Trade deadline

[chw42]

Ray Ray is a great option if the Giants are willing to part with him. My guess is for a decent prospect, Juan and cash he could be had.

 

Ray Durham is not the answer. Are we gonna sit Alexei then?

[Chisoxfn]

Thats a really fair post, and agree with the Ram assessment, however part of me thinks Lexi is on a steak here, and will come back down to earth. If he doesn't, outstanding, Williams found a real gem, but not sure if thats realistic at this point.

 

It's June 18th. More than a month to determine where we stand. By then, you will have a much better idea where we stand with Lexi, as well as if Durham is really having a bounce back season, and is still healthy.

At some point two months of productions no longer becomes a streak but something a player is truly capable of (well, he may never be a consistent .340 hitter, but you don't hit like that on accident). He just has a lot of natural ability and baseball instincts. He seems to find holes on ocassion but I also think it fits in with the type of player he is and while he won't keep hitting .340 (or at least it is doubtful he will), I wouldn't be shocked if he just kept getting better and better from an all-around stand-point.

 

As far as I'm concerned, Ramirez and Quentin are the two brightest stars in the Sox young everyday playing ranks. They are on a whole nother level than a guy like Josh Fields.

[chw42]

At some point two months of productions no longer becomes a streak but something a player is truly capable of (well, he may never be a consistent .340 hitter, but you don't hit like that on accident). He just has a lot of natural ability and baseball instincts. He seems to find holes on ocassion but I also think it fits in with the type of player he is and while he won't keep hitting .340 (or at least it is doubtful he will), I wouldn't be shocked if he just kept getting better and better from an all-around stand-point.

 

As far as I'm concerned, Ramirez and Quentin are the two brightest stars in the Sox young everyday playing ranks. They are on a whole nother level than a guy like Josh Fields.

 

Fields just has some raw power, but Ramirez and Quentin are true baseball players.

[southsider2k5]

Fields just has some raw power, but Ramirez and Quentin are true baseball players.

 

I agree. It has been a lonely place, but I really look at Josh Fields as a poor man's Adam Dunn.

[Balta1701]

Thats a really fair post, and agree with the Ram assessment, however part of me thinks Lexi is on a steak here, and will come back down to earth. If he doesn't, outstanding, Williams found a real gem, but not sure if thats realistic at this point.

 

It's June 18th. More than a month to determine where we stand. By then, you will have a much better idea where we stand with Lexi, as well as if Durham is really having a bounce back season, and is still healthy.

I'm in agreement on the idea that Alexei may just be on a hot streak here...but here's my counterpoint. Even if he is on a hot streak, even if his numbers do come back down to earth as Ozzie throws Uribe in and disrupts Alexei's rhythm or whatever...if Alexei can put up numbers anywhere close to what he's been putting up since May 1, hitting say around .300, with solid speed, making good contact, good defense...etc...then maybe Durham is an upgrade because he's a little more patient at the plate and so on, but that upgrade would be so small that I wouldn't want to give up anything of value for him, and I'd rather have Alexei get the playing time in the middle infield since we've got Lexi for 3 years after this one.

[iamshack]

At some point two months of productions no longer becomes a streak but something a player is truly capable of (well, he may never be a consistent .340 hitter, but you don't hit like that on accident). He just has a lot of natural ability and baseball instincts. He seems to find holes on ocassion but I also think it fits in with the type of player he is and while he won't keep hitting .340 (or at least it is doubtful he will), I wouldn't be shocked if he just kept getting better and better from an all-around stand-point.

 

As far as I'm concerned, Ramirez and Quentin are the two brightest stars in the Sox young everyday playing ranks. They are on a whole nother level than a guy like Josh Fields.

 

I agree. It's unlikely Alexei is a .340 hitter, but I wouldn't be surprised were he to be a ..290 hitter. And while he'll never walk a ton, he does have good at-bats, often fouling off quite a few pitches, even when he is down in the count.

 

I think it's foolish to give up anything in our already shallow system to acquire a player where there truly isn't a need.

 

Sure, I'd love for OCab to be a bit better at drawing walks himself, but there just really isn't a place to play any new acquisition.

 

The only thing I see is if we traded Brian and some other prospects for a young, solid-hitting, true centerfielder. And I just don't see any of those being available right now.

 

So in my view, we just really don't have many moves to make, barring the acquisition of some stud starting pitcher. And the odds of that happening are slim to none.

[Pants Rowland]

Here's the thing though...if you drop April from Alexei's numbers and just assume that those first 33 at bats were the time he needed to adapt to the league...he's actually performing at Durham's level. He's just hitting out of his mind right now. In May and June, Alexei's hitting .346, with a .375 OBP and a .889 OPS. He may not walk as much as Durham, but he's hitting with a hell of a lot more power and he's making up for the OBP by almost never striking out. His numbers may come back to earth, frankly I have no idea, but I don't know why we'd want to either give up something of any value at all to push Alexei to the bench nor do I know why we'd want to take Alexei's bat out fo the lineup if he can give us anywhere close to this kind of performance.

 

I would not mind having Alexei roam the field, virtually playing every day but in different spots. He seems really versatile and does not have the superstar mentality where he needs to play in one spot only. I would love to see him rotate between CF, 2B and SS the rest of the year.

 

Meanwhile, Swisher, Dye, Konerko and Thome could rotate between RF, DH, and 1B. Versus lefties you have Konerko at 1B, Swish in RF, and Dye DH. Versus righties, you have Swish at 1B, Dye in RF, and Thome at DH. Your bench is much stronger with some combination of Alexei, Ozuna, Anderson, Durham and Konerko/Thome available and sets up tougher decisions for the opposing managers late in games. Your defense is probably better since with Durham added to the lineup you can play Anderson more in CF, especially versus lefties and not worry about the offensive dropoff too much.

 

I know many will say you can't pay for all that power to sit on the bench, but with their age and injuries, it might be best for Konerko and Thome (and Dye for that matter) to stay fresh and be ready for more playing time come September/October.

[DBAHO]

I think mainly still upgrading the bench should be a key for KW.

 

Bring in an upgrade to Ozuna, who just isn't used that much anymore for starters.

 

And another guy for the pen as well, if Russell doesn't work out, because I don't know if you can rely on Loaiza / Wasserman / Mac at this stage.

 

I don't think this team needs a big name get. They didn't back in 2005 (much to everyone's chagrin, we want Ken Griffey Jr.!!!!) and that worked out just fine.

 

As for Durham, if the price was right, I would be on board for that, but I'd only offer Uribe and a mid level spect.

[southsider2k5]

I would not mind having Alexei roam the field, virtually playing every day but in different spots. He seems really versatile and does not have the superstar mentality where he needs to play in one spot only. I would love to see him rotate between CF, 2B and SS the rest of the year.

 

Meanwhile, Swisher, Dye, Konerko and Thome could rotate between RF, DH, and 1B. Versus lefties you have Konerko at 1B, Swish in RF, and Dye DH. Versus righties, you have Swish at 1B, Dye in RF, and Thome at DH. Your bench is much stronger with some combination of Alexei, Ozuna, Anderson, Durham and Konerko/Thome available and sets up tougher decisions for the opposing managers late in games. Your defense is probably better since with Durham added to the lineup you can play Anderson more in CF, especially versus lefties and not worry about the offensive dropoff too much.

 

I know many will say you can't pay for all that power to sit on the bench, but with their age and injuries, it might be best for Konerko and Thome (and Dye for that matter) to stay fresh and be ready for more playing time come September/October.

 

That is almost exactly how I envisioned it. The kid could play almost everyday without having a starting position.

[Harry Chappas]

I have been mulling this trade over but would you trade Quentin for Carl Crawford?

[29andPoplar]

Durham could be a very good pickup, however, I want Ramirez playing on a daily basis at least right now. He's done nothing to show that he shouldn't be an everyday player and he's a very integral piece of this franchise (since there is zero depth in the middle infield in the organization, although Beckham can hopefully change that) who needs to be playing.

 

However, you could make a case that Ray could get tons of ab's at 2B while Ramirez gets ab's at 2B as well plus CF while Konerko is on the DL. But this does essentially reduce Brian Anderson to bench play and right now I'm not a proponent about that (because I think now is a really good opportunity for the White Sox to see what Anderson is (a bench player who can provide tremendous defense, or a starting CFer).

If we were to look at each position and put ourselves in KW's shoes, the question becomes "can I improve over what I've already got?".

 

With Ramirez hitting as good as he is, and how well he's doing defensively at 2B, it's awfully hard to imagine having someone clearly better. His weakness as I see it is plate discipline but he can free swing all he wants if he keeps hitting around .300 .

 

You can always tinker with the bench, most of those parts are interchangeable. Uribe is an insurance policy and at this point I don't see them moving him.

 

Lofton is a fit, but that's been talked to death already.

 

Let's examine pitching. So far so good, but we all know Williams loves to add pitching. There are or will be some mid tier starters available. So the question becomes, will one or more of the starters need a breather? Does Williams go out and get a rental? He is clearly in "all in" mode for 2008.

 

I suspect this becomes a wait-and-see game until about July 15th. Our needs will become clearer and other team's willingness to trade will become clearer as well.

 

But if we're talking a Geoff Blum type addition, my guess continues to be Lofton.

[ptatc]

I would not mind having Alexei roam the field, virtually playing every day but in different spots. He seems really versatile and does not have the superstar mentality where he needs to play in one spot only. I would love to see him rotate between CF, 2B and SS the rest of the year.

 

Meanwhile, Swisher, Dye, Konerko and Thome could rotate between RF, DH, and 1B. Versus lefties you have Konerko at 1B, Swish in RF, and Dye DH. Versus righties, you have Swish at 1B, Dye in RF, and Thome at DH. Your bench is much stronger with some combination of Alexei, Ozuna, Anderson, Durham and Konerko/Thome available and sets up tougher decisions for the opposing managers late in games. Your defense is probably better since with Durham added to the lineup you can play Anderson more in CF, especially versus lefties and not worry about the offensive dropoff too much.

 

I know many will say you can't pay for all that power to sit on the bench, but with their age and injuries, it might be best for Konerko and Thome (and Dye for that matter) to stay fresh and be ready for more playing time come September/October.

 

Most of this makes sense except that Konerko hits righties better than lefties, if I recall correctly. This would negate the advantage of having him in that platoon. That was part of the reason we struggled against lefties last year. Some of our RH hit RHP better.

[witesoxfan]

I have been mulling this trade over but would you trade Quentin for Carl Crawford?

 

No, Carl Crawford is one of the most overrated players in the MLB. He's a good player but the DRays are essentially asking for a package that would net you a superstar in return and Crawford is nothing even close to that. Adding on to that, he's hitting .265 this season with absolutely no power to really speak of.

 

Quentin could very easily be the next Chris Shelton, but I'm also not a huge fan of Carl Crawford either.

[rokimar]

INSTANT FIX FOR OFFENSE - > get rollins and or victorino from phillies.. they needs starting pitching so package arround Fields, Cabrera, and SP

Edited June 18, 2008 by north side chi sox fan

[Kyyle23]

INSTANT FIX FOR OFFENSE - > get rollins and or victorino from phillies.. they needs starting pitching so package arround Fields, Cabrera, and SP

 

 

LMAO, Im sure the Phillies will be all about that

[rokimar]

LMAO, Im sure the Phillies will be all about that

 

day dreaming at work

[Kyyle23]

day dreaming at work

 

I can tell, lol

[lostfan]

Well if we're going to do that we should try to trade Josh Fields for Hanley Ramirez.

[whitesoxbrian]

Well if we're going to do that we should try to trade Josh Fields for Hanley Ramirez.

And then package him up with Crede and deal them to NYY for A-Rod and Jeter, right?

[iamshack]

And then package him up with Crede and deal them to NYY for A-Rod and Jeter, right?

 

Nope. Just keep HanRam.

[Pants Rowland]

I can tell, lol

 

Maybe, but a smart GM like Gillick may see the benefit of addition by subtraction. I am not advocating such a trade, but if you were to package something like Poreda and either Floyd or Danks for Rollins and cash, you could make the argument that both teams get better. Sure, the White Sox lose starting pitching depth and financial flexibility, but the bullpen is still there and you help the lineup tremendously by adding far more balance. With Rollins on top you have so much lineup flexibility with placement of Cabrera, Quentin and Swisher, making it really tough to manage against the Sox unless your starter goes 7 innings. This will be difficult since the number of pitches the opposing starter throws is likely to increase with Rollins at the top as well. Your ERA with Broadway or some journeyman filling in the 5th starter spot may go up but you could make up for it with a steady balanced attack and extra speed on the basepaths. Add to this the good relationship that Williams and Gillick have and there may be more of a chance for a blockbuster trade like this than people would believe.

 

I doubt it would happen. I personally like the idea of acquiring Durham the best. However, good GMs know that any player is tradeable. You should not play for individual matchups as much as you should try to take 4 out of every 7 games. The Phillies could use the extra arms and the Sox could use the extra offense. It makes both teams more competitive over that 7 game stretch.

Edited June 18, 2008 by Pants Rowland

[Balta1701]

I doubt it would happen. I personally like the idea of acquiring Durham the best. However, good GMs know that any player is tradeable. You should not play for individual matchups as much as you should try to take 4 out of every 7 games. The Phillies could use the extra arms and the Sox could use the extra offense. It makes both teams more competitive over that 7 game stretch.

Here's my one problem with that claim. The White Sox might seem like they need extra offense, but I'm frankly not sure the numbers back that up. They're not leading the league in runs scored, but they are tied for 4th in the AL with the Yankees, and are only 4 runs behind Detroit's legendary 1000 run offense. The Sox's problem is consistency. They were #8 in the AL, bottom-middle of the pack in runs in May, but were number 5 in April and are #3 in june. In terms of needing extra runs, the Sox really don't. They need to spread them out a little bit more consistently, which may very well come simply from getting Thome and Swisher on track along with the development of Alexei.

[Pants Rowland]

In terms of needing extra runs, the Sox really don't. They need to spread them out a little bit more consistently, which may very well come simply from getting Thome and Swisher on track along with the development of Alexei.

 

I totally agree, which is why I believe a more balanced attack featuring competent switch hitters, alternate R/L in the lineup, and higher pitches per at bat will lead to a more consistent performance from one team to the next. This team is very polar in its offensive production. They have games like last night (and recent performances against KC and MIN) but have also been shut out 6 or 7 times already. So, on the surface their runs scored is not awful, but they are prone to bad stretches when they see a group of young pitchers for the first time (Baltimore and Tampa Bay for example) or struggle against the Paul Byrds of the world. Maybe I am overreacting and the 162 game schedule will prove to be the great equalizer for yet another season, but I am not so sure the Sox won't be exposed in that capacity either.

 

On your last sentence, I think Swisher will straigthen out. He was killing the Sox for a while but he looks to be back in the right frame of mind, seeing lots of pitches, taking walks and going with the pitches. I think we have seen a gradual deterioration of Thome and Konerko that is likely to continue, however. To me, the best way to get the most out them is almost to treat them like players you are showcasing for a trade. Let them watch the game from the bench a little more often (at least 5 games off a month for each of them). Put them in situations they are most likely to succeed and give them more rest than they are on pace for at the moment. Have them available to pinch hit and use them as a decoy to disrupt the other team more.

[RockRaines]

I dont really want to see anymore posts suggesting trading Floyd or Danks. Those guys are about as untouchable as it gets at this point.

[Balta1701]

I dont really want to see anymore posts suggesting trading Floyd or Danks. Those guys are about as untouchable as it gets at this point.

Unfortunately...if we want to acquire anyone who would do more for us than someone like Lofton, Danks and Floyd are about the only 2 bullets we have for that. Fields is hurting, Richar is struggling, Poreda still seems to have people worried about a few things and needs another year of dominance before he can really be worth a lot, Broadway doesn't have electrifying enough stuff to catch people's attention, Haeger and others haven't performed that well, and the guys who have performed well are doing so at levels where they're too old for the league they're in.

 

Unless we're willing to trade Q, Danks, or Floyd, there really isn't going to be anything big that the Sox can do this year.