randa would have been good insurance against Crede's back flaring up, and with Frank out, could have DH'ed occasionally or pinch hit. But it's too late now.

AJ Burnett's numbers DATE GAME W L ERA IP H R ER HR BB SO NP-S GO-AO APR 07 ATL 0 1 3.00 6.0 7 4 2 0 2 6 86-55 9-3 APR 12 PHI 1 0 2.40 9.0 8 2 2 0 0 3 103-71 16-8 APR 17 @NYN 1 0 2.25 9.0 4 2 2 1 3 5 105-70 16-5 APR 22 CIN 0 0 2.40 6.0 4 2 2 0 5 13 115-68 5-0 APR 29 @PHI 1 0 2.43 7.0 5 2 2 1 1 8 105-67 9-4 MAY 04 @ATL 0 1 2.72 6.0 9 3 3 2 2 8 96-61 7-3 MAY 09 HOU 0 1 2.70 7.0 6 2 2 0 1 9 109-68 6-5 MAY 15 @SDN 0 1 3.05 6.0 8 5 4 0 4 4 114-65 7-6 MAY 21 TBA 0 0 3.19 6.0 3 3 3 1 3 6 98-59 5-6 MAY 31 @PIT 0 0 2.91 6.0 4 3 0 0 2 2 96-56 12-4 JUN 05 @WAS 0 0 3.03 6.1 6 3 3 0 1 6 98-63 8-5 JUN 10 TEX 0 0 3.09 7.1 7 3 3 0 3 10 111-70 8-4 JUN 15 @CHN 1 0 3.36 6.2 11 5 5 1 1 2 105-75 9-9 JUN 21 @ATL 0 1 3.43 6.0 6 3 3 0 3 4 105-66 12-2 JUN 26 @TBA 1 0 3.14 9.0 2 0 0 0 2 7 123-76 16-4 JUL 01 @NYN 0 0 3.18 4.1 5 5 2 0 2 4 87-54 5-4 JUL 06 MIL 0 0 3.33 6.0 4 4 4 0 5 14 125-74 4-0 JUL 14 @PHI 0 1 3.64 5.0 6 6 6 3 4 3 86-47 5-6 JUL 19 @ARI 1 0 3.68 6.0 6 3 3 0 3 6 112-68 8-4 Contreras's numbers DATE GAME W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV SVO IP H R ER HR BB SO NP-S GO-AO APR 07 CLE 0 0 1.50 6.0 4 1 1 0 2 4 96-62 11-3 APR 13 @CLE 0 0 3.55 6.2 5 4 4 1 5 3 104-55 5-11 APR 18 MIN 0 0 3.63 4.2 6 3 2 0 4 2 104-62 7-5 APR 23 @KCA 0 0 3.48 3.1 1 1 1 1 1 6 61-36 2-2 APR 29 DET 0 0 3.04 6.0 3 1 1 1 3 6 113-63 7-5 MAY 05 KCA 1 0 2.60 8.0 4 1 1 1 1 6 102-69 8-9 MAY 10 @TBA 0 0 3.18 5.0 5 4 4 1 5 3 90-51 5-7 MAY 15 BAL 0 1 3.52 6.1 7 5 4 2 1 4 100-62 9-6 MAY 21 @CHN 1 0 3.23 7.0 4 1 1 0 1 4 78-52 8-9 MAY 26 @ANA 0 1 3.30 7.0 4 3 3 1 1 9 95-65 5-7 JUN 01 ANA 0 0 3.27 6.0 5 4 2 1 3 4 102-66 8-6 JUN 07 @COL 1 0 3.13 6.0 5 1 1 0 2 6 103-64 4-8 JUN 13 ARI 0 1 3.81 6.0 9 8 8 4 3 4 118-65 4-10 JUN 19 LAN 0 0 3.83 6.2 6 3 3 0 4 5 102-61 8-7 JUN 25 CHN 0 1 4.15 6.1 8 6 6 1 2 3 105-61 7-8 JUL 01 @OAK 0 1 4.34 4.1 4 4 4 0 7 2 97-50 5-6 JUL 06 TBA 1 0 4.26 6.0 6 2 2 2 3 1 85-51 4-12 JUL 14 @CLE 1 0 3.99 7.0 3 0 0 0 3 7 97-62 4-10 JUL 19 DET 0 1 4.34 5.2 8 7 7 1 0 4 94-67 7-6 Why do I put up these numbers? I'm not sold on selling out our team for an AJ Burnett trade. I have questions about how he'll translate into the AL (I expect it might move his ERA from 3.68 up to 4.00 or higher). Given his wildness, he's basically a 6 inning pitcher (and likely will struggle some against patient clubs like Boston, Oakland, or NYY). And he's had durability issues throughout his career. I would not weaken our bullpen as part of the deal (Marte). Nor would I give up BMac or another top prospect in the bargain. (And I certainly would not be willing to take on Mike Lowell's contract.) But I would be willing to support a trade for Burnett if Jose Contreras were the primary pitcher we gave up in the deal. To that I would be willing to add Jeff Bajenaru and possibly one or two other B-level prospects. Of course if we sent Contreras to FL for Burnett, that would prevent us from flipping Burnett to the Phillies for Wagner, but I think that's a pipe dream anyway. And since Wagner will not likely re-sign with us next year, while Burnett might, I'm not sure it's such a good move anyway.

ESPN link says Baltimore is out of Burnett sweepstakes. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2114944 Too bad. I don't want to give FL anything for Burnett, but I didn't really want Boston or the Yankees to have him.

The A's finished the night only 1/2 game behind the pitcherless Yankees for the wild card, and 1-1/2 games behind the Twins. In a week, they've blown by Texas, Cleveland, and Baltimore for the last postseason slot, and now only trail two teams. I expect them to pass both before the first week of August is out. The only question in my mind is whether the A's will catch the Angels. I think it is possible, but the Angels play them tough. Otherwise, I think we can expect a round 1 matchup against our hated West Coast nemesis.

When Frank says he's at a 10 on the pain meter for his ankle, and that it is affecting his play, I think we may not see Frank again this season. And if he can't prove he is healthy against live pitching again this year, I fear the Sox may just buy out his contract and let him go, notwithstanding what KW said just a few weeks ago. I'd be interested to know the rules about adding him to the playoff roster is he's not reactivated until sometime in September. Does anyone know? I assume because he's an injury-casualty that he could be added at any time. Practically speaking then, we only really need him to come back in mid-September for him to get his form back. But I don't expect to see him before that. We don't need a Frank Thomas at 70%. Better to rest and try to get back to 90%. In the meantime, I hope Ozzie moves Rowand up in the order. He looks like he might resume his torrid hitting from last year and help carry the team. And I'd like to see a lot of Ross Gload if he can hit at all like he did last year. We could use someone that can crack the .300 hitting barrier and draw walks.

I still don't get all the drooling over AJ Burnett. Great stuff, but really poor performances. No track record at all of winning or even eating innings. He's a 6 inning pitcher. Aack. Let the O's have him.

QUOTE(JUGGERNAUT @ Jul 22, 2005 -> 04:57 PM) You've got the contract wrong. Griffey 2001-2008 $12.5M ($6.5M deferred w 0 interest until 2009). Griffey 2009 : team option $4M buyout OR $16.5M ($6.5M deferred w int). The deferred payment period is 2009-2025. You have to understand the Giants are not in a position to where they have to sell. With Bonds being the meal ticket, the seats are sold for 2005 & with him being on the menu in 2006 they will have no trouble selling seats next year. From the Giants perspective making a trade is all about making the team that much better in 2006. So young talent is not what they are after. If you check out the Giants rumor pages it sure seems like they are waiting for the Rangers to make them an offer. They seem to be locking in on Soriano to replace Durham at 2B. They look at the potential of Soriano - Bonds - Alou in 2006 & feel that $10.5M on Schmidt is not a bad deal. Of course that's only if they can get Soriano. We don't have anything like Soriano that they need so the only trades will be doing with them are minor. If you are interested in these players: Brett Tomko, Kirk Rueter, J.T. Snow, Ray Durham and Edgardo Alfonzo & your not the GM of the Rangers the Giants are taking your calls. I still think a deal for Schmidt-Vizquel that gives the Giants Contreras-Uribe and Brian Anderson as its foundation is a sound one for both teams. The Giants want major league ready players, and the 3 guys I listed on our side fit that bill. If the Giants also have any interest in Willie Harris because Durham's defense has slipped, I'm sure he could be added. And if they want Shingo Takatsu as a toss in, I bet we'd pay his salary. Now if the Giants insisted on BMac instead of Anderson, then that would give me pause, and I probably wouldn't do it. But I would be willing to add Bajenaru or Munoz or Diaz. It is true the Giants don't have to deal, but at some point it would become worth their while without costing us any key players and without messing up our salary structure. This deal may not happen until the last minute, but I still think it is possible.

Burnett to Baltimore cannot hurt us. The O's have little chance holding on for a wild card, and does anyone think they will beat out the BoSox and Yankees in the stretch run? Personally, I never really wanted Burnett for the price they were seeking. I guess we'll soon find out how cheaply he came. (But we also couldn't afford to be burdened with a bad contract for Mike Lowell.) If he could be flipped for Wagner, maybe, but I think that was a pipe dream.

My overall feeling today is I hope KW doesn't do anything stupid. With Contreras and Marte pitching very well last night, I'm no longer eager to trade them for anything at the moment. I'd rate the biggest needs at having a reliable alternative to Joe Crede because of his back problems that will allow us to bring up Ross Gload as a lefty bat who can spell Konerko. And if we can substitute Omar Vizquel's lefty bat at SS, I see that as a plus too. On the pitching front, I still like Schmidt, but I would rather ship El Duque and a prospect than Contreras if the Giants would make that deal. Would I give them BMac? No, but I'd give them just about any other pitcher in the minors (except Jenks).