Dick Allen

I can't stand spring training competition for roster spots. Boone Logan was unhittable in spring training last year, and deservedly earned a spot in the bullpen. When the games counted it was a different story. As far as Danks' little brother, I think that ship has sailed. If the Sox want to sign him, they will have to draft him again IIRC, and if he's really all that great, and KW has the White Sox as great as he thinks he does, he won't be available. As for KW, this is a guy, who if the White Sox didn't win a WS in 2005 would have his head called for daily by the majority of this board. (Me included) 2004-5 offseason, KW got very, very lucky. If you recall, his original plan called for Vizquel as SS, and Uribe playing the super sub role, with Harris getting time at 2nd. He also wanted Jaret Wright, and had him just about signed until the Yankees thankfully scooped him up. He had Ben Davis catching. He initially wanted no part of AJ. Funny now how he uses "people didn't want us to sign AJ" as a way to show he is right more than everyone else. He didn't want to sign AJ. Hawk talked him into it. He also screwed around with Iguchi and almost didn't sign him. If it wasn't an offseason after Kaz Matsui appeared to be a bust, Iguchi never would have been available at the bargain price the Sox signed him at. If KW's plan A came to fruition, the WS would never have happened. It was probably his plan C or D or even lower that occurred and now he's a genius. I also wonder just what kind of trade value Buerhle has. He's going to make a decent amount of money. He's coming off a terrible second half, and unless he's traded to St. Louis, there is virtually no chance of signing him to an extension.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Dec 23, 2006 -> 05:38 PM) Just like the Carlos Lee trade? Not too sure what to think of this deal. Danks sounds good, but McCarthy will be missed. The Carlos Lee trade wasn't just about talent switching teams. It was also about money. It freed the White Sox up to pick up some more pieces. Those acquisitions could and should be considered part of that trade. This trade didn't do that. There obviously is something more to this story.

QUOTE(3E8 @ Dec 23, 2006 -> 05:28 PM) I bet the information is that our organization knows it f***ed up McCarthy's development by placing him in the bullpen and rather than spend more time off his arb clock to fix him, they'd rather get a pitcher of similar stature who hasn't hit the bigs yet. I could be wrong. McCarthy hung out a lot with Anderson. They would party until the wee hours. I wonder if that had anything to do with it. Usually when you give up the best player in a trade, it turns out not to be a good one. Danks has a chance to be really good. BA says he has a ceiling of being a #2 starter. If Ozzie doesn't think McCarthy was any good, he's probably not going to like what he sees from Danks/Sisco/Floyd in 2007. I understand trading for prospects, but that's what KW has highly-paid under-performing starters for. This trade to me is no good, unless its a precurser to something else.

QUOTE(Brian @ Dec 23, 2006 -> 01:51 PM) Worst Festivus ever!!! The airing of greviences just got better.

This trade just proves that Ozzie Guillen is the true GM of the White Sox and he is probably the only guy in baseball who doesn't think he's any good.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 22, 2006 -> 07:39 AM) I would just like someone to explain to me how you get adjusted to MLB pitching in Charlotte? There are somethings that another year at AAA, just doesn't teach you, such as the speed, nuances, and intensity of the MLB game. Ryan Sweeney could stay in AAA until 2010, but there is still going to be an adjustment period when he hits Chicago. Heck look at Joe Crede, he was MVP of AA and AAA, and he still took 4 years to put together an entire solid season at the MLB level. The only thing I would worry about is if Ozzie can only find the playing time Gload received for Sweeney, then sitting on the bench would be stunting his growth. Sweeney is a guy who hasn't played all that much baseball in his life, at least relatively speaking. His high school baseball season lasted less than 20 games I believe, something very similar to one Carlton Fisk who was a much better major leaguer than minor leaguer probably because of experience. Sweeney needs to play. If Ozzie can get him in the line-up, playing in Chicago could be good for him, I agree he's going to have growing pains whether its in 2007 or 2008 or 2009. If he's going to ride a lot of pine, he's probably better off with another year in Charlotte.

Sammy Sosa has begun "working out" and says he would be willing to play for $500k. He could look good on the Sox bench.

Floyd wasn't very good last year and gets hurt a lot, but I can't see where he could possibly be bashed as a part-time player. When he's reasonably healthy, he gets on base, hits homers and drives in runs. He can also steal you a base. He's pretty brutal in the field, but the White Sox have done alright with a brutal LF for years.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Dec 20, 2006 -> 03:38 PM) That's because those guys are called "closers" and they command $10 million per year. I don't even recall any healthy closers on the market this year. Overpaying for bullpen help is very stupid. Relievers are too unreliable from year to year (Politte, Cotts, Marte, Shingo) and even if you do find somebody good, you're going to be paying them $5 million per year to throw 60 innings. So then, how can you say the White Sox bullpen is anything but a question mark?

What about the White Sox bullpen? Adding Aardsma and Sisco perhaps improves it dramatically? Sisco may be in Charlotte. Boone Logan may be in Chicago. How do we know Thornton will continue to have success? It seems to me all the guys that Coop fixes, seem to fall back a little the following season. Loaisa, Cotts, Contreras. Jenks was mostly good, but had his moments. The bullpen really concerns me. KW has not added anyone who has much of a track record of major league success there this offseason.

Cleveland is the team I worry about the most. They actually scored more runs and gave up less than the White Sox in 2006. I think they are ready to be very good again.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Dec 18, 2006 -> 09:35 PM) Buehrle does and we're going to let him walk. Buerhle wants to play for the Cardinals. He would really have to break the bank to stay here. The Cardinals are the team he would give a discount to. I think it would be crazy to sign him to a $100 million contract until you can determine without a doubt the second half of 2006 was an exception and not the rule. He was batting practice too often last year.

Personally, I was fine with Stewart as a back-up, I really don't think its all that necessary for the back-up catcher to hit all that well. That said, Hall is definitely an upgrade from Stewart and even more from Alomar. AJ takes pride in being behind the plate as much as possible. I just hope Hall can adjust to playing once or twice a week. For some guys, that is very difficult. On the other side, Ozzie did say Thome was going to be getting a breather more often in 2007. Maybe AJ DH's a few times this coming season, although we know Ozzie likes to save his catchers in case of injury.

QUOTE(mike12345 @ Dec 17, 2006 -> 04:15 PM) Does anyone know where this guy is? I know he was in prision a while ago, but I havent heard anything about him. I'm pretty sure he's still there, and also pretty sure you have seen the last of him on a MLB pitcher's mound.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Dec 16, 2006 -> 12:21 PM) i think they are overreacting a little, as Gload shoudl hit .300+ and give them stellar defense, but Sisco should have garnered a larger price tag. The cubs have been interested in him for years to start for them, and they were throwing around alot better name to trade for him than Ross Gload. Gas. Considering the Cubs let Sisco go in the Rule 5 draft prior to the 2005 season, I really don't think their interest was all that great, and ongoing for years.

Sisco was a Rule 5 pick up in 2005 for the Royals, and was pretty unhittable at the beginning of that season, but the White Sox would always hammer him. Maybe they saw him tipping his pitches or something, but then again everyone was hammering him last year. Gload rarely plays, and Sisco's upside is so much higher, this is a move KW would have been foolish not to make, even if Sisco does turn into a bust.

I think Tank may already be on probation for weapons charges. He may be in a lot of trouble. QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 05:09 PM) Unlawful use of a gun sounds like shooting at squirrels in your backyard. I mean, you shouldn't do it, but it's nothing to get excited about. If your neighbor was charged with it, you would probably feel differently. Tank appears to be a great football player, but a bad guy.

QUOTE(WHITESOXRANDY @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 02:10 PM) just curious. Does anyone know if Cliff grew up a Sox fan or a cub fan or both ? It looks like he's going to the cubs. If he does and he grew up a Sox fan, I'm pretty sure that the cubune won't mention that fact. Don't fret, if the White Sox are in the WS, I'm sure he will be in a suite sporting a White Sox hat. I'm pretty sure he grew up a Sox fan, but has no desire to play for the Sox. IIRC, the White Sox were a team on his no-trade list.

I don't put any credence in a scouting report from a columnist.

Aren't the Red Sox going to get a windfall broadcasting games in Japan? The Yankees make a ton broadcasting Matsui's games, and this pitcher is a bigger deal. If he's as good as advertised, this will be the steal of the offseason. Of course if he's a like the "fat toad" the Yankees signed, it will be a colossal gaffe.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 13, 2006 -> 12:34 PM) Wow. How do you seriously turn that down? (Juan Gonzalez) Exactly. Its not worth the risk of injury or a bad season to turn that kind of money down. Even if he could get a little more if he had a big season, he could also get a whole lot less. If he doesn't sign, IMO he has a bad agent.

Hernandez gets released by the KC Royals. The same KC Royals who pay Gil Meche $55 million. He's a tub of goo. Pass.

QUOTE(scenario @ Dec 11, 2006 -> 12:48 AM) And your basing that on... what? Got some facts to go with that opinion? See stats in the table above. Don't just pick out wins/losses since we both know that for the majority of his career Javy pitched for crap teams, so the W/L record alone doesn't mean squat. You're basing everything with Vazquez on strikeouts. You say W-L aren't important, but strikeouts are? Didn't the Cubs pitching staff lead the NL in Ks for several years, and they didn't do anything? His career ERA is nothing to be proud of. His 2006 season was basically his career in a nutshell. A below .500 record (I know you say there is no importance in W-L record, but he was below .500 for a team that won 90 games) a bloated ERA and some strikeouts to get people excited about next year. Waiting for Vazquez to put together a Cy Young-type season is as foolish as waiting for Mark Prior and/or Kerry Wood to give you 30+ starts.

Vazquez is also more expensive than Garland. I think he's $12.5 million in 2007 and then its arbitration in 2008, and its very rare a guy doesn't get a raise under that scenerio. So Vazquez could be a 1 year guy. If I was KW, he would have been the first guy I got rid of, but KW has had a hard on for Vazquez for several years. If Vazquez were to pitch as well as KW envisions, he may cost $20 million in 2008.

QUOTE(iamshack @ Dec 10, 2006 -> 10:20 PM) . I thought wins and losses didn't matter when analyzing starting pitchers... I've never said that.