caulfield12

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Nov 10, 2014 -> 08:12 AM) I would be all for an Ethier, Danks swap if it could happen. Ethier is owed 56 million over the next 3 years (with his 2018 buyout) but subtracting Danks' contract makes it a much more reasonable 27.5 million over 3 years. He had a bad year last year, but before that he was a consistent 120-130 wRC+ hitter that plays decent defense. Then go and sign Sandoval/Headley, a FA righty starter, a couple bullpen guys and call it an offseason. A lineup of 1. Eaton (8) 2. Ramirez (6) 3. Abreu (3) 4. Sandoval (5) 5. Garcia (7/9) 6. Ethier (7/9) 7. Semien/Sanchez/Johnson (4) 8. Gillaspie/Tank (DH) 9. Flowers (2) and a rotation of 1. Sale 2. Righty FA (Masterson, Shields, McCarthy, etc..) 3. Quintana 4. Rodon (if they deem him ready) 5. Noesi looks pretty good to me and puts the payroll in a seemingly doable $95 million range. Just switch 2 and 3 in the rotation around.

QUOTE (LDF @ Nov 10, 2014 -> 06:18 AM) a good reference and analogy, I pick 3b b/c I wasn't sure if it was his range or the range of the position that was causing him the problems. 3b like 1b doesn't need the range of a ss or 2b. I wasn't sure if he was capable of handling the outfield positions. as many have stated he was / is a raw product and is now coming into his own. I take that with his offensive numbers as well. it like the ole cliché, he is a blank paper with lots of talent. Range isn't the problem. It's a combination of his hands, and his arm is probably MLB average or a notch above, but it's not his best tool....if he had the arm of a Valentin, Uribe or Alexei, a lot of his mishandled/misplayed balls could still be converted into outs.

Rollins, Stephen Drew, Punto and Sogard are other possibilities at SS while they wait for one of their top prospects in 2016/17. AJ Griffin (late May/early June), Jarrod Parker (mid-May), Sonny Gray, Drew Pomeranz and Jessie Chavez all look to be part of the rotation...while Beane can sort out the trade value of Kazmir and Samardzija. He's not going to trade either of those last two guys unless he is overwhelmed because those first two are coming off major injuries and the certainty of their return isn't completely clear until mid-season. 1. Samardzija 2. Gray 3. Pomeranz 4. Kazmir 5. Chavez The (healthy) return of Griffin and Parker would give them five front-line pitchers...but they can't afford to trade Samardzija or Kazmir until 1) they make a trade or bring in another free agent pitcher or 2) know the exact prognosis of Griffin/Parker.

QUOTE (Whitey @ Nov 10, 2014 -> 05:34 AM) Danks for Eithier, Van Slyke, and some cash (to balance out the 3rd year on Eithiers contract). I'd throw in a prospect like Hawkins if needed to get it done. That would address both DH and LF, with no added cost on next years payroll. Leaving money to splurge on 1-2 starting pitchers and some bullpen help. I don't think the Dodgers are too desperate for any more outfield help at the moment...they're more interested in filling in the back end of the starting rotation, bullpen, 3B and catcher.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24793247 Interesting that Jacob May was mentioned as pretty much a surefire Top 10 prospect. That's newsworthy, if someone in the organization views May that highly.

Steve Carlton says "hi!"

Anderson COULD eventually end up at 3B, but his offensive game best profiles at 2B or CF, with LF as the 3rd option. You'd probably pick 3B number four simply because his range and athleticism would be wasted a bit there, compared to other positions. For example, Joe Crede and Robin Ventura had very good instincts and first step quickness/reaction time, but neither had what you'd call great range in the sense they could play the middle of the infield, either 2B/SS.

On second thought, I'm going for Saunders with either Rasmus or Morse being added and Viciedo subtracted. Rasmus and Saunders give you better defense...along with Eaton. Then you have Garcia. With Morse and Saunders, Morse is going to be pretty much the primary/full-time DH instead.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Nov 9, 2014 -> 10:34 PM) I realize the Sox aren't looking for a RH hitter but Kemp would be my choice. I'm not sure what the Sox should offer in return or how much money to ask for though. Sign Panda or Headley, trade for someone like Snyder and the lineup changes tremendously. Travis Snider, right?

I remember not so long ago when they were trying to dump Manny, Pierre and Andruw Jones. Seems they find themselves in a similar situation with "bad" contracts for Ethier and Crawford, and then the continued presence of Kemp or dealing him seems to be the biggest single offseason issue to be revealed. It doesn't feel like Kemp and Puig can co-exist together forever without combusting again.

The problem is how much in addition to Viciedo that the White Sox would have to give up...if it's anything inside the Top 6-7 minor leaguers, forget it. I'm not even sure I would be willing to give up Bassit and Viciedo unless Maurer came back, an arm with at least bullpen upside. Bassit could end up having a lot of value to the White Sox in 2015 in a number of different roles. http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2014/10/08/chu...-with-saunders/ Lots of insights in this article...seems the Mariners would be better off moving him, with the situation being what it is. As much I love/d Viciedo, it might be the right time for a parting of the ways...and I'm torn about trading Dayan versus using some of our other minor leaguers. http://blogs.seattletimes.com/mariners/201...ship-gone-awry/ In the end, Eaton and Saunders are both injury concerns....and Avisail's coming off his own season of rehab, so it's not unreasonable to think you need FOUR really capable outfielders (and DH candidates). The question is whether you give Dayan one more season or deal him for Saunders and then end up with Jordan Danks/Jared Mitchell or Sierra/Taylor types having to fill in if any of them go down to injury. I'm okay with Saunders, Viciedo, Eaton and Garcia....and then adding one more bat, maybe Michael Morse, even though he's not LH. Saunders essentially replaces DeAza, with Viciedo/Morse getting the majority of DH time and Eaton/Garcia/Saunders sharing AB's there once every couple of weeks. I think that would have been an expected White Sox offseason. Adding someone like Lind/Morse/Morales, Michael Saunders....then patching up the bullpen without going overboard for the top tier guys and finding a couple of additional veteran candidates for the starting rotation.

The big question is whether the Mets feel they're going to be ready to contend in 2015 or 2016, just like the White Sox. What's the rehab status of Matt Harvey at this point? If the Mets are also in a "make a move to improve the club but not all in yet" holding pattern similar to the White Sox 2015 season, then they're probably going to hold off on giving up talent on Ramirez, preferring to player their own youngster/s or acquiring the likes of a Lowrie/Stephen Drew/Scutaro type.

And war for Saunders?

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Nov 9, 2014 -> 08:42 AM) Uh, dude, attendance and TV viewing were both down last year while the team finished 9 games below .500. The Sox were so bad in 2013 that there really was nowhere to go but up in 2014 after signing Abreu. Think of it this way. If not for Abreu, the Sox likely have another 63 game season in the win column in 2014. Abreu offensively carried the entire team all season long. I could be exaggerating a bit but you get the point. Back to Shark. I said it before and I'll say it again. If the Sox are going to use any of their precious few prized prospects, it should be for a pitcher that fits the mold of " the core" the Sox are assembling. Early to mid twenties, team control for at least three/four years, reasonable salary with the potential for an extension at some point etc. Shark is everything but that. There are MUCH better options to spend top prospects on. I think you mean 16 games under .500, but they probably averaged 3-6 games under .500 for two-thirds of the season.

Leslie Nielsen quote.

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Nov 8, 2014 -> 09:47 PM) There are other pitchers that can be had for top prospects that are younger, cheaper, have higher upside and are not a year away from FA, so why are people so focused on Shark? Makes no sense at all. The same reason people want to trade for Heyward. They believe for unknown reasons he'd be willing to extend and not make 20-30% more in free agency. Samardzija as a rental makes a bit more sense to hold a spot for Rodon...but if the asking price is too high, and why wouldn't it be...then forget it.

QUOTE (Vance Law @ Nov 8, 2014 -> 08:59 PM) First off, comparing guys who play in such drastically different home ballparks using OPS is less than ideal. Their career OPS+ are 96 for Viciedo, 94 for Saunders. But more importantly, Suanders' career numbers are dragged down by his age 22, 23, 24 seasons. His last 3 seasons wRC+ are 108, 100, and 126. Viciedo's last 3 are 98, 96, 88. I'll reiterate again because so many posters continue to have some rigid old notions about what a typical corner outfielder "needs to provide" that don't have a basis in the current state of MLB offense. There were 21 outfielders in MLB who hit 20 home runs last year. 16 of those were corner outfielders. So about half of the baseball teams have even 1 corner outfielder who hit 20 home runs last year. Of those, some are such a liability defensively that you'd ideally have them at DH or 1B or not on the team. Viciedo leads that list which probably includes Matt Kemp, George Springer, Oswaldo Arcia, maybe Khris Davis. There are less than 20 players in all of MLB who hit 20 home runs last year who should be playing in the outfield. There are 30 baseball teams. Yes but you also have to take uscf into consideration, too. Those players who are consistently going to be in the 675-725 ops range need to bring something else to the table like gold glove defense or game-disrupting speed. Saunders hasn't proven he can stay healthy or put those wRC numbers up playing 150+ games a season. He's probably fine in a platoon but he's unlikely to be an everyday solution. Let's look at it this way...safeco is a park where defense is even more important than uscf. Why wouldn't the m's want to keep him? Because ackley is preferable? The m's had trouble getting offense from cf all last season...and Corey hart Morrison and morales all underperformed. Why trade him? Why not just get victor Martinez and play Rasmus in cf? What would cause him to transform into some type of offensive force in Chicago?

QUOTE (Lillian @ Nov 8, 2014 -> 11:34 AM) Don't tell the Mariners, sshh, but Viciedo derives his power from a violent, very hard swing. It may inhibit his ability to ever become a decent hitter. Saunders probably has a better chance to become a decent hitter, while displaying some power. Unlike Viciedo, it doesn't appear that he is trying to kill the ball. That certainly is a nice, fluid swing. It's a little long, which is accentuated by his height, but it is pretty. Lol. See similar comments about Ryan Sweeney. Nearly all lefties look beautiful mechanically.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Nov 8, 2014 -> 12:33 PM) While renting Heyward would be a pure clown move, the Sox wouldn't have to give up Rodon, Anderson or Montas to do so. Please identify the top prospect Tampa received for David Price, a player with another year on his deal, in the extreme July sellers market. Smyly alone put up better numbers in the big leagues than price gave the Tigers. It would be like if the white sox traded Quintana and prospects for price. A lot of people would be saying the Rays got ripped off just based on reputation of the players involved. Maybe not the most knowledgeable ones but certainly the average fan.

Heyward for one year? Look what the royals had to pay for two years of Shields. Not that much. And a lot of Heywards value is defense-based.

QUOTE (TheFutureIsNear @ Nov 8, 2014 -> 08:36 AM) I'm glad you think your options are fact....even if you're the only 1. Micah and Hawkins is way too much. Micah Johnson doesn't have as much value as assumed if he can't play 2b at mlb average or keep his hamstrings at 100%. In order to play to potential means utilizing his plus speed, so he's going to have to steal 40-60 bases per year and that means a lot of wear and tear on his body. He's already had the throwing problems, which may or may not have been fully rectified.

QUOTE (TheFutureIsNear @ Nov 8, 2014 -> 07:11 AM) Semien/Micah (whichever one our organization thinks is less likely to start), any minors pitcher the Braves want not named Danish, Montas, Adams, or Rodon, and a maybe a high upside guy like May or Michalczewski. So let's just say Micah, Bassit, and May for Gattis. Sounds like a good deal to me. May has no value to the Braves. Bassit would be the third piece...a possible Santana replacement. Micah and Hawkins and bassit gets it done, but the white sox are high on Johnson as their future 2b.

QUOTE (ChiSoxJon @ Nov 8, 2014 -> 08:07 AM) Finally! another one, game looks worse and worse with guys like Puig over Chipper, Konerko, Thome, Jeter, Mo, Youk, Manny, Alfonso, Bobby Abreu, Brian Roberts, Josh Beckett, Dunn, Putz, AJ, and Ibanez...gimme those days back, only a few guys left life Papelbon, Ortiz, Pedrioa, A-Rod unfortunately,miss the old game, baseball and MLB will slowly die if they can't bring that back, it's sad Many think Larry jones, youkilis, manny Ramirez and Beckett are jackasses. Aj isn't too popular outside of Chicago. Ortiz and arod....really?

QUOTE (StRoostifer @ Nov 7, 2014 -> 11:56 PM) Im not so sure a 33 year old Alexei with two years of control is worth a 24 year old Wheeler with 5 years of control. Alexei is passing his prime while Wheeler has his ahead of him still. I think Alexei is a bit over valued as fans sometimes do. Remember how plenty of people were disappointed with the return on players like Rios, Santiago, Peavy etc? Wait until you guys see the return for Alexei if he is traded. Avy Montas and Rondon wasn't good enough?

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Nov 7, 2014 -> 10:04 PM) I don't necessarily want Gattis to be honest. I just think your assessment of Gattis's value in Sox prospects is excessive. Sorry that the other options bore you though, if they may be more realistic. There are more than just 6 prospects in the Sox system If avy Garcia had put up his last two seasons in another organization, how much would you be willing to give up to acquire him now? The reason I ask is because you can make an argument that Gattis has even more value because 1) his bat is more proven and 2) he can give you at least 80-100 games at catcher in an era when offense is virtually non-existent from that position. Finally I don't think the Braves are willing to take Hawkins until he has success for at least three months in Birmingham. By that point the white sox might decide the calculus of risk for trading him is too high.