2007 Predictions

[DBAHO]

Interestin article,

 

CHICAGO—Picking the Athletics to beat the Cubs in the 2004 World Series doesn't require a great leap of faith. Both have formidable pitching staffs and are coming off playoff appearances a year ago.

 

The columnist's union makes us tout ourselves on the rare occasions when we get something right, so I'm here to remind you that I made that very prediction in this space--in 2001.

 

In what has become an annual part of our Major League Preview issue, I looked ahead three years into the future. Besides that matchup, I also forecast division titles for the Braves, Dodgers, White Sox and Yankees, as well as wild cards for the Astros and Red Sox.

 

I'm also on record with the Astros beating the Mariners in the 2005 Series and the Cubs vanquishing the Twins in 2006. Now it's time to look ahead to 2007.

 

The Yankees and Red Sox still boast the two largest payrolls in the game. But what the Blue Jays lack in financial resources they make up for in young talent, winning the American League East with a lineup and rotation that's purely homegrown with the exception of Eric Hinske.

 

Double-play partners Russ Adams and Aaron Hill set the table for a lineup powered by outfielders Alexis Rios and Vernon Wells and DH Carlos Delgado. The rotation is equally strong, headlined by Roy Halladay, Dustin McGowan and Francisco Rosario.

 

The Indians return to the postseason for the first time in six years, edging the Twins in the AL Central. Like Toronto, Cleveland is self-sufficient, as only Travis Hafner among its key players has appeared in the majors with another club. Outfielder Grady Sizemore, catcher Victor Martinez and first baseman Michael Aubrey lead a revitalized offense, while C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee give the Tribe a pair of tough lefties to front the rotation.

 

Out West, the Angels rise to the top thanks to a combination of farm-system products (most notably, first baseman Casey Kotchman, catcher Jeff Mathis, righthander Ervin Santana and third baseman Dallas McPherson) and free agents (Alfonso Soriano, Vicente Padilla). Both the Athletics (Tim Hudson, Rich Harden, Joe Blanton) and Mariners (Felix Hernandez, Joel Pineiro, Clint Nageotte) have fearsome big threes, but not enough offense to overtake Anaheim.

 

The Yankees continue to spend heavily, pushing well past the $200 million payroll barrier with free agents Carlos Beltran, Mark Mulder and Jose Vidro. But their thin farm system provides little in the way of big league help or trade fodder, and proves to be their undoing. The Red Sox grab the wild card with a mix of veterans (Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez), young talent (Hanley Ramirez, Kelly Shoppach) and free agents (Aubrey Huff, Johan Santana).

 

New Look Works For Brewers

Four teams enter the final two weeks with a chance to win the National League East, with the Phillies emerging victorious. Their lineup is similar to what they'll put on the field in 2004, while Cole Hamels and Gavin Floyd have joined Brett Myers to form one of the game's best trios of starters.

 

By contrast, the Brewers barely resemble their 2004 edition--and that's great news. They take the NL Central behind young stars such as second baseman Rickie Weeks, first baseman Prince Fielder, shortstop J.J. Hardy and right fielder Brad Nelson. The rotation is solid from top to bottom with Wade Townsend (their 2004 first-round pick), Ben Sheets, Manny Parra, Mike Jones and Jorge de la Rosa.

 

The NL West champion Dodgers are another club with a radically different look from the present. They've overhauled a moribund offense with free agents Nomar Garciaparra and Magglio Ordonez, plus prospects like first baseman James Loney, outfielders Franklin Gutierrez and Xavier Paul and second baseman Andy LaRoche. The pitching staff remains a strength, thanks to youngsters Edwin Jackson, Greg Miller and Joel Hanrahan and the addition of Barry Zito.

 

A rotation of Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Angel Guzman, Carlos Zambrano, Justin Jones and a bullpen led by closer Andy Sisco carries the Cubs to the wild card. After bidding adieu to Sammy Sosa, Chicago has rebuilt its offense around an outfield of Corey Patterson, Ryan Harvey and Felix Pie.

 

Dodgers Leave Jays Blue

The Blue Jays take out the Indians in five games in one AL Division Series, leaving their pitchers better rested than those of the Red Sox, who need seven to eliminate the Angels. That difference allows Toronto to win the AL Championship Series in six games.

 

The NL Championship Series features the Brewers and Dodgers on equal footing, as both required six games to advance past the first round. Los Angeles' pitching superiority is too much for Milwaukee, which succumbs in five games.

 

The World Series goes the distance, with Halladay and Jackson facing off in Game Seven. Loney's two-run homer in the fourth inning opens the scoring before Rios cuts the lead in half with a solo shot in the sixth. The Blue Jays put runners on the corners with one out in the ninth, but Eric Gagne whiffs Wells and Delgado to give the Dodgers their first championship since 1988.

[hammerhead johnson]

So every team's good prospects in 2004 will all work out. Is that what I'm reading here? Can you say 1996 Pittsburgh Motherf***ing Pirates? Warren Morris, Chad Hermansen, Abraham Nunez, Aramis Ramirez, Ron Wright, Alex Hernandez, Kris Benson, Jimmy Anderson, etc?

 

What a load of crap. People will only become dumber after reading that. Brewers in the playoffs>>>>>my ass.

[CSF]

Yeah, and Honel, Wing, Meaux, Diaz, Sweeney, Anderson, Reed won't be worth a damn. Yep, we're headed for purgatory hell!

[Texsox]

Anyone else care to predict years out? Hell, its a fun exercise but meaningless. Try naming 5 starters for the Sox in 2007. Crede? Maggs? Lee? none traded?

[Rex Hudler]

I thought it was entertaining reading.....

[SoxAce]

I'd say Crede, Lee, Olivo, Reed, and Anderson as the 5 you said to mention Tex. Probably Sweeney, Valido, etc as well.

[witesoxfan]

I'll give you my predictions for 2007.

 

White Sox win the AL Central, and that is the 3rd time out of 4 years. 2004 sets a new standard for Chicago White Sox baseball, and because of this year, there is a growing excitement for White Sox baseball. Each year more and more fans look forward to White Sox baseball. By 2006, the Cubs-White Sox rivalry and the Twins-White Sox rivalry have become so vicious that JR, for 1 game of the Cubs series and 3 games of the Twins series, sells standing room tickets only, and sets USCF attendance records by getting 60,000+ into the stadium. Loaiza is no longer with the team, but KW proves himself right by getting Scott Schoenweis in that it was a huge steal, and Scho is one of the better lefty starters in the game. Garland has finally matured and has transformed from the Judy Garland, almost finesse pitcher that he is now into a power-sinkerballer, and he becomes one of the more dominant starters in the game. Wright has proven that moving to the bullpen was a great move and he is one of the best relievers in the game with some of the most wicked-nasty stuff around. The White Sox have made a splash in free agency, signing Nomar Garciaparra(this after the 2005 season, as Boston offers him arbitration, he puts it aside, looks for a better offer, and comes back for 2005...much like Kevin Millwood in Philadelphia). Willie Harris has finally developed and is a very solid leadoff hitter. Frank Thomas is on the last legs, but by 2007, has hit home run #500, and is going towards 525 and looks to eclipse 550 by 2008, when he plans to retire. We have lost Carlos Lee(via trade along with Aaron Rowand, however, we saw Kip Wells in a White Sox uniform again), but Joe Borchard has finally shortened his swing just enough and is the lefty hitter the White Sox needed for the middle of their lineup. Juan Uribe, after some heroics in the 2004 playoffs, struggled in 2005, but found a great living as a utility player and is making a good amount of money doing that. Jeremy Reed is doing well as the White Sox #2 hitter, like many thought he would, and he is often compared to John Olerud, without the metal plate in his head. Olivo is a solid hitter, and is shutting down team's baserunning left and right...basically, no one runs on him. Also, in a blockbuster deal, the White Sox sent several prospects, including Jon Rauch, Neal Cotts, and a nasty contract in Paul Konerko to Colorado for Todd Helton(who hate to give up Helton, but need to save some money, so they get his albatross of a contract out of Colorado).

 

Basically, the rotation looks something like this: Wells, Buehrle, Garland, Scho, and Honel, and the lineup looks similar to this:

 

Harris 2B

Reed CF

Garciaparra SS

Helton 1B

Maggs RF

Borchard LF

Thomas DH

Crede 3B

Olivo C

 

 

OK, this is quite far-fetched, and is very unlikely...but you know what...it would happen.

[whitesox61382]

witesoxfan, pretty interesting little story, however I think a few things are a little unrealistic/optimistic(than again who am I to say what the future holds).

 

- I don't see Garciaparra in a Sox uniform. He has expressed interest in heading out west, and I think the Dodgers would be a perfect fit with their money to spend, need for more offense, and need for help up the middle.

 

-With that said, one guy to keep an eye on is Cabrera. I think the Sox could be a player, and with big named SS like Garciaparra and Renteria getting the attention of the big fish I think the Sox could sneak in and get Cabrera for around 6-7M/yr.

 

-I think Maggs walks at the end of the year, if he isn't traded before hand. I will go out on a limb and say that he is traded at the deadline to the Dodgers for James Loney.

 

- I think Thomas will either be traded or retired by the 2007 season.

 

- Konerko will be long gone after 2005 and unfortunately the Sox are unable to trade him so they get nothing in return for him leaving.

 

- I think Harris falls flat this year and the Sox finally give up on him.

 

- They live with Uribe at 2nd until a better option appears.

 

- I think Buehrle is traded because his backloaded contract takes up too much of the Sox spending money. I will go out on a limb and say that he is traded to St. Loius for pitching prospect Adam Wainwright.

 

- I think Lee is also traded due to his backloaded contract and the depth that the Sox have in young outfielders. I will go out on a limb and say he is traded to Seattle for either Trevor Blackley or Clint Nageotte.

 

- While your Helton purposal isn't that far fetched I doubt that JR would be willing to give one player that kind of money long-term.

 

- I think the Sox will build from within over the next couple of years. The Sox upper minor league system is very weak, but the lower minors have as much talent as an organization. By 2007 I think the Sox will start seeing the benefits of that talented lower minor league system.

 

- Here would be my 2007 Sox lineup, its not as original as witesoxfan though.

 

1) Reed - LF

2) Cabrera - SS

3) Sweeney - 1B

4) Crede - 3B

5) Loney - DH

6) Anderson - CF

7) Borchard - RF

8) Uribe - 2B

9) Olivo - c

 

#1 - Honel

#2 - Garland

#3 - Wainwright

#4 - Blackley/Nageotte

#5 - Cotts/Wing

 

Closer - Wright

 

Division Winners

AL East - Yankees

AL Central - Tribe(Sox finish 2nd with a very young team and win the division in 2008)

AL West - Angels

AL Wild Card - Jays

 

NL East - Mets

NL Central - Cubs

NL West - Dodgers

NL Wild Card - Padres

 

World Series: Angels over Dodgers(all LA WS)

 

Ms. Cleo is done looking into the future.

[Rex Hudler]

I want some of what he's having.....

[Gene Honda Civic]

Note to self: Bookmark this thread -- Bring back up in 2007, after sox win the series.

[southsider2k5]

3 years ago, coming off of a division title and having the best rated farm system in baseball, I think everyone was expecting multiple division titles from the White Sox. And instead we have 3 straight 2nd place finishes. The future is a tough thing to predict.

[1549]

A Devil-Rays vs. Brewers world series would dominate the TV ratings

[witesoxfan]

witesoxfan, pretty interesting little story, however I think a few things are a little unrealistic/optimistic(than again who am I to say what the future holds).

 

- I don't see Garciaparra in a Sox uniform. He has expressed interest in heading out west, and I think the Dodgers would be a perfect fit with their money to spend, need for more offense, and need for help up the middle.

 

-With that said, one guy to keep an eye on is Cabrera. I think the Sox could be a player, and with big named SS like Garciaparra and Renteria getting the attention of the big fish I think the Sox could sneak in and get Cabrera for around 6-7M/yr.

 

-I think Maggs walks at the end of the year, if he isn't traded before hand. I will go out on a limb and say that he is traded at the deadline to the Dodgers for James Loney. 

 

- I think Thomas will either be traded or retired by the 2007 season.

 

- Konerko will be long gone after 2005 and unfortunately the Sox are unable to trade him so they get nothing in return for him leaving.

 

- I think Harris falls flat this year and the Sox finally give up on him.

 

- They live with Uribe at 2nd until a better option appears.

 

- I think Buehrle is traded because his backloaded contract takes up too much of the Sox spending money. I will go out on a limb and say that he is traded to St. Loius for pitching prospect Adam Wainwright.

 

- I think Lee is also traded due to his backloaded contract and the depth that the Sox have in young outfielders. I will go out on a limb and say he is traded to Seattle for either Trevor Blackley or Clint Nageotte.

 

- While your Helton purposal isn't that far fetched I doubt that JR would be willing to give one player that kind of money long-term.

 

- I think the Sox will build from within over the next couple of years. The Sox upper minor league system is very weak, but the lower minors have as much talent as an organization. By 2007 I think the Sox will start seeing the benefits of that talented lower minor league system.

 

- Here would be my 2007 Sox lineup, its not as original as witesoxfan though.

 

1) Reed - LF

2) Cabrera - SS

3) Sweeney - 1B

4) Crede - 3B

5) Loney - DH

6) Anderson - CF

7) Borchard - RF

8) Uribe - 2B

9) Olivo - c

 

#1 - Honel

#2 - Garland

#3 - Wainwright

#4 - Blackley/Nageotte

#5 - Cotts/Wing

 

Closer - Wright

 

Division Winners

AL East - Yankees

AL Central - Tribe(Sox finish 2nd with a very young team and win the division in 2008)

AL West - Angels

AL Wild Card - Jays

 

NL East - Mets

NL Central - Cubs

NL West - Dodgers

NL Wild Card - Padres

 

World Series: Angels over Dodgers(all LA WS)

 

Ms. Cleo is done looking into the future.

You are probably right in most regards. However, I just kind of threw this together without putting a ton of thought into it(considering what was up there as it was...I did think some of the things out, which is obvious).

 

About Garciaparra and mainly Cabrera...for some reason, I did not even think about Cabrera, yet I have supported bringing him to the Southside on this board. I think he would be an excellent addition and would be a solid #2 hitter with great defense. That is something Ozzie would love from his SS. I think I just went with a name everyone knows. Cabrera is definately someone I would be interested in and if Uribe does not cut it at 2B and Harris sucks again, I would see if Ozzie can talk Jose into moving to 2B(though it would be a difficult transition), and hope KW can pick up Cabrera.

 

Either that, or they can just flat out go and get Jose Vidro. Either would be OK with me.

 

I am not sure what the deal with Maggs is. Part of me thinks he returns to the Sox, the other part thinks he leaves(that's kind of obvious...what other choice would there be? ). I think that the Sox will, at the very least, offer him a contract of about 4-years $52 mill, or something around $13 mill a year, and see if he accepts. If he does, we are probably lucky, and if not, we see the end of Maggs in a Sox uniform.

 

If we are completely out of it, I see Maggs being dealt. I don't see us being completely out of it, so I think Maggs is with us all year.

 

Thomas has publicly said he wants to be with the Sox till he retires. I assume he wants 500(since he's said it publicly), and I figure he'll be at around 440-460 range this year, and fairly close to 500(probably 470-490, maybe even 500) by the end of 2005, assuming he stays healthy. If he doesn't get to 500 by the end of 05, I would guess he plays 06, and if he doesn't have a ring with us by 06, I would hope he'd play atleast one last year with the Sox. It's hard to say at this moment whether he would or would not.

 

I would almost put money on it that Konerko is dealt either this year or next year. I just think that he is too much of a burden for the Sox, and they will have to pay for it. I would love to see him dealt in a cost-cutting move and then seeing Randall Simon come in(for a marginal prospect...his on-base and OPS numbers are probably awful, and you have to throw 4 pitches way the hell outside to walk him, but he seems to be a very clutch player...I would love to have him), and then with some of that money saved bring in Urbina to help the pen(that would be a deep-ass pen too).

 

Regarding Harris...I agree. I was just mainly using what would happen if everything turned out right in this. I agree he probably won't do much. I think, if he pans out the way I think he'll pan out, he'll end up like Orlando Palmeiro(assuming he can play LF and RF as well) or maybe even Denny Hocking, only with much more speed. Either that, or he will end up a AAAer all his life.

 

I'd agree with Uribe, unless they acquire Vidro at the deadline(before the Yankees get him). However, that's where I like our situation over the Yankees. Selig actually shot down a deal last year because the Yankees were giving too much money in a deal and were basically buying a player, and I think that could give the Sox an advantage if they were to want a Jose Vidro. Give the Expos two decent prospects and he could probably be had.

 

I think Buehrle will be dealt soon enough too. He seems perfectly happy in Chicago, but I just don't think the rotation is built around him(then again, I don't think the rotation is built around anyone), and we could feel he is expendable(again, unless we are in it at the break, which as I have said several times, I think we will be).

 

Again, you and me both feel Lee will be dealt, and possibly even this year. I don't think he is dealt to Seattle though, unless we got Winn or Ibanez. I believe they are playing Ibanez in LF, Winn in CF, and Ichiro in RF(though that could be switched up a bit), with Edgar DHing...I just don't see how Lee fits into the picture.

 

I could see LA, with us getting a prospect or Perez or maybe someone else entirely. I could also see Baltimore as a possibility, with us maybe getting Matos and/or Ainsworth. Also, Oakland could be a possibility, but we would undoubtedly have to take on atleast one contract of their's. There are a few teams I could see coming into the picture, but Seattle is not one of them.

 

I think the Helton deal could get done assuming Colorado took on some of the salary and/or the team played well enough and enough fans showed up(which is not how it should be)that JR actually opened his check and gave us a $70-80 mill payroll. That seems a little odd, so Colorado would have to take on quite a bit of salary for that move to work. I would love that move to death though, and that would give us the lefty bat we have needed for several years now(however, a slight concern would be how he was effected by playing very, very few if any games at Coors Field).

 

Your lineup looks solid enough to me. I'll take it. I mean, you gotta let the young guns come up at some time, right? Just not sure they'd be all ready by 2007. I could definately see us being a very good young team though, and the one thing I would like on that team more then anything would be a veteran prescence(other then Crede), and that is where a Thomas or a Maggs comes into play. I think if you put Thomas into that DH spot, and he retires the next year, that could be potential back-to-back division winners. Those young kids would need someone to look up to when times are bad(as goofy and corny as that sounds), and Thomas would be the guy to lead them. I would personally also like the same thing in the rotation, but you can only do so much. That team could do some serious damage. I'd take that along with my $90 million fantasy team whose foundation is created right here in 2004.

[whitesox61382]

wite, I am probably far from right. Your predictions(whether you thought about them or not) are probably just as likely to happen as mine. I have come to find that it is hard to accurately predict the future .

 

- I do think Cabrera would make more sense than Garciaparra, especially from a financial standpoint.

 

- I am not sure about 2nd. I am hoping that either Harris or Uribe can step up, but I don't have much faith in either. Losing Hummel and Miles could turn out to bite the Sox in the ass. Valentin could be a short-term option at 2nd if Harris and Uribe fail. I can't see the Sox spending money on 2 middle infielders this upcoming offseason, and I think the depth at SS would make Cabrera a better find, although I am a huge fan of the underrated Vidro.

 

- With each passing day I think it becomes more and more likely that Maggs is gone after this year. I truely believe that he is only worth about 12M/yr on the current market. I think Sheffield is a good standard to go by, and I believe that Sheffield is slightly better. If Maggs wants 14+M/yr, than I think it is in the Sox best interest to let him go, at which point I hope they trade him before the season ends so they get something in return since it is highly unlikely that they offer him arbitration. The problem is that if the Sox are in contention(which they should be), than you wouldn't trade Maggs. With the Sox young outfield depth I think that will help with the lose of Maggs.

 

- My guess is that Thomas plays 3 more seasons, reaches 500 HR's, and retires as a Sox, which means he wouldn't be on the 2007 team.

 

- The only way that the Sox can deal Konerko at this point is if they take on an equally bad salary. The hope is that Konerko rebounds this year, which will make it easy for a team to swallow his 9+M contract for next year. I would love to see Konerko moved, especially for prospects, but I don't think it is likely at this point.

 

- When I said that Buehrle would be traded I meant in either 2005 or 2006 when his backloaded contract starts to become a burden on the Sox payroll. I think St. Loius is the likely destination with thei need for starting pitching, some financial flexibility, and Buehrle's quotes in which he said he would like to pitch for them. Adam Wainwright was just a name that poped off the top of my head. I do think the Sox will ask for a very good pitching prospect in return for him.

 

- Like Buehrle, when I mentioned the idea of trading Lee it was for the 2005 or 2006 season(most likely in 2006) when his backloaded contract becomes a burden on the Sox payroll. I doubt that the Sox would get rid of 2 proven outfielders within 1 year of eachother(assuming Maggs is set free). By 2005, I have a feeling that Martinez will retire(since he signed only a 1 year contract), Olerod will be close to the end, and Ichiro could also be gone, so that would certainly open a void for CLee. Seattle has already expressed some interest in CLee this offseason, so I think that would be a perfect fit. I think that the Sox would ask for Soriano in return, but Seattle would say no, and the Sox would twist the M's arm enough for them to give up either Travis Blackley or Clint Nageotte.

 

- My lineup for 2007 assumes that a majority of the Sox prospects will live up to their potential, which WILL NOT happen. I all likelyhood you could probably substitute some cheap FA for a few of the prospects that don't develop. I think all of the prospects I list should be ready by 2007(assuming they develop). Reed will probably be in the majors by sometime this season. I believe that Sweeney will be on a fast track after his impressive showing this year and 2007 will be his 1st full season in the majors. Loney is in the exact same boat as Sweeney. In fact he is almost identical to him. He is a 19 year old, lefty with a pretty swing, who has really impressed this ST(BA of .444 in 27 AB's), and is probably on the fast track. Unfortunately I highly doubt that LA gives up such a promising offensive prospect. Anderson should be in the majors by 2006 at the latest. Borchard is in the same boat as Reed. Honel and Wing should be in the majors by 2005(2006 at the latest). Cotts should be in the majors fulltime by 2005. Wainwright/Nageotte/Blackley should be in the majors by 2005(2006 at the latest). So not only should all of them be in the majors by 2007, but most of them should have a year or 2 under their belts.

 

- It would be interesting to pull up this thread come 2007 and see just how wrong I am .

[YASNY]

Wow, you give witesoxfan 3 years to speculate on, and you could end up with a novel to read. There were some interesting scenarios presented here. Fun to read.

[C.Rector]

Why would you want to trade C. Lee, who's consistently been one of the best players on the Sox and who's been hitting at a .414 clip in ST? Also, he seems to like it in Chicago, so why trade a guy who's likely to spend his career here?

[DBAHO]

Why would you want to trade C. Lee, who's consistently been one of the best players on the Sox and who's been hitting at a .414 clip in ST?  Also, he seems to like it in Chicago, so why trade a guy who's likely to spend his career here?

2 reasons. #1 Economics. Pretty sure Lee's makin $7mill this year, $8mill next year and $10 mill in 2006, please correct me if I'm wrong. With a heavily backloaded contract like that, if Lee struggles in the future e.g Konerko in early 2003, he will probably be the 1st guy to be traded. We could always hav another Ordonez situation on our hands in the future as well.

#2 Outfield Prospects. In 5 years, Anderson, Sweeney and Reed will in all likelihood be capable of starting in the outfield for the White Sox. They will be young, and most important cheap, before they are arbitration eligible. We could always trade Lee for a need, like starting pitching in the future if we could do that.

[The Critic]

The NY Cyborg Penisface YankMees ( now made up almost entirely of robots, except for Derek Jeter, because really, what's the difference? ) will defeat the Planet Mars Expos in the 2007 Interplanetary Series, mainly due to the Robot Bud Selig demanding that all I.S. games be played on Earth because the satellite signal from the Expos home stadium, Dick Cheney Memorial Spacepark, is so terrible.

Robot Bud will place the trophy at the base of George Steinbrenner's cryonic chamber and the YankMees will celebrate by dousing each other with cans of motor oil. And the Red Sox will complain that "our guy was frozen first", but no one will care.

[witesoxfan]

61382, I'd take middle ground between our two predictions. I think a mixture of good mixture of younger and older talent would be great and IMO is the best mix for success(which is part of the reason the Royals scare me...their rotation is subpar though, and with 4 lefties in it, I like our chances against them).

 

One thing I like is the fact that you and I are seeing eye to eye on the Expos middle infielders. I think I would try and trade for Vidro at the trade deadline(and if he is a FA after this year, I'd try to resign him), and after this year try and sign Cabrera. However, the major knock on getting Vidro is the lineup, and more specifically, who leads off and who bats where? Would you go with

 

Vidro 2B

Lee LF

Maggs RF

Thomas DH

Valentin SS

Konerko 1B

Crede 3B

Rowand CF

Olivo C

 

Or do you drop Vidro down to 2, Rowand up to leadoff(that kind of scares me), Lee to 5th, and everyone else down? I don't like that idea for two reasons: 1) Rowand's leading off, and 2), Crede is hitting 8th, and I think that's a little low...I see him as about the perfect 7th hitter right now. Or do you have Lee leadoff(which scares me big time, especially when you don't know if he'll walk like he did in 2002 or if he won't like he's done in 2000, 2001, and 2003). I think that's the main knock there and where a team like maybe Detroit comes into the equation(believe it or not). I'm not sure exactly what they are doing, but I'm sure that if we offered them say Felix Diaz and Rowand that they'd be willing to deal Alex Sanchez(which would be a boost to the team and gives Ozzie Guillen a Juan Pierre-type player). At that point, it becomes much easier to make the lineup(though if I made the lineup, Crede would still be hitting 8th, however, that is just something you have to deal with).

 

OK, enough on that point, let's move on.

 

About Maggs, as I have said, that most I would offer him is $13 mill a year. Maybe we go 5 years(which would be all that I would go, especially with him being 30. You sign him to say an 7 year contract and that takes him to 37, and at that point his skills are starting to decline, and at $13 mill a year, that is quite a bit for a guy who will probably put up .280 30 100 numbers if we are lucky(and he could just as easily put up .260 25 80 too, maybe worse...those numbers are not even close to worth $6 mill a year, much less the $13 we'd be paying him...hell, Carl Everett put up about .290 30 90 with the Rangers and Sox, and he got I believe $3 mill a year from Montreal...what's that tell you?). If he is using Vlad as a comparison, he is way off. Sheff isn't a bad comparison, however, Sheff is also older and does not have an agent but rather is his own agent(I believe he is, isn't he? Anyways, I would venture to guess that with an agent he could have gotten $14-15 mill a year)

 

 

I would say Thomas, at the very least, will retire as a member of the White Sox and will play 3-5 more years. How's that for simplification?

 

 

I would guess that they could also deal Konerko if they take practically nothing. Regardless, I have said that I would take Hundley from LA so long as they gave us a solid reliever too. Hundley is a bigger piece of s*** then Konerko is(especially for the price), so I would also ask LA to take on about $2 mill of Hundley's salary. That gives us another decent left-handed stick off the bench, and insurance in case Sandy gets hurt for an extended period of time.

 

 

Regarding Buehrle and Lee...I just wasn't sure. Also, wasn't Wainwright in like AA last year with the Braves? I figure he'd be ready by 05 or 06, whenever Buehrle would be dealt for him. I'd take him, regardless, because he was a pretty good prospect for the Braves when they dealt him, and is obviously still a good prospect since he was only just dealt this offseason.

 

And I just misunderstood what you were talking about with Seattle. My bad.

 

 

I have little doubt we'll see Reed this year, probably Borchard, hell, maybe if we're lucky we'll even see Honel or Wing in a September callup(though part of me doubts that). We could see a lot of action. I am quite excited about the future of the organization, especially the lower minors and seeing who pans out.

 

 

And it will be amazing to dig this out in 2007 and see how right I am!

[witesoxfan]

Why would you want to trade C. Lee, who's consistently been one of the best players on the Sox and who's been hitting at a .414 clip in ST?  Also, he seems to like it in Chicago, so why trade a guy who's likely to spend his career here?

You have to give something to get something sometimes, do you not? Who else is attractive to other teams on our team that is easily replaceable? Lee comes at a cheaper rate(about $7.5 mill a year, and while that's not cheap, it's not hugely expensive, like Konerko's is...also, Lee is making about $6-6.5 mill this year)

 

Regardless, 61382 was talking about trading him in 2005 or 2006, though I was referring to trading him this year(as I said, you have to give something to get something sometimes)

[DBAHO]

I've got no doubts Vidro will be wearin Pin Stripes by the end of the season.

[whitesox61382]

2 reasons. #1 Economics. Pretty sure Lee's makin $7mill this year, $8mill next year and $10 mill in 2006, please correct me if I'm wrong. With a heavily backloaded contract like that, if Lee struggles in the future e.g Konerko in early 2003, he will probably be the 1st guy to be traded. We could always hav another Ordonez situation on our hands in the future as well.

#2 Outfield Prospects. In 5 years, Anderson, Sweeney and Reed will in all likelihood be capable of starting in the outfield for the White Sox. They will be young, and most important cheap, before they are arbitration eligible. We could always trade Lee for a need, like starting pitching in the future if we could do that.

DBAHO, you did a good job of explaining my reasoning. I am not suggesting that we trade CLee tomorrow. Remember that this thread is an attempt to predict what is going to happen by 2007. Based on JR's history it would make sense that CLee would be traded at some point in the future. As DBAHO pointed out, he is scheduled to make 6.5M in 2004, 8M in 2005, and has an option for 8.5M in 2006. 8+M for a corner outfielder with an OPS in the low-mid .800's and suspect(but improving) defense is a pretty big commitment(roughly 1/8th of the total payroll). Factor in the depth of young outfield prospects(Reed, Borchard, Anderson, Sweeney, Young, Nanita), as DBAHO points out, and it makes more sense to trade CLee, especially if you can fill another weakness in the process. Why keep CLee when you can probably get a low-mid .800 OPS and better D out of someone like Reed(not to mention a leadoff hitter, which the Sox really need) for 300K? Unfortunately, financial implications play a major factor in the decisions that are made. Personally I hope that the Sox keep CLee and he develops into the player that he has the potential to be, but this thread is based on what I think will happen and not what I want to happen.

[witesoxfan]

I've got no doubts Vidro will be wearin Pin Stripes by the end of the season.

It's a strong possibility. However, that does not mean it will happen. If Montreal is contending(and they very well could be...they have a nice core of players up there, with Johnson at 1B, Vidro at 2B, Cabrera at SS, Batista at 3B, Everett in LF, Wilkerson in RF, and Chavez in CF along with Schneider behind the plate, and an OK rotation...they could be a pretty good team, especially with Frank Robinson managing), they will probably not trade anyone. However, if they are out of contention, they will almost undboutedly be sellers at the deadline. My thinking in this is is that the Sox can match any offer and make it better then the Yankees offer. The only thing the Yankees can do is outspend the Sox, and Selig vetoed a deal last year that involved the Yankees giving too much money to Cincinatti in the Boone and White for whatever the Yankees gave up(so the Yanks broke it down into two deals, and the commish approved both). Basically, he won't let them buy players any more, which gives a slight advantage to the Sox IMO.

 

Anyways, this is all foresight and the odds of any of it happening are quite slim. It's still fun though.

[knightni]

I just wanted to bump this for fun.

 

This thread is from 2004.

[Jordan4life_2007]

LMAO@Wite in this thread.