caulfield12

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...11&c_id=mlb Done deal, but prospect names not yet announced...nor the exact amount of money going from the Cubs to CLE.

If Pence if off the market, that means Josh Willingham and Ryan Ludwick are the only ones competing with CQ. Possibly Upton, but you'd have to imagine that the Phillies would go with Quentin as a surer pick offensively than Upton.

Considering the last couple of offseason's there has been significant talk about possibly non-tendering CQ because of his streakiness/injurires/outfield play, you simply can't turn down Domonic Brown because Carlos has gone on a hot streak again. You have to strike while the iron's hot, like they did with unloading Teahen as part of the Jackson package. A month ago, you might have had a somewhat difficult time just getting someone to pay the rest of Edwin's 2011 contract. With the comp pick, there was the idea you could get something, but it wasn't worth another comp pick, $10 million in salary savings and a top pitching prospect in Stewart.

That's all fine and good, but they really can't part with AJ right now, can they? So they're really stuck with him for 2012 (at least 3-4 months) without having a replacement in sight. (And yes, even though you can dollar-cost-average his contract over the two years, it's still a pretty good sized commitment for 15-18 major league teams to take on AJ). Unless we're about to trade AJ along with Quentin/Thornton/Danks/Floyd for a new catcher as part of a massive package. The All In thing creates a roadblock unless you just trade away everyone but Humber/Sale/Peavy and start over again philosophically next year. And how likely is that to happen with KW in charge?

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jul 28, 2011 -> 08:50 AM) Ugh, no. The reason why that Hudson/Jackson trade was bad was the contracts. Jax had 1.5 seasons left at about $8 per. Hudson had 6 seasons of team control, 3 of them league min. So for the trade to be anything close to even then Jax would have to pitch like a HOFer and Hudson (and Holmberg) would have to blow their arms out and not even pitch at all in the bigs. But if you just say the trade was Humber/Frasor/Stewart for Hudson/Holmberg, that doesn't sound nearly as bad. It's a very creative way to look at it....and obviously if we go to a $85-105 million payroll, it will be even more abundantly clear (how much losing Hudson is costing us from a financial flexibility standpoint), but let's not project Holmberg as being special (yet) until he repeats his 2011 success at the AA level.

Nobody knows if Beckham or Morel will be with the White Sox in 2013, that much is obvious. KW has always tended to move players around in order to adapt to needs at the major league level (see Viciedo), then overcorrected too quickly when things didn't work out (see Teahen) as originally planned. Another example would be paying AJ $6+ million in 2012 when we should have been turning over the catcher's position. In all honesty, I've never even seen him play the position. Someone who has (this season) would have a lot better take on projecting him down the line. Error totals in A ball don't mean very much at all...

Going forward, they've got Chisenhall/Cabrera/Kipnis/Hafner-LaPorta-Santana in the infield. That's strong. The problem is obviously whether Marson will hit enough to stay as a starting player or whether you have to play Santana at C everyday to get more offense. Brantley's not going to kill you at all in the outfield, but he's clearly a complementary type of player. Losing the presence of Sizemore/Choo in the line-up really hamstrings them offensively. And it's never a great idea to break in 2 rookie infielders in the heart of a pennant race unless the FO is absolutely certain they're both 100% ready.

I think KW could have had Rasmus had he really wanted him. Clearly, after the experience they had with Swisher and the same issue, they were steering clear of bringing the same type of distraction into the clubhouse again. Doesn't seem like the player you want on your team when things are going bad for him personally.

One more name off the KW radar for 2012. Makes sense, with Sizemore and Choo injured.

Clearly. I'm only saying there has to be a fear on the part of KW and Ozzie the Rios won't be Mr. Sunny and Happy Disposition on the bench or in the clubhouse. Can he force a trade? No, of course not. But you just have the feeling it will get even uglier before we see any light at the end of that particular tunnel, particularly with DeAza basically winning the first game he'd played for the Sox after Rios had gone for about 6 months of games without winning more than a handful of games memorably. Remember when KW and Ozzie basically protected Rios by benching the soon-to-depart Jermaine Dye for stretches in late 2009? Rios is clearly one of the most sensitive/rabbit eared players in that clubhouse.....to everything that is written and said about him.

I'm just saying...it ALWAYS comes up with shortstops. It was talked about with Beckham from the moment he was drafted, and he's played all three of those positions now. Very good in college or A ball might not be the same thing as "very good" at the next level. Nishioka, for example...is/was a Gold Glove winner in Japan at SS, but he's been struggling all season long with both range, arm strength (very mechanical throws) and pretty much every aspect of quality infield play this season with the Twins. A number of people even suggested Lillibridge at 3B for the Sox, and he'd never played the position at all before...and would have been learning for the first time at the MLB level.

Jackson's clearly been a much better pitcher at USCF than on the road. ERA difference of nearly 2, better K/BB ratio (not even close), better IP/H ratio, all the metrics show he's better at home than away. Essentially, the best case scenario is that Hudson would have put up the same numbers as Jackson (had he stayed with the Sox)...but not sure how many are buying that. It's 2012-2015 that was always where we'd get burned on this trade, but KW did come up with Humber out of thin air, and there's simply ZERO possibility Hudson would have put up Phil's consistent numbers, right? The problem has never been losing Hudson/Richard. It has always been Dunn/Rios/Peavy, moreso than anything else. There are very few teams in MLB that could compete in their divisions with 3 of their top 5 payroll guys having abysmal seasons statistically.

The moment when our future is crystal clear at both 3B and 2B, that's when you can fully nip it in the bud. For the next 18 months, definitely he stays at SS...that's where any player's highest value is, as long as he can sustain it defensively. It certainly makes him more valuable as a trade chip as well. Obviously, he needs to pick up that batting average as well, at least into the 260's. That's where so many seem down on Kuhn. First, the CJ Retherford comparison/s, fair or unfair. Also, the fact that if he's a utility player of 2B/3B, he's not worth anything like a legit SS. Unfortunately, you can't combine Escobar/Kuhn into one hybrid player or you'd really have something.

It also makes ZERO sense unless there's a trade for Quentin (Phillies/Braves) or Rios (Brewers) already signed off on. KW doesn't want to get in the same quandary he was with acquiring Jackson and then not being able to successfully spin him. Having Rasmus, Rios, Quentin and Viciedo in the same outfield obviously doesn't add up. Actually, I'd say ANY trade putting Rios at a starting corner outfield spot is a disaster in waiting with how he's been trending.

I think we're nearing the point of no return with Rios where nobody can be sure what we're going to get out of him in 2012 or were he to be magically "reinserted" back into the starting line-up with a Quentin trade. It's almost starting to feel like the Swisher/Cabrera/Javy situations where you just had a feeling their days were numbered with the Sox. There's just no way you can be "All In" with Pierre/DeAza/Rios as your outfield. Nobody could sell that to the fanbase. If it's someone with Domonic Brown's ability, I'll buy that as a logical move to improve the future of the franchise. But not trying to compete for the AL Central (especially the next two weeks) with Rios playing a key role. No way.

It all depends on what we get out of Stewart and Frasor (comp pick), etc. Six weeks ago, you never would have imagined that you 1) could get rid of Teahen for 2012, 2) get one of the top 5-10 RH set-up men in the game, and 3) get a top pitching prospect who has more than a good chance to have a better career than Holmberg, and possibly to be the equivalent of Hudson (unlikely, but definitely possible) One can't underestimate the dumping of Teahen from a financial standpoint without any future obligation. That alone basically wipes out a lot of the salary/payroll we spent on Jackson this past year, more or less.

“We all have warts,” Anthopoulos said, according to the Toronto Star. “It comes down to what type of human being are you. In the end, if you're a good person, you might be flashy, you might be arrogant, or you may not run hard all the time, but if you're a good person down to the core you'll be fine. “If you're a bad human being, well, you're not going to be long for this organization. We're probably going to cross you off the list. With Brett (Lawrie), with Yunel (Escobar), it came down to they're great kids, good human beings. They care. Do they make mistakes? Do they always do the right things? Do they always say the right things? No, but to their core they're very good human beings and that's the way with Colby. We tend to forget that these are young players. “Bautista, when we acquired him, there were a lot of grumblings about him, too. But I bet if you asked anybody about Rasmus, they'd say he's a great guy. He might do some things that rub people the wrong way. That's where you sort of have to sift through it.” Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/feed/2011-...i#ixzz1TOu6CdZu

Bruney has always had issues with control. But for the last guy in your bullpen, along with Ohman...to have someone with "veteran" experience who consistently throws 94-97 mph isn't something to be totally sneezed at, either. You'd like to see what Cooper could do with him...if there's a progression with him over time with the big league club.

If they can get a similar package to what the Phillies are SUPPOSEDLY offering the Astros for Pence, go for it. The best case scenario would be to trade Quentin/Thornton for Domonic Brown. I think all White Sox fans who are still reluctant to support this team would at least hopefully get behind the idea of building a team that can compete for 2-3-4 years rather than just in 2012. They've reached a crossroads with the roster and unfortunately it's going to be next to impossible to get rid of AJ, Rios, Konerko, Dunn and Peavy. What is it, we have something like $73 million committed to 8 players already for next season?

KW isn't going to get Domonic Brown in all likelihood (unless Thornton's part of the trade)...but the "get" for Pence should be pretty similar to the asking price for Hunter Pence, who will be a bit more expensive than CQ these next 1 1/3rd seasons. Pence is the most recognizable Astro left (not counting Carlos Lee, who they're stuck with obviously)....whereas KW has more leeway to trade Quentin. ESPN.com reported yesterday that it believed the Phillies "had a deal" for Astros outfielder Hunter Pence, but that Houston had "backed off." Reportedly the Phils had been willing to part with righthander Jarred Cosart and first baseman Jonathan Singleton, both at Class A Clearwater, and a lesser pitching prospect. It's hard to decipher exactly what that means. It could mean the Astros, upon further review, simply decided that they needed more. That would suggest the deal remains a possibility if the Phillies are willing to sweeten the pot. Or it could mean that the team with the worst record in baseball, in the throes of an ownership change, is scared that nobody will show up next season if it moves one of its most popular players. So the internal tug of war continues in the executive offices at Citizens Bank Park. And it will only intensify after a 2-1 loss to the Giants last night in which the Phillies were held to an unearned run on four hits in the only pitching matchup of this series - Cole Hamels vs. Matt Cain - that could come close to being replicated in the postseason if these teams meet again. Should the Phillies dangle even more young talent to obtain Pence, or somebody very much like him? If so, are there any players who should be declared off-limits? The opinions here, from left to right: yes and no. Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/philli...9#ixzz1TOoYiQA8 Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else

The Quentin to Phillies rumor is currently the "headline" at MLBtraderumors this morning, for what it's worth. The same thing we've already heard from Nightengale about the Phils being impressed with his recent stretch of offense.

Because if he (Saladino) keeps hitting this way, he's 1 1/2 years away from a major league impact....and Ramirez would still be under contract. We also don't know how Beckham's going to turn out (with us), but surely to get above-average pop from a 3B in the system is the biggest need, along with a future catcher and obviously pitching and leadoff/OF (Mitchell/Thompson/Walker, etc.) Escobar just seems like he's going to come up short offensively to be anything more than a utility infielder. He's not exactly the PRing weapon that Lillibridge is, either.

I think the Cardinals must be really nervous about offering Dotel arbitration and him accepting it. Mozeliak should think twice about that one, especially with Octavio at age 37/38. Don't think we'll DFA Bruney. Ozzie really likes him a lot and has consistently used him in more high-pressure late inning/close situations than he ever did with Tony Pena. Still feel the thinking with Viciedo is that he should be playing at least 5-6 times per week. Maybe you can do that if you rotate him with Pierre/Quentin/Dunn/Konerko, but I can't imagine that KW or Ozzie want him to play all those multiple positions. They'd much prefer to keep him at one outfield position and let him get comfortable. You could see Dayan taking all of Dunn's AB's against LH starters, but that's not going to be enough playing time. Ozzie won't bench Pierre or Quentin, that's obvious. And 3B is our real dire need from an offensive standpoint at the moment.

Looks like his fastball has pretty good movement when he's throwing it dialed down to 90-92 MPH. Stewart pitched around some pretty shoddy defense. LOL at Bautista's deke to fool Mark Reynolds into thinking he wasn't going to catch a pop-up and then doubling him off first with the strong throw from RF. Noticed he wasn't throwing all fastballs...mixed in a nice assortment of offspeed stuff, enough to keep the hitters honest.

Arguments for Leyland over Dave Dombrowski....this situation has a LOT in common with the one in Chicago with KW/Ozzie. Except we don't have two superstars on our roster. http://www.freep.com/article/20110727/SPOR...-has-Tigers-1st