Jerksticks

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ Nov 7, 2012 -> 12:07 PM) I posted a similar scenario somewhere on this board. Trade Rios for prospects, turn those prospects and some of our own into Chase Headley then sign Hamilton and call it an offseason. Payroll will jump a little bit next year if the Sox can resign Headley but the following year Dunns contract comes off the books and Headley takes over that kinda $$. I don't think thats too much of a pipe dream if Headleys truly available, which with Gyrko waiting in the wings and the $$ Chase is about to make, it would make sense that he would be. Getting Hamilton might be the bigger stretch as I'm sure some team is gonna over pay him. I think this is a good post. I say over pay Hamilton like 4 years/100+, but keep the years lower. Maybe it's okay to have that 1 expensive outfield piece since it looks like our outfield will be cheap and homegrown for the next decade or so. So is that adding roughly $10M per year to Rios' deal? And like you're saying Dunn comes off the books in another 2. So we will only be paying big bucks to Hamilton, Headley, Sale and Danks in a few years? Plus the $40M that is fun to call free. We should try to win next year. That's why Peavy is here, right?

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Nov 7, 2012 -> 09:28 AM) A drastic, ballsy trade would be great, but it's hard to bank on that. As for the budget, I'm not so much concerned about the dollars on FA contracts as I am the years. You can justify the money that Josh Hamilton will get for 2013 and maybe a couple years after that, but that's going to be a terrible contract down the road. If there's a guy out there who will go for bigger dollars at fewer years, I'd go after him. Now we're talkin. What happens to the outfield if we get Hamilton? Tough ass question to answer. If we replace Rios' contract with his then we aren't really adding that much payroll, plus we get the Rios prospects. I think we'd still need another bat then. But we'd have at least an extra stud prospect from Rios to help. What about the TV $40M? Any news on how the Sox view that? Seems like a little insurance for a ballsy move. We have the pitching to make a legit run but does the brass see it that way?

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Nov 7, 2012 -> 08:49 AM) I hear there's like a dozen .380 OBP guys just begging for teams to sign them. Yawn. You say that like I don't know that. We need to improve the offense, not tinker with it. I think a drastic, ballsy trade or signing is coming- a little shakeup. Wouldn't that address the problem Mr. GreenText? Or are you gonna throw budget numbers at me next from the armchair? We can't just plug a top 3b prospect in there an hope to contend. We have too many black holes already. Need a bat dude. Give Hahn a chance. He has the means to shake it up if he so desires.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Nov 6, 2012 -> 10:52 PM) I wish everything was just based on opinion...tough out, not tough out, good pitcher, bad pitcher. Who needs stats? Let alone advanced ones? They are so worthless. They don't actually present, you know, facts. ? .200/.330/.460 in the 3-hole just doesn't get it done for me. There's a stat I don't like. Kinda backs up my opinion that we need to get a better 3-hole hitter for 2013, no? We need some .380 OBP in that position. Someone dangerous. Let 0-2, Free Swings McGee bat elsewhere.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Nov 6, 2012 -> 02:07 PM) But he clearly wasn't the biggest problem. If he were an easy out he would not walk as much as he does. He committed fewer outs than more than half the team. If this is your opinion, then I really don't have any use for your opinion. Its just flat out wrong. Lol cool, then don't use it. Do you feel better getting that snotty jab in there? Man, I'd cringe every time Dunn would be up, especially when we just needed some team ball, like a weak groundball to the right side, just some contact Adam. Any decent pitcher got him all year. To you, just another out. To me, rally death. Why can't I hate his style of baseball in peace? He f***ing sucks my Jerksticks eye test for 3-hole hitting. This has validity.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Nov 6, 2012 -> 10:26 AM) Strikeout totals and batting average have little to do with a hitter's value, and I'm not 100% certain you can get a free agent guaranteed to put up an .800+ OPS for much less. Please stop. This is not absolute fact but merely opinion that cannot be universally applied to all batters in all slots. If your eyes told you that Adam Dunn helped the team more than he hurt it this year then that's your opinion. My opinion is that he, along with a few other hitters, killed us. He hurt us the most because he placed an unfeared, auto-out in between our stack of good hitters. Just because he hit 41 pitches hard this year does not discount the other 1500 that fooled him. Stats aside I'd rate the offense like this: DeAza- tough out Youk- tough out Dunn- easy out PK- tough out Rios- tough out AJ- tough out Tank- easy out Alexei- easy out Jimmy- easy out IMO Dunn was the biggest problem.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 6, 2012 -> 08:13 AM) Turns out he won the MLBPA Comeback award as well. Mercy. I hope he wins it again next year.

Longoria is my guess.

QUOTE (Markbilliards @ Nov 2, 2012 -> 05:25 PM) I'm still upset to this day about how long Andy Gonzalez was up at the MLB level in '07 while Jason Bourgeois was in Charlotte and had so much more capability. That wasn't a 100% GM kind of decision though, I'd assume. Other than that, KW has never done anything that absolutely infuriated me, and for the most I've been pleased with his tenure. I think our Agon was around for so long because of that 12 pitch AB against Zumaya in the 9th. That was f***ing awesome and I'll never forget it. Even I thought he was gonna be great after that. KW is a great, great man. From his perfect word choice to his lack of knee-jerk, emotional reactions, he will be missed. Don't disappear on me now KW!

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Nov 1, 2012 -> 04:22 PM) Someone's walks can be overrated? Now I've heard everything. Walks are overrated in a game that is based around getting on base and not making the next out. Brilliant. I feel like Dunn is an example of overrated walks actually. You know why? Because his 0-19s with a couple walks and 0 runs scored destroy us. 0-8s and 0-11s all over the place. 0-15 with a run scored and a walk in July against Detroit and Boston. He goes 5-6 games without RBIs that kill us. His game offends me but it is what it is- in no way is it perfect for the 3-hole though; that is as arguable as a topic gets! He drove in Youk 10 times- 3 times each month? He drove in De Aza 22 times which was the most- a whopping 3.6 times per month. Drove himself in 41 times lol. Boom or bust. I'd like to see all the hrs he hit this year: against who and the situation. Other than that 2 hr game at the end of the year, I'd be willing to wager the majority were meaningless and more importantly against bad, mopup-style RH pitchers with no velocity. All a hunch. I hate every second I watch him.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Oct 31, 2012 -> 09:42 PM) I like the deal since they are not handcuffed long term. Next, get rid of Dunn. I want Dunn gone as much as anybody but I think we'd have to throw in Q, Santiago, Viciedo and maybe Flowers. That's how untradeable that sack of whacklord is IMO.

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Oct 30, 2012 -> 08:44 PM) David Wrights option will be picked up by the Mets. Peavy's $4 mil buyout to be paid in annual installments of $1 mil from 2016-19. -- Gonzo ^^ Interesting. Hell yea. Any finance guys tell us how to properly discount that to today?

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Oct 30, 2012 -> 06:07 PM) I'm still expecting Hahn to make some sort of bold move this fall! Some sort of big name will be dealt in a package for another big time player..... Me too man! We haven't had a good #3 hitter since Quentin. We need a badass to push Dunn down in the order to 6 or something so everyone is happy. I hope Hahn goes after one. What kind of big name are you thinking?

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Oct 30, 2012 -> 04:37 PM) Beckham has played gold glove caliber at secondbase. He will hit. My suggestion is this: The Sox have moved their infielders around to ither positions. Beckam went from SS to 3B and did pretty good in his one season there. He has gone to 2B and done even better. Ramirez has moved around and is gold glove caliber at SS. Carlos Sanchez has been touted as a major league ready 2B or SS but is checking things out at 3B even though ther club feels he is better up the middle. I suggest we move Beckam back to 3B, keep Ramirez at SS and bring in Sanchez at 2B. Viciedo moved from 3B to RF to LF. Keep him there. He will hit eh? Ah yes

QUOTE (Jake @ Oct 30, 2012 -> 05:09 PM) Sale-Peavy-Danks-Floyd-Q Dirty. Just dirty. Santiago-Axelrod not bad as depth, either. Well said. We should have a chance to win every game. Now we need a #3 hitter so we can start winning some WS.

Sweet, he gone.

Debunked? Lol I love speaking in comedic absolutes as much as the next guy but ya gotta expect retorts for such silliness. I just hope some are provided. Dude was blown away by every fastball that mattered all year! One exception: that 2 homer game end of the year. One exception IMO. Choke city any other time my eyes watched. It was painful. KW only blunder in 10 years.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 15, 2012 -> 09:26 AM) http://www.chicagonow.com/white-sox-observ...end-john-danks/ I wish we hosed somebody into taking him last offseason. Preferably Toronto again, those assholes.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 11, 2012 -> 10:32 AM) Good ol Bruce, always a week late. The interesting thing here is the salaries being talked about. http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/white-sox/...k-stone-pairing Bob Brenly and Len Kasper are everything that is wrong with broadcasting. They have no insight into the thought processes going on inside players' heads. That is something completely unique to a Hawk broadcast. Don't believe me? Get MLB.tv. The only things that bother me are the over-repeatings of advice to youngsters, specifically the "plenty of guys in Cooperstown who couldn't hit a curve, you just gotta cover the fastball" type offerings. Even though that is probably the best advice a young, aspiring hitter can ever hear, it still annoys me because I've heard it a hundred times. But shame on me because some kid somewhere is taking it to heart at that same moment of my petty annoyance. The day hawk hangs it up will be one of the saddest days of my life, I can guarantee that. Shame on any of you who don't love him, I just don't understand where you are coming from as Sox fans.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 10, 2012 -> 09:00 PM) You cannot honestly tell me that that you think there were at least 60 better starting pitchers than Jake Peavy this year. He was awesome this year especially for having to reinvent his style. I expect him to be better next year but still unable to put away quality hitters. I think we need to find a RH gem. Easier said than done.

QUOTE (Cali @ Oct 10, 2012 -> 01:05 PM) As fun an experiment as it would be to have 4 lefties in a rotation*, if you had to chose between Quintana and Santiago who would you choose? To me Hector is the clear choice. He has better stuff and seems to have a great approach mentally where he doesn't let small stuff get to him and could pitch over mistakes (coughFLOYDcough) the classic "bulldog" mentality. * I do however think Danks won't be ready to go by April... Just a hunch. If he is he certainly won't be 100% and throwing like he's shown he can at times in the past. I don't think you can give Santiago the clear edge in mental intangibles. Quintana was cold nails during his run. In fact, he was getting a reputation for pitching out of jams. Furthermore, I like his ability to change speeds with 3+ pitches. In all fairness, Santiago sure made it look like he had nothing left to prove when he was stretched out in Charlotte. This is a really tough debate, picking between the two, and I have yet to confidently form a legitimate opinion. If I had to pick today I'd go with Q. He cut through the dodgers in like 70 pitches which was the stat of the year for me!

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Oct 3, 2012 -> 06:52 AM) It amazes me how much people will cherry pick stats to support "their guy" over "not their guy". Viciedo strikes out 118 times, walks 78 fewer times than Dunn, with a 39 point lower OBP and a 43 point lower SLG, and people want to ship Dunn out the first chance they get but will scream bloody murder if the Sox try to get good talent in return for Viciedo. And even with all those strikeouts Viciedo had, he still made enough contact to be second on the team in GIDP. If you're going to have an irrational hatred of strikeouts, then at least hate them for everybody and not just one guy. This is comparing apples and lawn chairs.

From a winning perspective, with money aside for a minute, is having Peavy and Floyd as your primary RH weapons enough to contend for a championship? Even if you ignore all injury risk, the fact remains that we are talking about 2 guys with diminished fastballs, both sitting around 91. Now I didn't watch Floyd's last few starts but I doubt he was up at 93-94 like old Floyd. Think about that AND THEN add injury risk. I just don't think 90-91 gets it done from the right side against good hitters. Do we need a stud from the right side for 2013? In a perfect world for me, Peavy returns as our 2nd best RH starter.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Oct 4, 2012 -> 10:45 AM) If the Sox offered AJ 1 year/$12M he would sign the deal before the printer was finished spitting it out. Haha agreed. I think if we let AJ go and thus go cheap at catcher, we really need to splurge on an impact bat for the 3 hole. Flowers looks like he'll be pretty good behind the plate but we could be looking at another sub .300 OBP added to our already bountiful list of such felons.

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ Oct 2, 2012 -> 10:46 PM) They were throwing him a lot less fastballs and gave him less pitches to hit. When you have someone with no pop behind him they can afford to do that, it also shows up in his walk totals in the 2nd half. You couple that with his oblique problems and its no wonder he hasn't been as good as the all star 1st half he had. I respect your opinion here but I don't buy it as ultimate fact. With a more typical hitter I would agree with you, but with Dunn, his lack of protection merely amplified his suck-factor rather than causing it. Plenty of teams with just 1 guy with no protection getting it done. .200 is dogs*** man, it's dogs***. It means he knocks in de aza 1 out of 5 times, bottom line. Do you really want him in the 3 hole next year?