VAfan

QUOTE(JimH @ Jul 11, 2005 -> 05:18 PM) The White Sox haven't made a trade with KC since 1987, and KW has stated to forget about KC helping a Central division rival. Same reason why the Sox don't trade with Detroit, Cleveland, Minnesota. Okay. But I would think helping their own bottom line when it is a backup player might override that. Even so, I'm having enough doubts about Tony's defensive abilities to think it might not be a good move even if he was available.

On the trade thread I posted the question whether anyone would consider trading for Tony Graffanino. He doesn't have great range, but he's a solid bat and could play 3B for a couple of weeks if Crede goes on the DL. Plus, KC would likely unload him just to save some money. Sure, Randa is the bigger name and is better defensively, but what do you do if Crede comes back healthy after a few days? Graffy is used to the utility role and can play all the infield slots.

I'm happy with bandwagon fans. It gives KW money to spend improving the team for the stretch run and postseason. And management knows if we win in the postseason that next year's fan base will be even higher.

After seeing Ozuna's escapades at 3B over the last few days, anyone think that trading Pablo straight up for TONY GRAFFANINO might be a good move? Certainly it would weaken our defense at backup SS, and we'd lose some speed, but we wouldn't have an error-fest over at 3B if Crede's back tightens up again. And if Willie Harris is going to go down when Gload is called up, we'd have someone we know can cover all 3 infield spots who can actually hit. (He's also played 1B this year.) I'm on the fence, not because I like Ozuna, but because I wonder how much weaker Graffy's defense would be, esp. at SS, where he hasn't really played since 2003. So, if you don't like Graffy, think of another utility guy that might be a better choice than Ozuna.

QUOTE(JUGGERNAUT @ Jul 10, 2005 -> 03:48 PM) Assuming the SFG will not continue to think they can still contend I think Uribe may have given Ozzie & Kenny a new incentive for getting Vizquel from the Giants. Ozzie was most displeased with Uribe's failure to run it out last night. Of course any trade for Vizquel is likely linked to Schmidt as well. The two of us are definitely of the same mind on the prospective trade with SF. I was intrigued by your idea, below, of making it for Harris, Ozuna, and Gonzalez instead of Uribe, though I'm not sure I like that better. From a defensive standpoint, certainly I'd rather have Uribe backing up 3B, SS, and 2B than Ozuna. But why give up Gonzalez if he might be the one to replace Vizquel when his contract is up? And why pay Uribe $3 million/year as a utility player? Why not just make it Uribe for Vizquel, and then think about trading Ozuna and a bag of balls to KC for Graffanino or trying to pick up another utility guy with better hands at 3B and the same range at SS as Ozuna? After today, I could see letting SF have Harris as part of the deal since they may be looking for someone behind Durham.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jul 10, 2005 -> 04:30 PM) Guy, we have mods for this kind of stuff. If we have problems with a thread, we will let people know... If the thread bothers you, just ignore it and it will go away. All you do by posting is legitimize it. I assume you didn't have a problem with my little post, did you? Of course Freddy didn't help us much today, but at least he never let them put us crooked numbers and left the game after 6 with a lead.

The Sox are not going to collapse. We still have the best starting pitching, we still crush the weak teams, and we're getting 3 very helpful role players back after the break. We just have a real weakness against these A's, and Ozzie managed us into a loss today. I'm also encouraged that this little rough patch may help tip KW into making a deal that will help us in October. I'd rather hit the rough patch now and fix it than go into October overconfident and turn up playing like these last 3 games in the first round.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Jul 10, 2005 -> 04:08 PM) Bruce Levine today on the Sunday baseball show talked about how Pauly and his agent were offered a 4 year 36 million with a change to make 40 million with insentives. He turned it down at the end of last year and at the end of spring training. His agent wants to go to FA to see what his value is. So oddly enough his power numbers are up, his Ks are up and his clutchness is down. Methinks he is trying to pull a Valentin and Rob Deer himself a new Sexton type contract based soley on power numbers. The reason Carlos is gone was because of him trying to pad his own stats and playing selfish out of the two 8+ million dollar younger guys. Paulie last year hit for power, but was the first guy to hit to right to try to drive in that run. This year he has completely abandoned that approach and has pretty much decided to become a pull home run hitter. His average is plummeting again and he needs to be dropped down in the order. Jermaine Dye who has played like a stud over the last month needs to get a chance to drive in some runs. Gload is definately going to help. I think we will see that Paulie even with rest will still be a pull only home run or nothing hitter in the second half. 5 for 6 today for Konerko. 4 singles and a 9th inning HR. That's a pretty amazing day. I hope he can carry this kind of hitting into the second half, not overswinging, just putting good wood on the ball and putting it in the outfield. Not all balls were pulled either. Even so, he needs to rest so he's fresh late.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jul 10, 2005 -> 10:57 PM) No one deserves more blame for this series debacle than Ozzie. Between playing Willie on Friday night, not doing the right thing by switching Ozuna and Uribe in the infield, and his just pathetic game today, Ozzie had just a horses*** series. Someone on the bench needs to step in and tell him some of the things he's doing during a game are awful: - Cotts should have never been left in to face Melhuse. We gave the A's that f***ing run. - Why do you pitch to Swisher with the open base? To me that 7th run for the A's was the key to the ballgame. There is no point in walking Scaturo to load the bases either. Just bring in Politte for the out. Also, why could Kotsay get back to the wall for Iguchi's late drive, but Rowand couldn't protecting a 5-4 Sox lead. It is hard to criticize Rowand's fielding, but that Johnson double that put them ahead should have been a long out. Still, I think Ozzie made the wrong moves to cost the game. It was nice to see us battling, anyway. In addition to Gload, El Duque, and Marte coming back, I'd like to see some more help via a trade.

After Ozzie benched Uribe last night for failing to run out a fly ball in the corner, does anyone there think that makes it more likely that Uribe will be shipped to SF as part of a deal for Vizquel (and possibly Schmidt)?

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2005 @ Jul 10, 2005 -> 09:54 AM) It would be nice if the offense would atleast pretend to be a legitimate major league offense against these guys. I would agree that the best way to get out of our funk against the A's is to prove we can hit their pitchers.

QUOTE(ChWRoCk2 @ Jul 10, 2005 -> 02:58 AM) this is your third thread man cool it down, but i agree he will stop them, and hopefully we can score some runs off their pitcher Hey, just thought I'd post something other than: "Sox need to trade for Schmidt and Vizquel." But in some ways it all comes back to my argument for a 4th starter for the playoffs. We've seen in the last two days that 2 of our 3 aces can be beat. But if we have 4 aces, I like our chances a lot better.

The Sox need a big lift tomorrow from Freddy Garcia. 3-6 is bad enough against those guys, but at least it would allow us to finish the first half 30 games over .500 and at least a 10 game lead over Minnesota.

Sox need a break (from Oakland - we better hope Minny or Cleveland play well enough to keep Oakland out of the Wild Card). We also need an infusion of new blood. 1. Ross Gload. I'd like to see him start at 1B and hit cleanup the first game back (unless we're facing a lefty), and at least twice a week. I also agree that Dye and Konerko should switch places in the order until Konerko revives his stroke. 2. El Duque and Damaso Marte for Jenks and Walker. It was nice to get a peek at Jenks, but he needs to go back down. 3. Make a trade for a 4th starter who we can count on in October, and to upgrade our OBP at SS (and add another lefty bat). Schmidt/Vizquel is still a good deal for the Sox. 4. Add September call-ups to keep our veterans fresh. Anderson, BMac, and Jenks should all return.

The Sox should stop playing games with Ross Gload. I certainly hope he is up the game after the All-Star Break. I think our offense has degenerated into swinging for the fences a bit, and getting Konerko out of the middle of the lineup at least 2 days a week for a lefty bat that can play 1B should help us immensely. Paulie needs a rest. Badly. And we need more lefties. I wouldn't hesitate to hit Gload 4th and play him a lot. Who would I send down? I think Timo Perez is the one that should go because Willie Harris is a much better pinch runner and can play the infield. But I might send Harris for now because he still has options. Then I'd try to include Perez in a trade and bring Harris back.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Jul 10, 2005 -> 02:24 AM) After today, I would do anything to NOT have to play Ozuna. Not at 3B at least! He certainly looked overmatched at 3B, didn't he? My belief is he is better at SS because the ball isn't on him as quickly and you don't have to play the same kind of tricky hops.

I caught the Giants game Friday night. Jason Schmidt v. Mark Mulder in SF. My scouting report is that Schmidt is not hurt or damaged goods. They didn't show pitch speeds, but the announcers said he was at 95 by the second inning, and kept to that velocity when he needed it through the 7th, when he was lifted for a pinch hitter. He also had a nice curve ball that he might have used more often. Larry Walker turned on a first inning fastball and put it WAY out for a quick 2-0 St. Louis lead. Sanders also hit a HR on a pretty good sinker. Schmidt walked a bunch of guys, but it was largely to avoid giving Pujols too much to hit. He worked out of a couple of jams with 3 on and 2 on when he had to. The Giants offense generated nothing, so Schmidt lost 3-0. But if the Sox had interest in him before, I doubt it has been dispelled. He seems like he will only get better the farther behind him his DL stint becomes. Certainly he's right now better than Jose Contreras.

Beck72, you are making all the arguments I made in favor of Uribe for Vizquel in both of the prior trade threads. The biggest one for me is his .400 OBP against right handed pitching. Uribe's was about .240 not that long ago. That's a lot of extra outs. I think the best counterargument is the fade-at-the-end-of-the-season argument. Uribe did have a great September last year. And certainly he has more power potential than Vizquel. The comeback to this is that Vizquel can be saved by playing Ozuna at SS against lefties. That will save Vizquel a month of playing time right there. For the same reason, we need Ross Gload back to give Konerko time off. He's down in the .230s again and he's hurting the team offensively. So my overall feeling is the Schmidt-Vizquel for Contreras-Uribe and a couple prospects is still the Sox' best trade bet. Sure, we get older at SS, but we get another lefty (with Gload back we could actually field 6 lefties) who balances better with Ozuna than Uribe does, and we pick up 2 guys with WS experience (though neither has won, so they still have the hunger).

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jul 8, 2005 -> 07:48 PM) For those that think chemistry is overrated--I really disagree. There are teams that have won that don't like each other, no doubt, however there are also teams like this current one who like each other so much that they play harder then they ever have before. These guys will run through walls for each other and the manager and the general manager. It's something special the sox have going on the field and off the field. If the Sox are going to make the trade it'll be for someone that fits in. The good thing is that Dustin and AJ know what Schmidt's personality is like and ditto with Ozzie and Burnett. If and when the Sox make a trade it'll be for a good character guy, I can guarantee that. Does anyone who brings up "chemistry" think that either Schmidt or Vizquel would in any way undermine the chemistry of this club? Schmidt was a gamer who helped SF get to the World Series, as was Omar when he was in Cleveland. Neither guy won it all, so they are still hungry. We aren't talking volatile guys like Kevin Brown, Kenny Rogers, or Jose Guillen. They won't be a problem. I know Schmidt has said he doesn't want to leave SF, but I can't believe he wouldn't do his best to help us win if he came aboard. The only issue is whether Schmidt's arm troubles are going to keep him from pitching well in October.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Jul 8, 2005 -> 04:05 PM) See: Jon Rauch, and MANY other Sox prospects who were traded. Matt Guerrier...Etc. Let's see, Jon Rauch is still toiling in the minors for the Nats (or is he hurt), and Matt Guerrier was traded right before the season started for Damaso Marte if I recall correctly. I think KW actually gives more than many teams do in July trades, but it makes other teams willing to deal with him. And this year, I think that could be a real plus. I like our chances of picking up a quality starter who can help us in the playoffs.

I'm not worried about the division or making the playoffs, and I think the team is focused enough that we're going to crack 100 wins for the first time in Sox history. But all of that is just a nice lead in to the real question. Will this 2005 Sox team win the first postseason series since 1917? Can it go all the way? On that point, I'd like to see KW add a tweak or two to help us out.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Jul 8, 2005 -> 03:57 PM) Miami????? Taking Contreras????? I wouldn't have thought so either, until I read the article suggesting they would turn around and trade for Jason Schmidt once Burnett was gone. Of course that is likely even more far-fetched.

QUOTE(beck72 @ Jul 8, 2005 -> 03:55 PM) While I'm not completely sold on the sox getting Jason Schmidt, some deal for Vizquel could really complete the sox [maybe with Scott Eyre also coming to the sox]. Along with some pitching help, Omar's versatility and approach to hitting, ala what Pods and Iguchi have done, would make the sox tough to beat in a short series. Most people would agree Uribe struggles against very good pitching. I don't have the exact matchups. But some numbers to throw out there against some teams the sox might face in the playoffs: Career Uribe vs Bos: .205/.250/.341 vs LAA: .171/.186/.244 vs Minn .257/.276/.419 Vizquel vs Bos: .237/.270/.316 vs LAA: .343/.416/.455 vs Minn .342/.387/.459 Just some food for thought What I also like about Vizquel is he's best against right handed pitching on a team that could use another left handed bat. And since Ozuna is best against lefties, he makes a natural fit with Vizquel and makes it easy for Ozzie to start him at SS for another 20-25 games (or more) per year. Another thing that could make Vizquel valuable would be if Pods had to go on the DL for any reason. Who would lead off? Uribe's OBP makes him the worst candidate. I suppose Iguchi could fill the role, with Rowand sliding into #2. (Ozuna has been our backup lead off hitter, but when he's subbing for Uribe. Now, if Pods sits, it is Everett out there.) And Vizquel can fill the #2 hole better than Harris when Willie is giving Iguchi a breather. Schmidt/Vizquel for Contreras/Uribe and a combo of 2-3 prospects still makes the most trade sense for the Sox (and the Giants).

Cooper has been fabulous. Look at Neil Cotts and Cliff Politte, for example. But some of the credit also goes to the pitchers. Mark Buehrle, for setting an example for Jon Garland to follow, and to Jon Garland for waking up and following his example. And some of the credit must also go to AJ Pierzynski, who calls for pitches inside, and his tough, no nonsense style.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jul 7, 2005 -> 11:21 PM) Just like they should have in 2002...they had plenty of prospects to trade...I'm sure someone would happily have given them a veteran starting pitcher for this rookie named Francisco Rodriguez sometime in July that year. That's an absurd comment. Have you seen me advocating trading any impact minor leaguers for a much more reliable 4th starter? A lot of guys put BMac's name in the hopper, or even Bobby Jenks. You don't see me doing that. (I did propose BMac at one point, but quickly retracted.) The only "name" prospect I've proposed giving up is Brian Anderson and that's because Jermaine Dye has right field locked up this year and next.