caulfield12

QUOTE (scenario @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 11:00 AM) Yep. Word out of the AFL is that people were pretty impressed with the development of his slider. Enough so to put him on the top 20 AFL prospects list. I think this has been brought up before, but I wonder how much it would cost us to get Borbon from the Rangers? Jenks + ??? I'm not sure if he's worth Jenks AND Poreda, but I can't see the Rangers having much interest in Josh Fields since they're bringing back Blalock apparently. Maybe Anderson or Owens is thrown into the overall package as well as yet another part of KW's "housecleaning" of Ozzie's doghouse. How good is this kid going to be? Who is he most compared to in terms of his game and style of play?

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 09:46 AM) You really think a bat is what they are after when there are two glaring holes in the rotation? One of those holes will be filled. Who is the girl in the picture with the Sox hat on?

QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 10:12 AM) Viewed as a Garland for Vazquez swap (plus the added Braves prospects), I don't think it would be such a bad deal IF we could get him (as a Type B free agent) for 3/$38. I think at least some of this freed up cash should go into the rotation, and a sure 200 innnings and double digit wins is nothing to sneeze at. I may still be wearing my 2005 blinders, but I see Garland > Wolf > Perez, and think he is the best of the "second tier" free agent pitchers out there. Well, mixing in Perez with Buehrle, Danks, Poreda and Richard doesn't seem to make much sense. Wolf has that injury history...Garland and Vazquez are similar in many respects, minus the big K numbers. Durable, innings eater, .500 record of consistent inconsistency, some brilliance, lots of disappointment and something of an enigma, especially Vazquez.

QUOTE (scenario @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 10:07 AM) Here's a quote from a mlb.com article yesterday I found interesting... "I would doubt that I would start on [or] make the [Major League] club (in 2009)," Beckham said on a conference call Tuesday afternoon. "[The White Sox] said as soon as I go back to Minor League ball I will be playing shortstop every day until they want to bring me up." Well, I guess it's always better to keep him at the position (if he can play it adequately) where he has the highest possible value...just like Lillibridge. I suppose some quotes might come out from Lillibridge about him dusting off his outfielder's glove again...or maybe playing somewhere in Winter Ball (late addition) if the White Sox can arrange it with a host team.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 08:56 AM) I'd rather see Betemit starting than Josh Fields. Seriously. You've seen his career splits, LH and RH, yes? He would be acceptable as part of a platoon, but probably not as an everyday player. Of course, the same was said of Alexei Ramirez, too, before 2008. Maybe, just maybe, he'll finally unlock his long overhyped potential with the Sox. Who knows...?

I think there are a couple of major concerns. 1) Peavy REALLY REALLY wants to stay in the NL. Pretty wise on his part. 2) JR and our history with pitchers with huge contracts (which isn't very long at all)...it's pretty much non-existent. I think there would be interest in 2009, but there has to be a reluctance for the Sox to commit to $48 million over the following three years in an uncertain economy. Then again, we were committed to Vazquez for $23 million over two years and he's not nearly the same caliber of starter as Jake Peavy. But I will believe it when I see it out of KW and JR. They definitely will not be bidding on Sabathia, Lowe or Burnett, that's for sure...and doubt they would consider Sheets, either. Peavy, 27, will make $8 million in 2009, $15 million in 2010, $16 million in 2011 and $17 million in 2012, and he has a 2013 option for $22 million, with a $4 million buyout.

No way to Garland!! We just cleared the salary of a very "average" 4th starter in Vazquez. No need to reverse the gain of clearing that payroll and turn around and get similar or even worse (albeit predictable) results. Wolf, Oliver Perez and Garland will all get $10-12 million per season, and 3-4 year contracts. Heck, if Kyle Lohse can get 4/41, Garland might even get $48/4 despite his pretty pedestrian season. The Angels also offered him arbitration, FWIW. The Astros didn't with Wolf.

QUOTE (KevinM @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 08:09 AM) It was an absolute mirage. And please, don't call it a 98 MPH fastball. That's ridiculous -- he averaged a fastball a tad lower than 94 on the season. You can "flash" a 98 MPH (heck, even Zach Greinke can do this when he wants) and still consistently be 92-95, which is what Jackson's profile would tell you.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 08:43 AM) KW is like an OOTP GM. Now if the Sox could just trade Josh Fields so I don't have to think about that f***up anymore, my offseason will be starting very very well. Casey Blake wants $20 million for 3 years at age 35. Beltre would cost us a ton. We don't know how good Atkins and Kouzmanoff would be transitioning from the NL, particularly from Coors Field. That leaves us Betemit/Viciedo as the starters...not sure that's such a good idea. Not to mention we already bought high and sold fairly low on Swisher, we should probably hold on for at least Spring Training and see what he can do and whether it would be wise to trade him or not. He might be SOMEWHAT in Ozzie's doghouse, but not like Swisher, Logan and Vazquez were. I wonder if a BA trade is next, lol?

QUOTE (joesaiditstrue @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 08:13 AM) http://fromthedugout.freedomblogging.com/2...a-konerko/5956/ One part I found interesting: Obviously, most of these stats geeks didn't follow the Sox. Anyone could tell injuries were bothering Griffey and Konerko. You give any hitter a hand injury, a rib cage/abdominal muscle pull/tear (that's the worst thing that can possible happen to a hitter IMO) and then the knee strain late in the season....I look at the consistent power and pop he had in the final six week as a true indicator, and his rededication and commitment to rigorous training and conditioning for the first time since he became a big leaguer and started to feel some of the effects of getting older.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 08:33 AM) Right now I would go with Poreda and Marquez with Richard ending up in the pen. I really believe that we will aquire at least one more starter in the next few months though. I would add FA signing for the fifth starter as an option....that's likely, or the Dye/Jenks trade options. I would go with Carrasco and Richard...although I would certainly be ready to flip flop Poreda and Richard depending on how things go. Poreda could be the long man out of the pen, kind of like Buehrle when he first came up with the White Sox. That would put him in a better position to at least be able to give us 3-4-5 solid innings if he had to switch back in April/May due to Richard implosion of Logan-esque/Munoz/Felix Diaz/Parque/Danny Wright/Josh Stewart proportions.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 08:33 AM) Right now I would go with Poreda and Marquez with Richard ending up in the pen. I really believe that we will aquire at least one more starter in the next few months though. I would add FA signing for the fifth starter as an option....that's likely, or the Dye/Jenks trade options. I would go with Carrasco and Richard...although I would certainly be ready to flip flip Poreda and Richard depending on how things go. Poreda could be the long man out of the pen, kind of like Buehrle when he first came up with the White Sox. That would put him in a better position to at least be able to give us 3-4-5 solid innings if he had to switch back in April/May due to Richard implosion of Logan-esque/Munoz/Felix Diaz/Parque/Danny Wright/Josh Stewart proportions.

I would like a COGENT explanation of who could possibly be the leadoff hitter for the White Sox this season....if it's not Taveras. Figgins, Furcal, Hudson and Roberts are the obvious choices, yet none of those possibilities seem likely to happen. So what next?

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 08:27 AM) I think that Marquez will likely be slotted in the rotation heading into ST and given every opportunity to succeed. He was a first round pick (comp) who has battled some injury problems but has the potential to put it all together if he can stay healthy. I think that Marquez could really make an impact in the rotation next season and be a big surprise. I am concerned next season about Floyd and Danks, I think that any year that young starters pitch into the playoffs, especially the way they were handled the last month of the season, they are going to hit an extended wall at some point the next season., so we will need some depth to help get those two some rest next year. Richard could be an option, Poreda is not ready to be a starter yet with his limited arsenal, and Broadway would be the other option at this point. Maybe we pick something up in the Rule 5 draft? Speaking of, this trade clears a spot on the 40 man roster. Carrasco and Egbert also have an outside chance at figuring in...has anyone seen any updates at all on the progress of Contreras in his comeback? Perhaps they will try to get Russell back to starting again, although that seems a bit of a longshot at this point.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 08:20 AM) With Konerko's deal being done after 2010, 1b is another possibility. Allen, Viciedo, Fields and Flowers. One of them will probably be our starting 1B in 2011.

Realistically, we have "star" caliber players (POSSIBLY) in the pipeline in Viciedo, Beckham and Flowers. Flowers isn't/wasn't as useful to the Braves as he is to the White Sox, especially as a long-term replacement for Konerko or Thome. You also have Brandon Allen with a lot of upside, too. The way, I look at it, we have very solid depth everywhere now (even Cole Armstrong looked promising in AFL) but CF and the starting rotation. I don't want to restart the Taveras/Owens/Anderson thread again, but something can and will be done to strengthen that position before Opening Day. Perhaps Lillibridge figures in there as well, but he's untested/unproven as a hitter and as a defender in center. It was just a theory in ATL that he could replace Andruw Jones, but I guess that's promising in and of itself that he has the skill set to potentially play there (hopefully better than Mackowiak/Swisher/Griffey). Then you also have a "natural" CFer in Jordan Danks. I'm a firm believer we can find another starter for either Jenks or Dye...and we will hold onto both to get a better return, as the dominoes all fall into place with K-Rod and Fuentes setting the market. There are many interesting possibilities at under $7.5 million for fifth starter. Glavine. Mulder. Colon. Duchscherer (possibly). Freddy Garcia. Schilling. Pedro. Randy Johnson. Braden Looper. Marquis, if the Cubs will subsidize some of his contract for us to take him off their hands. one of them will fall into our hands eventually. The big key is finding that next Danks/Floyd...whether it's Edwin Jackson or Homer Bailey, he's there somewhere, another diamond in the rough. My big concern is the Indians. Lee will inevitably slip back a little/regress, but Carmona has plenty of upside after an erratic 2008, and both Reyes and Lewis have terrific potential, but it's just that (like Danks and Floyd coming into 08). Also, they have a huge hole in the 5th spot with Laffey and Sowers, just like most of our divisional rivals. They'll miss Westbrook. You'd have to say the Twins definitely have the best starting rotation at this point. DET has been decimated by the injuries to Bonderman and the non-performance of Dontrelle Willis. They have a couple of solid pitchers (but not "aces" to me) in Verlander and Galaragga. Robertson, I guess, is an adequate fifth starter compared to the White Sox or Indians. KC actually isn't look bad at all either if Hochevar develops, to go with Greinke and Meche. Then the back of their rotation is iffy, Davies/Duckworth/Torres. But if Torres and Hochevar click at all, watch out, they could finally be a legit .500 ballclub.

Something else to remember. the last time the White Sox offered a pool of prospects to another team to choose from, it worked out well for us...overhyped CF Anthony Webster, P Josh Rupe and P Frank Francisco. To this day, KW has given up very little that we can sit about and be really, really upset about... Francisco Chris Young Carlos Torres Ryan Sweeney That's about it...maybe Gio Gonzalez, although he obviously took a step back in his development this season.

http://www.southsidesox.com/ This time, I think the analysis is pretty good here...definitely worth a look. Where the heck does Lillibridge fit? Can he learn 2B or CF on the fly? Is Alexei going to be moved to CF or back to 2B? Are Lillibridge and Betemit just cheap/younger insurance policies for the likes of Ramirez, Fields, Viciedo and Beckham? What about Nix and maybe even Shelby down the line? In many ways, we've got two somewhat similar players in Getz and Lillibridge (Getz has less speed, but makes more contact, neither will be confused with power hitters of tradional Sox yore)...then Betemit, who may or may not beat out Fields for 3B, or be part of platoon somewhere. Flowers definitely might be looked at as the replacement for Thome in 2010...or the replacement for AJ, if he can improve his defense to at least just "below average." Otherwise, Armstrong deserves the spot. Between Brandon Allen and Flowers, and then adding in the potential impacts of Fields, Viciedo, Beckham and Jordan Danks, we LOOK to be sitting pretty for the time being. FWIW, some of the Braves' fans think it would have been to pick up FA pitcher Braden Looper and not surrendered any prospects, especially Flowers. The Braves' fans consider Vazquez a 3 with the ability of a 2, whereas White Sox fans know he's a 4 with the ability of a 1. But they're already concerned the below .500 MLB record. That's a glaring stat that's difficult to ignore. The main selling point is his dependability, strikeouts and eating up innings. But it seems that there are better options for a team like the Braves than spending $23 million to do so. I guess it was a better risk to Wren than bringing back Glavine for the same price, basically. Of course, I said the same thing about our system from 1999-2001 and it was eviscerated by injury and non-performance.

Even more impressive is the list of names fighting to get on the list. Clayton Richard Link, who some consider to be our future closer. Russell, who was once a Top 10 Sox prospect, close to Top 5. Nix (not sure if he'd qualify anyway) Marquez Broadway McCulloch Nunez maybe Gilmore Santos Egbert Hudson Carter Rodriguez Cole Armstrong M. Gartrell Not sure if I agree about Shelby being close to the equivalent of Allen. I think Shelby's kind of like a "tweener" in basketball...good athlete, no one superior defensive position but good power and speed combo, maybe or may not be a starter but could make it as a utility guy for sure, like a more powerful Willie Harris that can play multiple infield and outfield positions in a pinch. Seems we've gone from last in the majors to somewhere in the 12-18 category now in the big leagues....nice improvement. There is an obvious dearth of starting pitching prospects, kind of like the reverse of the late 90's depth charts with tons of young pitching and only Rowand and Crede in the pipeline.

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ Dec 2, 2008 -> 11:09 AM) Luckily for Red Sox fans Theo Epstein would probably disagree with you. A few things. One, often times it's easy to peg the superstar players in any sport, I don't discount the eye test. Two, the Twins obviously weren't overwhelmed by David Ortiz even though he was growing as a player every year and those whacky stats would have told you that. http://www.baseball-reference.com/o/ortizda01.shtml Taveras does not fit into any of the categories of players you listed, he's not a superstar and at best he would be a role player who sometimes you need to compare him with similar players, which stats help one to do. You seem like someone who also believes in "hard nose football" and "Bears Weather!!" The Ortiz decision was made because they had too many players at about the same time increasing in salary, and there were concerns in MIN about his work ethic and growing/expanding girth. Obviously they were wrong about him, Thank God.

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ Dec 2, 2008 -> 11:09 AM) Luckily for Red Sox fans Theo Epstein would probably disagree with you. A few things. One, often times it's easy to peg the superstar players in any sport, I don't discount the eye test. Two, the Twins obviously weren't overwhelmed by David Ortiz even though he was growing as a player every year and those whacky stats would have told you that. http://www.baseball-reference.com/o/ortizda01.shtml Taveras does not fit into any of the categories of players you listed, he's not a superstar and at best he would be a role player who sometimes you need to compare him with similar players, which stats help one to do. You seem like someone who also believes in "hard nose football" and "Bears Weather!!" The Ortiz decision was made because they had too many players at about the same time increasing in salary, and there were concerns in MIN about his work ethic and growing/expanding girth. Obviously they were wrong about him, Thank God.

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Dec 3, 2008 -> 01:19 AM) So now: Buehrle Floyd Danks A half season of ??? (Contreras MIA) ??? I don't know about just plugging in the two we had spot start for us at the end of the year. If this is in fact the much talked about rebuild, we have seen teams in the past compete whilst doing so. Danks and Floyd were great this past year, but sophomore slump/flash in the pan are coined phrases for a reason. Not saying they were flukes, but how many in the past have had one damn good year and then dropped off? I have faith in the two, but you are now, at this point at least, going into the season with one proven starter. On that same note we have Ramirez and Quentin. Not saying, just saying... It's nice to speculate..."and what if we got Bailey, what a sick rotation that would be, even though he had a solid 8 ERA in the NL Central...", "dude, Pittsburgh has this disgusting nasty flamethrower in low A ball that we just highway robbered them for...". Firstly, with some of these guys we're talking years away, secondly, Coop is great, but him being here doesn't guarantee that whatever once highly touted fallen star prospect for another organization will suddenly see the light under his tutelage. Did Vazquez or Logan see the light? Reclamation projects are great when there are fall back options. There are no fall back options. (sign sheets!) I'd rather not roll my dice in the futures market. I realize our position may be limited, but someone who's just about Major League ready to throw a ball with results, or an on the cheap vet (Sheets for example) needs to come our way. Words like "ace" shouldn't be attatched to a pitcher after one good season. There's nothing wrong with acquiring "years away" guys by chance, but I'm not a fan of making those players our sole targets. With Dye being rumored to leave, what did we get for Swisher who was coming off an all time low value-wise? Nothing at all? Betemit? For F***S sake... Baseball will be played in Chicago between the years of 2009-2012, after all. Had Swisher not been thrown away, the loss of Dye, should it happen, would have been more easily absorbed. Now, who's going to step into this corner outfield position to replace 50+ HR's? I hope to Christ it's Manny, because Betemit is good for like 4 or 5. I remember long periods of offensive struggle in the past two years. Losing arguably the biggest producer and one who had potential to be a big producer is not the remedy to this. Luckily, it's just 12/02 and the action is just getting started. I imagine we won't go into next year with a 1-3 man rotation and 75 fewer HR's. I imagine and pray. It may not seem like I like the trade from the words written above, but I do, at least this one. Javy was frustrating to watch, and clearly ties were severed between him and the organization from about September on. He needed to leave, and this is what I mean by acquiring years off guys by chance. I think with the Dye talks floating around I'm pissed that we let go of Swisher coming of the lowest of lows career production wise for a Wilson Betemit. And then they want to add the slugger Taveras to boot. Sheets still won't be cheap. Arguably, he's the fourth best starter on the market. The second tier is Jon Garland, Randy Wolf (whose own team didn't offer him arbitration) and Oliver Perez. All of those guys are expected to get 3-4 years and $40-50 million each. Heck, Kyle Lohse, who pretty much anyone in baseball could have had a couple of seasons ago for FREE, just got $41 million over 4 years. It would be nice to think a Sheets would want to pitch for us on an incentives-based contract, but why would he when other teams are willing to give him guaranteed money and a longer contract term? With Swisher, Dayan Viciedo or Fields have approximately equal chances (between the two of them) to have even bigger impacts on the White Sox than Swisher would have...I would hardly call him an automatic 100 RBI guy, since he's never even done that once in his entire career. I certainly would never rank him ahead of Quentin/Thome/Dye/Konerko as a hitter or threat to other teams. Next, wait to see what we do with the money from letting Swisher, Vazquez, Crede, Cabrera and Uribe. Then judge, but at least wait until next season has played out, and you might have to wait 2-3 years to see what type of impact, if any, that Marquez and Nunez have on the major league roster. If nothing else were to be done before Opening Day, then I would obviously have a problem with that. But I seriously doubt that would happen.

Looking at his stats, he's NEVER played CF and barely played 2B/3B more than a few games. I really think KW will make him the starter at SS, and move Ramirez back to 2B or CF. Otherwise, you're asking him to learn a whole new position on the fly in Spring Training. That doesn't make much sense to me. As noted above, he's most valuable to the Sox and other clubs at SS. http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/L/B...llibridge.shtml

QUOTE (kwolf68 @ Dec 2, 2008 -> 11:45 PM) Speed and experience at the position. I have seen where he used to play CF...his move to SS may have been because he struggled there or maybe he was just good enough overall to make the switch. He has excellent stolen base potential. If he can play solid D in CF, why not? I can see the Willy Taveras thread arguments transferred to another one if Lillibridge was named the starting CFer (with his 2008 season highlights/lowlights featured prominently). I'm no BA fan, but I would rather have BA or Owens or a BA/Owens platoon than Lillibridge as the starter there. At least we know Taveras can steal bases, and has the arm/speed/range to play the position at much better than MLB average for center.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Dec 2, 2008 -> 11:45 PM) Roberts and Daniel Cabrera are attainable much more easily. I think Roberts is a great one year fit until Beckham is ready. The rest of the options are meh..... How about Roberts and Furcal with Ramirez in CF or at 3B with Anderson in CF. Don't move Ramirez to 3B, please. First of all, it's the position he has played the least after SS/2B/CF. He would be an average or below average offensive player there...up the middle, he's a much bigger asset and advantage over other teams. Furcal AND Roberts together would be prohibitively expensive (based on what we're hearing from FO and anticipating further recessionary economic erosion)...and I doubt we get either one, to tell the truth. It's possible, but still unlikely.