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A Realistic Lineup for Next Season


Butter Parque

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A lot of this depends on who gets traded or if anyone gets traded. I think if the Sox can't land Beltran or any other big Outfielder, that Konerko will be traded. If they get Beltran, then Lee is a gonner. I also believe that if either one is traded, it will be for pitching.

 

1- Willie Harris (2B)

2- Omar Visquel (SS)

3- Carlos Lee (LF)

4- Frank Thomas (DH)

5- Aaron Rowand (CF)

6- Carl Everett (RF)

7- Joe Crede (3B)

8- Ross Gload (1B)

9- Jamie Burke ©

 

You could put Rowand in the 2 hole and Visquel leading off but I think Visquel is best in the 2-hole, Rowand is not a true leadoff hitter, and if Willie can't be a leadoof hitter for us, then why is he here? I also think Burke wins the starting catcher job in ST.

 

* Lineup if Lee is traded

 

1- Willie Harris (2B)

2- Aaron Rowand (RF)

3- Carlos Beltran (CF)

4- Frank Thomas (DH)

5- Paul Konerko (1B)

6- Carl Everett/Ross Gload (RF)

7- Joe Crede (3B)

8- Jamie Burke ©

9- Omar Visquel (SS)

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We're not guaranteed to get Beltran even if Lee is traded...hell, we wouldn't be guaranteed to get Beltran is both Konerko and Lee were traded. There is nothing stopping George from giving Beltran $25 mill a year, and no one can match $25 mill a year.

 

And Everett will not be in RF next season. He will probably be used as a DH early in the year while Frank is still recovering, and then when Frank is back to near 100%, Everett will be used off the bench.

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Who would play instead of Everett? Borchard, please tell me your not putting Borchard in instead of Everett.

 

As to a prior post, I never said that it was automatic that we would get Beltran. I said that if we were able to land Beltran, that we would probably trade Lee. I don't think the Sox have a very good shot at all to get him, but you never know. maybe JR pulls an Albert Belle out of his ass.

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Who would play instead of Everett? Borchard, please tell me your not putting Borchard in instead of Everett.

 

As to a prior post, I never said that it was automatic that we would get Beltran. I said that if we were able to land Beltran, that we would probably trade Lee. I don't think the Sox have a very good shot at all to get him, but you never know. maybe JR pulls an Albert Belle out of his ass.

well id say the person that would be traded would be konerko and then our OF would be full so no need for everett but if lee was the one that was traded... maybe have borchard start in outfield and if he falters bring brian anderson up? Not saying borchard is better then everett but you know the sox seem to think borchard is amazing so

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What are everyone's feelings on Everett? Am I the only one that DOES NOT want him back next year, or at least starting? I'd rather see Escobar get his shot than Everett or Gload, same goes with Anderson.

 

CWSOX45

It's hard to advocate starting a guy with .229 career average in the majors, who's even more injury prone than carl everett over everett himself, or professional hitter Ross Gload. (.301/.357/.456) inthe majors (.304AVG/.495SLG) minors

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Who would play instead of Everett? Borchard, please tell me your not putting Borchard in instead of Everett.

 

As to a prior post, I never said that it was automatic that we would get Beltran. I said that if we were able to land Beltran, that we would probably trade Lee. I don't think the Sox have a very good shot at all to get him, but you never know. maybe JR pulls an Albert Belle out of his ass.

Trading Lee is a stupid idea, and the fact that KW is even considering it is worse.

 

Konerko makes more money then Lee does and is a worse all-around player(much slower, mediocre defense, along with not helping the team win on the road at all).

 

Everett could play LF...but I would rather not see him there.

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A lot of this depends on who gets traded or if anyone gets traded. I think if the Sox can't land Beltran or any other big Outfielder, that Konerko will be traded. If they get Beltran, then Lee is a gonner. I also believe that if either one is traded, it will be for pitching.

 

1- Willie Harris (2B)

2- Omar Visquel (SS)

3- Carlos Lee (LF)

4- Frank Thomas (DH)

5- Aaron Rowand (CF)

6- Carl Everett (RF)

7- Joe Crede (3B)

8- Ross Gload (1B)

9- Jamie Burke ©

 

You could put Rowand in the 2 hole and Visquel leading off but I think Visquel is best in the 2-hole, Rowand is not a true leadoff hitter, and if Willie can't be a leadoof hitter for us, then why is he here? I also think Burke wins the starting catcher job in ST.

 

* Lineup if Lee is traded

 

1- Willie Harris (2B)

2- Aaron Rowand (RF)

3- Carlos Beltran (CF)

4- Frank Thomas (DH)

5- Paul Konerko (1B)

6- Carl Everett/Ross Gload (RF)

7- Joe Crede (3B)

8- Jamie Burke ©

9- Omar Visquel (SS)

:puke

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I am praying that the top lineup isn't the Sox lineup to start the 2005 season. The Sox would be LUCKY to finish 3rd with that lineup. Can we please stop putting Harris in the leadoff spot? Until he proves that he can handle such an important role, he shouldn't hit anywhere except 9th. Furthermore, I highly doubt that Harris starts over Uribe. I doubt that the Sox get Beltran, but they should get some offensive help if they trade Konerko and/or Lee(either in return or via FA with the money they save). I do think that the Sox will be very active this offseason, and there are a lot of good options flying under the radar.

 

C - I would like to see the Sox upgrade at catcher. I am not sold on Davis. I doubt they will make a serious run at Varitek, but there are some decent options on the market.

 

Zaun(Toronto) .269/6/36 .761 OPS - He would be my top choice. He is a switch hitter, has good plate disipline(.367 OBP), is a solid hitter(career .714 OPS), and is decent defensively.

 

Miller(Oakland) .272/9/58 .742 OPS - He would be option 1A. Very good hitter, and he has the reputation of being a great game caller/defensive catcher.

 

Matheny(St Loius) .247/5/50 .640 OPS - Not a great hitter, but he is a GG winner/calibur catcher.

 

1B - If the Sox trade Konerko, than you could see them go after a cheap veteran as insurance(if they aren't sold on Gload).

 

Palmerio(Baltimore) .258/23/88 .796 OPS - Word out of Baltimore is that Palmerio's option won't be picked up. Even at his age he still has a good mix of power and patience, not to mention a lefty handed bat.

 

Martinez(Tampa Bay) .262/23/76 .823 OPS - He is almost identical to Palmerio. Still a good combo of power and patience, along with a lefty bat.

 

Snow(San Francisco) .327/12/60 .958 OPS - He has an option that SF might pick up. Had a great year in 2004, would give the Sox a lefty bat, and solid D.

 

2B - There is little doubt that the Sox will add at least 1 middle infielder this offseason. Here are some cheap options.

 

Bellhorn(Boston) .264/17/82 .817 OPS - Has a great mix of power and patience, but SO a ton, is suspect defensively, and doesn't have much speed.

 

Boone(Seattle) .251/24/83 .740 OPS - Has an option with Seattle. His numbers fell off this year(off the juice?), and he isn't really what the Sox need(top of the order hitter).

 

Young(Texas) .288/1/27 .758 OPS - He could be a decent option as a leadoff hitter. He still has good plate disipline and speed.

 

Walker(Chicago) .274/15/50 .820 OPS - This is a guy I really think the Sox should consider. This guy can flat out hit. He has a career .289 BA with double digit HR the past 4 years(and an average of 34 2B). He also has good plate disipline and is usually good for a .350+ OBP. He is also a lefty. His D is suspect and he doesn't have the speed you would like for a middle infielder/leadoff hitter.

 

Polanco(Philadelphia) .298/17/55 .786 OPS - He would be choice #1 in my book. We have talked about him in other threads, but he is a very solid player.

 

Womack(St. Loius) .307/5/38 .735 OPS - Everyone knows about the killer middle of the lineup that St. Loius has, but few people know that Womack at the top has been one of the main reasons for their sucess. He would still be a risky pickup since he hasn't been consistant and doesn't produce high OBP.

 

SS - There should be a lot of options. For example, if Nomar signs with Anaheim or LA it could mean that Erkstein or Izturis could be avaliable. Here are a couple of the cheap FA options.

 

Cabrera(Boston) .264/10/64 .694 OPS - He could fly under the radar with big names like Garciaparra and Renteria on the market. He brings a decent bat, great D, and good speed to the table. He doesn't draw enough walks to leadoff though.

 

Vizquel(Cleveland) .291/7/59 .741 OPS - He has been talked about plenty in previous threads. I still think the Sox could find better options.

 

Guzman(Minnesota) .274/8/46 .693 OPS - He brings a decent BA, good speed, and great D to the table, however he refuses to walk(which makes him similar to Harris).

 

3B - Personally, I think the Sox should attempt to trade Crede since they could probably fill another hole with a player in return, and turn around and sign a cheap 3B. I doubt that will happen, but here are some cheap options.

 

Randa(KC) .287/8/56 .751 OPS - Doesn't do anything great, but he does bring solid D, good BA, and good plate disipline to the table. However, he isn't much/if any of an upgrade over Crede.

 

Mueller(Boston) .283/12/57 .811 OPS - I bet that Boston picks up his option, but he would be a very good addition otherwise. He hits for average, has great plate disipline, and is solid defensively.

 

Koskie(Minnesota) .251/24/71 .837 OPS - I really hope the Sox make an attempt for this guy. He is a complete player and a lefty bat.

 

Hillenbrand(Arizona) .310/15/80 .812 OPS - Similar to Crede, but with a much better BA. Could be a good replacement.

 

OF - The Sox have a spot in RF that they need to fill. They might also trade Lee, so it is likely that the Sox will go after an outfielder or two.

 

Bautista(Arizona) .286/11/65 .733 OPS - He does nothing great, but he brings a solid BA and good defense to the table.

 

Hollandsworth(Chicago) .318/8/22 .939 OPS - Not sure if you want him as a starter, but he would be a great addition to the bench for the right price.

 

Burnitz(Colorado) .283/37/110 .916 OPS - Has an option that might be picked up. His numbers were helped by Coors, but he does bring a powerful lefty bat to the middle of the order. Still I don't like the low BA(not this year) and high SO total.

 

Finley(LA) .271/36/94 .823 OPS - I would love to see the Sox make a run at Finley. This guy has shown no signs of slowing down, plus he is a complete player, and a lefty bat.

 

Grissom(SF) .279/22/90 .773 OPS - SF has an option. He has also shown no signs of slowing down.

 

I would love to see the Sox trade Konerko for some pitching. Sign Finley to play CF(with Rowand moving to RF), sign Polanco to play 2B(with Uribe starting at SS), and sign Miller/Zaun to start at C. Here would be your lineup:

 

2B Polanco

RF Rowand

DH Thomas

LF Lee

CF Finley

SS Uribe

1B Gload

3B Crede

C Zaun/Miller

 

I think this lineup looks much better than the one in the original post. It also isn't unrealistical from a financial standpoint. Add another quality starter(from the Konerko trade) to a rotation of Garcia, Buehrle, Garland, and Contreras, and you have a pretty solid team.

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We're not guaranteed to get Beltran even if Lee is traded...hell, we wouldn't be guaranteed to get Beltran is both Konerko and Lee were traded.  There is nothing stopping George from giving Beltran $25 mill a year, and no one can match $25 mill a year.

 

And Everett will not be in RF next season.  He will probably be used as a DH early in the year while Frank is still recovering, and then when Frank is back to near 100%, Everett will be used off the bench.

In butters defense, in the outfield article by Joe Cowley it appeared that from his gatherings that if Everett came to camp in good shape that he would be given the shot to play RF.

 

We may think its crazy, but I think most of us thought it was crazy to have him in CF a ftwo years back.

 

Also Butter, that first lineup, I think their is a decent shot that thats what it could look like (the one with Konerko dealt). To be honest, if Everett was in good shape that woudln't be too bad of a lineup. It would be better then the lineup the Sox finished the season with.

 

It wouldn't be as good as the one they started the season with. But their offense was good, minus a spell in July when Maggs/Frank went down.

 

Assuming that lineup is given a good pitching staff I find it more then capable. Hell, It also has a good balance and with Gload in the back of the order it even gives you a capable hitter in the back part of the lineup.

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Should also note, I finished up my 4th piece on the Sox and put it up on my blog.  Just follow the link in my sig if your interested.  The damn thing was 6 pages on Microsoft Word so be ready to read :lol:

Yeesh I can't believe I read that whole thing.....my head hurts now. Either way I like all of your ideas, everyone knows how I feel about Pavano however if it was possible to put that team together I'd jump all over that, I'm also a huge fan of Pineiro. I do agree with wite though I'd rather start Juan then willie.

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It might also be a tad bit better if you had someone assigned to LF if Carlos is traded..

I've heard Rowand can be moved to LF if Carlos is moved as well, not only RF. Of course that's if we sign a CF like Beltran, which ain't gonna happen.

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how about this on for size... since maggz money is used up on freddy and everett i wont count that.... but les see koch is 6 million valentin is 5 so thats 11 million free right there then les say we trade konerko to LA for izturis(assuming they sign nomar).. thats 19 million then we sign beltran for 16-18 million..... see it can happen just not likely

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how about this on for size... since maggz money is used up on freddy and everett i wont count that.... but les see koch is 6 million valentin is 5 so thats 11 million free right there then les say we trade konerko to LA for izturis(assuming they sign nomar).. thats 19 million then we sign beltran for 16-18 million..... see it can happen just not likely

We paid the majority of koch's contract and don't forget that contreras is due 6 million next year. So we don't have any where near 11 million left over from valentin and koch.

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