Williams: Sox not cutting payroll

[southsideirish71]

With the massive money deals we've been seeing, there will likely be more trades at the deadline than the previous few seasons. It's just too bad we weren't more interested in Abreu, as his contract seems below market value now and he'd be the perfect leadoff hitter for the Sox.

 

Now this I will echo. Abreu would of been a nice OBP guy for our lineup. I dont know about leadoff, but he could of been a nice OBP guy to put in the 3 hole in front of the mashers.

[fathom]

Now this I will echo. Abreu would of been a nice OBP guy for our lineup. I dont know about leadoff, but he could of been a nice OBP guy to put in the 3 hole in front of the mashers.

 

He's better than our current leadoff hitter in literally every single offensive category.

[SoxHawk1980]

The Sox saved $10 million by trading Garcia. Do you think KW is going to spend that money on someone? If he doesn't, then it looks like a straight payroll cut to me. I know there have been a lot of crazy contracts signed this year, but it doesn't mean that there was no player available who was also affordable. Abreu, Jose Guillen and Lugo would all have been affordable and significant upgrades for the team. Why is pocketing the money better than spending it on an upgrade?

 

Of course KW still has the chance to spend that money to improve the team. I hope he does it, instead of pretending that there was no way to spend the money that would actually help the team.

 

He's better than our current leadoff hitter in literally every single offensive category.

But he's not a slap hitting speedster!

[Hangar18]

He's better than our current leadoff hitter in literally every single offensive category.

 

 

Man ......................... Scott Podsednik absolutely must have a good year in 07 ...........

[YASNY]

The Sox saved $10 million by trading Garcia. Do you think KW is going to spend that money on someone? If he doesn't, then it looks like a straight payroll cut to me. I know there have been a lot of crazy contracts signed this year, but it doesn't mean that there was no player available who was also affordable. Abreu, Jose Guillen and Lugo would all have been affordable and significant upgrades for the team. Why is pocketing the money better than spending it on an upgrade?

 

Of course KW still has the chance to spend that money to improve the team. I hope he does it, instead of pretending that there was no way to spend the money that would actually help the team.

But he's not a slap hitting speedster!

 

It's mid-December. Before we bend KW over a barrel, let's just see how this all shakes out.

[SoxHawk1980]

It's mid-December. Before we bend KW over a barrel, let's just see how this all shakes out.

No question. The offseason isn't a failure or success until the season starts. But it seems like the gist of most of the comments in this thread is "thank god KW didn't waste the team's money on any of the FA's that have been signed." Of course I didn't want KW to throw away big money on a stiff like Gil Meche, but there have been some good opportunities to spend money which KW has eschewed.

[YASNY]

No question. The offseason isn't a failure or success until the season starts. But it seems like the gist of most of the comments in this thread is "thank god KW didn't waste the team's money on any of the FA's that have been signed." Of course I didn't want KW to throw away big money on a stiff like Gil Meche, but there have been some good opportunities to spend money which KW has eschewed.

 

Apparently, he disagrees with you.

[Hangar18]

definitely cool to see alot of different opinions on this subject

[WCSox]

Nor, do I want him to spend just to spend.

 

Agreed. Spending just to put butts in the seats didn't work for the Sox in '97 and it's not going to work in '07, either.

[Chisoxfn]

Garland was THISCLOSE to being traded a few days ago. It almost happened. It was reported.

Now whether we choose to believe that since hes still here, hes not going anywhere, or since his name surfaced in that deal and why are we considering trading im is topic for endless discussion.

The bottom line is, the SOX Organization has heard the grumblings from the fanbase and come out and made this statement. Kudos. Its a good PR move

Very recently I've heard that we really weren't in fact that close to any trade for Jon Garland. The names offered were not close to enough for what Kenny was looking for. This is heard from a 3rd party who I talk to every once in a while that has some of the same contacts I have (so every once in a blue moon we'll hear something the other hasn't).

 

Also, I've heard of some pretty crazy deals that almost went down over the past half a season and if you don't think Kenny has wanted Arod in the past your nuts, although we have in fact had the opportunity to get him (now I have no idea if he would have actually came though...cause it never got that far).

[CanOfCorn]

but there have been some good opportunities to spend money which KW has eschewed.

 

Give me a f'rinstance. Lugo, no thanks. Abreu, he wouldn't come here to leadoff. Guillen, maybe, but doesn't solve our leadoff problem.

 

With the way these contracts are, $10 million for Garcia is a drop in the bucket. This wasn't a White Flag trade. It was a, "we aren't going to be able to re-sign all of these guys" trade.

 

I mean, c'mon, we haven't even signed Cintron or Crede yet and they are going to get raises. Do we REALLY want to be the Red Sox, Yankees or Mets?

 

I don't.

[Leagalize13]

Pretty much its been a one to one relationship with how profits have turned and how the payroll has turned. As Mike has shown in years past, pretty much you can look at the Forbes report and say that whatever the profit has been, you can see payroll increase at the same step. Anyone who thinks that this organization is cheap with a 100 million dollar payroll is a moron.

 

And for those using the Garland example, just stop. That is called getting the most for your trade. What will bring you more back, a pitcher in their walk year, or a pitcher with 2 years on the contract. KW thinks he can get an impact pitcher that can front line our rotation with Garland he will ship him off. Plain and simple. And for the love of God its Jon Garland, not Cy Young. He is a durable 200 innning pitcher. Batters hit .294 against him, so lets stop like if we trade him we will be a 5th place team for 10 years. We as fans need to stop falling in love with the names on the back. Because there is no loyalty for the most part either way. FA's want to make the money, and the clubs want to keep a product on the field that can make them money. Why is this so hard for everyone to see. We get silly threads about players being selfish, or the owners being selfish. They are all selfish. Its called human nature. If the cubs would pay me 126 million dollars, as much as I hate them, I would put the hat on right now and smile for the camera. And laugh all the way to the bank later as I bought my Island in the pacific.

Every thing you just said took the words right out of my mouth. Look at Texas, they signed ARod to that huge contract and got so desperate to get rid of him because he tied up so much payrole they couldnt field a competitive team around him. Now they are paying him 9M a year for the rest of his contract to wear a Yankee uni. Is that what some Sox fans around here want KW to get stuck with?

 

One of many reasons I've had pride in being a Sox fan is that we (Sox fans) as a whole are far more intelligent than the idiot Cub fans. Some people around here seem to have the same mentality that Cub fans have and its sick.

 

Wait and see when Soriano has enuff with the Cubs orginazation he will be demanding a trade and when he gets traded the Cubs will be eating his salary just like Texas. Is that what some the Sox fans around here want KW to get stuck with? Not me, I still have faith in whatever it is KW is doing.

 

Give me a f'rinstance. Lugo, no thanks. Abreu, he wouldn't come here to leadoff. Guillen, maybe, but doesn't solve our leadoff problem.

 

With the way these contracts are, $10 million for Garcia is a drop in the bucket. This wasn't a White Flag trade. It was a, "we aren't going to be able to re-sign all of these guys" trade.

 

I mean, c'mon, we haven't even signed Cintron or Crede yet and they are going to get raises. Do we REALLY want to be the Red Sox, Yankees or Mets?

 

I don't.

[SoxHawk1980]

Give me a f'rinstance. Lugo, no thanks.

He would have been an upgrade over Uribe and Uribe could have been traded away for something.

Abreu, he wouldn't come here to leadoff.

We have no idea if he would have come here. And it doesn't make any difference if he comes here to leadoff or not. He's a huge upgrade over Pods. And how do we know if he even cares if he is the leadoff hitter or the #2 or #5?

Guillen, maybe, but doesn't solve our leadoff problem.

Not every acquisition solves every problem. Again, he would have been a big upgrade over Pods. He or most players on the team would be better leading off than Pods.

With the way these contracts are, $10 million for Garcia is a drop in the bucket. This wasn't a White Flag trade. It was a, "we aren't going to be able to re-sign all of these guys" trade.

 

I mean, c'mon, we haven't even signed Cintron or Crede yet and they are going to get raises. Do we REALLY want to be the Red Sox, Yankees or Mets?

I don't.

I don't know what this means. Do we want to spend as much as the Red Sox, Yankees or Mets? They spend what they can afford. If the Chisox could afford that much, they should spend that much. Unfortunately Chisox revenues don't allow for that kind of payroll. But as a fan, I certainly want the Chisox to spend as much as they can afford. And the Chisox can easily afford at least a small increase over last year's payroll. I would definitely like for them to spend that much money to improve the team. There have been opportunities to do that this season. Hopefully KW can figure out something in the remainder of the offseason to make it happen.

[southsider2k5]

I don't know what this means. Do we want to spend as much as the Red Sox, Yankees or Mets? They spend what they can afford. If the Chisox could afford that much, they should spend that much. Unfortunately Chisox revenues don't allow for that kind of payroll. But as a fan, I certainly want the Chisox to spend as much as they can afford. And the Chisox can easily afford at least a small increase over last year's payroll. I would definitely like for them to spend that much money to improve the team. There have been opportunities to do that this season. Hopefully KW can figure out something in the remainder of the offseason to make it happen.

 

They can? I'd love to see a copy of the balance sheet you are looking at.

[bmags]

anyone else think Rozner is too good of a writer for the herald?

[SoxHawk1980]

They can? I'd love to see a copy of the balance sheet you are looking at.

I assume "They can?" refers to me saying that the Sox can afford at least a small increase over last year's payroll. I draw that conclusion from the fact that they made a tidy profit last year and can therefore afford to invest some of those profits into a small increase in payroll.

[RME JICO]

With the massive money deals we've been seeing, there will likely be more trades at the deadline than the previous few seasons. It's just too bad we weren't more interested in Abreu, as his contract seems below market value now and he'd be the perfect leadoff hitter for the Sox.

I never thought about that. There should be a lot more options around the trading deadline this year. That is good news for the Sox.

 

With the lack of news and rumors lately, I am expecting something soon. Hell, give Hall an early X-mas gift and sign him.

[Controlled Chaos]

I am a little biased since the sports department for the Herald writes me a check every two weeks:P , but the Daily Herald IMO has one of the best, if not the best sports section in Chicago.

I've been a subscriber for about a week and a half, so far it is leaps and bounds better than the times.

[southsider2k5]

I assume "They can?" refers to me saying that the Sox can afford at least a small increase over last year's payroll. I draw that conclusion from the fact that they made a tidy profit last year and can therefore afford to invest some of those profits into a small increase in payroll.

 

I haven't seen the profit numbers for 06 yet, where are they at?

[KevHead0881]

anyone else think Rozner is too good of a writer for the herald?

 

As a loyal employee of the paper, I can honestly say that the Herald sports section is the only part of the paper I have any use for. Rozner is excellent, and the beat writers (Gregor, Miles, etc.) a pretty good. I can do without Imrem, but its an otherwise solid section.

[southsideirish71]

I've been a subscriber for about a week and a half, so far it is leaps and bounds better than the times.

 

We are screwed in Downers for this. I cant get the Daily Herald nor can I get the Southtown due to a local Downers paper that is terrible. So I have to deal with the trib or the times. This is just so dumb.

[YASNY]

I think Rozner is the best sports columnist in Chicago.

[southsider2k5]

I like Barry, but for the most part I like the writers that Chicago has, with a few notable exceptions.

[Vance Law]

Could anyone copy the article here?

 

For whatever reason, I get a blank page from that link.

[southsider2k5]

Could anyone copy the article here?

 

For whatever reason, I get a blank page from that link.

 

Kenny Williams doesn’t mind criticism.

 

In some ways, the White Sox GM welcomes it because it means he has a growing and passionate fan base.

 

But if you want to really irritate him, go ahead and call Jerry Reinsdorf cheap.

 

“Somehow, there’s a common thought out there that Jerry Reinsdorf issued a mandate to lower the payroll, and that is as far from the truth as you can possibly get,’’ Williams said Wednesday.

 

 

“As a matter of fact, if I saw something that made sense, I could go out right now and add a player that would increase the payroll significantly.

 

“But what I’ve seen out there so far doesn’t make sense to me.

 

“We have either equal or better in house right now, and I’m not going to do something stupid that will cripple this franchise like I fear some other teams have done to themselves.

 

“Somebody’s going to pay for some of those contracts, and I’m not going to do that to our future. We operate in a different fashion.’’

 

As it stands, the Sox are at about $100 million, but that doesn’t mean the payroll won’t be higher by the time the season starts.

 

Williams even hinted that he’s cooking up a deal now.

 

“We’re always playing with some things,’’ Williams said. “You never know when something is going to come down the pike that is what you want.’’

 

So the Sox don’t plan to trade their entire rotation and give up on 2007, as has been suggested?

 

“I’m trying to win next year and the year after that and the year after that,’’ Williams said. “Sometimes in order to set yourself up in that fashion, you have to make some unpopular decisions.

 

“But it’s really not a change of business practice. I said that long before we made the (Freddy Garcia) deal. I’ve tried to articulate our mission statement and let people in on the direction.’’

 

So unless they change their stance, the Sox will continue to sign the guys who will stay for a reasonable price, and occasionally Williams must deal those he believes are going to be overpriced while stockpiling young players who might be able to take their place.

 

It’s either that, or spend $400 million on a new starting rotation.

 

“We’ve been able to plan and survive the losses of Carlos (Lee), Magglio (Ordonez) and Frank (Thomas) and still feel like we’re building a championship team,’’ Williams said. “Some people are saying (the Garcia trade) was irresponsible, but as I’ve studied everything at length I came to the conclusion that it would be negligent if I didn’t plan in that fashion.’’

 

Best-laid plans

 

If Williams is disappointed, it’s that the exploding market has blown up his dream.

 

“I thought that once we won a title, and with the park more active and attendance rising, I thought this whole new world would open up for us. I thought we could look at greater possibilities,’’ Williams said of being able to cover any needs with money and free agents. “We just picked an inopportune time to do it.

 

“But we have the same attitude that we had before. You have to win with what you have. We have a lot more than some teams and less than some others, and you make the decisions that are right for you.

 

“There’s a lot being paid for mediocrity right now, so you have to be flexible and adjust on the fly. In some ways, you rededicate yourself to scouting and player development.

 

“I figured because of what happened with relief pitching last year that there would be a residual effect, but, no, I did not see and still even as recent as yesterday can’t completely comprehend what’s going on (in free agency) and why.

 

“It’s madness, but in the midst of it all, we have a plan. I promise you we have a plan.’’