aboz56 Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 From the Sun Times: BY RON RAPOPORT SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST The truly wonderful thing about the White Sox trading for Freddy Garcia is not that they gained a proven starting pitcher in their quest to bring baseball to Chicago in October once again. No, the truly wonderful thing is that for once it's the other team that is crying and whining and sounding -- dare I say it? -- like Sox fans. ''It was the first official word from the Mariners that this season is done, so go ahead and boo,'' wrote Steve Kelley in the Seattle Times of the fans who let out a 3,000-miles-from-the-Bronx Cheer when news of the trade was posted on the center-field scoreboard in the ninth inning of the Mariners' 5-1 loss to the Padres on Sunday. ''The Mariners semi-officially pulled the plug on the 2004 season,'' agreed John Hickey of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Talk about white flags. The Seattle players weren't exactly thrilled about the deal either, with pitcher Joel Piniero saying, ''I think it's a mistake for us. You can't replace a Freddy Garcia. Nothing against [Miguel] Olivo, but he was the ace.'' Then there was this reaction from Mariners designated hitter and team leader Edgar Martinez: ''When you have a pitcher of Freddy's caliber, you expect to get close to what he is or better.'' Ouch. Even Mariners' general manager Bill Bavasi didn't bother trying to put a positive spin on what trading Garcia represented. ''The fans who may have been booing the deal, I get it,'' he told the Times. ''He's done a great job and to see him go with no knowledge of what you're getting is tough. If I weren't working for the club, I might be one of [the fans] booing because I love watching the guy pitch.'' One amusing aspect of the civic angst over losing Garcia is that Mariners' fans weren't exactly thrilled when he joined the club, either. He arrived in the middle of the 1998 season as part of the deal that sent Randy Johnson to the Astros, which was another time the Mariners were accused of giving up on the season. But here's my favorite part about the deal. In listing the 10 biggest trades the Mariners have ever made, the Times named the one that brought Garcia to Seattle as No. 3. The one that sent him to the White Sox Sunday was No. 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Critic Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 They'll be plenty happy about it when they see Miguel throwing everyone out, and when Reed gets up there to hit behind Ichiro. And apparently, when Morse arrives to take over at 2B - I had no idea people were high on Morse. I'd never heard of him before. They'll be fine....especially if Freddy back-stabs the Sox and returns to Seattle next year.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Prawn Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 Weren't the fans saying the night of the trade they got the better end of the deal? (I mean message board postings, not articles.) I honestly think the trade was good for both teams. IMHO, for the trade to come out for us to get the best of it, Garcia needs to get resigned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wong & Owens Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 I think that article echoed the sentiments of the stupid, unrealistic fans/players -- every team has them. What the Sox offered is as good as they were going to get for a pitcher in the last year of his contract. Sorry Edgar, you ain't getting Jason Schmidt, or Radke, or Kerry Wood for Freddy. And the fans should get over it, the M's are toast this year. Bavasi is doing the right thing by rebuilding, and to start with, he gets a young MLB-ready catcher, a A-level outfield prospect, and another DH/1B for down the road. Hopefully the majority of Seattle-ites realize why this move had to be made, and what a good job Bavasi did in maximizing his return. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlliniKrush Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 These fans are similar to the 'fans' who might boo and complain about Maggs being let go, saying the Sox aren't trying to win, etc. M's season was over, this move needed to be made now, if not earlier. That team is OLD. They are all having terrible years. It needs to be revamped. I don't think they understand that when you trade an ace (someone who helps the other team NOW), you get players in return that will help you more in the future. Did they want Freddy Garcia for an immediate high impact player? This deal should work out well for both teams, eventually they'll understand that. Boone's probly the next to get moved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 They'll be plenty happy about it when they see Miguel throwing everyone out, and when Reed gets up there to hit behind Ichiro. And apparently, when Morse arrives to take over at 2B - I had no idea people were high on Morse. I'd never heard of him before. They'll be fine....especially if Freddy back-stabs the Sox and returns to Seattle next year.... Morse has some talent, but I still think the stars have to align for him to make it at the major league level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnB Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 The trade helped both teams, that's all that needs to be said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandoFan Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 The Seattle players weren't exactly thrilled about the deal either, with pitcher Joel Piniero saying, ''I think it's a mistake for us. You can't replace a Freddy Garcia. Nothing against [Miguel] Olivo, but he was the ace.'' Then there was this reaction from Mariners designated hitter and team leader Edgar Martinez: ''When you have a pitcher of Freddy's caliber, you expect to get close to what he is or better.'' Ouch. That's hysterical. Do these two idiots realize that there are at least 3 (Boston, Oakland and Anaheim) teams in front of them that are more talented, and that they were done months ago? Yo Edgar...maybe if you had batted higher than .240 with zero power, your team wouldn't be as compelled to trade your "ace" for "lesser value". The ol' tennis machine malfunctioning? Yo Joel......maybe if you could keep that ERA under 5.00, the Big Terrible Mistake wouldn't have been made. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 The only comments I really take into account are the fact that these playesr really seemed to think Garcia was a frontline pitcher and thats something I love to hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxFan1 Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 Yo........Yo...........Yo........Yo Yo Yo! Anyway, the M's should be happy about this deal. They get some good, young talent........ BUT WE GET FREDDY GARCIA!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHarris1 Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 Yo........Yo...........Yo........Yo Yo Yo! Anyway, the M's should be happy about this deal. They get some good, young talent........ BUT WE GET FREDDY GARCIA!!!!!!!! Yep, good trade for both. As long as we resign Garcia... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soxman352000 Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 They have no reason to b****. They are getting great young talent in Olivo and Reed. I have no doubt the trade worked for both teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MnSoxFan Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 Morse has some talent, but I still think the stars have to align for him to make it at the major league level. Did you see where Greg Walker thought Morse may have more hitting potential than any of Borchard, Reed, Anderson and Sweeney, he really liked his bat. I may have read more into it than I should of, but I think he thought highly of Morse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandoFan Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 Did you see where Greg Walker thought Morse may have more hitting potential than any of Borchard, Reed, Anderson and Sweeney, he really liked his bat. I may have read more into it than I should of, but I think he thought highly of Morse. He better not be a 3B version of Richie Sexson, I'll tell you that much. I am rooting for all 3 guys to be in MLB 2006 All-Star Game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 Morse has some talent, but I still think the stars have to align for him to make it at the major league level. There are a lot of people who will disagree with you on that Jas. The Sox org., including the coaches were very high on him. They feel, looking down the road, he could be a very good MLB player. Obviously, Bob Fontaine felt the same in order to have Seattle ask for him in the deal. One can argue that Fontaine knows the Sox system than anyone in the Sox organization and he knew what players he wanted. Fontaine has done an excellent job everywhere he has been, so I would not discount him this time either. Morse is a talented, big bodied kid who is just learning the finer points of the game. He is good enough to play SS now and if he does not lose mobility as he grows older, may be able to stay there. There is definitely a risk in Morse, but the upside is huge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 s***, I didn't think of it that way. I think we all know I've said Fontaine is one of the best non GM's in baseball and I long thought it was a big loss when he left to team back up with Billy Bavasi. I know MOrse is talented though, its just when I saw him, he had a real awkard look to him although I saw some of that potential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 s***, I didn't think of it that way. I think we all know I've said Fontaine is one of the best non GM's in baseball and I long thought it was a big loss when he left to team back up with Billy Bavasi. I know MOrse is talented though, its just when I saw him, he had a real awkard look to him although I saw some of that potential. If Morse makes it, he will be considered a late developer. He is not, nor ever will be at the top of the prospect charts, although, depending on Seattle's system, you could see him in the top 10 next year. He needs to move up one level at a time and may take two years in AAA or extra time in the bigs if they rush him. He is only 22. I think his true level of talent will become apparent when he is 25 or so. He had 30 doubles each of the last two seasons. Although he only had 9 so far with the Barons this year, he had 5 triples and 11 home runs. They think he will continue to develop power with age and experience, as many players do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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