AddisonStSox Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 If I had to describe this off-season to an objective baseball fan, I'd start by saying Kenny stepped into the proverbial pile and came out smelling like a rose. Not too long ago, the off-season started with the inability to land Omar Vizquel. Many on the board, including yours truly, was very upset with Kenny's inability to get the job done. However, it was important to note that many gave him the benefit of the doubt and praised him for sticking to his guns and avoiding a bidding war over a 35+ year old middle infielder. Next, the Soxtalk cynics were out in force over the signing of Walker. "Sox first off-season move, a washed up pitcher named Walker." Yeah, remember that? Now, here comes the moves I think many of us have forgotten about: Hermanson and Dye. Kenny in an effort to bring some power and stability to the OF brought in injury-plauged OF Jermaine Dye. Sportingnews called this, "the best bargin signing in all of baseball." Kenny also signed a crucial piece to the bullpen of 2005 in Dustin Hermanson. These two moves quickly filled two of the most noticable holes in the White Sox roster. Well, if the Kenny doubters didn't stop then, you can only imagine the reaction to trading fan-favorite and Mr. Reliable Carlos Lee. Wow. Although many of us recognized this move as a salary dump of sorts in order to free up some dough to sign a fifth starter, many saw it was a pure salary dump. It is important to note, although Kenny was unloading a huge salary, he got two very important pieces of the puzzle in return, in Podsednik and Vizcaino. A lot of posters questioned Lee's trade value and thought Kenny could have gotten more in return for Carlos Lee, but what Kenny did was bring a leadoff hitter and a first-class reliever while leaving him with enough room to sign a fifth starter. Bring in, El Duque. Here is the fifth starter. Is duribility a question? Yes. Is his ability to pitch in the big games and bring it each and every start a question? No sir. Kenny brought in a very capable fifth starter, and a guy that is head and shoulders better than anything Kenny could have trotted to the mound from the current roster. Fifth starter questions are a thing of the past. Wow. Well, Kenny addressed nearly every hole in the roster and was ready to pack it up. Nope. Enter AJ f***ing Pierzynski. Kenny signed one of the most gritty and capable catchers in all of baseball. He instantly brought in more power and stability to the Sox lineup, while bringing in a bad ass attitude. Pierzynski, an unbelievable improvement from Gentle Ben Davis. That's it. Kenny doesn't have any more moves left in him right? Wrong. Kenny, after having negotiated and nearly severed ties with Iguchi, signs him to a great, great, great deal...answering EACH AND EVERY whole in the 2004 roster. Amazing. Kenny has arguably had the best off-season in all of baseball. Thoughts? Please post all things Kenny Williams here! Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBlackSox8 Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 I don't think any other team made half the moves the Whitesox did. Even if they did...did those teams fill holes like the Sox did? KW did an excellent job, and i never expected him to be this active this offseason. A+ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 I can't argue with that assessment Addy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodAsGould Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 the best thing about this all is we got a good bench now once everyone is healthy. Gload, Willie, Everett, Ben Davis. While maybe not the best starters those 4 are great bench players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T R U Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 12:01 PM) the best thing about this all is we got a good bench now once everyone is healthy. Gload, Willie, Everett, Ben Davis. While maybe not the best starters those 4 are great bench players. I still dont get why everyone is going nuts that "Now Willie cant start" yay!!!! now we can just start a guy who has never played in the MLB and is a HUGE questionmark insted of a guy who hit almost .265 with a near .350 OBP and has more speed and is younger than the guy who we have just signed!! Im not saying Iguchi was a bad signing, but Willie improved last season so what makes you think he wouldnt this year either? I just think people are getting too happy about no Willie Harris over someone who could be worse.. and then someone had the nerve to suggest the White Sox trade Harris AND Garland.... how dare you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
santo=dorf Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 He also made up for the loss of Ryan Wing with Bobby Jenks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T R U Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 12:19 PM) He also made up for the loss of Ryan Wing with Bobby Jenks. In all honesty that was my favorite move this offseason... After I saw the segment on ESPN about him and his 100+ MPH fastball, I was like "Man I wish the Sox could get that guy" and what do you know, we eventually did.. I really hope we hang on to him and hope to see him on the southside in the future because he would quickly be one of my favorite players.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodAsGould Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 QUOTE(Man Of Steel @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 06:18 PM) I still dont get why everyone is going nuts that "Now Willie cant start" yay!!!! now we can just start a guy who has never played in the MLB and is a HUGE questionmark insted of a guy who hit almost .265 with a near .350 OBP and has more speed and is younger than the guy who we have just signed!! Im not saying Iguchi was a bad signing, but Willie improved last season so what makes you think he wouldnt this year either? I just think people are getting too happy about no Willie Harris over someone who could be worse.. and then someone had the nerve to suggest the White Sox trade Harris AND Garland.... how dare you hey im a big Willie fan but those numbers in Japan the last 2 years were sick that Iguchi put up so while id rather have just not signed Iguchi and kept Willie i think now that we did we have to give Iguchi the job. Which in turns makes Willie a great bat off the bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanOfCorn Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 Kenny has just proven that you don't need to make a big splash to improve your team. You listening Mets... Kenny is the man this offseason and should be Exec of the Year, just for making smart moves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T R U Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 QUOTE(SoxFan101 @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 12:27 PM) hey im a big Willie fan but those numbers in Japan the last 2 years were sick that Iguchi put up so while id rather have just not signed Iguchi and kept Willie i think now that we did we have to give Iguchi the job. Which in turns makes Willie a great bat off the bench. Sure numbers in Japan are nice but that doesnt mean they will translate over to here.. I would love for him to hit .330 with 25 HR's and 20 SB's but I wont expect that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 What this signing makes out of Willie Harris is trade bait. He is a commodity that has some value. I would not be upset with us entering the season with WH being our starting 2B, if we had a veteran UIF on the roster. However, considering all the not so subtle remarks from Ozzie and KW about Harris, I feel like his ticket out of town was written a few weeks ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AddisonStSox Posted January 24, 2005 Author Share Posted January 24, 2005 QUOTE(YASNY @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 12:34 PM) What this signing makes out of Willie Harris is trade bait. He is a commodity that has some value. I would not be upset with us entering the season with WH being our starting 2B, if we had a veteran UIF on the roster. However, considering all the not so subtle remarks from Ozzie and KW about Harris, I feel like his ticket out of town was written a few weeks ago. Exactly, and if attitude isn't enough reason to send him packing, take a look at the bench. The Sox need a proven utility MI that can play multiple positions, and that is something Harris just can't do. So, although many of you are aware of my hatred towards Harris, I have to think he's gone based on the lack of depth in the MI. I'd love to see Harris moved for a utlity infielder or some kind of bullpen arm/prospect. Clean out the locker son. EDIT: Anywho, how about that Kenny Williams!? Bravo. Amazing work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 12:36 PM) Exactly, and if attitude isn't enough reason to send him packing, take a look at the bench. The Sox need a proven utility MI that can play multiple positions, and that is something Harris just can't do. So, although many of you are aware of my hatred towards Harris, I have to think he's gone based on the lack of depth in the MI. I'd love to see Harris moved for a utlity infielder or some kind of bullpen arm/prospect. Clean out the locker son. While you are somewhat more harsh toward Willie than I am, I think he's headed elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyho7476 Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 I love the off-season. We addressed a lot of team issues. I could have lived with Willie @ 2B, but now he has competition. Now we have a lead-off guy, who can steal at will. We have 5 starters, from the get-go. We have a hitting catcher. They might get me to buy scout tickets for a game... Sox in '05 baby.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjm676 Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Jan 24, 2005 -> 05:39 PM) If I had to describe this off-season to an objective baseball fan, I'd start by saying Kenny stepped into the proverbial pile and came out smelling like a rose. Not too long ago, the off-season started with the inability to land Omar Vizquel. Many on the board, including yours truly, was very upset with Kenny's inability to get the job done. However, it was important to note that many gave him the benefit of the doubt and praised him for sticking to his guns and avoiding a bidding war over a 35+ year old middle infielder. Next, the Soxtalk cynics were out in force over the signing of Walker. "Sox first off-season move, a washed up pitcher named Walker." Yeah, remember that? Now, here comes the moves I think many of us have forgotten about: Hermanson and Dye. Kenny in an effort to bring some power and stability to the OF brought in injury-plauged OF Jermaine Dye. Sportingnews called this, "the best bargin signing in all of baseball." Kenny also signed a crucial piece to the bullpen of 2005 in Dustin Hermanson. These two moves quickly filled two of the most noticable holes in the White Sox roster. Well, if the Kenny doubters didn't stop then, you can only imagine the reaction to trading fan-favorite and Mr. Reliable Carlos Lee. Wow. Although many of us recognized this move as a salary dump of sorts in order to free up some dough to sign a fifth starter, many saw it was a pure salary dump. It is important to note, although Kenny was unloading a huge salary, he got two very important pieces of the puzzle in return, in Podsednik and Vizcaino. A lot of posters questioned Lee's trade value and thought Kenny could have gotten more in return for Carlos Lee, but what Kenny did was bring a leadoff hitter and a first-class reliever while leaving him with enough room to sign a fifth starter. Bring in, El Duque. Here is the fifth starter. Is duribility a question? Yes. Is his ability to pitch in the big games and bring it each and every start a question? No sir. Kenny brought in a very capable fifth starter, and a guy that is head and shoulders better than anything Kenny could have trotted to the mound from the current roster. Fifth starter questions are a thing of the past. Wow. Well, Kenny addressed nearly every hole in the roster and was ready to pack it up. Nope. Enter AJ f***ing Pierzynski. Kenny signed one of the most gritty and capable catchers in all of baseball. He instantly brought in more power and stability to the Sox lineup, while bringing in a bad ass attitude. Pierzynski, an unbelievable improvement from Gentle Ben Davis. That's it. Kenny doesn't have any more moves left in him right? Wrong. Kenny, after having negotiated and nearly severed ties with Iguchi, signs him to a great, great, great deal...answering EACH AND EVERY whole in the 2004 roster. Amazing. Kenny has arguably had the best off-season in all of baseball. Thoughts? Please post all things Kenny Williams here! Enjoy. Great post. I have nothing else to add. Other than you forgot about Jorge Toca. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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