Uribe Re-signed

[joeynach]

Round is a shape.

 

90 loss team and we keep bringing back more members of it. It was funny, at the ASB Kenny was talking about changes. the only changes are that we got rid of Gooch and Mack. The band is still back together.

 

Well for what its worth we also dumped Erstad, Myers, and Bukvich. And Pods is all but gone. But I agree Uribe should have been one of the first to go, period.

[Soxfest]

Tells me Eickstein talk is over and KW is dealing in other areas to upgrade through trade or spend money on free agents.

[BMac Attack]

Ugh... this team makes me so angry...

 

Seriously we saved $500K, essentially chump change, and brought back part of the overall problem, at an area we needed to improve upon particularly. I guess it lessens some of the sting of paying $5M for that level of ballplayer, but not much.

 

I'm not the biggest Uribe-hater out there, but there were and are better options than giving him $4.5 million dollars to eat/strike out a whole lot.

 

Prove me wrong, Juan (or KW). Please.

 

 

[Balta1701]

I'm not the biggest Uribe-hater out there, but there were and are better options than giving him $4.5 million dollars to eat/strike out a whole lot.

Who?

[29andPoplar]

Its early November.

 

Now, if we end up with Uribe and no significant changes in the outfield or SS or pitching come late February, I'll be right there with you complaining. but we're not nearly there yet.

 

Yes, and not sure why this guarantees Uribe will be the starting SS, or even back with the team. Despite his shortcomings and oversizedness he is still an asset, he's not a player they'd just cut loose for nothing.

 

As you state it's early Nov. I'm as impatient as the next person but this is how it works every offseason.

[Vance Law]

I was hoping that SS may be a position where they could find more of a contact hitter....Nope. Still have a lineup of all or nothing (mostly) home run hitters.

 

In roughly one week's time? Work out a trade along the lines of various fantasy joke trades suggested here? Not even any of those were upgrades for us? One year of Garland for one year of Furcal? That's retarded. Jack Wilson? After Vizquel signs for $5.5 million the only remotely possible solution was Eckstein which would have been a disaster. Too many years, too much money per year for a singles hitter who can hit .300 in the NL Central, has been breaking down physically, and who is a gigantic downgrade defensively at ss.

 

I haven't seen one plausible OR ridiculous biased soxfan invented trade idea that clearly works out better for the sox than simply keeping Uribe. It's not even close. The choice, by the end of the day, was to either sign Uribe, or bend over and go into the rest of the off season with no shortstop. If you can afford to have a bad hitter on your team, your #9 hitter for $4.5 million who still manages to hit 20 homers and knock in 70 runs and can give you plus defense at, oh yeah, shortstop isn't a bad place for him to be.

 

[Whitewashed in '05]

I can hear the excuses already. The organization can talk the talk about making changes this offseason, but they can't back it up.

[Balta1701]

In roughly one week's time? Work out a trade along the lines of various fantasy joke trades suggested here? Not even any of those were upgrades for us? One year of Garland for one year of Furcal? That's retarded. Jack Wilson? After Vizquel signs for $5.5 million the only remotely possible solution was Eckstein which would have been a disaster. Too many years, too much money per year for a singles hitter who can hit .300 in the NL Central, has been breaking down physically, and who is a gigantic downgrade defensively at ss.

Personally, I still kinda like the Furcal one. But that depends a lot on if he's healthy...and perhaps more importantly, what else, if anything, the Dodgers threw in (either some money or players based on the value of a pitcher).

 

Then again, I wouldn't think this move handicaps us in any of those moves, as our bench was really, really depleted by the end of last year, and being able to move Uribe around the IF, and maybe stick him in the OF if we were desperate, could be worth that money. It also appears that Uribe could be a useful trading chip somewhere as well for one of these teams looking for a short term solution at SS (Cardinals?)

[NorthSideSox72]

I can hear the excuses already. The organization can talk the talk about making changes this offseason, but they can't back it up.

I can hear the whining already. The fans want changes, but they can't wait more than a friggin' week for them to happen.

 

If KW made a deal the first day of the GM meetings that benefited the team, then great. But keep in mind that is a rarity - these things usually take a lot more time than that. And re-signing Uribe to a contract that appears pretty harmless was, at this point, the smart move. It means the team doesn't look as desperate, and it now has an insurance policy.

 

Again, I'll be right there complaining with you if this is all they can do. I don't want Juan starting in 2008 either. But how about we actually see if that's the case first.

 

[Vance Law]

there were and are better options than giving him $4.5 million dollars to eat/strike out a whole lot.

 

Would love to hear any of those.

 

[RockRaines]

Barring an immediate trade, this was the only move they could make at this time. Otherwise we would have NO SS.

[Vance Law]

Personally, I still kinda like the Furcal one. But that depends a lot on if he's healthy...and perhaps more importantly, what else, if anything, the Dodgers threw in (either some money or players based on the value of a pitcher).

 

I like Furcal more than Uribe, obviously. Any sane person would.

 

But what is a reasonable estimate as to the extra number of runs the pitching gives up with Garland gone and his replacement in there? Not a Soxtalk, "I can see this guy playing his ideal best which, then makes my trade idea make sense right now in November," estimate. Is Furcal that many runs better than Uribe? On top of that, a pitcher keeping those runs off the board is more valuable than the offense scoring those runs.

 

[Kalapse]

Heh . . .

 

I'd wait for the offseason to be over to make this type of statement. Still possible [uribe] gets traded and we bring in a good [sS].

what better alternatives are/were out there? kw could just be doing this for insurence incase he cant get someone else....

I'm not surprised at this after seeing what [Vizquel] got.

 

KW doesn't want to be left with no options [at SS] come spring if he can't swing a deal at the winter meetings.

Correct - [Eckstein] had a better '06 season, but why anyone would rather have him on a 3 year deal is beyond me.

 

[uribe] has 1 year to prove himself or he's gone.

This means absolutely zero about whether or not [uribe] is [at SS] come Opening Day. The chances of that happening have not changed. Its still maybe.

People, people...just because he signed doesn't mean he's our starting [sS] next year . . . He's very limited, but he's going to be playing for a contract again . . .

I'm not saying the two situations are necessarily comparable but it is pretty funny that I can so easily plug Uribe's name into some of the posts from the Pods Signs thread from Dec. 1st of '06.

[Balta1701]

Heh . . .

I'm not saying the two situations are necessarily comparable but it is pretty funny that I can so easily plug Uribe's name into some of the posts from the Pods Signs thread from Dec. 1st of '06.

You win this round...

[NorthSideSox72]

Heh . . .

I'm not saying the two situations are necessarily comparable but it is pretty funny that I can so easily plug Uribe's name into some of the posts from the Pods Signs thread from Dec. 1st of '06.

Its definitely, eerily similar. And I'd bet that sort of thought has occurred to KW. Even in the worst lens on this board as far as KW's abilities, I am sure he knows how bad the Pods decision ended up being. All the more reason why I tend to think he's looking to make serious changes at SS and/or elsewhere.

 

But hey, I could be wrong. Its still "maybe". We may still end up with the 2007 lineup again. And that would make me very upset.

 

[ChiSox_Sonix]

I'm not the biggest Uribe-hater out there, but there were and are better options than giving him $4.5 million dollars to eat/strike out a whole lot.

 

 

Name one.

[RockRaines]

You win this round...

Not really. PODS was an injury risk, Uribe hasnt nearly missed as much time as PODS has. In Uribe we know we have a 150-160 game player at SS playing a a high level defensively. That is almost the opposite of PODS.

[Kalapse]

Not really. PODS was an injury risk, Uribe hasnt nearly missed as much time as PODS has. In Uribe we know we have a 150-160 game player at SS playing a a high level defensively. That is almost the opposite of PODS.

Like I said, the situations aren't really comparable.

[hitlesswonder]

Heh . . .

I'm not saying the two situations are necessarily comparable but it is pretty funny that I can so easily plug Uribe's name into some of the posts from the Pods Signs thread from Dec. 1st of '06.

 

True enough. But starting Uribe is, in my mind, more defensible than starting Pods. It's a lot easier to find a LF that can stay on the field and contribute at the plate than finding a SS (and Uribe's glove is still well-above average IMO, even though he's a terrible hitter). There aren't a lot of options for SS.

 

The problem with Pods is that the Sox decided they needed a speedy lead-off hitter. And then the choices came down to Juan Pierre or Dave Roberts. So they re-sign Pods. Instead, they should have just signed someone who could hit to play LF.

[Vance Law]

Heh . . .

I'm not saying the two situations are necessarily comparable but it is pretty funny that I can so easily plug Uribe's name into some of the posts from the Pods Signs thread from Dec. 1st of '06.

 

Yes, and you could do the same thing for the other 29 teams where screaming/whining fans are demanding an upgrade over xyz underperforming/less than ideal player, often without an accurate understanding of the costs in dollars or in trades of a legitimately expected substantial upgrade.

 

[fathom]

Not really. PODS was an injury risk, Uribe hasnt nearly missed as much time as PODS has. In Uribe we know we have a 150-160 game player at SS playing a a high level defensively. That is almost the opposite of PODS.

 

Absolutely....stepping back a little, I have no problem with this. Compared to the contracts other SS's have, as well as who we'd have to give up, I like the flexibility that this gives us.

[Leonard Zelig]

Under the radar.

[RockRaines]

Like I said, the situations aren't really comparable.

Sneaky bastard, hiding that comment under 52 quotes.

[knightni]

Re-signing Uribe is the most secure move for the short term.

 

Now they have the freedom to avoid mediocre shortstops in free agency and shore up their bullpen, while getting a better CF.

 

This also helps in trades. They can focus on Crede or Fields in trade offers and shop Garland.

 

Uribe re-signing doesn't mean he's annointed 2008 starter, it just means that he was the youngest, easiest option that KW had at the time. For all we know, they may trade for a SS and send Uribe packing in another trade later on.

 

Uribe can also be plan C at third base.

Fields might be better in leftfield or traded for a centerfielder, Crede can be sent to New York/Anaheim/San Francisco for younger players.

 

It's all speculation at this point, but hey, it's November.

[BearSox]

4.5 million is too much for Uribe.