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QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 07:26 PM) I think one of the things they'd have to have in place is an idea of Pujols's extension demands, because the one thing that I wouldn't do in that franchise is to sign Holliday to a contract that would prevent me from meeting Albert's extension demands...or a contract that would have me paying big money to Holliday after I've had to trade Albert or let him walk. While trading Pujols would indeed suck, imagine the haul you'd get.

QUOTE (Princess Dye @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 11:19 PM) One thing I disagree with seemingly most the board... I for one believe Andruw was signed to have a serious role here. What? No Nick Swisher blow up dolls?

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 09:53 PM) No.. stop.. Your making too much sense on this board Chris. Every one knows common sense is a super power. Chris Rongey=superhero? Regardless, I'll beat the dead horse and hope for A-Gon. Only way I could see us out-bidding the Red Sox is due to Hoyer's knowledge of their system, and he'd demand top level prospects as previously stated.

I'm late to thread, so I'm just gonna say I like the move, since we're getting a Pods at almost half the cost, younger, less injury prone, slightly better D, better on base paths, and generally a better average. Also, the top levels of our system are unscathed so (to be a dead horse) Gonzalez isn't completely out of the question, and that would give us a good offense to go with the pitching.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 12:43 AM) I'm going to hold you to that... Party at Ranger's place! I'll bring the cake (shaped like a Sox logo )

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 14, 2009 -> 11:51 PM) They're not going to pay Halladay and Lee. Exactly, the Phils couldn't afford both pitchers, or they'd keep Lee.

Cowley may be to blame for Carrasco's departure. http://espn.go.com/chicago/columns/blog/_/...432/name/levine The Putz leak drove the price up by $500,000, and DJ and the team were reportedly only a couple hundred thousand apart.

QUOTE (chisox2334 @ Dec 14, 2009 -> 03:13 PM) # KW is lurking out there, about to pounce. Shhhhhh ... Listen closely, hear it? Logic tells me that Kenny is behind Cowley with a big dagger, and about to pounce.

That was exactly how I would have had my top 6, and I might have had Crede in over Maggs/Contreras/Rowand. Slayer needs to be an honorable mention, since he's gonna be #1 next decade.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 12, 2009 -> 03:54 AM) Except that Betancourt sucks, Ramirez is good, and both Contreras and Hernandez won a World Series with the Sox. So there. And Dayan is waiting in the wings.

Lee and Hernandez gives the Mariners like, the hands down best 1-2 punch in the playoffs. I'd still like to think the Sox have the best 1-2-3-4 punch though...

QUOTE (b-Rye @ Dec 13, 2009 -> 08:32 PM) The recent White Sox all free agent team: (This team would be frustrating to watch, too bad it includes some of my favorite players) C- Ramon Castro 1B- Darrin Erstad 2B- Juan Uribe 3B- Joe Crede SS- Orlando Cabrera LF- Scotty Pod CF- Brian Anderson RF- Jermaine Dye DH- Jim Thome Bench- Tadahito Iguchi Rob Mackowiak Jeremy Reed Frank Thomas SP Jon Garland SP Bartolo Colon SP Jose Contreras SP DJ Carrasco SP Toma Ohka RP Lance Broadway RP Neal Cotts RP Scott Schoenweis RP Octavio Dotel SP Mike Macdougal The lineup, while nothing to be excited about isn't as bad as you'd expect from all FA's. The rotation has 1 ok starter, and the bullpen has 1 1/2 good arms.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 13, 2009 -> 05:26 AM) KW has made the most trades involving prospects by a pretty good margin since he's been GM. And not a single one of them has become an even above average major leaguer. You're right about the Yankees (although guys like Cano, Chamberlain and Hughes have come through their system). But the Braves have been a prospect factory for over two decades. Just off the top of my head guys like Adam Wainwright, Neftali Feliz, Joey Devine and Elvis Andrus were drafted/signed then traded. That's top flight major league talent. Not to mention guys like Tommie Hanson and Jason Heyward. If I'm a GM and I'm lookin' to trade for prospects, one of the teams I'd target would be the Braves. Not the White Sox. But props to Kenny. He obviously knows when to get rid of these guys. You would just think after a while GM's would catch on. You're not getting what I'm saying. I know top prospects flop in every organization. My point is that it's mind-boggling with our recent history of pathetic drafts, combined with the fact that out of the dozens of prospects KW has traded over the years that not a single one of them has amounted to anything, that GM's are still willing to deal with him. If I'm a GM, I don't even look Kenny's way. I think Beckham may have re-established faith in our system. Perhaps that will make teams trade with us again.

I dislike this, though it probably means Hudson will be the long man out of the pen.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 12, 2009 -> 02:54 PM) Love to have him back. Can't afford him. And like Kal said, he's gonna want a starting spot, not a backup. Though if he was willing to be a backup and we had the money, I'd sign him in a heartbeat.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Dec 12, 2009 -> 03:02 PM) Yes, we're going to non-tender DJ Carrasco because we're currently $45M-$55M under budget. DJ is obviously asking for $40M, since he was after all, team MVP.

Gotta love Tim Dierkes, he was just on the Score claiming the Sox will have a $120-$130 Million dollar payroll, and said that they could possibly go for Adrian Gonzalez, referencing (not by name) the SoxNet rumor that he so quickly shot down as unreliable.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Dec 11, 2009 -> 10:05 PM) Little blurb about our 2nd lefty situation and Gonzo's idea. I wouldn't mind a resurgent Cotts... But really, this DJ situation makes no sense to me, especially considering what DA said, they're only a couple hundred thousand apart...

QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 11, 2009 -> 04:24 PM) Do the Joe bashers hate Joe for that youtube he did with AJ or something? Does he get all the hot chicks at the clubs you frequent? Mr. Cowley. If you read this board, I feel you are a great White Sox reporter. Good job as it is obvious you work your ass off covering the White Sox in and out of season. This Bud is for you. You know Cowley doesn't read these boards, because all we are is a bunch of trekkie know-nothings.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Dec 4, 2009 -> 05:46 PM) Not to mention Justin Smoak, who was drafted after Beckham, looks like an absolute stud in the making. That draft was just stacked. And Brett Wallace and Buster Posey. If anything, the one disappointment seems to be Tim Beckham, but he's only like what, 19? I still say we got the better Shortstop Beckham from Georgia though .

I'm proud to be where my Buerhle shirt right now But gotta love Buehrle for this. Also, he needs to ride the bike around the concourse since Kenny won't let him slip and slide during rain delays.

I now need MLB Network if Gammons moves there. Kurkjian may be the only guy I really like on ESPN anymore for baseball coverage.

Man, I really like Granderson and was hoping he'd go anywhere other than the Yankees.

QUOTE (Pumpkin Escobar @ Dec 8, 2009 -> 04:39 PM) Absolutely not. If you look back at what I was saying or meant to say. I said you acquire him and go spend money on a couple of much needed hitters. He physically won't sell us out on his own. His acquisition alone will sell tickets. Not because he is a fan favorite but because him being added onto this team will generate interest. We'll go from middle of the pack to a sure-fire contender which always helps sell extra tickets to those fans who aren't annual season ticket holders, or are unsure of wanting to make the investment. Now adding him and adding a couple hitters(by hitters I mean a legit leadoff man and a big bat. Not Pods and Thome) will do that job of potentially selling us out. It's not really rocket science for these GM's. If you put a legit contender out there, Sox fans or other fans will come. We don't need to spend like the Yankees and we aren't going to have the social event like the Cubs. Our fans understand crap vs good and if you put a club out there sporting what we have now + Halladay and more. It'll get the casual fans interested and the serious fans who dislike our squad interested. And like I said, not pods or thome with Doc, I mean signing or acquiring a guy or two at any cost. It'll deplete the farm, and that isn't something I am fond of, but my point was in the case of Halladay. He is all-in, so you go all-ain. Otherwise, he isn't really worth it unless you acquiring him at a cheap cost and figuring things out from there. My point simply was he is an "all-in" piece for the Sox. If you decide to get him. Screw the payroll and kick it back up to 120-130 mil or whatever it was in 2008 and go for it. That reminded me of the Scott Merkin mailbag where someone said we'd get Upton (or was it Crawford?), Gonzalez, and Halladay this offesason.

QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Dec 8, 2009 -> 04:20 PM) You might be thinking about when an aging but still talented Greg Maddux was added to the rotation of Zambrano, Wood, Prior, and Clement. That rotation was unquestionably the "best ever." I know because I read it in the Tribune and heard it on WGN. From what I also remember hearing, that 2004 Chicago Cubs team won the World Series that year in February. Ba-zing! The Sox rotation would have the chance at the best rotation ever, but probably wouldn't. It'd be the Best Rotation Ever in 2010.