GreatScott82

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Nov 27, 2009 -> 01:55 PM) Who becomes our long term SS then? If we still had Getz, then I guess you could say move Bacon to SS and hope he improves, but you end up opening a very big hole which would be super expensive. Sox actually have an advantage to have such a cheap, good option at short. I would assume they would move Bacon over to SS and go out and sign a Polanco or O-Hudson as their 'big free agent signing' of the winter. I'm guessing Polanco could be had for a 2 year $12 million deal.

The Red Sox seem to be desperate for a SS. They don't seem that interested in bringing back Orlando Cabrera or taking a stab at Miguel Tejada. That being said- that trade speculation John Heyman made a month and half ago may still work good for both teams. I believe it was Bobby Jenks and Alexei Ramirez for Elsbury, Bard and Okajima. . Not saying its going to happen but a very interesting possibility. We get our leadoff hitter and add more depth to the pen.

Umm no. The guy took steroids. JR would never approve of a Bonds signing- too much negative publicity for the team and probably a cancer for the clubhouse.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Nov 26, 2009 -> 12:34 PM) Are you willing to part with Dan Hudson and Tyler Flowers for Upton? In all honesty, I'm not and I don't think the organization is either. As much talent as Upton possesses, he's nowhere near a guarantee to play up to his full potential given the track record of his past two seasons. This team is already banking on a couple of guys coming off bad years where they did not play anywhere close to the levels that their talent level was. Are you going to throw half of your farm at a guy of similar caliber? I wouldn't do it, not for this season at least. The way I see it. The Sox are in a position to make a run at the whole prize in 2010. If the Sox are confident AJ can play 3 more seasons, I wouldn't be too sad with trading Flowers- esspecially for a guy with Upton's talent. I would be very hesitant to trade Hudson- but if the Sox are confident in Upton and he plays up to potential- I would pull the trigger. .

KW is going to make 1 big splash this winter.. . Since we have depth in the farm- i can see one big name coming here. Not 2 or 3. Likely one big name with some more mediocre additions to come. I'm guessing the one big name will be a guy we haven't even heard rumors about yet. Hopefully it addresses the leadoff spot. I truly believe we will be able to aqcuire a DH cheaply later on in the winter when the market sorts itself out.

Just the fact the Sox are connected to names like Gonzalez and Upton give me pleanty of reason to hope that KW will make some sort of a big splash this winter.. I can't wait for those winter meetings!

I like it! Welcome aboard Omar! Our bench is pretty solid both defensively and offensively.

QUOTE (spiderman @ Nov 21, 2009 -> 12:55 PM) Agreed, though I hope that any deal for an older guy is a 1 year deal with a club option. I agree. However, im guessing in order to sign Matsui- we would have to garuntee 2 years and probably a 3rd year club option.

It would be best if the Sox waited to see how the market plays out when it comes to the DH signing. There are a lot of names out there so im sure once january hits and Matsui hasn't signed on with a team he would eventually accept a 2 year deal worth $12 million or so. . should be interesting to see things play out.

This is no secret. . still a nice read. Most of the moves KW will make this winter will be via trade. The last time the Sox went on a free agency signing frenzy was the offseason before the 05 campaign when they signed Iguchi, El-duque, AJ, Hermanson, and JD. KW had more flexibility when he traded away Carlos Lee's contract. If KW trades Konerko or Jenks- he will have alittle more flexibility to the fill some of the holes via free agency.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Nov 19, 2009 -> 02:50 AM) Nah.. we'd get by. Then again.. I haven't been an active member the last couple of years like the original clan/prime (man I still miss Nuke, hi8is, etc..) days back in 2004-05 like I used to be so I shouldn't talk. OT: Speaking of which (old times), maybe I should bring back the Ben Davis fan club. I still got the PM's of the original members for a good laugh. And yes qwerty, tmar, supersteve, willie etc.. were club members back then. Good competition with aboz and the Buehrle fan club actually. I'm still in that Buerhle fan club. . look under my name

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 18, 2009 -> 05:32 PM) So people would be willing to give up 1 of Floyd or Danks for a 1 year rental of Halladay and at the same time leave us with zero funds left for the DH/LF spots? Adding Halladay to that rotation is simply overkill. You can't offset a weak offense by producing a moderate upgrade out of your #3 starter spot. Couldn't agree more. our rotation is set. this team still has too many weaknesses. Adding another Ace would be overkill. We still need a leadoff hitter, DH, and depth in the pen. Fortanately for KW he has enough depth in the farm to go out and make a few deals. I also agree with Mark Gonzalez- I believe KW will make one big splash this winter. Rather it be Adrian Gonzalez or Carl Crawford- that is yet to be seen...

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 17, 2009 -> 04:59 PM) This only makes sense if we don't expect Flowers with this organization in the near future. Things that make you go hmmm. . . .

it doesnt matter. . as long as they are all on base for A-Gon In all seriousness, i trust KW in brinking in a decent leadoff hitter.. . Hotstove is only begining to warm up.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 16, 2009 -> 07:22 PM) yeah, but one bust or one bad contract or one injury to anyone and we're in real deep trouble if we hand out $18 mil a year to AGon. If you look at the big picture we have a 2 year window at winning this thing. Buerhle's contract runs out after 2011 and, Peavy's deal is over after 2012. Say the Sox pull off this deal, we have 2 years to decide rather to sign him to an extension or move in a different direction. It would be one thing mortgaging a good chunk of your farm for a guy with 1 year left on his contract, but the fact he has 2 years remaining gives the Sox an advantage. This is the perfect time to pull off a deal of this magnitude.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 16, 2009 -> 07:17 PM) Projecting where the current crop of guys will be a year from now is difficult enough. Talking about Phegley and Mitchell filling those holes...that's impossible to project at this point. True. . but both have the pedegree of becoming very good players. . . Mitchell looked mighty impressive in the college world series and Phegley is quickly turning into a quality catcher for the organization. . .

QUOTE (Princess Dye @ Nov 16, 2009 -> 07:05 PM) They'll pay him his market value later on. We'll have cheap talent for awhile here. At that point you have a payroll of... Peavy, Rios, Floyd and not much else as we stand currently. The Sox are in a great position to deal for AGon and sign him to an extension after the 2011 season. . By then guys like Jared Mitchell and Phegley should be ready to come up, so even if we do trade Hudson, Flowers and more- we are still in great shape going forward. Get it done KW!

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Nov 16, 2009 -> 04:41 PM) Morales always struck me as similiar in both origin and skill-set to Dayan Viciedo. Like Dayan, Morales is a guy that was thought to be moved off position and into the outfield at some point. So, yeah PK can either play 1st or DH. They are also looking to replace Vlad's bat in the lineup. .

This potential deal makes sense on so many different levels. Mike Scioscia and PK have a relationship dating back to their Dodger days, the Angels tried to sign him back before the 06 campaign. LA is the one place PK would waive his no trade clause. For the Padres, they would have more young talent to work with, most young and rebuilding teams would be drooling. As far as the Sox go, they would save money. Key phrase there- save money. (Use that money toward a leadoff hitter and DH) They would get arguably one of the best left handed power hitters in the game and be in position to not only win the central- but to make a run at the whole enchalata!

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 14, 2009 -> 03:23 PM) Yup. Crawford at age 28 has played more MLB Ball than Figgins by age 32. Stolen more bases too. I only bring this up because with these speedy guys...the punishment of playing the game that way sometimes seems to be cumulative. its a point worth taken. however, with the white sox rotation, there is a good 2-3 year window to compete for a WS title. Now is the time to aqcuire a guy of Crawfords caliber. Crawford is a stud and i dont see him slowing down anytime soon. Well at least over the next 2-3 years.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 14, 2009 -> 03:18 PM) Here's a shocker as a comeback...which guy do you think has played more MLB games? Crawford or Figgins? Hmm seems like a trick question. I'm going to go with Crawford. He came up at a very young age.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 14, 2009 -> 03:10 PM) So you can guarantee me that a speed guy isn't going to lose his speed or that a guy who missed a good chunk of last year won't start getting hurt? He is 28. So by the time his next contract ends he will be 33. He will slow down with age- but not that much. Look at Chone Figgins- he was faster when he was younger, but the dude can still steal bases and is a great contact hitter. IMO $75 million for Crawford would be a huge bargain.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 14, 2009 -> 03:02 PM) Is Crawford going to be worth the 5/$75 or more he gets as an extension? Yes.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Nov 11, 2009 -> 09:56 PM) They have needs all over the place. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have Hudson and some other pieces that can fill out my lineup card than a slightly upgraded young pitcher. The key for them should be to score as many mlb-ready or near mlb-ready prospects with high ceilings as possible. They're not trading Gonzalez for the salary relief here. They're using him as way of rebuilding their core very quickly. ^^^ exactly. If you could bring in a young stud catcher, a potential top of the rotation starting pitcher and perhaps an upper quality OF- your are quickly improving your team in all areas of the game.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 11, 2009 -> 09:38 PM) I'm not the expert on the service time issue, he has 1.18 years of service time so far. I think that means he's pre-arb for 2 years. Thanks. . should be interesting to see how SD handles this unique situation.