103 mph screwball

Can the Sox trade him for player X and Y and a player to be named later if the other team is able to extend him or resign him? I have not given up hope that Mark will be back when I hear that KW will not let other teams a window to extend him.

QUOTE(Omar Minaya @ Jun 26, 2007 -> 02:00 AM) you'd take two compensatory picks instead of a guy who has been ranked one of the best prospects in baseball the last few years? god in heaven. 2 picks, the chance to work something out with Mark, and the PR benefit of the appearance of doing everything possible to keep Mark, plus respecting a veteran's desire not to be traded is greater that an over rated prospect with rumored attitude issues. I saw a can't miss prospect last year. Brian Anderson. The Sox do not have the luxury of rebuilding. The season ticket base that was earned with the World Series would dissolve in a flash as the payroll went down to 58 million and the media would be all over it like vultures. Many here at Soxtalk would understand. The corporations whipping out the doe for those green seats behind home plate might not renew. No season ticket base, no payroll.

QUOTE(dasox24 @ Jun 25, 2007 -> 02:24 PM) Just watching Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN, and Steve Phillips (filling in for Golic) was talking about how KW goes about trading: Basically says, "I want Player X. What will it take to get him?" Phillips also mentioned how most of the conversations they had involved KW asking, "What would it take to get Jose Reyes?" Man, how awesome would it be to have Reyes now? All he has to do is reverse that strategy. "Hello Mets, about your offer for Mark, this is what it will take to get him. No, ok, thanks. Good luck to you and your team. Sorry I have to run, I've got a call on the other line...Hello Braves..."

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jun 25, 2007 -> 01:27 PM) RANDY JOHNSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, I don't see a match here. You can't! It's obvious. KW swings a deal for Randy Johnson. He's always wanted Randy Johnson. He could just use the money from Buehrle and sign RJ to a 5 year 75 million contract extension. I think he was joking:)

KW can't rebuild. It isn't in him. He will retool and he will do it well. He's resourceful and aggressive. He'll pull a rabbit out of the hat. He will not rebuild. He'd trade Jenks only if it made the team better next year.

Milledge, Rowand, Ichiro Even better and even more happy fans. Happy fans will be important to ticket sales after this complete disaster of a season.

Ozzie's decisions about who gets playing time and who gets the dog house tend to favor those that can speak Spanish on the Sox. Perhaps it's a communication thing or a culture thing. It needs to stop and become a talent thing. I don't care if the freaking guy is purple and speaks pig latin as long as he is the best player for the job.

I just posted this in miscellaneous but I think it belongs here. Back up the truck Uribe- Needs to go. There has to be cheaper bad hitting shortstops. Cintron- relatively expensive hurt and bad Dye-Slumping expensive and a free agent to be Mackowiak-too expensive for the bench. Ozzie won't start him. Contreras- Time for some youth,can get value in return, and reallocate cash Iguchi-free agent to be, slowing down Buehrle if no chance of signing him Crede- it's time for Josh, Boras, injuries Start packing. Thank you. Sincerely, Thank you. There will be great memories of you all. But, the Sox suck and it's time to shake things up. Keep Konerko- captain slumps but he's not the problem Thome- no trade, good guy, power and obp. AJ- Solid catcher and still a competitor Garland- not his fault Buehrle- give him the 5 year deal if possible Javey- if Buehrle leaves, the Sox need him Jenks- Unless there is a total rebuild, no need to lose the big guy Macdougal- Fix him he's cheap and has shown flashes Pods- unless you find me a new lead off man. Not popular here but popular at the ballpark, cheap for a leadoff hitter. Pablo- hell he might be the starting 2b In the offseason, target Ichiro, Rowand, Eckstein, Castillo, and bullpen. Hopefully get two of them and piece together the rest. If the Sox can't develop their prospects, start packaging them together and trade for some at least marginal major league talent to fill in some gaps

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jun 25, 2007 -> 11:43 AM) Look, all I'm saying is this; we have at least 5 or 6 guys who we keep talking about moving this season, at least 2 or 3 of which could command top talent in return. We don't have to make a move on any of them. If MB and JD walk, we get 4 more top 50 or so draft picks next year. Yes, it'll take a couple years for those picks to mean anything, but if everything falls apart and we wind up going that route, then we have 5 top picks next year, including one in the top 5, probably another top 5 pick in 09, and then suddenly our minor leagues might look a lot more like Detroit's. If the Mets do not want to meet our asking price, fine. Deal with someone else. If no one else wants to meet our asking price, fine. Take the draft picks and see where things wind up, or just act out the plan whatever you think is best. ABSOLUTELY! I agree Balta. Not only that, the Sox keep Buehrle for the rest of the season and have time to work something out. If there is absolutely no chance of that happening, then it still has the PR benefit of looking like the Sox tried to keep him. KW can not fail unless he settles for a lowball deal! Pry top talent from somebody, or keep the kid the fans love and take compensation picks. If other teams don't like it, tell them no hard feelings, call back if they change their mind.

Back up the truck Uribe- Needs to go. There has to be cheaper bad hitting shortstops. Cintron- relatively expensive hurt and bad Dye-Slumping expensive and a free agent to be Mackowiak-too expensive for the bench. Ozzie won't start him. Contreras- Time for some youth,can get value in return, and reallocate cash Iguchi-free agent to be, slowing down Buehrle if no chance of signing him Crede- it's time for Josh, Boras, injuries Start packing. Thank you. Sincerely, Thank you. There will be great memories of you all. But, the Sox suck and it's time to shake things up. Keep Konerko- captain slumps but he's not the problem Thome- no trade, good guy, power and obp. AJ- Solid catcher and still a competitor Garland- not his fault Buehrle- give him the 5 year deal if possible Javey- if Buehrle leaves, the Sox need him Jenks- Unless there is a total rebuild, no need to lose the big guy Macdougal- Fix him he's cheap and has shown flashes Pods- unless you find me a new lead off man. Not popular here but popular at the ballpark, cheap for a leadoff hitter. Pablo- hell he might be the starting 2b In the offseason, target Ichiro, Rowand, Eckstein, Castillo, and bullpen. Hopefully get two of them and piece together the rest. If the Sox can't develop their prospects, start packaging them together and trade for some at least marginal major league talent to fill in some gaps

Ichiro(4 @13) No, I think Ichiro will start discussion at 6@16 if not more. Soriano? Matthews Jr? Ichiro can actually play defense and will bring Japanese fame and advertising with him. I have no problem with Ichiro being the highest paid member of the Sox.

And the Sox see a lot of Arizona as they get their ass kicked by them over and over during spring training.

I think that is why he didn't go to the DL.

Great! Get a couple of guys that will be about as good as compensation picks. Then take the 4 million salary savings and hire some overseas scouts. Bring up Sweeney and let him learn. On second thought, don't bring up Sweeney until Walker is fired. Jermaine will be remembered fondly.

It's been a long time since the Brew Crew has been in a World Series. They might want to really go for it if they get anywhere close. They have had many years of suckatude. They owe it to the fans to take the shot. If I were a Brewer fan and the organization allowed my team to miss the playoffs or be one and done without attempting to mortgage a bit of the future for a talent like Buehrle, I'd be pissed. I'm sure they will have many high draft picks in future years. Also, JR and Selig are friends. I do not know if that would help anything.

Giants and Cubs. Zito and Soriano. Jamie Navarro.

QUOTE(daa84 @ Jun 25, 2007 -> 08:01 AM) i agree, this team is not as hard to rebuild as it may appear...even before we struggled this year there were rumors that KW was positioning himself to get Arod by trading garcia and not spending money this past offseason I could see the Sox fixed quickly, they could get respectable value from Contreras and Dye trades. The Sox will have money for free agents as long as the season ticket base hangs in there. I could definitely see KW going hard for Ichiro or Arod. In fact, I expect it from KW and I think JR would put up the cash. If the guys that the Sox keep play their career averages and there is an infusion of youth, speed, and enthusiasm, the Sox are back in the playoffs next year. Unfortunately, I can also see a possible dark future. The Sox make trades for loser prospects. The season ticket base plummets. The Sox are forced to cut payroll. Ozzie is no longer fun to play for. Free agents no longer see the Sox as a contender and sign elsewhere. 2007 has been so bad, it's diminishing the memory of 2005. Even Rowand might not want to play here if AJ is traded/unhappy and Crede is hurt/non-tendered. This next month or two of games will be meaningless for the Sox. But the next month or two will be extremely important to the future of our beloved Sox. KW has to sell off players, and still make this team look attractive to free agents. Good thing we have an extremely talented GM who has experience building a champion. Hang in there Sox fans. These are sad times in terms of baseball. Remember, count your blessings and try not let our love of baseball cause a sad time in your real life. As much as we love it, remember baseball is entertainment.

I hope KW takes his time and doesn't pull the trigger on any trades as a response to the scrub series. No need to rush. He should go into the bunker and stay away from the media. KW knows just as well as anyone what a rental is worth. He's been on the other end of those negotiations for years.

I could see Mark winning a Cy Young and getting another 100- 150 wins. Maybe not a HOF career like Maddux, but he have continued success and make Sox fans regret his loss.

2 comp picks + the chance to resign Mark + the positive public relations of making an effort to keep Mark is much greater than B prospects. I've seen enough of B prospects. If the Mets don't want to give up their cream of the crop, I understand. Then they do not get our beloved Mark. There is no reason to rush. This could go down to the night of the deadline. KW can only fail if he gets a poor return. If he gets top guys or does not trade him at all, he wins. The dream scenario would be for Mark to be traded for top talent, then resign with the Sox in the offseason.

Contreras might waive his no trade to pitch for the Mets. He would be reunited with his buddy El Duque.

QUOTE(southsideirish @ Jun 15, 2007 -> 12:28 PM) Tell me, how would this change have drastically affected the team? I don't get what you people see or have seen over the years to make you think that this would have changed or can change anything. Do you think he is not doing his job? Bringing a bad attitude to the park? Not going over film? Not talking to players? Not getting extra work in if needed? What is it? Do you think this guy is a mope jerk like Eddie Murray? What do you think will or would have changed if Walker was fired? By firing Walker you are basically telling your players that it is not their fault - the hitting coach was at fault. By keeping him you are making the hitters accountable for their actions. It MIGHT help in several ways. The new coach would bring a fresh perspective and might see flaws that Walker and the Sox have not seen. Baseball is mostly mental. A slumping player who has tried to fix their slump repeatedly with Walker, may see a new coach as a new opportunity to improve. It gives them new hope. As we know, there are many ways to approach hitting. Walker's methods are not working, so try something else. It also sends a message to the players and other coaches to start producing or you could be next no matter who you are or how nice you are. It is a hell of a lot cheaper than selling the farm for another hitter or losing a ton in lost ticket sales for a summer full of underachieving prospects and veterans going through the motions. This move should have been made a month ago and I do not appreciate the Sox not doing everything they could have done to produce an winning team. Look at the players career stats, then look a this year. The bullpen has sucked too. Which is easier replacing one coach who may improve the whole teams hitting or replacing the bullpen?

Sometimes, KW is just too stubborn or JR is to loyal. I can not believe that Walker has not been fired yet or give him a different position in the organization. Hell Walk, resign. Walker is probably a great guy, and this may not even be his fault but you have to make a change. This is/was such an inexpensive way to possibly make/could have made a difference this year. Fire him anyway so he doesn't screw up any of the prospects that will be playing from July on. It just really pisses me off as a Sox fan.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jun 14, 2007 -> 12:04 PM) That would actually be quite illegal. Oh. Well, I guess my idea for Mark to fake an injury after the trade to rest his arm for next year's Sox would somehow seem "unethical" to you.

The Sox need to have a discussion with Mark and come to a gentleman's agreement for 5 y 75 million to be signed AFTER the season. Then ask him if he would allow himself to be traded to make his team better for the next 5 years. If he really doesn't want to be traded but wants to come back, then extend him now and don't trade him. If he doesn't want to be traded, but will not come to a contract extension, trade him anyway. Screw the in season contract talk distraction stuff. I'm pretty sure the team is distracted quite a bit already by all of the losing.