Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 4, 2010 -> 09:31 PM) And yet all four of them had other franchises looking at them very seriously to lead their franchises to one degree or another. Does the Marlins' interest in Guillen make him a good manager? I feel like the main reason the Marlins would want Guillen is due to him name and not his managerial skills. What other organizations are lining up for Guillen?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 4, 2010 -> 05:18 PM) If Cooper asked for it, they'd probably consider letting him, for goodwill reasons. I feel like you see that for coaches being considered for managerial roles, but I can't think of a time where a team allowed another team to interview one of its coaches for the same position.

QUOTE (PlunketChris @ Nov 4, 2010 -> 04:57 PM) Twitter: @SI_JonHeyman: #yankees asked #chisox for permission to interview pitching coach don cooper, but were rebuffed by chi. cooper has 1 yr to go on contract. So, Joey Cora is in the mix for managerial jobs, Coop is wanted by the Yankees, Hahn was interviewed for at least one GM job. It seems like the coaching staff and front office are pretty well respected throughout the league. I'm not sure what it means for the White Sox, but there's a lot of really good baseball people in the organization. I know Cooper is a NY native, but why on Earth would the Sox ever consider this?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 4, 2010 -> 04:16 PM) Or that could mean that the team likes having the extra lefty and that Gavin Floyd (or Edwin Jackson) is the likely one to go. Or that could mean that Chris Sale is your new closer. It simply means Danks is our best starter and we want to lock him up. Why is it so weird that we'd want to sign our young, talented left-handed pitcher to a long-term contract? KW probably realizes he needs to work out an extension now or else Danks has little reason not to wait and test free agency as soon as possible. If a deal can't be worked out, then KW has got to look into moving him now if he wants to maximize his return. However, there's no reason to trade Danks if he's willing to sign an affordable extension. This team needs a couple starters locked up long-term and he's by far the most valuable option.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 4, 2010 -> 12:17 PM) I sort of question their research. First, this about Flowers: Apparently they haven't seen what we've heard from scouts and other people, that his defense is vastly improved, and that coaches named him best defensive catcher in the league. Then Phegley: Are they not aware of the reason for his absence? Because that reason pretty much keeps him out of any potential to be a Top 10 guy, even in this system. Wasn't that feedback from 2009 regarding his performance in the Southern League? I haven't read anything like that about his defense from this past season. Also, I was most surprised about them calling Jared Mitchell an overdraft based on his tools. That doesn't make any sense to me.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 4, 2010 -> 09:25 AM) I do too, but you can't overspend for him. AJP at $7 million is too much, but $3-4 million is much more reasonable. He's going to look at Vizquel getting $1.75 and say "and I'm only worth $4 mill?" I think it could get messy. Exactly, it's all about the price and years. I'd be very happy with A.J. back on a one year deal at $3 - 4 million, but if he wants a two year deal or a higher annual salary, then we pretty much have to pass on him. We have way too many needs to overpay for A.J. In a perfect world, you'd bring A.J. back for one last run with our current pitching staff (at a reasonable price), give Tyler Flowers one more year in AAA to see if he can fix his swing, and then figure out your long-term plan at catcher next offseason. If Flowers improves this year, then you can consider making him the starter in 2012. If not, you're probably going to have to look outside the organization for an everyday catcher. Regardless, I think it would be a huge mistake to count on Flowers to play a significant role this year. He will be most valuable for us an our emergency catcher down in AAA, where he keep working on his game and improve his long-term value to us or another team.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Nov 2, 2010 -> 09:46 PM) The Sox aren't going to sign anybody too noteworthy. But I think going after somebody like an Austin Kearns as a RF might be a safe move. A move that might be one step up from that is trading for Ryan Ludwick. TBH, I think one of the most important positions that needs to be addressed is right field. We can't have Quentin hobbling around out there. It devalues him a lot, both as a hitter and a fielder. Stick Quentin at DH or have him platoon there with somebody else (he can't hit right handed pitchers). I think a lot of us feel that Paul Konerko is number one priority and I will have to strongly agree. Retaining Konerko is huge. However, if we don't get him back, we can always try somebody like Carlos Pena, who after a pretty bad year, could come at a similar price to Konerko. Aubrey Huff is also an option. The left handed options at 1B are aplenty. Out of all our free agents, A.J. is the least of my worries. I think Tyler Flowers can produce what he did last season. The defense might not be the same and Flowers will have to adjust to calling games, but offensively, the two can't differ by much and Flowers actually does have upside. Jenks needs to be non-tendered, paying him nearly $10 million when this team is short on money would be absolutely crazy. Instead, give some of the money to Putz (his struggles late in the year might help us get him back at a decent price). Have either Putz or Thornton start off as the closer. Eventually, that might be a role for Chris Sale to settle into. Either way, you have three solid guys at the back end of the bullpen in Sale, Thornton, and Putz. The Sox don't need that many new additions, they just need to spend whatever cash they have wisely. A majority of that cash should be spent on Konerko and Putz. Whatever's left should be focused on getting a full-time right fielder to move Quentin to the DH role. And if they can, maybe go after a 3B option that can backup Morel in case he fails (Felipe Lopez, maybe? Just throwing a name out there off the top of my head). I disagree on the A.J. part. His bat may be expendable, but losing his game-calling ability would be significant. With the amount of money we're paying our rotation, I want our everyday catcher to be a good game-caller. I definitely do not want to thrust Flowers into a starting role without him having some time to work with our staff beforehand.

Does anyone else think this means Morel is a lock to be the starting 3B in 2011? I would think if we were considering a more expensive and proven option at 3B, then having Vizquel would be a bit of a luxury. I know $1.75 million isn't a lot of money, but we do have several big holes that need to be filled. At least this should mean no more Teahen at 3B. Unfortunately, I don't see how he fits into the equation now. The only value Teahen provides to the team is a solid bat against righties as backup at several positions, but I'm not sure how much usage he'll really get now. Hopefully we sign or trade for a left-handed power bat for 1B/DH/RF, so that's one position where his value as a backup is minimal. Also, if Quentin remains on the team, that's another spot where Teahen has limited value. At this point, it probably makes the most sense to eat half his contract and see if someone will bite or try swapping him for another over-priced player that fits some need.

I don't think Paul will be back in 2011. Based on his comments at the end of the season, I feel like he either wants to be closer to his home in Arizona or with a team that he thinks has a better chance of contending. I also feel that KW wants to use the financial resources on a younger and/or different type of impact player. This could simply be a left-handed power bat like Dunn or a younger, highly-skilled player like Kemp.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 2, 2010 -> 07:40 AM) WHere have you heard that Arizona will go after him? I really don't think they will...they've gone youth/savings this year with the Jackson and Haren trades, tried to load up on young pitching, and they've got options at 1b (LaRoche, who I know they've talked about resigning, and Brandon Allen). http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=5745666

QUOTE (MurcieOne @ Aug 31, 2010 -> 08:11 PM) can't burn two players like that in a close game. Normally I'd agree, but with the state of our bullpen, I'm going for the W in the 9th.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Aug 31, 2010 -> 08:08 PM) We really can't afford extras, heart of the order coming up in the 9th. I'd pinch hit for Quentin with Manny and then sub Jones in the bottom of 9th.

I really like Teahen in this super-sub role.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Aug 31, 2010 -> 07:30 PM) I could see that working out but DH/1B would have to be big power guys. IMO, Morel should be able to replace Omar's production. Viciedo (with some Teahen mixed in) would probably be an upgrade over the Kotsay/Jones platoon. We'd definitely need to resign Konerko or replace him with an equally productive bat. If that were accomplished, you'd be looking at a similar offense next season.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Aug 31, 2010 -> 07:19 PM) Thats a big if, since those are two major power positions. I think as of now, we will have holes at RF (Pierre/Rios are locks), 3B (no one), C, and 1B (Paulie a FA). Potential fits from within are: - Dayan Viciedo (we know he can't do it defensively at 3B, but offensively he has the ability to be a fit at 1B, but we'd be taking an awful huge chance switching from Paulie to Dayan - Teahen (personally I'd just let him be a backup that can get at bats from the left side in RF, 3B, 2B, and 1st) - Flowers (Not ready) - Mitchell (Not ready) Tigers just took a 1-0 lead with runners on the corners and 2 out. You forgot about Morel. He's been on fire in AAA as of late. I could see Morel at 3rd next year with Viciedo at DH/1B and Teahen getting some playing time at all three spots.

QUOTE (beckham15 @ Aug 31, 2010 -> 06:38 PM) i really hope we keep EJAX next year...... If he keeps pitching like this, then it's all but certain. The question then becomes can you keep him past 2011.

This is a complete f***ing joke. I'm sorry but it's absolutely stupid not putting our best offense on the field while our bullpen is in shambles. We're going to need every extra run to help avoid a late game meltdown. Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like Ozzie has done this same s*** in the past with other mid-season additions. He feels these players need a game to adjust to their new team. Unfortunately, that shouldn't even be up for consideration when your team has a month left in the season. Also, what's the over/under on LOB for Mark Kotsay tonight? I'll go with four and a half.

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ Aug 24, 2010 -> 10:26 PM) Not to me, they're 3 1/2 out with 3 games left against the 1st place team. Manny could make a huge difference with this line-up just by being OK. This is exactly how I feel. We have a chance to add a potential impact bat for September. If he's even semi-productive, he makes our offense much stronger. Worst case scenario, he's an upgrade over Mark Kotsay, puts some people in the seats and sends a message to the team that this season isn't over yet. Why do some people on here want to give up on this season so quickly?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 24, 2010 -> 07:09 PM) I hope an NL team claims him. As was stated earlier, this is very much the opposite of the way KW does business. It almost makes me think its strictly a PR move for the Sox hoping an NL team claims him or someone in front of them in line and then they can always say, we tried to get him. I just don't think Manny is going to earn that $4 million plus the next month. Last Sept. he hit .218. His last 1000 American League ABs his numbers aren't much better, if they are really even better, than Thome's. Maybe it will light a spark, but oft-injured 38 year olds off the juice rarely earn $4 million in a month. I'm sorry but if you can get Manny for nothing you do it. He may not work out in the end, but this team is desperate for an upgrade at DH and he can't be any worse than Kotsay. We have to roll the dice on Manny if we get the chance.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Aug 13, 2010 -> 08:39 AM) Epic fail by Kenny this year. I'm a huge KW supporter, but I will never understand what the f*** he was thinking here. The idea of using a bad offensive player as your primary DH is just so illogical. We've been basically a man down all season offensively and will continue to be down one if we make the postseason. The most irritating part is that DH should be the easiest spot in the lineup to fill with average production but KW couldn't find a single way to do that over the past 8-9 months.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 6, 2010 -> 09:22 AM) You'll note though...Ankiel...got traded! The deal didn't bring back a top of the league prospect, but it did bring back some guys who might be MLB caliber filler players at some point, and even that can be valuable. If I were sitting in Moore's chair, I'd be trying to draft as well as I can, develop guys in the minors as much as I can...but then I'd also be taking some money and signing some guys in FA to fill things I considered obvious holes or places where I'd rather not bring up my young talent just yet (develop them more in the minors and push back their Arb years). I'd go after guys that aren't hugely expensive, even if I have to overpay a little to get them to KC, and I'd go after guys that for whatever reason might be able to play well enough to turn themselves into trade-bait. That way, maybe I sign one guy and he winds up being a complete waste, but maybe I sign an Ankiel/Podsednik, get a couple wins out of them, and then deal them for more young roster filler pieces to a desperate team at the deadline. If I draft well and can fill in top line players through the draft, I can round out my roster with other cheap guys by that technique. I'll tell you what, I have no idea why teams like the Royals don't stock up on veteran relievers in the offseason, even if they have to overpay a little. As long as the deals are for one year, these guys are easy to move at the deadline and if they're performing well, can give you quite a haul. The Pirates' signing of Octavio Dotel is a perfect example.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Aug 6, 2010 -> 12:04 PM) What are the Sox longterm plans for Sale? "Lefty one out" guy, reliever, starter? If it were "Lefty one out" guy, then a lot of people, including KW, should be fired. No team in their right mind would ever draft a guy in the first round who they project to be a LOOGY in the long-run. I think the hope is he can develop into a starter, but if not, he should be a pretty damn good left-handed setup man.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Aug 6, 2010 -> 09:16 AM) We saw how careful Ozzie was to let Santos pitch in April so expect similar treatment for Sale. Except Ozzie loves the lefty-lefty matchups, so I'd expect Sale to get a decent amount of use if he proves effective from the get go.

Give that man a Gold Glove!

I'd definitely be willing to sign him to a minor league contract. If you give him some sort of out clause, where he can get out of the contract by August 29th or so, I think there's a chance he'd be willing to accept. No team is going to bring him straight to the majors without facing some minor league pitching first.