beck72 Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Fast forward to the trade deadline, and the Sox are still sitting atop the AL Central and hold one of the best records in the AL as well. Say the Sox hold a 5 game lead on the Twins, and about a 10 game lead for the wild card. Say the Sox regulars are playing well, with no injuries, and are rounding into decent shape [Dye, Rowand and PK all get back close to their regular avg's, and Frank provides a good lift, splitting time with Everett to make Carl a big bat off the bench]. Say the pitching comes back to earth a bit, but not that big of a fall. The Sox won't be adding a starting pitcher, with B-Mac good insurance even if an injury would occur. The sox likely wouldn't be adding an everyday player or a starting pitcher. Maybe a bench guy, but the price wouldn't be high. The only real spot where the Sox could add an impact player would be the bullpen [a complete, true closer--I like the Sox bullpen, but no guy is the "unhittable" type]. Would you do a deal centered around prospect Brian Anderson [and probably a bullpen arm or two like Baj or Diaz] for Billy Wagner? I know Wagner is a FA in 2006. And the sox likely wouldn't offer a closer making $9 mill arbitration, so they'd lose him for nothing. A deal like this would be for getting deep into the playoffs, and a possible world series appearance. With the depth in the Sox OF [Dye for another yr, Pods should be re-signed, Aaron for 3 more yrs], Anderson likely wouldn't get a shot. By the time the Sox may need Anderson, Sweeney and Chris Young would likely be ready. The flipside is how often have the sox been a team with a solid chance to win a world series. If the Sox keep up their current play, they would have a very good chance keeping the roster as is. But adding a dominating LH closer like Wagner would compliment the Sox current pen very nicely. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthraxFan93 Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 My biggest problem with the deal, is Dye's health. I would keep anderson for insurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDsDirtySox Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 At this point I don't want to trade Brian Anderson. I really like his game, and think he could be an above average player. I also think Wagner is nearing the end of his career, and is very likely to breakdown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beck72 Posted May 10, 2005 Author Share Posted May 10, 2005 QUOTE(AnthraxFan93 @ May 10, 2005 -> 05:14 PM) My biggest problem with the deal, is Dye's health. I would keep anderson for insurance. That's a good point. Having Carl in RF isn't the best of options. I'd say would you trade Anderson or Ryan Sweeney for a true closer, yet Anderson came to mind because the Phillies need a CFer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beck72 Posted May 10, 2005 Author Share Posted May 10, 2005 QUOTE(JDsDirtySox @ May 10, 2005 -> 05:19 PM) At this point I don't want to trade Brian Anderson. I really like his game, and think he could be an above average player. I also think Wagner is nearing the end of his career, and is very likely to breakdown. Getting Wagner would be for 3 months-- August, Sept, and Oct. If Wagner doesn't have any health problems by July, he'd be as solid as closers come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyho7476 Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 QUOTE(JDsDirtySox @ May 10, 2005 -> 12:19 PM) At this point I don't want to trade Brian Anderson. I really like his game, and think he could be an above average player. I also think Wagner is nearing the end of his career, and is very likely to breakdown. I'm with you on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beck72 Posted May 10, 2005 Author Share Posted May 10, 2005 QUOTE(tonyho7476 @ May 10, 2005 -> 05:26 PM) I'm with you on this one. It's the age old question----does a team trade a little bit of its future for a chance to win now? I think with Pods, Rowand and Dye around for a few yrs, not a lot of the future would be traded in Anderson, with Sweeney and Chris Young only 1 level below Anderson. Esp. if it would help improve the Sox chances of getting to and winning a world series Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Its a really tough call. I would basically call Anderson untouchable, but is anyone REALLY untouchable with a chance to win the World Series? I guess it would depend mostly on how the pen looked at that point in time. If we were getting the kinds of efforts out of Marte and Hermanson that we are now, I might be tempted to stay the course, or see if I could find another closer for cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Lopez Ghost (old) Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 I don't think so. If we had a huge glaring weakness in the pen, then maybe you have to bite the bullet and make the trade, but just to shore things up a little, no I'd hang on to future. Now, if you conjure up a situation where Uribe breaks his leg and you can get a veteran sure handed replacement for him, then you might have to make the move. If you look at our roster, generally we have pretty good injury-forced replacements here already. Pods could take over Center, you can always find a serviceable corner outfielder, Willie sorta backs up Iguchi, eventually Frank backs up Konerko I hope, catcher's a little thin, but if Crede or Uribe go out for a long time, that would be a problem they would need to address. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sircaffey Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 I'd do it for sure. Wouldn't think twice about it... Prospects are prospects. Seeing as how the Sox have had next to no success with "top prospects" in the recent years, I would deffinitely give up one of a handful of good OF prospects that we have. Wagner would make our pitching staff just incredibly scary good. Imagine Buehrle-Garcia-Garland-El Duque in the playoffs with Politte/Vizcaino for the 6th inning, Marte/Shingo for the 7th, and Hermy for 8th, with one of the best closers in all of baseball finishing it off in the 9th. That's hands down the best pen in baseball. Pitching wins in the playoffs and we would have the best pitching going into the playoffs. Also, closer by committee has failed miserably in the past. I would like to avoid that trend if at all possible... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ May 10, 2005 -> 10:33 AM) Its a really tough call. I would basically call Anderson untouchable, but is anyone REALLY untouchable with a chance to win the World Series? I guess it would depend mostly on how the pen looked at that point in time. If we were getting the kinds of efforts out of Marte and Hermanson that we are now, I might be tempted to stay the course, or see if I could find another closer for cheaper. The one thing I think we should keep in mind this year is that there are going to be very, very few teams that are actually out of the running at the trade deadline. KC, Tampa, Colorado, Pittsburgh, probably 1 or 2 more. Everyone else is probably going to be pretty close to the shape Houston was in last year; having an ok team but needing 1 or 2 parts if they want to win. In other words, this year could very well be one heck of a seller's market. So if we want to get anything worth while, we're going to have to give up a ton. Barring an injury to Konerko, I think our best move is to stand pat. We have backup at every single position; Perez and Anderson can back up the outfield, Ozuna, Harris, Uribe can work as backups in the infield, B-Mac and Adkins back up the pitching staff, Widger and Davis back up the catching. Right now there's just no one place that I see us having room for a big upgrade, especially one that would be worth the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beck72 Posted May 10, 2005 Author Share Posted May 10, 2005 QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ May 10, 2005 -> 05:33 PM) Its a really tough call. I would basically call Anderson untouchable, but is anyone REALLY untouchable with a chance to win the World Series? I guess it would depend mostly on how the pen looked at that point in time. If we were getting the kinds of efforts out of Marte and Hermanson that we are now, I might be tempted to stay the course, or see if I could find another closer for cheaper. The key is will the Sox pen come back down to earth a bit. I think Hermanson will get scored upon--I love him in a setup role, but as closer.....and Marte is usually good for a walk or HBP--he scares the s*** out of me. Getting a guy like Wagner with his control, and 100 mph heat to compliment the current sox arms, would make the bullpen truly remarkable. Also figuring into this is the sox starting pitching. If they can keep dominating, they wouldn't need Wagner. Yet they fall back down a bit, they'll need to rely on the bullpen coming in and stopping teams in their tracks for the 7th-9th innings. In a short playoff series, the Sox could throw a ton of arms at teams and have one guy to lock down games Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Sox Josh Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 If this was 3 years ago yes. Wagner is getting up there in age and he's not worth Sweeney or Anderson. Plus I think that Phillies will start playing better than they have been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthraxFan93 Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Instead of Wagner, what about KW old Pal Beane.. and get Dotel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beck72 Posted May 10, 2005 Author Share Posted May 10, 2005 QUOTE(AnthraxFan93 @ May 10, 2005 -> 05:43 PM) Instead of Wagner, what about KW old Pal Beane.. and get Dotel? No to Dotel. If the Sox were giving up good talent, they should get as close to a sure thing as possible. Dotel isn't a sure thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sircaffey Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 QUOTE(AnthraxFan93 @ May 10, 2005 -> 11:43 AM) Instead of Wagner, what about KW old Pal Beane.. and get Dotel? Ehh, I'd much rather stick with what we've got than get Dotel. No more OAK closers for me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 QUOTE(AnthraxFan93 @ May 10, 2005 -> 10:43 AM) Instead of Wagner, what about KW old Pal Beane.. and get Dotel? I never thought Dotel was that good when he was with Houston, and I don't think he'd be an upgrade over what we have now anyway. Let the Cubs make a run at Dotel if they want him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sircaffey Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 (edited) If the Phillies were willing to deal Wagner for Anderson, Diaz, + another spect yet the Sox passed on the deal, and then Shingo or Hermy blows a game or two in the ALCS, what would the perception be? "Oh but we still have Anderson." I have a hard time thinking that KW wouldn't pull the trigger on that deal. I'm w/ KW's mentality. There's been too long of a drought. If this is our best chance to win the AL or WS in a long time, then I would make the trade and worry about some prospect that may or may not pan out later. NO REGRETS! Edited May 10, 2005 by sircaffey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilJester99 Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 I would love to find out what it would take to get Brad Lidge from Houston if they are still struggling at the deadline....I wouldn't think they would trade him but one never knows... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 QUOTE(sircaffey @ May 10, 2005 -> 10:53 AM) If the Phillies were willing to deal Wagner for Anderson, Diaz, + another spect yet the Sox passed on the deal, and then Shingo or Hermy blows a game or two in the ALCS, what would the perception be? "Oh but we still have Anderson." I have a hard time thinking that KW wouldn't pull the trigger on that deal. I'm w/ KW's mentality. There's been too long of a drought. If this is our best chance to win the AL or WS in a long time, then I would make the trade and worry about some prospect that may or may not pan out later. Or on the other hand...we trade for Wagner, and then Wagner's arm problems crop up again later in the season, and we end up having neither. If you're going to say that there's a risk that a very solid-looking prospect won't pan out, you also have to admit there's a risk in trading for a veteran who has had some recent injury problems. Especially if you'll probably lose that guy at the end of the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
santo=dorf Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Yeah I'd do it. We would get two compensation picks for Wagner leaving us at the end of the season too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Anderson is flat out performing at AAA, he will be ready next year, or the end of this. No way to go out and cubs ourselves and trade our prospects for one-year players. I dont think there should be any interest from us to adding any memebers to the bullpen. The only thing I could see is a big bat in the lineup to protect Pauly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 For the first time in a long time, when KW put this team together in the offseason, I was feeling like he really was not only assembling a team for this year, but he was assembling a full plan for the next few years. He put Dye in RF on a very short and fairly cheap contract until Anderson was ready, and he put Podsednik in LF as a trial to see how he could do for little money and to hold the place until Sweeney was ready. In 2 years, our outfield was set up to look like Sweeney, Rowand, Anderson (I don't know the order), and that's a pretty good setup. At the same time, we started to look like we were buidling up a surplus of young pitchers who can take over once our current crop starts hitting the free agent waters. We've got Fields up and coming in the infield, Iguchi taking over second for a while, and we filled in the gap at the catching hole. I just don't want us to end up losing next year or the year after because we made a mistake this year. Think about how happy the Cubs would be if they'd held onto Dontrelle Willis and John Garland right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWSGuy406 Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Who's to say that Anderson isn't better than Dye next year? No way I make that trade, it's a gross overpayment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxrd5 Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ May 10, 2005 -> 12:21 PM) Who's to say that Anderson isn't better than Dye next year? No way I make that trade, it's a gross overpayment. I know its only been a little over a month but I'm near certain that Brian Anderson could have put up Dye's numbers at this point, and played a better RF then what Dye has done thus far. Dye has to improve or he will be sitting watching Anderson play next year. I wouldnt make that trade either, first round draft choices just can't be moved for a 3 month rental... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.