Is there any chance there's a PTBNL attached to this deal somewhere?

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Doubt it. Borchie was out of options so that lowered any value he had.

Edited March 20, 200620 yr by SSH2005

If this guy has any options left we have already won the deal, and fathom, that WHIP of his is better than Marte's 2005 season.

This is pretty much what some of us predicted. But I guess I was hoping the Sox would throw in another prospect and get a slightly better reliever. Oh well. Low risk high reward, as was said already. And Borch is no great loss.

 

Gload is the better choice for 25th man anyway, and he would have netted even less than Borch in a trade.

Borchard isn't going to get any playing time with Seattle unless one or two of Ibanez, Reed, Ichiro, Everett, or Lawton gets injured.

 

 

 

Yep, if Joe was getting frustrated here, it might be time for him to dust off that football helmet....unless Seattle plans to ship him off in another deal to come.

Whatever you do, don't look at Thornton's ST numbers. :puke

 

I guess the Sox just wanted to get something for Borchard and hope maybe this dude can find his control in the minors and possibly help the team later in the season. I wouldn't put my money on it though.

Edited March 20, 200620 yr by SSH2005

Whatever you do, don't look at Thornton's ST numbers.  :puke

 

I guess the Sox just wanted to get something for Borchard and hope maybe this dude can find his control in the minors and possibly help the team later in the season.

His ST numbers don't so-much show a control problem - looks like he got hit around a LOT. Sounds like there is no life in his strikes.

His ST numbers don't so-much show a control problem - looks like he got hit around a LOT.  Sounds like there is no life in his strikes.

 

Or perhaps his lack of command got him behind in the count all of the time, meaning that he'd have to throw a lot of 2-0 and 3-1 meatballs over the plate.

 

Either way, it sounds like we won't be seeing him in a Sox uniform for a couple of years.

The Mariners sure do love ex-White Sox players -- Borchard, Everett, Morse, Olivo, Reed.

 

Or perhaps his lack of command got him behind in the count all of the time, meaning that he'd have to throw a lot of 2-0 and 3-1 meatballs over the plate.

 

Either way, it sounds like we won't be seeing him in a Sox uniform for a couple of years.

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Couple years? The dude is 29 years old.

 

The good news is that Gload must definately be fine after his crash into the wall. They wouldn't have traded Borchie if Gload was hurt.

Edited March 20, 200620 yr by SSH2005

Couple years?  The dude is 29 years old.

 

Yes, and Roger Clemens is 43. What's your point?

Yes, and Roger Clemens is 43.  What's your point?

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Great comparison, lol.

Great comparison, lol.

 

Jose Contreras - 34 years old

Dustin Hermanson - 33 years old

Cliff Politte - 32 years old

 

Twenty nine isn't exactly geriatric.

Jose Contreras - 34 years old

Dustin Hermanson - 33 years old

Cliff Politte - 32 years old

 

Twenty nine isn't exactly geriatric.

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Both Hermanson (24 years old) and Politte (26 years old) had some success in the majors in their younger days. Contreras was a stud pitcher for years in Cuba before coming to the majors. Thornton has done nothing in the majors yet and he's 29 already.

 

I really hope that this Thornton dude does something for us, unlike Borchard, but I wouldn't put money on it. Either way, the trade looks like one bust for another unfortunately.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...i-sportsnew-hed

Sox deal Borchard

 

By Mark Gonzales

Tribune staff reporter

Published March 20, 2006, 11:00 AM CST

 

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The White Sox closed the door on 2000 No. 1 pick Joe Borchard by trading the switch-hitting outfielder to Seattle Monday morning for left-handed reliever Matt Thornton.

 

Borchard, 27, failed to live up to the promise the Sox projected for him after receiving a $5.3 million bonus and was out of minor league options.

 

The 6-foot-6 Thornton, 29, was 0-4 with a 5.21 ERA in 55 appearances for the Mariners last season. Thornton will compete for a left-handed relief spot.

Edited March 20, 200620 yr by SSH2005

Contreras is almost certainly not 34. Cuban record keeping isn't exactly first-world.

Both Hermanson (24 years old) and Politte (26 years old) had some success in the majors in their younger days.  Contreras was a stud pitcher for years in Cuba before coming to the majors.  Thornton has done nothing in the majors yet and he's 29 already.

 

I really hope that this Thornton dude does something for us, unlike Borchard, but I wouldn't put money on it.  Either way, the trade looks like one bust for another unfortunately.

 

Oh, I completely agree. Both Thornton and Borchard appear to be career minor-leaguers.

 

My original point was that we won't be seeing Thornton in a Sox uniform for a couple of years (if ever). That's assuming that he's not out of options.

 

EDIT: If Thornton's competing for a left-handed spot, he'd better show Ozzie some control before the end of the month. Talk about a long-shot.

Edited March 20, 200620 yr by WCSox

Contreras is almost certainly not 34.  Cuban record keeping isn't exactly first-world.

 

Oh, I'm sure that he's probably 36 or so. And I'm sure that El Duque is probably closer to 38.

My original point was that we won't be seeing Thornton in a Sox uniform for a couple of years (if ever).  That's assuming that he's not out of options.

 

EDIT:  If Thornton's competing for a left-handed spot, he'd better show Ozzie some control before the end of the month.  Talk about a long-shot.

So does anyone actually know whether this guy has any ML options left?

Borchard is on WSCR 670 right now.

Borchard is on WSCR 670 right now.

 

These guys are trying to get the slime angle on this. They are trying to get Joe to say something negative. So far he is taking the high road. Good luck in Seattle Joe.

I'm sad to see him go Seattle, I would've liked him to go somewhere that he'd have a shot at playing. Didn't Seattle want either Reed or Borchard in the trade for Garcia. Most of us wished they traded Borchard, now we get this dude, my has Borchard's stock fallen.

This of course is conjecture and possibly bulls*** so be warned.

 

On the ESPN boards one of the seattle fans said that Thorton was moved because he was out of options. Take it with a monsterous grain of salt.

See, this is why I don't rely on other people to do my Google searches very often. Took me 2 seconds. I shouldnt' be so damn lazy.

 

Can Matt Thornton's control issues be controlled?

 

That's a big question this spring, with the Mariners once again taking the time to find out if the left-handed reliever with the 97 mph fastball is a commodity the team must hold onto or a project whose Major League warranty has finally expired.

 

Thornton, 29, has been less known for his one-of-a-kind arm than he has been for his baffling inability to throw strikes. Last year, he walked 42 while striking out 57 in 57 innings. He also went 0-4 with a 5.21 ERA and as a result wasn't a go-to guy in crucial situations.

 

And just like last year, Thornton is out of Minor League options, meaning the Mariners risk losing him to the waiver wire if he doesn't make the 25-man roster out of Spring Training.

Thornton said he previously viewed this situation as something that was "in my corner," but he's not counting on that cushion anymore.

 

"After a while, they're going to think, 'If you can't get the job done, we can't keep you,'" Thornton said. "I've got to get more consistent and throw more strikes, and that's what I'm working on now."

 

Thornton is working hard at it with new pitching coach Rafael Chaves, and the most drastic change isn't a very complicated one. Thornton is now setting up and throwing from the third-base side of the rubber instead of the first-base side.

 

Pretty simple, huh?

 

"It seems like it, but sometimes that's all you need -- a different look at things," Chaves said. "When Matt misses the strike zone, a lot of the time it's inside, so moving him over can turn some of those misses into balls right over the plate."

 

Thornton said already he's noticing a difference and already he feels more confident in being able to throw strikes. He said he's still working on ironing out his mechanics, too.

 

"It's just adjustments," Thornton said. "I don't overthrow. I never tried to throw hard, I just did. I try to pitch. It was never an issue of not feeling good on the mound, because I'd feel great. Then I'd walk a guy on four straight pitches and get back in the dugout and wonder how that possibly could have happened."

 

Thornton said he knows he won't be with the Mariners for long if he continues to walk batters on four straight pitches, and that's why he's trying to make sure he has a productive spring.

 

"It might be rough in my first couple of live BPs or in my first couple of games, but it'll come together," Thornton said.

 

"I already feel like I've come a long way, and I want to be a part of this team."

Edited March 20, 200620 yr by Balta1701

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb...t=.jsp&c_id=cws

White Sox acquire pitcher Matt Thornton from Seattle in exchange for outfielder Joe Borchard

 

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Chicago White Sox have acquired left-handed pitcher Matt Thornton from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for outfielder Joe Borchard.

 

Thornton, 29, went 0-4 with a 5.21 ERA (33 ER/57.0 IP) and 57 strikeouts in 55 relief appearances with the Mariners in 2005. He also limited opponents to a .248 (54-218) average.

 

The 6-foot-6, 235-pounder is 1-6 with a 4.82 ERA (48 ER/89.2 IP) in 74 appearances (one start) in two major-league seasons with Seattle (2004-05). Thornton was originally selected by the Mariners in the first round (22nd overall) of the 1998 First-Year Player Draft.

 

Borchard, 27, spent most of the 2005 season at Class AAA Charlotte, hitting .263 (130-494) with 29 home runs and 67 RBI. He also played in seven games with the White Sox, going 5-12 (.417) with two doubles.

 

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound switch-hitter is a career .191 (57-298) hitter with 12 home runs and 30 RBI in 102 games with the White Sox from 2002-05. He was selected by the Sox in the first round (12th overall) of the June First-Year Player Draft.

This guy can hit 97 MPH with his fastball and also throws a sinker and a slider. His control is his major problem.

Edited March 20, 200620 yr by SSH2005

So...who thinks that in 2 weeks Thornton will be back with the Mariners' AAA team and Borchard will be back with ours?

See, this is why I don't rely on other people to do my Google searches very often.  Took me 2 seconds.  I shouldnt' be so damn lazy.

 

Well, then he may never make the 25-man roster.