What Now?

[southsider2k5]

Guys last 4 yrs he wasnt able to because of Jerry Reinsdorf. Jerry even said today people payroll last yr will be basically same as this year.  Why do you think Kenny Willams wont do buisness with Boras anymore? Becaise the money kenny puts out there for big names come up way short to others and its fustrating. Kenny would love this team win and Reinsdorf gives nothing about this team. The only thing will happeend is a trade and thats only way this team does it.  Quite frankily I see no team trading for Konerko, Lee, or Garland either because their going wait till next yr free agent market to go get them. Arizona has already said we want a team not rebuilding but a qualified winner for world series. Were not a world series team and probably won't till we have some other guys here. Yes pitching is great but no other offense. Let me guess Joe bochared guy cant hit crap in mexican league will drive big unit here? nope Rj will be traded to Yankees where he wants to go. I can care less about Omar signing or Guzman. I like uribe. Thing is look who he is represented by ... Boras. So good bye Uribe next yr. Good bye Joe Crede as well. So tell me in 2 yrs who will sox team look like? a bunch of minor leaguers which every other team central will dominate.

Let me try this again.

 

2000 payroll $31 million

2004 payroll $65 million

[AddisonStSox]

Guys last 4 yrs he wasnt able to because of Jerry Reinsdorf. Jerry even said today people payroll last yr will be basically same as this year.  Why do you think Kenny Willams wont do buisness with Boras anymore? Becaise the money kenny puts out there for big names come up way short to others and its fustrating. Kenny would love this team win and Reinsdorf gives nothing about this team. The only thing will happeend is a trade and thats only way this team does it.  Quite frankily I see no team trading for Konerko, Lee, or Garland either because their going wait till next yr free agent market to go get them. Arizona has already said we want a team not rebuilding but a qualified winner for world series. Were not a world series team and probably won't till we have some other guys here. Yes pitching is great but no other offense. Let me guess Joe bochared guy cant hit crap in mexican league will drive big unit here? nope Rj will be traded to Yankees where he wants to go. I can care less about Omar signing or Guzman. I like uribe. Thing is look who he is represented by ... Boras. So good bye Uribe next yr. Good bye Joe Crede as well. So tell me in 2 yrs who will sox team look like? a bunch of minor leaguers which every other team central will dominate.

Thank you for your words of wisdom.

 

Riveting. Really.

[beck72]

Well so far the Sox offseason has started slow. They tagreted Omar Vizquel heavy, but were outbid. Christian Guzman seemed like a good plan B, but chose the worst franchise in sports instead. It was rumored that the Sox were in the maret for a closer. Percival seemed likely. He chose to go to a team that finished behind us in the division. Now what?

 

Unless the Sox are planning on spending big money this offseason (Cabrera, Beltran, Benitez, Renteria), It seems that the Sox have struck out early. Granted it's still very early in the offseason and there's plenty of time for signings and trades, but now might be the time for the Sox to get going. Optimism this offseason should still be felt, but who hears has a feeling that this whole winter could turn out to be a big bust? C'mon Kenny, get a move on it.

The only real moves have been made by teams that have dramatically overpaid for guys. The trade route is where the sox will make their biggest changes [for better or worse]. The only FA's the Sox might have an interest in would be a #3 SP, like Perez, Ortiz, Clement, or a guy making around a $1 mill or so.

 

The thing I want KW to get going on is a trade for a leadoff man. the other holes can be filled in time.

[Punch and Judy Garland]

The only flaw with comparing our offseason tothe Yanks/Sawx, and Cardinals is that their targets are all still on the board where as the guys we were targeting are now gone (for the most part). That's the fundamental difference, our lowered expectation-free agent targets are coming off the board already. I do actually think that Odalis Perez is a splash because he's a good pitcher. I don't think that they need to sign a major draw, but if you get a good pitcher then people will feel a lot better about the team overall-thus selling more tickets and generating buzz at Soxfest.

[Rowand44]

The only flaw with comparing our offseason tothe Yanks/Sawx, and Cardinals is that their targets are all still on the board where as the guys we were targeting are now gone (for the most part). That's the fundamental difference, our lowered expectation-free agent targets are coming off the board already. I do actually think that Odalis Perez is a splash because he's a good pitcher. I don't think that they need to sign a major draw, but if you get a good pitcher then people will feel a lot better about the team overall-thus selling more tickets and generating buzz at Soxfest.

One guy we targeted is now gone and he got to many years, no big deal, I think we can find a backup plan. Either way I'd be fine sticking with uribe and willie if it means the sox have upgraded at other positions, especially if they could add someone like kendall or someone else who could leadoff or bat 2nd, jmo.

[Al Lopez Ghost (old)]

Well so far the Sox offseason has started slow.

I disagree. To start slow, you have to first start. We've accomplished nothing yet, and I'm not optimistic. As of today Minnesota and Detroit have better closers than we do, and I read somewhere that Cleveland is targeting Benitez.

I just think that like always, we're gonna be a mediocre team, maybe worse than usual without Ordonez's bat. Our defense has never been spectacular, and up the middle we have poor catching and I guess Willie Harris is the front runner at second base.

I don't think our starting staff, even if it's strengthened by a number 2 or 3 guy, is gonna be enough to overcome our many weaknesses.

 

Sox Baseball in '05: Our October calendars will be wide open.

[thedoctor]

i totally agree that it is early, way too early to be out on a ledge.

 

my biggest concern is the fact the the lower-budget shortstop options out there are out of the picture at this point and i just have my doubts about uribe being an everyday shortstop. that's just me. i like uribe's potential, but i also know he wasn't good enough to be an everyday shortstop last year, and harris wasn't able to be an everyday second baseman either. to me that puts us with two big questions marks in the middle infield, which is concerning. one question mark i could live with, but two are a little sketchy, especially when it can be argued that crede is a pretty big question mark himself at third.

[Gene Honda Civic]

i like uribe's potential, but i also know he wasn't good enough to be an everyday shortstop last year

WAAAAA???

 

3 shortstops in baseball had a higher OPS.

1 of them is in the same class defensively.

 

Did you watch the sox last season?

[chisox2334]

I like uribe in the lineup everyday. But Willie Harris? Please, I dont think he cant get it done. Rowand did and Im glad he did. But sox need a guy to put harris as pinch hitter or play him some of the games. By the way whitesox have same problems " Cant bunt and no 5th starter"

[T R U]

I like uribe in the lineup everyday. But Willie Harris? Please, I dont think he cant get it done. Rowand did and Im glad he did. But sox need a guy to put harris as pinch hitter or play him some of the games. By the way whitesox have same problems " Cant bunt and no 5th starter"

man does everyone just forget the fact that harris was hitting .320 at the start of last year??

 

and then all of the sudden he just wasnt playing anymore, I still dont get why he was benched.. he had a solid AVG and a high OBP.. but yet, he was on the bench

[AddisonStSox]

Uribe is ready.

 

Harris is not. For the Willie supporters: what the hell has this chump done to merit a starting role next year? Defense? Its his range isn't it?

 

C'mon.

[qwerty]

Uribe is ready.

 

Harris is not.  For the Willie supporters: what the hell has this chump done to merit a starting role next year?  Defense?  Its his range isn't it?

 

C'mon.

Everything about willie is what ifs. What if he can learn how to bunt. What if he can learn how to steal a base. What if he can learn how to be more agressive on the base paths. What if he ever learns how to hit left handed pitching.....

[thedoctor]

WAAAAA???

 

3 shortstops in baseball had a higher OPS.

1 of them is in the same class defensively.

 

Did you watch the sox last season?

i watched a fair amount of white sox baseball last year, and just because my opinion doesn't jive with yours is no need to jump down my throat. i thought uribe had a great start to the season offensively and a great finish. in the middle he was bad, which was coincidentally the period of time the sox went in the crapper. was it his fault? no way, but he was as complicit as anyone else.

 

defensively i thought he had a cannon of an arm and pretty good range. i would have liked to see him out there everyday, no doubt, but the fact of the matter is, he wasn't. why? i don't know, i'm not a coach.

 

let me reiterate as i said in my previous post that i think he has great potential. and again let me reiterate that i am not criticizing the lack of activity. but if the organization was totally sold on him being the guy everyday, then why were we offering vizquel four or five million a year?

[jackie hayes]

Everything about willie is what ifs. What if he can learn how to bunt. What if he can learn how to steal a base. What if he can learn how to be more agressive on the base paths. What if he ever learns how to hit left handed pitching.....

Willie had last season a decent average and a very good obp, w/ no big defensive lapses. I'm not expecting Juan Pierre.

 

As for hitting lhp, how do we know he can't? Are you judging on the basis of 70-some abs last season? Until he's given a long trial, or until I see some negative minor league splits, I'm not convinced. (I'm not saying he can, either -- I just don't see why it is accepted fact that WH cannot hit lefties.) Even if he can't, considering how many more rhp there are than lhp, Willie is pretty valuable if he hits righties as he did last season.

[qwerty]

Willie had last season a decent average and a very good obp, w/ no big defensive lapses.  I'm not expecting Juan Pierre.

 

As for hitting lhp, how do we know he can't?  Are you judging on the basis of 70-some abs last season?  Until he's given a long trial, or until I see some negative minor league splits, I'm not convinced.  (I'm not saying he can, either -- I just don't see why it is accepted fact that WH cannot hit lefties.)  Even if he can't, considering how many more rhp there are than lhp, Willie is pretty valuable if he hits righties as he did last season.

I do not consider .262 decent i guess and a .342 obp is not very good imo. It seems we agree on everything else outside of that. Hasn't someone gotten his batting average against lefties in the minors before?

[Guest JimH]

Willie had last season a decent average and a very good obp, w/ no big defensive lapses.  I'm not expecting Juan Pierre.

 

As for hitting lhp, how do we know he can't?  Are you judging on the basis of 70-some abs last season?  Until he's given a long trial, or until I see some negative minor league splits, I'm not convinced.  (I'm not saying he can, either -- I just don't see why it is accepted fact that WH cannot hit lefties.)  Even if he can't, considering how many more rhp there are than lhp, Willie is pretty valuable if he hits righties as he did last season.

I think you'll get your wish of seeing if Harris can hit left handers because after the events of the last few days, IMO, he is gonna be the starting 2B.

 

It doesn't make me happy, but I understand why they're doing it even though it's not my preferred scenario.

 

The shame of it all is, they've had this guy for a few years and they still don't know 100% what he can and can't do. Emphasis on "they". We fans, of course, know everything about everything ... just ask us!

[jackie hayes]

Lol, Jim. And qwerty, you're hard to please...

 

I'm not totally confident in WH, but I don't see how he's proven to be Lenny Harris all of a sudden. Wait and see -- but I'm pretty happy with his 2004 season.

[AddisonStSox]

I think you'll get your wish of seeing if Harris can hit left handers because after the events of the last few days, IMO, he is gonna be the starting 2B.

...and for that, we will have taken a significant amount of steps in the wrong direction. :banghead

 

The battle lines have been drawn on Harris. Time will tell. I think this his last shot.

[elrockinMT]

Still plenty of options out there.  I still say the Sox are holding off for RJ and I think they get him.

The Sox will not pay big money for any FA. If they sign free agenst they will pick up role players. Also I don't think Randy Johnson even wants to come to the Chisox.

[witesoxfan]

The Sox will not pay big money for any FA. If they sign free agenst they will pick up role players. Also I don't think Randy Johnson even wants to come to the Chisox.

He wants to go somewhere he can win. That's all he cares about.

[CubKilla]

Also I don't think Randy Johnson even wants to come to the Chisox.

If RJ wants to win now, he'll avoid the White Sox like the plague.

[YASNY]

I do not consider .262 decent i guess and a .342 obp is not very good imo. It seems we agree on everything else outside of that. Hasn't someone gotten his batting average against lefties in the minors before?

Actually, those numbers aren't bad for a guy in his first full big league season.

[qwerty]

Actually, those numbers aren't bad for a guy in his first full big league season.

I think i am gonna give him one more year since he is yet to have a year with 500 at-bats. But if he is indeed the starting second baseman and does not improve his stolen base total and all the other good stuff. I think it would be time to trade him.

[YASNY]

I think i am gonna give him one more year since he is yet to have a year with 500 at-bats. But if he is indeed the starting second baseman and does not improve his stolen base total and all the other good stuff. I think it would be time to trade him.

Ok. Now let me ask you this. What was your opinion of Aaron Rowand and Paul Konerko one year ago today?

[qwerty]

Ok.  Now let me ask you this.  What was your opinion of Aaron Rowand and Paul Konerko one year ago today?

Honestly i was not sure about rowand at all. I felt it was his make or break season in a white sox uniform. I stuck with him because he has always been one of my favorite players because of his all out hustle and his good attitude. Last year i thought if we traded konerko we would regret it because i felt we would be able to get more than just perez after a bounce back year. Makes no sense to trade a guy while he has his lowest possible value unlees it is nothing more than a salary dump. I mean did anyone actually expect him to have back to back years like he had in 2003? 2003 was a fluke and nothing more.