still plan in place accorind cowley

[chisox2334]

Now excuse all the torches from the growing collection of angry villagers, sit back and see what White Sox general manager Ken Williams has up his sleeve.

» Click to enlarge image

Aaron Rowand signed with the San Francisco Giants today.

 

(AP)

 

RELATED STORIES

• Aaron Rowand signs with Giants

 

There has to be something, right?

 

It depends on whom you ask.

 

In an offseason of one body blow after another suffered by the GM, two more were delivered today with the news that the Cubs signed Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, despite the Sox reportedly bidding more. And then the Sox finding out that free agent – and South Side cult hero – Aaron Rowand inked a five-year deal with San Francisco.

 

The Sox wouldn’t give more than a four-year offer.

 

As far as Fukudome, a Sox source said they were told by his agent, Joe Urbon, that despite the higher bid by the Sox, the reasoning behind the decision was that Fukudome wanted to be an organization’s first Japanese player, as well as he wanted to play his natural position of right field.

 

The Sox had him penciled in as a left fielder, and have already had two Japanese players on their roster in Shingo Takatsu and Tadahito Iguchi.

 

While the Sox are still in “operation shutdown’’ with the media because of what Williams deemed leaks during the Winter Meetings, word from behind the sealed walls is that there is still a plan in place to make changes.

 

The options, however, are significantly dwindling.

 

The original plan was to stun the baseball world this offseason by trading for Orlando Cabrera and Miguel Cabrera, and then signing free agents Torii Hunter and Scott Linebrink, all by Thanksgiving.

 

Orlando Cabrera and Linebrink were accomplished, but when the Angels came from nowhere to nab Hunter away for $90 million over five years, the dominos started falling. Then came Miguel Cabrera going to Detroit, and now Fukudome headed to the crosstown rivals, with Rowand off to the Bay.

 

Through all the carnage, the Sox still don’t have a proven center fielder or left fielder, have two third basemen, and no veteran leadoff hitter.

 

The hope now is that Boston does not trade Coco Crisp to Minnesota for Johan Santana, and the Sox can make a deal for the speedy center fielder. Angels speedster Chone Figgins could also be on the radar, but Williams won’t make a deal just to make one.

 

No matter how bruised he’s feeling these days.

 

 

Ads by Google

Retro Sports T Shirts

Retro Sports T Shirts available.Retro Sports T Shirts. Bid now!

www.ebay.com

 

Johan Santana Workout

Baseball Training and PitchingWorkout of Johan Santana.

www.stack.com

 

Discount WSox Jerseys

Low Price Chicago Jerseys, JacketsReplica and Authentic, Sizes to 4X.

www.sportsk.com

 

Chicago White SoxT-Shirts

Buy Chicago's South Side WhiteSoxT-Shirts. Great Selection.

www.ChicagoSport.com

 

Chicagocubs

Download your Chicagocubsringtone directly to your cell.

www.Big-Ring-Tones.com/Cubs

 

 

 

[Balta1701]

Ugh, stay the hell away from Crisp, please.

[Brian]

Crawford available?

[iamshack]

Crawford available?

 

Doubt it with Young and Dukes no longer with them, and Baldelli perennially injured...

[Punch and Judy Garland]

It seems that people who following fielding more closely than I do say that Crawford would be an abomination in center. So we clearly would have to play him in left which is fine but we'd still have a problem in center. Plus it seems the price for Crawford would be not that far from the cabrera haul for a lesser player too. Coco Crisp? What's the point? We might go from winning 78 games to 80 if that? I'd be pissed if I were Jermaine Dye and Mark Buehrle and believed what Kenny Williams sold me last summer

[hitlesswonder]

So Fukudome would haved played LF. That's great. So the plan for Quentin is to stick him in AAA this year while Owens starts and the Sox acquire another OF via trade. Good planning there.

[spiderman]

Is Joe Cowley's KW's mouthpiece ?

 

That last line was rather stupid.

[Punch and Judy Garland]

I think its safe to say Quentin has NOTHING left to learn at the minor league level. Even if he struggles at the start, this guy needs to stick in the bigs to start progressing beyond being a AAA masher. Still think he will if we show good patience which we've done in spots during the Williams era

[klaus kinski]

I really didnt hear a plan there-other than the pipe dream before Thanksgiving

 

He wont make a deal just to make a deal?

 

Thats sure news

[Punch and Judy Garland]

We are now the Houston Astros. Their Tejada deal was WIlliams-esque. Short term splash but it won't change the fact that its a mediocre team. Interesting that both of our teams peaked at the same time and we're both terrible and invest our money in big money deals for players in their 30's while we ignore our farm systems

[Flash Tizzle]

We are now the Houston Astros. Their Tejada deal was WIlliams-esque. Short term splash but it won't change the fact that its a mediocre team. Interesting that both of our teams peaked at the same time and we're both terrible and invest our money in big money deals for players in their 30's while we ignore our farm systems

Hopefully, if 2008 ends how many of us have envisioned, the similarities between Houston and the White Sox can extend to the job status of general managers.

 

Williams put himself in this mess. No one else. And I don't care whether Reinsdorf has confidence in Williams through the forseeable future. Atleast with a rebuilding project we'd expect hardships.

 

It's almost embarrassing, if the article is to believed, that Williams had enough faith in acquiring Hunter and M.Cabrera that he first picked up O.Cabrera and Linebrick. If anything, of those four players Hunter and M.Cabrera should have been the top priorities. We miss out? Fine. We're not committed to competing in 2008.

[Soxfest]

Ugh, stay the hell away from Crisp, please.

 

I agree I do not get the KW love affair about getting him, he does not do much for me.

[whitesoxfan101]

Yeah there is a plain: Suck until a GM with a clue can be hired and try and fix it.

[southsideirish71]

Cowley "YAH BRA, I got the inside source. My source tells me that Torii Hunter is signed, sealed and delivered."

 

After he signs for the Angels.

 

Cowley "He was all ready to go, but the evil Angels wooshed in at the last minute. But dont woory Bra, I got a better one. Cabrera, the fish one, in a big move for Gio, Danks and Fields. Get your Cabrera jersey"

 

Cabrera gets traded to the Tigers.

 

Cowley "man its a cutthroat business, well Bra Rowand is coming home.....f*** what, the Giants god damn it"

 

Cowley "Well you cant expect to take shots on a guy who is 75% for the offseason. Kenny is a hero."

 

Has anyone seen Cowley and Hawk in the same place at the same time. Just saying...

 

 

[bulokis]

What the heck is the plan? KW's plan, make it look like we have plans 1a, 1b, 1c, etc but what we actually have is plan 10A.

[The Ginger Kid]

I agree I do not get the KW love affair about getting him, he does not do much for me.

switch hitter with good speed and stellar defense? really?

[iamshack]

It's almost embarrassing, if the article is to believed, that Williams had enough faith in acquiring Hunter and M.Cabrera that he first picked up O.Cabrera and Linebrick. If anything, of those four players Hunter and M.Cabrera should have been the top priorities. We miss out? Fine. We're not committed to competing in 2008.

 

How do you figure simply because Hunter was not signed and MCabrera was not traded until after OCabrera and Linebrink were acquired that Hunter and MCabrera were not the top priorities? It's abundantly clear that the White Sox were on Torii Hunter IMMEDIATELY after the World Series ended, and he WAS their top priority. Secondly, with Ozzie's connections to MCab, I'm pretty certain that they were in on MCab from the start as well. Obviously you can't force a player to sign anywhere or a team to trade you a player. KW was held to their timelines, so he went about acquiring the other pieces he had envisioned.

 

Now if you want to argue that he should have never acquired OCabrera and Linebrink UNTIL Hunter and MCabrera were already officially acquired, than that is a different argument entirely, and one I would be very inclined to agree with.

[joeynach]

This is stupid, KW is being stubborn. Anything he can actually get now is like his 5th or 6th option at that position, whats that gonna do, get us to 77 wins in this division. He tried to go for the gusto, it didn't work out, time to reevaulate and consider their position in the league and division. Sticking to the gameplan at this point seems rather foolish and illogical. I swear KW and Lovie Smith must be brothers.

[elrockinMT]

Rowand, characterized by the SF Giants as having the warrior mentality, signs for five yeasr with SF. This really hurts. Coco Crisp, who is danger of losing his starting job in Boston to a rookie, is KW's first choice as CF for the Chisox? If so I am simply amazed at how cheap we really are. I am tired of hearing from team managemetn how we are prpered to spend whatever it takes to win. We haven't paid anything out and are concentrating on castoffs. Aaron Rowand should have been signed to play for the Sox. We missed out on some excellent players this off season. But we still have a plan!!!!!! Right!

[Leonard Zelig]

Rowand, characterized by the SF Giants as having the warrior mentality, signs for five yeasr with SF. This really hurts. Coco Crisp, who is danger of losing his starting job in Boston to a rookie, is KW's first choice as CF for the Chisox? If so I am simply amazed at how cheap we really are. I am tired of hearing from team managemetn how we are prpered to spend whatever it takes to win. We haven't paid anything out and are concentrating on castoffs. Aaron Rowand should have been signed to play for the Sox. We missed out on some excellent players this off season. But we still have a plan!!!!!! Right!

What are you talking about?

[scenario]

I think Kenny shot himself in the foot on outfielder opportunities by being so public about wanting Hunter and then not getting it done.

 

All of a sudden we were in a jam and everybody else (including Fukudome and Rowand) had to be looking at it like they're the consolation prize not the guy we really wanted. Meanwhile, the Cubs targeted Fukudome as their first choice and ponied up to get him. Ditto for the Giants and Rowand.

 

Another thing I don't understand is that we were willing to offer 32-year old Hunter 5 years but only willing to offer 30-year old Rowand 4 years. But Kenny said he couldn't offer Aaron 5-years because "we didn't have the resources"??? What am I missing here?

 

 

[southsider2k5]

I think Kenny shot himself in the foot on outfielder opportunities by being so public about wanting Hunter and then not getting it done.

 

All of a sudden we were in a jam and everybody else (including Fukudome and Rowand) had to be looking at it like they're the consolation prize not the guy we really wanted. Meanwhile, the Cubs targeted Fukudome as their first choice and ponied up to get him. Ditto for the Giants and Rowand.

 

Another thing I don't understand is that we were willing to offer 32-year old Hunter 5 years but only willing to offer 30-year old Rowand 4 years. But Kenny said he couldn't offer Aaron 5-years because "we didn't have the resources"??? What am I missing here?

 

I don't believe Kenny Williams ever said a public word about Torii Hunter until after he signed with Anaheim. He discussed it with players on his team, and players he had targeted to bring to the Sox, that is it.

[iamshack]

I think Kenny shot himself in the foot on outfielder opportunities by being so public about wanting Hunter and then not getting it done.

 

All of a sudden we were in a jam and everybody else (including Fukudome and Rowand) had to be looking at it like they're the consolation prize not the guy we really wanted. Meanwhile, the Cubs targeted Fukudome as their first choice and ponied up to get him. Ditto for the Giants and Rowand.

 

Another thing I don't understand is that we were willing to offer 32-year old Hunter 5 years but only willing to offer 30-year old Rowand 4 years. But Kenny said he couldn't offer Aaron 5-years because "we didn't have the resources"??? What am I missing here?

 

Well, to be fair, I don't believe Aaron was the Giants' first choice. They were supposedly interested in a number of other CF candidates.

 

And in terms of KW claiming that the organization did not have the resources, I think he is implying they don't have the resources to layout money they aren't absolutely comfortable laying out, and that was the case with Aaron. I don't think he meant they literally did not have the resources to sign Aaron to a 5-year deal.

[TheBigHurt]

I would really like to know why a lot of people are against getting Crisp.

[NorthSideSox72]

I would really like to know why a lot of people are against getting Crisp.

Because that .320-something OBP, .260's AVG and .383 SLG in his last 2 seasons is pretty unspectacular.

 

But, he may recover his CLE form. Talking to some Red Sox fans, he actually started pretty well there two, but didn't recover well in 2006 after an injury to his hand. If that's the case, and he's healthy now, maybe he'll come back. The CLE version - near .300 hitter with some power and speed - would be a nice addition.

 

Which will show up?