670 score updates is saying Davis will be optioned to charlotte and Widger will be the back up. I thought we are trading big Ben?

670 score updates is saying Davis will be optioned to charlotte and Widger will be the back up. I thought we are trading big Ben?

 

Injury, yes?

670 score updates is saying Davis will be optioned to charlotte and Widger will be the back up. I thought we are trading big Ben?

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Maybe we can't trade him because he's injured.

I'm all for trading Davis is that's at all possible, but I don't think it's going to happen, especially now with Charles Johnson probably on his way to Tampa. Let's hope though if Widger is given the chance to be the backup, he does all the right things, can handle the pitching staff well, and can hit repsectively enough for a backup (hitting at the Cell should help).

I'm all for trading Davis is that's at all possible, but I don't think it's going to happen, especially now with Charles Johnson probably on his way to Tampa. Let's hope though if Widger is given the chance to be the backup, he does all the right things, can handle the pitching staff well, and can hit repsectively enough for a backup (hitting at the Cell should help).

 

 

Johnson got traded to the Red Sox.

Johnson got traded to the Red Sox.

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Charles Johnson WAS traded to Boston but they immediately waived him. The Devil Rays are expected to sign him once he clears waivers.

Charles Johnson WAS traded to Boston but they immediately waived him.  The Devil Rays are expected to sign him once he clears waivers.

 

Ahhh. OK, I stand (partly) corrected.

I cannot understand how anyone can say the Sox have mistreated Jamie Burke. This is a guy who spent about 10 years kicking around the minors and the Sox gave him his only extended opportunity to play major league baseball. Damn. I wish someone would mistreat me like that. The Sox dropped Burke off the 40 man roster just before Soxfest. The poor mistreated guy had no other option but to sign a minor league contract with the same team that had mistreated him. Someone had to have been holging a gun to his head.

 

There is no need to keep Burke on the team for his versatility. We have three capable guys that can play 3B much better than Burke can dream about. We have a solid starting 1B and a very capable backup that is very good with the glove and hits from the opposite side as the starter. So, it boils down to catching skills and offensive production as to who stays with team as a backup to AJ. Widger wins the battle over Burke and Davis. But, it's good to know some people here are so much smarter than the baseball professionals who have been down in AZ watching these guys perform.

I cannot understand how anyone can say the Sox have mistreated Jamie Burke.  This is a guy who spent about 10 years kicking around the minors and the Sox gave him his only extended opportunity to play major league baseball. Damn.  I wish someone would mistreat me like that.  The Sox dropped Burke off the 40 man roster just before Soxfest.  The poor mistreated guy had no other option but to sign a minor league contract with the same team that had mistreated him.  Someone had to have been holging a gun to his head. 

 

There is no need to keep Burke on the team for his versatility.  We have three capable guys that can play 3B much better than Burke can dream about.  We have a solid starting 1B and a very capable backup that is very good with the glove and hits from the opposite side as the starter.  So, it boils down to catching skills and offensive production as to who stays with team as a backup to AJ.  Widger wins the battle over Burke and Davis.  But, it's good to know some people here are so much smarter than the baseball professionals who have been down in AZ watching these guys perform.

 

FWIW, Davis was waived and no team claimed him. He can now either accept his assignment to AAA or waive his $1 mill contract and become a FA and sign with another team for prob. near the minimum.

 

Davis' has no trade value, even if some of us thought he did, as teams could have had him for his salary w/o giving up any players.

FWIW, Davis was waived and no team claimed him. He can now either accept his assignment to AAA or waive his $1 mill contract and become a FA and sign with another team for prob. near the minimum.

 

Davis' has no trade value, even if some of us thought he did, as teams could have had him for his salary w/o giving up any players.

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I almost hope Davis decides to become a free agent so Kenny will have that $1 million free at the trading deadline to help us pick up whatever we may need by then. I just don't know if Davis will turn down a guaranteed $1 million. He's not going to get that much money from any other team as a free agent.

I cannot understand how anyone can say the Sox have mistreated Jamie Burke.  This is a guy who spent about 10 years kicking around the minors and the Sox gave him his only extended opportunity to play major league baseball. Damn.  I wish someone would mistreat me like that.  The Sox dropped Burke off the 40 man roster just before Soxfest.  The poor mistreated guy had no other option but to sign a minor league contract with the same team that had mistreated him.  Someone had to have been holging a gun to his head. 

 

There is no need to keep Burke on the team for his versatility.  We have three capable guys that can play 3B much better than Burke can dream about.  We have a solid starting 1B and a very capable backup that is very good with the glove and hits from the opposite side as the starter.  So, it boils down to catching skills and offensive production as to who stays with team as a backup to AJ.  Widger wins the battle over Burke and Davis.  But, it's good to know some people here are so much smarter than the baseball professionals who have been down in AZ watching these guys perform.

Well hell YASNY we wouldn't need these boards if the guys watching knew to make the right decisions. Plus, I thought they came here for their ideas

 

BTW, let's remember these are the same guys with all the World Series plaques in their offices

 

One small note. This is like picking the prettiest gal at 2:30 am. Widger is so solid he wasn't even in organized ball last year. Burke is a career minor leager. Davis hasn't lived up to expectations. None of these guys is a starter anywhere else in baseball. Great guys one and all. All catchers are. That is the coolest position.

Maybe we can't trade him because he's injured.

 

Probably with all of the late movement there is no one left who wants Davis for $1 million.

FWIW, Davis was waived and no team claimed him. He can now either accept his assignment to AAA or waive his $1 mill contract and become a FA and sign with another team for prob. near the minimum.

 

Davis' has no trade value, even if some of us thought he did, as teams could have had him for his salary w/o giving up any players.

 

This really says what other teams think of him. Isn't the waiver rule that if someone else claimed him they would be responsible for only the MLB minimum of about 250,000 and the Sox would pay the rest? That means no one else likes him even that much.

This really says what other teams think of him. Isn't the waiver rule that if someone else claimed him they would be responsible for only the MLB minimum of about 250,000 and the Sox would pay the rest? That means no one else likes him even that much.

 

If you claim someone off of waivers, you are responsible for their entire contract as it exsists. If you sign someone after they have been released then you are only responsible for what you sign that player for.

This just goes to show that if KW didn't relent and sign AJ, the catching situation would have been brutal. AJ falling into KW's lap is one of the luckiest things that has happened this past off-season.

This just goes to show that if KW didn't relent and sign AJ, the catching situation would have been brutal. AJ falling into KW's lap is one of the luckiest things that has happened this past off-season.

 

Amen.

 

A Davis-Burke tandum would have been brutal, both offensively and defensively. Spare the stats...it would have been brutal.

How about some real statistics in regard to Mark Buehrle.  MB is at the top of major league baseball along with Andy Pettite every stinking year in the number of runners picked off, and of the lowest basestealing percentage against.  They are also both the leaders in having the fewest stealing attempts against.

 

Its an easy leap to connect the dots here.  MB picks off a lot of runners.  Runners stay closer to first base.  Lots of runners who are "picked-off" turn out to be guys who go on first movement, which lots of time for MB is a throw to first base, which results in an easy CS for the IFers. 

 

Also the brave runners who wait the extra half second to make sure that MB is indeed in his motion before breaking to second base are losing critical time needed to steal second base, making the chances that even a crappy catcher can throw them out, much higher.  Thus if someone is MB's personal catcher the fact that they have these built in advantages to throwing out runners, it is a logical conclusion that they will throw out a higher percentage of runners trying to steal. 

 

Instead someone who catches the rest of the staff, which includes all RHP who inherently have a disadvantage keeping runners closer to 1B, which gives the runners an extra critical step towards second base, which goes to reason that they will be successful more often.  These catchers will also be ran on more often, because the baserunners know they have a better chance of stealing against them, which will also skew the CS% numbers down for the catcher who is trying to get them out.

 

Now what is so difficult about that?

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By your argument alone where's the logic in messing with success then? We know what Burke can do pitching Mark. Widger's an unknown.

 

Liked the last 3 girls at the dance analogy. So true!

 

I think Burke lost favor w Oz when Hunter bowled him over.

Edited March 31, 200520 yr by JUGGERNAUT

By your argument alone where's the logic in messing with success then?  We know what Burke can do pitching Mark.  Widger's an unknown.

 

Liked the last 3 girls at the dance analogy.  So true!

 

I think Burke lost favor w Oz when Hunter bowled him over.

 

We don't mess with success. MB has been at the top of the league in SB% against and pick offs every year, long before Burke came along. The reason for the success is back.

This really says what other teams think of him. Isn't the waiver rule that if someone else claimed him they would be responsible for only the MLB minimum of about 250,000 and the Sox would pay the rest? That means no one else likes him even that much.

Just think if any team would have only had to pay $250K for Manny Ramirez last off season...

If you claim someone off of waivers, you are responsible for their entire contract as it exsists.  If you sign someone after they have been released then you are only responsible for what you sign that player for.

 

OK, I wasn't sure about the process but I thought there was a different rule with claiming someone off waivers.

Just think if any team would have only had to pay $250K for Manny Ramirez last off season...

 

That's true I forgot about that. Must must be the senility setting in.

This just goes to show that if KW didn't relent and sign AJ, the catching situation would have been brutal. AJ falling into KW's lap is one of the luckiest things that has happened this past off-season.

 

Great point. That's what is most overlooked in the whole Davis-Burke-Widger debate.

This just goes to show that if KW didn't relent and sign AJ, the catching situation would have been brutal. AJ falling into KW's lap is one of the luckiest things that has happened this past off-season.

Lucky to the extent that AJ became available. KW did have to be the one to sign him. Give him credit for getting it done.