Remember: if the White Sox place a claim on Thome, then he can't get to the Indians. White Sox would get claim, because W-L record is worse.

 

Because Thome makes a relatively low salary -- owed only $600K for the rest of the year -- this makes it easy to place a claim. Risk-free.

 

Olney says the record from Monday matters as it is when Thome was put on waivers.

 

 

 

 

That would be interesting. If nothing else it would keep Thome from going to the Indians. I wonder if any deal would be struck.

I can't imagine the Indians claiming Thome, they know their fans abhor him. Actually I'd bet money on it, no chance it happens.

I can't imagine the Indians claiming Thome, they know their fans abhor him. Actually I'd bet money on it, no chance it happens.

I'm not buying that...I think the fans would magically forget all about their distaste for him if he were to be acquired for a stretch run.

Honestly, I don't worry about Cleveland. Thome would help out there, but Cleveland has already been falling off for months and I think they'll ultimately finish slightly below .500. It would honestly make sense, though, for the Sox to claim him. They have room for him on the 40-man and for 6-8 days, they'd have to go without a mopup reliever. That is not the end of the world. And Thome would bring an upgrade for Dunn, would provide a left handed bat off the bench (in either the form of Thome or Dunn), and could possibly even provide a little insight to Dunn to help him correct himself. There is absolutely room in the budget for him thanks to the Jackson trade, and if he doesn't accept the move, then there is nothing lost.

 

Maybe they get lucky, he gets hot, and gives the Sox an additional win and perhaps that is what pushes the Sox over the Tigers.

 

I would say to go for it.

Edited August 23, 201114 yr by witesoxfan

If Ozzie won't pinch hit for Dunn against a lefty in late innings with runners in scoring position because (according to him) he has full confidence in Dunn and because (according to Rongey) Dunn is under contract for several more years, what in God's name would happen if we effectively replaced him with another one-dimensional Lefty power DH? Cue the Ghostbusters' "dogs and cats living together" soundbite.

 

Should we do it? Of course. Thome "should" have been DHing here the last two years. Will we? No way in hell.

Except it makes KW and Ozzie look look "double idiots" for letting Thome go to the Twins in the first place after 2009, then signing Dunn for 2011 simply because Kotsay/Jones platoon was never a feasible long-term solution but rather a band-aid...I can't imagine Williams doing it solely for ego reasons.

 

And then some of the comments Thome has made and a little back and forth sniping, mostly on the Sox part.

 

The homer off Thornton last year didn't help matters (unless you like to see KW and Ozzie being made to look like idiots).

 

Still, it will be interesting to see if other teams ahead in the pecking order would take him or let him get to the Indians (mostly for sentimental reasons) or eventually the Phils.

 

Definitely not a monetary issue for most clubs that are legitimately interested in him.

Edited August 23, 201114 yr by caulfield12

It wouldn't make sense for anybody to claim him before he gets to us. No other team with a worse record is in any sort of contention at all, so there's no way they would give up anything to aquire his expiring contract. I think there is a good shot that the Sox would claim him to prevent the Indians from doing so. Whether or not they would actually try to trade for him I don't know. In which the Twins could just hand him over, but that's no biggie either. He's cheap and the rosters expand in one week.

Who cares, the Tigers have already won this division.

pgammo Peter Gammons

@

@BNightengale indians don't think he'll even get to them

 

pgammo Peter Gammons

@

@BNightengale indians don't think he'll even get to them

That's very interesting. They think an AL team with a .500 or worse record is going to claim him?

 

That's very interesting. They think an AL team with a .500 or worse record is going to claim him?

 

Any team would claim him, he's owed basically nothing.

That's very interesting. They think an AL team with a .500 or worse record is going to claim him?

 

The only options are BAL, KC, OAK, SEA, & the Sox. If he hadn't #600 then I could see it, although the Twins wouldn't let him go until he hit 600. Which of those teams would take him? I know he's owed very little, but still, doesn't make sense.

Weren't we tied with the Indians as of last night?

 

Who would be awarded the claim first? Did we have the same exact records, 63-63? Or was one team percentage points ahead or behind?

 

With Hafner on the DL, the Indians definitely make some sense for the short-term.

Weren't we tied with the Indians as of last night?

 

Who would be awarded the claim first? Did we have the same exact records, 63-63? Or was one team percentage points ahead or behind?

 

With Hafner on the DL, the Indians definitely make some sense for the short-term.

 

It is based on record as of the time that they player was placed on to waivers, so the Sox were still one loss worse at the tmie.

Weren't we tied with the Indians as of last night?

 

Who would be awarded the claim first? Did we have the same exact records, 63-63? Or was one team percentage points ahead or behind?

 

With Hafner on the DL, the Indians definitely make some sense for the short-term.

 

As of the time he was put on waivers, we were a 1/2 game behind Cleveland. We would be awarded the claim. I'm thinking the Indians think the Sox are gonna claim him, since they don't think he will get to them. Nobody else in the AL makes any sense at all before us.

Knowing the way things have gone this season....they'd finally bench Dunn, ruining him forever (according to Rongey) and then Thome would go all Manny Ramirez 2010 on the White Sox.

 

 

Knowing the way things have gone this season....they'd finally bench Dunn, ruining him forever (according to Rongey) and then Thome would go all Manny Ramirez 2010 on the White Sox.

.750 OPS? I'll take that out of my DH right now.

Edited August 23, 201114 yr by bigruss22

Knowing the way things have gone this season....they'd finally bench Dunn, ruining him forever (according to Rongey) and then Thome would go all Manny Ramirez 2010 on the White Sox.

That is my only hesitation. The Sox have this guy signed for 3 more years... he is 5 for his last 15, and had his best (only?) hot streak of the season on the west coast where we are about to go. If they bench Dunn for Thome, that might just kill the guy's chances to recover, what of them there were.

 

Loved Jim, but please no!

There's already a history of bringing back players they let go. I say do it and reap the good PR it brings.

I say do it, even if it's as a bench player....only because rosters are going to expand...good to have a threat like that in the lineup.

Other than perhaps being that veteran guy to help (talk to) get another guy who resembles him when he was younger (albeit a poor man's version of him) head out of his ass, I would say no.

There is also the Konerko situation to consider. I recently read that it will be a while before we see him at 1B.

Make the claim, Twins won't let him go for nothing, end of story.