also, from what ive read of thorons attitude... i dont like

Thornton is as good as you are going to get for Borchard.

 

I think the trade made the same sense for both teams;

 

White Sox need a lefty, Thornton is a lefty with upside and control problems.

 

Mariners need a hitter, Borch is a hitter with potential but strike out and over all hitting problems.

Famine Pestilence

Famine  Pestilence

 

 

LMAO..

 

 

Not sorry to see Joe go. Other then it being 2 years too late.

I agree that this trade makes little sense for the Sox and much more for the Mariners.  The stakes are so low however that there isn't much risk for either side, however the Mariners get a guy likely to make their club, and the Sox got a guy likely to be pumping gas come April 1st.

 

I thought the Marlins were showing interest in Borchard?  Surely they have someone better Thornton laying around...  Doesn't sound like there was any market for Borchard, or KW failed to create one.

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How could KW have tried to build a market for Borchard at this point? The guy has actually regressed over the years in the minors. The only thing KW could have done was trade him earlier (maybe a couple years ago) when he had more value but the Sox had invested so much money in him that they wanted to see if he would ever just click and pan out. I don't see how you can create a market for a career .191 hitter with mediocre minor league numbers.

I don't like the trade at all and I think Joe Borchard was going to be a good 4th outfielder for the Sox. This almost looks like a desperation trade to get another lefty reliever into the mix. I think Joe B had more upside and versatility than Gload or Pablo Ozuna.

 

Hopes that Don Cooper can turn Thornton around can only lead one to assume that you don't have to have talent to pitch at the big league level only a miracle worker for a pitching coach. But, the trade is apparently done so we can only hope for the best.

What Borchard would have provided our OF with is a versatile, switch hitting power threat. The problem, of course, being his inability to recognize a curveball (hanging or not) and miss fastballs even when he's looking for them. If he could have been counted upon to provided our club with a respectable OBP%, I'd be more disappointed. Unfortunately, the truth is he's Adam Dunn without the walks or contact ability.

 

I'm not expecting much from Thornton either, but I wouldn't label this trade a desperate move. Desperate would have been trading Owens or Sweeney for Thornton.

 

There's always Pablo/Mac/Gload available to provide late inning substitutions. They don't provide power, but will give the White Sox more hits over time.

Edited March 20, 200620 yr by Flash Tizzle

Famine  Pestilence

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The only thing that could top this would be to see Thornton pitching against Borchard.

 

The only thing that could top this would be to see Thornton pitching against Borchard. 

Theres the real value question. If Thornton pitched to Borchard, would he strike out or walk?

I love these quotes from Mariner Dave about Borchard...

 

The guy has flaws that aren’t easily fixed. He has a poor approach at the plate, the main factor being a problem with pitch recognition. Borchard, essentially, has turned himself into a guess hitter. If he gets a fastball, bravo, the ball may go 400 feet. If he doesn’t, well, he’s screwed.

 

I’ve seen a lot of Borchard the past few years, and I remain convinced that there’s a good hitter hiding inside of the player he is now. His approach needs work, but it’s a fixable flaw.

 

So Borchard, who is 27 and has been in the Sox farm system since 2000, has a horribly-flawed approach at the plate that "isn't easily fixable", but he thinks that Seattle is suddenly going to fix it? Sounds a bit overly-optimistic, given that the Mariners organization hasn't produced anything special at the plate since the mid-90s.

 

From what I've read about Thornton, I actually agree with Dave that Borchard has a better shot of being a decent MLB player, but it isn't by much. Whether it's a rigid turd produced from a high-fiber diet or diarrhea, crap is crap.

Edited March 20, 200620 yr by WCSox

Theres the real value question.  If Thornton pitched to Borchard, would he strike out or walk?

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It's a paradox. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Theres the real value question.  If Thornton pitched to Borchard, would he strike out or walk?

Borchard would swing and miss. The ball would bounce off of the catcher's mitt, allowing Borchard to go to first. It would count as a strikeout and a wild pitch, with the runner still reaching first.

Borchard would swing and miss.  The ball would bounce off of the catcher's mitt, allowing Borchard to go to first.  It would count as a strikeout and a wild pitch, with the runner still reaching first.

I was listening to the Score on the radio while driving to work when I hear "The Sox have major breaking news!" I hear George Offman mention Borchard and I think to myself "Oh, yes, Kenny strikes again!", then he blurts out the name Matt Thorton and I felt like Chris Tucker when he found out the girl that he thought looked like Janet Jackson didn't look like Janet Jackson.

Edited March 20, 200620 yr by Jordan4life_2006

White Sox need a lefty, Thornton is a lefty with upside and control problems.

Thorton's upside is that he has an injury history. The only upside here is maybe he'll blow out his arm again and save us the agony of watching him walk 7 batters/9IP.

Do not see any way this trade helps Sox at all.

Do not see any way this trade helps Sox at all.

Nor does it hurt the Sox at all.

Nor does it hurt the Sox at all.

sure it does....

 

If Thornton is on the roster, he's in danger of being used. That hurts the Sox.

Nah because most likely the guy he is going to be used over would of been just as bad.

 

Who knows learning how to throw strikes is much easier than learning how to hit.

sure it does....

 

If Thornton is on the roster, he's in danger of being used. That hurts the Sox.

 

I agree with that. I was rooting for Borchard to make it as OF reserve bcoz at least he plays the OF. Maybe Kenny will get an OF that bats right handed to help our bench.

I hate this trade...

 

Its absolutely worthless...

 

I would rather have Borch in the outfield than Gload anyday... despite Borchards recent boobles too.

 

Id rather have a PH that has a chance to ge the big hit like Borch rather than Gload.

 

Sure Gload has been better in the past in the MLB but he just doesnt do anything for me. He's kinda a slappy hitter and I hate how he goes up swinging at first pitch sometime.

I agree with that. I was rooting for Borchard to make it as OF reserve bcoz at least he plays the OF. Maybe Kenny will get an OF that bats right handed to help our bench.

So far this spring, Borch hasn't played OF worth a darn. Gload has.

 

And Thornton is a no-lose deal. He's either another in the parade of loser LOOGY candidates, or maybe he gets better.

Nah because most likely the guy he is going to be used over would of been just as bad.

 

Who knows learning how to throw strikes is much easier than learning how to hit.

So the only defense of trading a useful player for one who isn't useful, is that all we had was useless players to fill Thornton's roll?

 

Thornton has had 7 years to learn how to throw strikes. He hasn't figured it out. What makes you think 2 weeks with Coop will suddenly cure him?

I hate this trade...

 

Its absolutely worthless...

 

I would rather have Borch in the outfield than Gload anyday... despite Borchards recent boobles too.

 

Id rather have a PH that has a chance to ge the big hit like Borch rather than Gload.

 

Sure Gload has been better in the past in the MLB but he just doesnt do anything for me.  He's kinda a slappy hitter and I hate how he goes up swinging at first pitch sometime.

 

In all of the history of Joe Borchard where did you get the idea that he can hit major league pitching.

 

Gload can hit major league pitching. Borchard is a better OF than Gload, but in the stick category there is no comparison.

Edited March 20, 200620 yr by southsideirish71

I hate this trade...

 

Its absolutely worthless...

 

I would rather have Borch in the outfield than Gload anyday... despite Borchards recent boobles too.

 

Id rather have a PH that has a chance to ge the big hit like Borch rather than Gload.

 

Sure Gload has been better in the past in the MLB but he just doesnt do anything for me.  He's kinda a slappy hitter and I hate how he goes up swinging at first pitch sometime.

Probably worthless.

 

But Gload presents a lot more positives as the 25th guy than Borch does. Gload makes good contact, gets on base, is a proven MLB hitter, and plays corner OF just fine. Better than Borch in fact in ST. The only things Borch brings to the table are the occasional 450' bomb, a better arm than Gload and a whole lotta K's.

Thornton has had 7 years to learn how to throw strikes. He hasn't figured it out. What makes you think 2 weeks with Coop will suddenly cure him?

You missed the memo. Cooper is the pitching god.