caulfield12

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 6, 2009 -> 09:01 PM) J.J. Hardy is awful. At least Hart can run. But Brent Lillibridge can run and also play SS.

QUOTE (knightni @ Jul 6, 2009 -> 09:56 PM) Only problem, it's Poison Oak. Maybe he's starting a humor campaign to coincide with the release of BRUNO....

Fathom is turning over a new leaf I think...

QUOTE (BearSox @ Jul 6, 2009 -> 09:11 PM) Is Corey Hart suppossed to be a good package? I'll take Flowers, Gilmore, etc. over Hart anyday. Hart is solid, a 20-20 player, but I haven't been wowed by him at all. The only way that would make sense for the Braves is if the Brewers took on the whole contract, as Hart isn't expensive, is he? And he'd be a definite upgrade over Francoeur. But the guy I think Atlanta should be trying to sell high on is Escobar, IMO. I used to like him, but he has soured on me over the past year plus. I agree they should hang onto to Vazquez. If they had some offense, Vazquez could be a serious cy young contender in the NL. Corey Hart absolutely sucks this year. They would be better off with Guillen in ATL. One scout said he has never seen a player as consistently "lost" as Corey this season, although his overall offensive numbers aren't atrocious, they've been far from consistent, like Konerko this season.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Jul 6, 2009 -> 08:59 PM) I believe JPN said Viciedo has been really good defensively at 3B for the past month+ I would hold of on the position change talk right. Obviously, he has been a disappointment this year, but I'll take it. I've said it before, I think 2010 will be a really huge, break out year for him. Looks like Viciedo is hitting an early "wall" like Ramirez did late in 2008. Retherford has really tailed off, too. Taking out Beckham and Allen changes the composition and potency of that line-up dramatically, even though it's still a REALLY strong one. Much longer, grinding season...of course, the weather in the SL is pretty comparable to Cuba, but playing 140+ games is with top quality pitching every day is an adjustment. He was almost at a 700 OPS and has fallen off a bit in the last couple of weeks, but he still manages to produce a ton of RBI's. Gartrell might become a prospect after this season is over, although he's a little old at 25...but certainly much younger than Cook.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 6, 2009 -> 07:54 PM) I think Joba will be their closer. It's amazing how much his stuff has deteriorated due to going from bullpen to the starting rotation. I think DET really knows they're in for a battle now...if they didn't one month ago. The Twins and Sox have really stepped it up. And they will have to be very vigilant about not overusing Porcello and Verlander. Leyland can run up some high pitch counts.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 6, 2009 -> 08:28 PM) If Houston, a team that was in the WS in 2005 offered you the same contract they offered CLee, and you were the same player, you wouldn't take it? I can't blame a guy for taking $100 million. I would assume Houston at that time had just as much of a chance to win as anyone else. Its like the people who ripped ARod for signing with Texas saying he was about the money and not the ring. No other team offered a contract to ARod at that time within $100 million of the one he signed. He would have been a fool not take it. I heard Rick Sutcliffe rip ARod for signing it. The same Rick Sutcliffe that moaned his way out of LA and Cleveland when he played because of money and it certainly wasn't the type of money ARod would have left on the table. I just think of Lee as a player like Albert Belle (although not nearly as potent) whose numbers don't quite equate to wins and losses...just don't perceive him as the type of player who's dying after every loss. Of course, the same rap has been thrown at the likes of Colon (2003), Javy, Garland, Frank Thomas, Ordonez, etc.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 6, 2009 -> 08:34 PM) Catching takes a lot out of you physically. Flowers is a big guy, he's going to take a lot of shots behind the plate. If he ever becomes a huge offensive force, especially considering he probably will only be average at best defensively, they will move him to another position to keep him healthier, and in the line-up more. Piazza was a guy the Dodgers always considered moving, but he balked. There was talk of moving Rodriquez to second as there has been talk about moving Mauer from behind the plate, and those two are or were premiere defensive catchers. Hopefully all the guys like Flowers, and Allen and Jordan Danks and Mitchell and Viciedo pan out. Chances are at least a couple will not. At least we have hope. I think Beckham will be a star and I also think the White Sox veteran players know he will be one too. Having Martinez DH/1B with Shoppach hitting 20+ homers last year from the catcher's spot, that really gave them a potent offense at times, even without Hafner. The one player that doesn't quite seem to have a home on that team is Garko...so I hope Viciedo can be more powerful and productive than Ryan (who, by the way, also kills the White Sox).

Soria is as close to RIVERA as automatic gets (KNOCK ON WOOD/REVERSE JINX CURSE!!!!) Will face Ordonez, Laird and Adam Everett (can't believe I saw him hit a GS in person this year).

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 6, 2009 -> 07:11 PM) If he can be C. Lee Part Two, I'll be thrilled. Many might not like the way he went about it, but Lee has had a hell of a career with regards to offensive production. C-Lee definitely had a huge payday, and we got Pods and cleared the way for all of our under the radar moves that led to the World Series title. Good for both sides, and El Caballo doesn't strike me as one of those players exceedingly distraught over not getting a ring. Always has been more of a me-first player from everything I've seen and read. Sometimes when you clear a Jimenez/Lofton here, a Sheffield there (Tigers), it's addition by subtraction. Same thing with Swisher over the long haul.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jul 6, 2009 -> 06:58 PM) ? If we acquired/bought the best Cuban pitcher to come along since Contreras, and one with a much higher upside due to his age.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 6, 2009 -> 06:57 PM) If he becomes a 40 homer guy with a .400 OBP, the Sox won't want him behind the plate. Short-term yes, he gives your line-up a huge advantage, like Mauer/Piazza/Victor Martinez. IF IF IF you have other huge mashers to play those positions. If Konerko/Dye/Thome are gone, then it's between Viciedo, Allen, Fields and Flowers for that DH/1B spot in all likelihood. Preferably, you have the athletic Allen at 1B (maybe in a platoon with a Ross Gload/Conine type from the RH side) and Flowers at catcher, simply to balance the line-up a bit.

QUOTE (CanOfCorn @ Jul 6, 2009 -> 01:51 PM) Agreed, but look at the quality of prospects then to now. And no, I'm not overvaluing. I think there are a lot more untouchables in the system now than there were in the recent memory. And really, how many of those prospects Kenny dealt/cut have done anything? Frank Francisco (minus mental instability) is about the only guy we've let go you'd say would definitely have a place on this team. Of course you can make arguments for Sweeney and Chris Young in CF...and Daniel Cortes MIGHT become something down the line, although I wouldn't count on it happening. Cunningham hasn't done that much. Jury's still out on C. Carter. Gio and DeLosSantos seem like even bigger long-shots at this point.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 6, 2009 -> 05:16 PM) I agree, I think Danks is severely overrated on this site (and I'm probably the only person disappointed in Viciedo's season so far this year). I think Flowers can be a Mike Napoli type catcher for the Sox. BTW, has anyone seen what teams are possibly willing to offer for Javy in a trade now? KW better pray that Flowers pans out. Having Viciedo under our control for 6 years makes that contract a lot let stressful...he might not turn out to be Miguel Cabrera, but he seems to be a run producer...and the power was never a question about him until he started playing in BIRM. Sure, an 800 OPS instead of around 650+ would be much nicer, but if you bring in enough guys like Mitchell, Danks, Viciedo and A. Chapman, some of them will end up being All-Stars eventually. To hear Harrelson speak, Flowers is expected by him to hit 30-40 homers on a consistent basis every year, Mike Piazza type numbers (V. Martinez/Mauer, production levels etc.).

QUOTE (High Mileage @ Jul 5, 2009 -> 09:35 PM) Show me any team that is still competing after losing their starting 3rd baseman, shortstop, centerfielder, and closer. Anyways, interesting on your '00 team and their record against the Royals, but that 2000 Royals team scored a ton of runs... Last year we made it to playoffs without Crede, Contreras, Quentin and Linebrink (all injured for major portions of the season). And we had DeWayne Wise starting over Nick Swisher, with Uribe at 3B for Crede...pretty patchwork line-up. But you're right, losing Gordon, Crisp and Aviles has severely impacted the offense.

That was a team led by dos Carlos (Febles/Beltran), Jermaine Dye, Johnny Damon, Sweeney and Randa? Or were Dye/Damon already gone at that point? Of course, the starting pitching and the drafts of the Royals from the mid 80's until today...especially first round...talk about Nightmare on the Country Club Plaza. The Royals did have the likes of serviceble starters like Suppan and Miguel Batista blow through town, but this is the most starting depth ever... Any rumors about Teahen, Meche or Guillen (and I would imagine patience is growing thin with Jacobs, too) being traded in June/July. Heard Braves were interested in Guillen, maybe that trade would be for Francouer and a quality prospect, with the Royals dumping a big salary at just a 700 OPS and questionable clubhouse leader for the future of the franchise. Gordon's career has been a disaster so far...a lot (pertty much the entire future) depends on Hochevar, Crow, Daniel Cortes, Moustakas and Hosmer. They should trade DeJesus when his value is up a bit...and have to build around Greinke and Soria. Aviles might be out of the picture, Callaspo hopefully will have more of a long-term impact than Esteban German. That's the Royals in a nutshell...players like DeJesus, Berroa and Febles looking like stars (and Jose Rosado, too), then disappearing almost...although David D. has been at least an average or above average player his entire career, not so much in 2009.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jul 5, 2009 -> 10:07 PM) I can't imagine his arm slot is real conducive to any good breaking stuff outside of a slider. Isn't this basically the same issue with Poreda and Thornton in terms of throwing a consistent, over the top curveball, ala Doc Gooden, Zito (a bit more of an angle) or Gavin Floyd? Richard's change is getting some K's, but he really needs that change (see Danks/Buehrle) to keep the hitters from timing his FB. Maybe he can develop a slurve/frisbee pitch like Marte or Takatsu that's a 15+ MPH differential with his FB without changing his arm speed/delivery/mechanics too much?

QUOTE (BearSox @ Jul 5, 2009 -> 08:08 PM) Question... could part of Jose Contreras resurgence this year be because we have a spanish (Castro speaks both english and spanish) speaking catcher behind the plate? Do you think this helps with the pitcher-catcher chemistry/communication? Not really. AJ's response to this topic was "look at 2nd half 2005/first half 2006 and then first half of 2008" and who was his catcher that entire time? I think the Spanish angle might be a bit too simplistic...but hey, if it works, why "fix" what isn't broken?

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Jul 5, 2009 -> 11:59 AM) He's a great player no doubt, but I really don't think we need that much of an upgrade to win another title. Look, aces start Game 1, Game 4, and in a huge pinch, MAYBE a Game 7. In 2005 we had 4 guys who, despite their awesome seasons, we nowhere near the type of pitcher Haren has been. And then look at guys like CC Sabathia, Jake Peavy, etc. and what they have done in the playoffs. We don't NEED a Dan Haren to win it all, and even if we got one, there's no guarantee that, just because he's a better pitcher than Jose Contreras was for his whole career minus parts of 2 seasons, he'll pitch as good as Jose did. All we need to do is do what Ozzie said when he first got this job, and that is acquire horses. "You don't take donkeys to the Kentucky Derby," was the quote IIRC. Instead of trading away everything we have got, I say we keep developing a core and then add those horses when we can afford them. One guy who someone made a thread about here was Chien Ming Wang. Apparently he's for sale, and that is a guy we need to take a look at. Kenny built a winner by being smart and finding bargains and projects, and if he does it again it's going to be the same way because that is his MO. Interesting trade partners....from Loaiza/Contreras to the Swisher trade. I do think there would be some hesitation at the very least for them to "dump" Wang without his value rebounding (which it has been doing recently). Especially to another AL club they might face, that 2005 season with El Duque and Contreras (not to mention Marte) playing key roles must have stung just a little, adding insult to injury.

Twins "man up" after a terribly disappointing 16 inning loss where they rallied from a 7-1 deficit...take 2/3 from the Tiggers and temporarily sneak ahead of the Sox. Sox still lurking 2 1/2 GB. Nice to see another VERY important Sox/Twins series looming this weekend, with the Dome not QUITE so intimidating as before (knock on wood, hopefully that doesn't guarantee we get swept, would take 1-2 and 2-1 against CLE) and just getting to the ASB at above .500 in a heartbeat.

QUOTE (beautox @ Jul 5, 2009 -> 05:30 PM) i would love to see us get wood Isn't the main complaint about him the same as Josh Fields? Inability to hit quality, "plus" major league FB's or even anything 88-89+ on a consistent basis?

QUOTE (Dam8610 @ Jul 5, 2009 -> 05:19 PM) Since the idea has already been floated, how much might it cost in terms of prospects to get Rios and Halladay from the Blue Jays? Can someone give me a sample package? Well, two ways to look at it...we unload salary directly for Rios (it would have to be a Konerko type that has some value to the Jays) or we actually give up a little less to take on Rios WITH Halladay precisely because of that contract. Rios has a lot more value to us if he can play CF for us, but that's a 50/50 proposition. Long-term, he's a corner OF, although his power has been WAY down. Let's say we didn't give them Konerko to help offset taking on the contract of Rios? It would be an enormous deal, and I don't think they'd do it without bringing Beckham or Ramirez over to play SS. Probably Ramirez Tyler Flowers Poreda and/or Richard Fields/Anderson/Getz/NIx and Nunez/Santeliz/Omogrosso (pick one or two) Allen/Shelby III (hopefully ONLY one) Unlikely to see Jordan Danks, Viciedo and certainly Mitchell going anywhere. 1. Halladay 2. Buehrle 3. Danks 4. Floyd 5. Chapman That would be the best rotation, potential-wise, in recent baseball history. Chapman could end up the best of the group in the end from everything reported, although I am skeptical that Halladay's career could be topped.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jul 5, 2009 -> 06:46 PM) you think she is stepping out on her husband for Rongey? lol After everything that has happened with McNair's murder (where the prime suspect is the girl's jealous ex-boyfriend apparently), I would think TWICE TIMES TWO about getting involved with a married person these days.

The only pitchers on are team with legit FB's at 96-97-98 are Jenks and Thornton at times...Thornton's more consistently at 96-97 and Jenks is the only one who can reach 98/99. Poreda and Richard might both touch 96, but they're a tick or two slower by all accounts, 92-95.

QUOTE (Lemon_44 @ Jul 5, 2009 -> 07:11 PM) KW has to be looking at CF or one of the top end starters. I'm sure the Sox aren't completely comfortable with Podsednik roaming CF. I think there could still be plenty of AB's for him on a rotating basis by giving CQ,JD,JT, and PK occasional days off. As for top end starting pitchers, if KW obtained any of the afore mentioned pitchers, the Sox would become immediate threats to win the AL. Let's say Halliday is acquired. A rotation of him, MB, Danks,Floyd, and Contreras (especially if he keeps pitching the way he has)would be the best in the AL,maybe all of baseball. On top of that, you have the best bullpen in the AL. Then,you'd hopefully add a healthy Quentin for the second half and the Sox are as legit as it gets. I don't think Dye is going anyhwere. He's just too valuable right now. I wonder if Walt Jocketty goes to bed every night kicking himself for not making the Dye for Bailey trade. The Reds,in my opinion, would have a comfortable lead in that division if they had a right handed bat the caliber of JD in that lineup. All because they were too cheap to take on Dye's salary at the expense of Homer freakin" Bailey,who has started to show some life but is far from a finished product. Thank you Walt. Always those incompleted deals (Peavy, Garland for Erstad, Contreras/Dye/Buehrle not being dumped at different times in their Sox careers, now Bailey/Dickerson for Dye not being completed) that have broken KW's way about 90% of the time in the second half of his GM tenure.