Rowand offered 4 yrs/55 million from Sox

[Gregory Pratt]

Wow. I personally think this would be a tremendous deal in this market but I'm obviously in the minority here. Rowand will get more imo but I'd love this.

 

[SpringfieldFan]

We need Rowand and Bedard. Face it, we arent gonna out hit Detroit. We have to pitch with them, then play strong defense to be in it.

 

I don't see this being about Detroit anymore; they are in their own category now. I think its all about wildcard chances now. We need to see how acquiring Rowand positions us against Cleveland.

 

SFF

[Balta1701]

I don't see this being about Detroit anymore; they are in their own category now. I think its all about wildcard chances now. We need to see how acquiring Rowand positions us against Cleveland.

(Raises hand)...and um...those 2 um...teams in the East...what are their names...oh yeah Boston and New York.

[southsideirish]

Wow. I personally think this would be a tremendous deal in this market but I'm obviously in the minority here. Rowand will get more imo but I'd love this.

 

Why can't we go after both?

[Misplaced_Sox]

Why do we want Rowand again? So he can swing away at the slider falling off the plate, lunging at it and grinding into the numerous double plays and pop outs that plagued him here and killed many a scoring drive.

 

It is not like he is fast, or a high obp, despite what he did last year.

 

Kenny Williams is in panic mode.

[TheBigHurt]

This move wouldn't excite me at all. But at this point, I think KW options are limited. $13.75 Million a year for Aaron Rowand.....wow. I'm glad its not my money.

 

I simply don't understand posts like these. We need better players. Rowand is a great cneter fielder and a great person in the clubhouse, and look what he's done in recent years. You can't tell me you'd be happier with Jerry Owens playing center. Only drawback is leadoff. Will we get a leadoff hitter? If we can get ANYONE decent to lead off, I will be VERY happy if Rowand is signed.

[elrockinMT]

Excerpted from Chicago trubune Article of 120507

 

The trade illustrated the lack of depth in the Sox's farm system available to make a competitive deal and further heightened the anxiety raised by failed attempts to land marquee talent to improve a 90-loss team.

 

The Cabrera trade could accelerate talks involving Sox attempts to deal third baseman Joe Crede and perhaps take another shot at free-agent center fielder Aaron Rowand. Williams, however, remained reluctant to give a five-year contract to Rowand, who is entertaining an offer from Kansas City.

 

"You try to do things that make sense and you can afford," Williams said. "I can't give you a dollar if I don't have 50 cents. Decisions are made awfully easy for you."

 

 

My biggest fear here is an attitude of "we have to do something even if it's bad for the team." But, I think it will happen. I asked this question before about "are the Sox to cheap?" based on a Mariotti story. I seems to be turning into reality. We can't compete farm club to farm club anymore and this rhetoric from ownership about how they are willing to pay the money to get the talent dpesn't seem to hold water. We won't bargain with Boras, even though the rhteroic is that the agent doesn't matter, and that means Crede is gone. Our team will be the basement dweller in the AL Central next year and beyond. But, ownership showed those guys.

[fathom]

I simply don't understand posts like these. We need better players. Rowand is a great cneter fielder and a great person in the clubhouse, and look what he's done in recent years. You can't tell me you'd be happier with Jerry Owens playing center. Only drawback is leadoff. Will we get a leadoff hitter? If we can get ANYONE decent to lead off, I will be VERY happy if Rowand is signed.

 

When you have a 3/4/5 that can hit 120 homers combined, leadoff is such an overrated position. Why can't we just have Thome leadoff?

[TheBigHurt]

When you have a 3/4/5 that can hit 120 homers combined, leadoff is such an overrated position. Why can't we just have Thome leadoff?

 

LOL. We don't necessarily need someone speedy enough to steal a bunch of bases at leadoff, just someone who could hit, but someone who could run some. Thome... lol. Of course... I realize you are kidding.

[BlackBetsy]

LOL. We don't necessarily need someone speedy enough to steal a bunch of bases at leadoff, just someone who could hit, but someone who could run some. Thome... lol. Of course... I realize you are kidding.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Thome leading off. He gets on base more than anyone else, and getting on base is the most critical component of scoring runs.

 

The Red Sox didn't steal many bases in 2004 or 2007 and they won it all. They sure as hell got on base a lot.

[fathom]

LOL. We don't necessarily need someone speedy enough to steal a bunch of bases at leadoff, just someone who could hit, but someone who could run some. Thome... lol. Of course... I realize you are kidding.

 

No, I was being 100 pct serious.

[kwolf68]

 

Thome leading off? Lots of solo homers and lots of double plays.

[fathom]

Thome leading off? Lots of solo homers and lots of double plays.

 

Thome doesn't hit into too many double plays (you have to make contact for that to happen).

[WHITESOXRANDY]

Thome leading off? Lots of solo homers and lots of double plays.

 

How many more solo home runs, 5 ? How many more double plays ? Maybe less.

 

I'm not advocating it because you give up the opportunity to manufacture runs with the stolen base, the bunt, the hitting the opposite way etc. Although the idea isn't ridiculous, a team would still be better off with the ability to manufacture runs at the top of the lineup.

 

[daa84]

Thome leading off? Lots of solo homers and lots of double plays.

it is too many solo HRs....i understand fathoms desire for obp setting up the boppers in our lineup, but basically we want thome right in front of our other big power guys (PK and dye)...i would just want to have someone who is often on base in front of thome for thomes HRs as well....not whoever would be batting ninth....but in general, i do agree with fathom that the leadoff hitter doesnt need to look like a typical leadoff hitter....for instance...if carlos quentin becomes a .370 obp guy with 15 HR...id be perfectly fine with him leading off...even if he doesnt ever steal more than 10-15 bases

[iamshack]

When you have a 3/4/5 that can hit 120 homers combined, leadoff is such an overrated position. Why can't we just have Thome leadoff?

 

You are serious?

[Dick Allen]

Thome doesn't hit into too many double plays (you have to make contact for that to happen).

Plus he would be the first player ever to lead off a game by hitting into a DP.

[SoxFanForever]

If we get Rowand why not just put him at leadoff?

[Dick Allen]

What's really got me puzzled is Ozzie now thinks the pitching is fine, and the offense needs a lot of work. Swapping out Garland for Linebrink on the pitching staff that ranked 13th out of 14 and now you are fine? The other thing is makes clear, is Ozzie isn't too high on the rookies.

[Balta1701]

What's really got me puzzled is Ozzie now thinks the pitching is fine, and the offense needs a lot of work. Swapping out Garland for Linebrink on the pitching staff that ranked 13th out of 14 and now you are fine? The other thing is makes clear, is Ozzie isn't too high on the rookies.

To be fair, the Sox were actually 12th out of 14th.

 

And given that one of the criticisms we've heard over the years leveled at Ozzie is that he does play favorites and isn't necessarily the best guy at working kids into the lineup, should we be surprised by that sound?

[CWSGuy406]

You are serious?

 

Fathom's proposition is no worse than all the people who turn "leadoff hitter" into a position, as if it makes some astronomical difference on how many runs a team will score. I understand it's absurd in the fact that never ever ever ever would Thome lead off, but in reality it wouldn't change a whole lot about our offense. The only thing you'd be assuring is that Thome -- the Sox' best hitter -- gets the most at-bats in that game or, in the hypothetical situation where he lead-off for a whole year, he'd get the most plate appearances.

 

Basically, I think fathom was just trying to make a point about the people thinking we need a "leadoff hitter". Like if we got Andruw Jones or Aaron Rowand, the lineup would still be incomplete because it's missing a "leadoff hitter".

Edited December 5, 2007 by CWSGuy406

[daa84]

Fathom's proposition is no worse than all the people who turn "leadoff hitter" into a position, as if it makes some astronomical difference on how many runs a team will score. I understand it's absurd in the fact that never ever ever ever would Thome lead off, but in reality it wouldn't change a whole lot about our offense. The only thing you'd be assuring is that Thome -- the Sox' best hitter -- gets the most at-bats in that game or, in the hypothetical situation where he lead-off for a whole year, he'd get the most plate appearances.

 

Basically, I think fathom was just trying to make a point about the people thinking we need a "leadoff hitter". Like if we got Andruw Jones or Aaron Rowand, the lineup would still be incomplete because it's missing a "leadoff hitter".

can we pin this so everyone can see it?

[iamshack]

Fathom's proposition is no worse than all the people who turn "leadoff hitter" into a position, as if it makes some astronomical difference on how many runs a team will score. I understand it's absurd in the fact that never ever ever ever would Thome lead off, but in reality it wouldn't change a whole lot about our offense. The only thing you'd be assuring is that Thome -- the Sox' best hitter -- gets the most at-bats in that game or, in the hypothetical situation where he lead-off for a whole year, he'd get the most plate appearances.

 

Basically, I think fathom was just trying to make a point about the people thinking we need a "leadoff hitter". Like if we got Andruw Jones or Aaron Rowand, the lineup would still be incomplete because it's missing a "leadoff hitter".

 

Do you not want the hitter with the highest slugging percentage on your team to have hitters that can get on base in front of them?

[WHITESOXRANDY]

Hey, Kevin Youkilis was a darn good leadoff hitter for a darn good team. He's a smart player. I'd go for a guy like that in a second.

[ptatc]

Let me ask you folks this.

 

Everyone here seemed to throw up in despair yesterday and declare the season horribly, horribly lost.

 

Let's imagine this, we do a Fields and Gio for Bedard swap (just accept the principle for a second). We also sign Rowand, blowing $30 million a year on keeping those 2.

 

Does that make us an AL Central contender to your eyes? How much better does that make us that what we have right now, and is it worth that kind of money for those upgrades?

 

If people are so insistent on believing that KW fouled up and we're screwed no matter what this year because the Tigers and Indians are so good, then wasting money locking ourselves in to long term, piecemeal upgrades is not going to solve that problem.

 

I agree. Move on from here and begin to gain experience for the young players: Fields, Richar, Quentin and build as we can without the long heavy contracts to weigh the team down.