Juan Uribe Placed on Waivers

[CanOfCorn]

I think we'd be much better off with Alexei as the starting SS instead of Cabrera and Garland in the rotation instead of Floyd.

 

And you are entitled to your opinion...I, on the other hand, disagree wholeheartedly.

 

Don't forget the outrage of Angels fans when they traded Cabrera. Between him and Swisher, this team is going to have attitude and will be more fun to watch than the laid back Garland and the fresh off the boat Ramirez.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

Seriously picture this. Kenny lets both Crede and Uribe walk, and then Anaheim raises their price to ridiculous levels on Cabrera, because they know Kenny is desparate. Our options literally become Andy Gonzalez, Pablo Ozuna, and someone like David Eckstein.

 

If you really want to make things interesting, take a look at the roster if the maligned Swisher trade isn't made in addition to the convential wisdom of not bringing back Joe and Juan. Our OF would be Anderson/Owens, Quinten, and Dye, to go with an IF of Fields, [insert horrible SS], Ramirez/Richar, and Konerko.

 

Ugh.

Cesar Izturis was out there and I'm sure there were other options as well. It's not like any of those names you mentioned would be our starting SS.

 

Regarding the second part, lets say that happens and we start the season around the horn as Fields-Ramirez-Richar-Konerko with an OF of Quentin-Anderson-Dye and Owens as the 4th OF. Then, instead of trading for Swisher, we put together a deal for Blanton and go into the season with Buehrle-Vazquez-Garland-Blanton-Contreras/Danks. Same bullpen, but with a bench of Hall, Owens, Bourgeois, Ozuna. That's a much better team IMO.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

And you are entitled to your opinion...I, on the other hand, disagree wholeheartedly.

 

Don't forget the outrage of Angels fans when they traded Cabrera. Between him and Swisher, this team is going to have attitude and will be more fun to watch than the laid back Garland and the fresh off the boat Ramirez.

There were many Sox fans outraged over dealing Garland too. Fan reaction isn't always the best way to gauge a trade (see how many people went nuts over the McCarthy deal and both Garcia deals).

 

Gavin Floyd has attitude too. The way he spins around to watch the ball fly out of the park just screams 'grinder.'

[scenario]

Cesar Izturis was out there and I'm sure there were other options as well. It's not like any of those names you mentioned would be our starting SS.

 

Regarding the second part, lets say that happens and we start the season around the horn as Fields-Ramirez-Richar-Konerko with an OF of Quentin-Anderson-Dye and Owens as the 4th OF. Then, instead of trading for Swisher, we put together a deal for Blanton and go into the season with Buehrle-Vazquez-Garland-Blanton-Contreras/Danks. Same bullpen, but with a bench of Hall, Owens, Bourgeois, Ozuna. That's a much better team IMO.

 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

 

But no sane person would have made those recommendations last fall.

 

 

[Princess Dye]

Fan reaction isn't always the best way to gauge a trade (see how many people went nuts over the McCarthy deal and both Garcia deals).

 

Absolutely and amen.

 

It more often seems the case that fan outrage is likely oversentimentalized loyalty and not a whole picture of the circumstance.

Edited March 20, 2008 by Princess Dye

[AWhiteSoxinNJ]

so 17 pages and nothing really to report on.

[YASNY]

so 17 pages and nothing really to report on.

 

You summed it up quite nicely.

[Harry Chappas]

Cesar Izturis was out there and I'm sure there were other options as well. It's not like any of those names you mentioned would be our starting SS.

 

Regarding the second part, lets say that happens and we start the season around the horn as Fields-Ramirez-Richar-Konerko with an OF of Quentin-Anderson-Dye and Owens as the 4th OF. Then, instead of trading for Swisher, we put together a deal for Blanton and go into the season with Buehrle-Vazquez-Garland-Blanton-Contreras/Danks. Same bullpen, but with a bench of Hall, Owens, Bourgeois, Ozuna. That's a much better team IMO.

 

The fact that Izturis and Blanton have not been trading leaves your post speculative at best.

 

When Ramirez was signed he was compared to Omar Infante this could still be the case. Richar wasn't all that great last year. To hand the middle of the diamopnd to those two...........wow is about all I can say. Do you think KW was given the choice between Blanton and Swisher for those three and took Swisher..............

 

Where is Crede again, KW just released him wiht Uribe?

 

The fact that you also now have Anderson as the starter really shows how great revisionist history can be.

 

[knightni]

I made love to his dog. Ranger's a Pirates fan.

 

Seriously guys, wtf?

 

Here you go...pervert.

 

Safe For Work

[hammerhead johnson]

Offering Quentin as the centerpiece for a Roberts deal would be the opposite of idiotic. That'd be a perfect fit for this team.

 

It won't happen, but Balta, damn sometimes you confuse me.

 

Dropping a guy when his value is low because of injury who has put up great numbers throughout the minors and is under our control for little salary for the next 5 years in exchange for a more expensive guy named in the Mitchell report who is under our control for less time and who blocks 2 more of our young guys who could very easily handle that position today at a vastly lower cost...that's not the kind of move this franchise needs to be making.

 

LOL!

 

Take it to 'em, Balta!

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

 

But no sane person would have made those recommendations last fall.

I dunno about all of that. Many Sox fans including myself didn't like the Cabrera deal. It was easy to make the case that the pitching staff as a whole needed the most improvement, as even though the offense was ungodly awful it was still hard to imagine the key cogs not turning it around. I could easily see a fan who wanted to try to contend calling for another young SP with veteran experience (like Haren, Bedard, Blanton, or Snell) to be acquired in a trade.

 

Personally, I wanted to rebuild after '07. I hoped Garland would be dealt for prospects, Contreras would be dumped, Crede and Uribe would be dumped, Egbert would find his way into the rotation, we wouldn't give big money to a FA CF, we'd acquire a young stud corner OF somehow, and we'd pick up a young SS with upside to start for '08. The one thing I agree on is that it would have been difficult for anyone to foresee Anderson improving this much this fast or Alexei even signing here, much less opening eyes in ST.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

The fact that Izturis and Blanton have not been trading leaves your post speculative at best.

 

When Ramirez was signed he was compared to Omar Infante this could still be the case. Richar wasn't all that great last year. To hand the middle of the diamopnd to those two...........wow is about all I can say. Do you think KW was given the choice between Blanton and Swisher for those three and took Swisher..............

 

Where is Crede again, KW just released him wiht Uribe?

 

The fact that you also now have Anderson as the starter really shows how great revisionist history can be.

Izturis was a FA. I don't think the idea of acquiring Blanton is all that speculative considering that Blanton was available, Swish wasn't, yet KW forced Beane's hand. Obviously no one knows if the package that netted Swisher would have been enough to pick up Blanton, but I think it's safe to say we could have acquired him instead by adding to the package if need be. After all, the top of his farm system is largely made up of ex-Sox players.

 

I agree that projecting Alexei as a starter would have been waaaay too much, but the idea of Richar leaving ST as the every day 2B was not crazy by any means. He'd be a shoe-in to start at 2B now if he hadn't had back and visa issues.

 

I'm not saying that KW should have done what I said. I'm only commenting on how it's funny that things could have worked out much better. We went into the offseason looking for a CF and a SS while we couldn't afford to take a hit with our SP. As it turns out, we took the hit to our starting staff to upgrade SS and almost gave a s***load of cash to Torii Hunter, but now we may have legit in-house solutions to both problem areas.

Edited March 20, 2008 by Kenny Hates Prospects

[Princess Dye]

Dropping a guy when his value is low because of injury who has put up great numbers throughout the minors and is under our control for little salary for the next 5 years in exchange for a more expensive guy named in the Mitchell report who is under our control for less time and who blocks 2 more of our young guys who could very easily handle that position today at a vastly lower cost...that's not the kind of move this franchise needs to be making.

 

I agree with all of this, although I give pause at the thought that Quentin is pretty much BA's age already.

[TheBigHurt]

Another 4.5 Million bites the dust.

 

 

[CanOfCorn]

Another 4.5 Million bites the dust.

 

Let's look at this another way...Juan's salary is 4.2% of the total 2008 salary of just over $106 mil according to Kalapse's payroll sheet.

 

4.2%!!! The Sox wouldn't be dropping that much even if they put him on waivers for his unconditional release. And it's only for 1 year. This isn't like the Phillies paying for 3 years. I think the Sox like Uribe...ALL of Uribe...and appreciate what he did for the Sox, but it may be time to just let him latch onto another team.

 

and thanks again, Kalapse for your contract sheet.

[almagest]

Izturis was a FA. I don't think the idea of acquiring Blanton is all that speculative considering that Blanton was available, Swish wasn't, yet KW forced Beane's hand. Obviously no one knows if the package that netted Swisher would have been enough to pick up Blanton, but I think it's safe to say we could have acquired him instead by adding to the package if need be. After all, the top of his farm system is largely made up of ex-Sox players.

 

Joe Blanton's career ERA is more than a full run higher on the road. What's even more alarming is that his road ERA was 5.11 last year. Combine this with him having to pitch the majority of his games in US Cellular Field, and you have a recipe for disaster. Swisher is a much better fit for us, and probably came cheaper as well. I'm also pretty sure that we can expect an ERA near or even lower than 5.11 from either Danks or Floyd.

 

 

[elrockinMT]

Uribe is in the game line up on Thursday.

[Dick Allen]

Uribe is in the game line up on Thursday.

According to Cowley's blog, Uribe has been pulled off waivers. He also said a trade may be in the works, but it may have fallen apart. Nice reporting Joe.

[flavum]

And now this news...

 

http://blogs.suntimes.com/whitesox/2008/03..._continues.html

[Greg The Bull Luzinski]

Dam Dam Dam it! I really was hoping Uribe was gone.

[elrockinMT]

Thanks for the upates. More specualtion about trades and I am not going to say that a Brian Roberts trade wouldn't be nice, but why muddy the water any more? Uribe can still play the game and if Richar is hurt I have no problem with Juan being here.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

From MLBTR:

 

THURSDAY, 6:32pm: Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times has the latest. First of all, second base candidate Danny Richar is out for a month. Cowley adds that a team claimed Uribe and the White Sox pulled him back to make a deal. Cowley's not sure if that deal will get done though.

 

Hellllll yeahhhh. Uribe could be out of here....

[RME JICO]

Could it be the Dodgers:

If they make a trade, they would like to acquire an infielder capable of playing both second and third base.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...0033/1050/rss15 Edited March 21, 2008 by RME JICO

[Soxfest]

This part was left out of Cowley column

 

 

Talks were still ongoing and there is a chance that the trade has already fallen apart, but even manager Ozzie Guillen insisted before the game, “get back to me tomorrow,’’ when asked about the ongoing Uribe saga.

 

[Balta1701]

Could it be the Dodgers:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...0033/1050/rss15

Uribe actually to my eyes at least makes some sense for the Dodgers just based on his style of play...as the Dodgers have been pretty limited on power out of most of their positions the last few years and have had to rely on hits and manufacturing runs. Even though Uribe may not produce in the OBP/BA departments, he would be a right handed powerful bat, and that would be a fit for them.