Contreras Talks Dry Up

[Adam G]

Today they aren't... but who knows how things will be in 15, 20, 30, 40 years. This is his last chance to make the bucks. He's not crying the "Spreewell Cry". I think his requests are fair and in line with the market.

Let's not confuse "fair" with "what the MLB free agent market will bear." The two are pretty much mutually exclusive.

[YASNY]

I still don't like the idea of having as valuable of a chip as him and letting him walk with us getting absolutely nothing in return, given that we want to build a franchise that can win for a long time here.

 

I agree, but from a different perspective it plays out like this. KW picked up Loiaza off the scrap heap. Traded EL for JC. We rode JC through the 2nd half and post season to a World Championship. Who knows how '06 will turn out? We don't have much invested in him, and realistically can't expect a lot out him beyond '06. So if he walks, he'll get a huge thank you and a ton of well wishes from me.

[knightni]

This isn't just about today, it is about 40 years from now.

40 years from now, he'll be pushing 100.

[FLsouthsider]

Let's not forget that the MLB pension is currently $176,000 a year, so I think he'll be fine even if he shortchanges himself by a couple-three million in this contract.

 

Besides, in '07 it's Liotta time, kids!

[Steff]

Let's not confuse "fair" with "what the MLB free agent market will bear."    The two are pretty much mutually exclusive.

 

 

I'm not confused one bit.

[Harry Chappas]

A couple of thoughts. This guy is a horse. He is built like a brick s***house, not sure what that means but I like it. Phsically I think he is all there.

 

If he is as old as we think he his, wouldn't his agent be inclined to rush into signing a long term deal as an injury now could end his career. I therefore do not think he is that old.

 

When he defected he was thought of more highly than any Cuban defector, he is not a flash in the pan. Hispanic players struggle in NY and he seems to have turned it around.

 

Trading him now will not get what you could get from him. We do not need to gamble on "sure thing" prospects which we probably wouldn't get anyway.

 

I think they ride him out and if he pitches lights out, good for us. I think in the end we get a discount.

 

I think it is a risk for him to ask for more than 3 yr or $10/M a year but if he pitches like he did last year, look out. This guy could cost Cashman his job.

[CanOfCorn]

A couple of thoughts.  This guy is a horse.  He is built like a brick s***house, not sure what that means but I like it.  Phsically I think he is all there.

 

If he is as old as we think he his, wouldn't his agent be inclined to rush into signing a long term deal as an injury now could end his career.  I therefore do not think he is that old.

 

When he defected he was thought of more highly than any Cuban defector, he is not a flash in the pan.  Hispanic players struggle in NY and he seems to have turned it around.

 

Trading him now will not get what you could get from him.  We do not need to gamble on "sure thing" prospects which we probably wouldn't get anyway. 

 

I think they ride him out and if he pitches lights out, good for us.  I think in the end we get a discount. 

 

I think it is a risk for him to ask for more than 3 yr or $10/M a year but if he pitches like he did last year, look out.  This guy could cost Cashman his job.

 

Here are some things to be weary about...we don't know how old he REALLY is, his mentor and best friend is no longer on the team, and when he pitched in Cuba, he would throw 150 pitches one game and then forced into pitching the next game.

 

He just scares me a little bit. I don't think he can continue his incredible success of the 2nd half of 2005. I do still think he's an above average pitcher.

[southsider2k5]

A couple of thoughts.  This guy is a horse.  He is built like a brick s***house, not sure what that means but I like it.  Phsically I think he is all there.

 

If he is as old as we think he his, wouldn't his agent be inclined to rush into signing a long term deal as an injury now could end his career.  I therefore do not think he is that old.

 

When he defected he was thought of more highly than any Cuban defector, he is not a flash in the pan.  Hispanic players struggle in NY and he seems to have turned it around.

 

Trading him now will not get what you could get from him.  We do not need to gamble on "sure thing" prospects which we probably wouldn't get anyway. 

 

I think they ride him out and if he pitches lights out, good for us.  I think in the end we get a discount. 

 

I think it is a risk for him to ask for more than 3 yr or $10/M a year but if he pitches like he did last year, look out.  This guy could cost Cashman his job.

 

The rumors were that he was looking for more like 12-13 million a year for 3-4 years when the word that contract negotiations weren't going well first leaked out.

[Balta1701]

The rumors were that he was looking for more like 12-13 million a year for 3-4 years when the word that contract negotiations weren't going well first leaked out.

And Jon Garland wants to play in SoCal because his wife is from Hawaii and he's from Socal too.

 

Man, I am gonna get so much mileage out of that particular leak...

[YASNY]

And Jon Garland wants to play in SoCal because his wife is from Hawaii and he's from Socal too.

 

Man, I am gonna get so much mileage out of that particular leak...

 

Yeah, you have to take everything with a grain of salt until there is an official press release from the Sox. That applies to just about any situation.

[Punch and Judy Garland]

I do have some concerns about Jose will handle pitching in a walk year. I don't think he is mentally weak as evidenced by his postseason and the way he handled being separated from his family but some guys (Renteria springs to mind) have trouble handling this particular sort of pressure. Especially now since we won the World Series (it doesn't get old saying that) players will likely be focusing on their finances even more so

[VAfan]

I'm not surprised that talks have "dried up" in this current period, but I hope the Sox decide to revive things before the distractions of spring training threaten to put his contract on hold for the season. If that happens and Jose repeats his late-2005 and postseason performance, the Sox will be in a similar situation we were in with Paul Konerko. Everyone will want Jose back, and KW will be forced to pay a lot more to bring him back.

 

Why to I want him back? I think the Sox can get by during the regular season without him (though we wouldn't have made the postseason last year without his 11-2 second half). But in the postseason, we don't really have a dominant starting staff without Jose holding down the #1 slot. Good, yes; dominant, no.

 

Remember, Jose was 3-1 this year in the postseason, never giving up more than 3 runs in any of his starts, in each of which he pitched into the 8th inning or later.

 

Mark Buehrle, by contrast, gave up 4 runs in two of his 3 starts and needed offensive help to bail him out. (He would have been 1-2 if he faced off against Jose.)

 

Jon Garland was great in one of his two starts, and fell behind 4-0 in the other.

 

Freddie Garcia, who Ozzie will always want to save for the road, was the only other starter who pitched like a #1 guy, holding Boston to 3 runs in Boston, Anaheim 2 runs in a complete game in Anaheim, and shutting out the Astros in Houston in the WS clinching game.

 

If you take out Jose, all of our postseason pitching matchups will likely look worse, and that is no small factor if we are trying to win another World Series.

 

Put it this way - with Jose I think the Sox can match up with anyone, including the Yankees, in the postseason. Without Jose, I think our odds of repeating will take a big hit.

 

So what will it take to bring him back? As I've speculated elsewhere, I think the issue is more contract length than money. Jose wants at least a 3-year extension (4 years overall); while the Sox only want to add 2 more years (3 years overall). If they wait until the season is over, that extra year difference will go away, but for now it seems like a big deal. So why not try to turn the "4th" year into an one that is triggered automatically if Contreras meets certain milestones? It seems like the sides could work something out.

 

The Sox need to work it out, because if we don't, where do you think he'll end up in 2007 and beyond? My bet would be the Yankees.

[Balta1701]

The Sox need to work it out, because if we don't, where do you think he'll end up in 2007 and beyond?  My bet would be the Yankees.

It would take an absolute, gigantic miracle for Jose to want to go back there.

[Baines3]

Kenny is probably waiting to see how does this season especially in the second half before he decides anything.

[WilliamTell]

Why would Jose ever want to go back there?

[Baines3]

The Sox need to work it out, because if we don't, where do you think he'll end up in 2007 and beyond?  My bet would be the Yankees.

 

I don't see him going back to the Yankees. I sure wouldn't want to play there if it were me.

[southsider2k5]

And Jon Garland wants to play in SoCal because his wife is from Hawaii and he's from Socal too.

 

Man, I am gonna get so much mileage out of that particular leak...

 

If we are only going to deal with facts after the end result, we have wasted about a million posts on this board... Rumors are just that, rumors. You don't build your house on sand, just like you don't build your team on rumors. Heck even if it was the truth then, something could have changed in between, how do we know Garland didn't have a change of heart?

[DBAHO]

Little piece here from the Phillie Inquirer;

 

Phillies GM Pat Gillickcontinues to make it clear that he's looking for a top-of-the-rotation arm to fortify his pitching staff. However, he's not the only GM looking for pitching, and the available field is thin. Officials from around the majors say that the pitching-rich Chicago White Sox would deal righthander Jose Contreras, who pitched brilliantly for that team in the second half of 2005. There are indications that the White Sox like Bobby Abreu but would have trouble taking on his salary as their payroll has climbed about $20 million and is closing in on $95 million.

[Uribe is a pit bull]

You only can have so many aces. They got all kind of horses, these guys are big bad dudes. You gotta cut one loose. Jose is the nastiest dude around, but he is also the oldest. You dont want to see him have to go, but at least we have him for one more year and he needs a big year for a good contract. A motivated Contreras, he could win the Cy Young. The ChiSox are bringin it in '06.