Winter Meetings Chit-Chat

[caulfield12]

1) We have absolutely no insurance right now if one of our BIG 3 starters goes down to injury or non-performance. Other teams have more viable options...for instance, the Indians have Laffey, Sowers and Zach Jackson for one spot, the Tigers have Miner, Robertson and Willis, the Twins have Bonser, etc.

 

2) We don't have a legitimate lead-off hitter, at least one with a proven record of MLB success.

 

3) Unproven players at 3B, SS (in terms of fielding and repeating rookie success), 2B and CF.

 

4) Dye, Thome, Konerko and AJ are all getting up there in age...we don't really have a player internally ready to step in for some of these guys at the big league level yet (Flowers and Viciedo, not to mention Cole Armstrong, are probably one year away) if one of them misses large stretches of the season.

 

5) Linebrink is a huge question mark to me at this point, if he can repeat his success of first half 2008

 

6) Marquez Mark and the CR/AP Crew

Edited December 18, 2008 by caulfield12

[Jordan4life_2007]

1) We have absolutely no insurance right now if one of our BIG 3 starters goes down to injury or non-performance. Other teams have more viable options...for instance, the Indians have Laffey, Sowers and Zach Jackson for one spot, the Tigers have Miner, Robertson and Willis, the Twins have Bonser, etc.

 

This is a joke, right? You just gave a list of hot, steamy garbage.

Edited December 18, 2008 by Jordan4life

[Jimbo's Drinker]

Im talking about 2009, it looks like a crappy team, way too many holes.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Im talking about 2009, it looks like a crappy team, way too many holes.

 

That's what many were saying before last season.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

Ill say it the White Sox got lucky last year. I enjoy the fact that KW is building a base, but we pulled a division championsihp out of our asses.

[bigruss]

Ill say it the White Sox got lucky last year. I enjoy the fact that KW is building a base, but we pulled a division championsihp out of our asses.

Some could make the argument that the Twins do that also, with all the young guys that come up and perform well for them.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

Some could make the argument that the Twins do that also, with all the young guys that come up and perform well for them.

 

 

The twins will always be successful because they play a predetermined kind of baseball. They are very well taught to slap around hits in the minor leagues. The pitchers are taught to just throw strikes. Of couse, this will all change when they leave that joke of a stadium. The White Sox play chaos ball with homeruns homeruns and homeruns.

[witesoxfan]

The twins will always be successful because they play a predetermined kind of baseball. They are very well taught to slap around hits in the minor leagues. The pitchers are taught to just throw strikes. Of couse, this will all change when they leave that joke of a stadium. The White Sox play chaos ball with homeruns homeruns and homeruns.

 

chaos ball has helped win more World Series than slap the ball

[daa84]

That's what many were saying before last season.

yes, but its the exception rather than the rule that your young OFer will turn into a legit MVP candidate, your two young pitchers will develop into front of the rotation arms, and your rookie international signing will hit near .300 with 20+ HR

 

besides, i liked the potential of each Quentin, Danks, Floyd much more than I do Getz/lillibridge/nix/fields and Richard and Marquez

[Hatchetman]

furcal would've been a great signing. 3 years $33 mil. oh well.

[ThunderBolt]

Didn't the Twins hit something like, 323 with runners in scoring position? Now, that's luck.

[Hatchetman]

Didn't the Twins hit something like, 323 with runners in scoring position? Now, that's luck.

 

i don't know but they underperformed their pythag by a game. we were even.

[Dick Allen]

Why do I think the White Sox will sign Mark Mulder to a no risk contract? Why do I also think if they do, there will be countless posts how Cooper will have him pitching like he did in his prime?

Edited December 18, 2008 by Dick Allen

[G&T]

Why do I think the White Sox will sign Mark Mulder to a no risk contract? Why do I also think if they do, there will be countless posts how Cooper will have him pitching like he did in his prime?

 

Ozzie ripped into Mulder a couple years ago. So I doubt that.

[Hatchetman]

Didn't the Twins hit something like, 323 with runners in scoring position? Now, that's luck.

 

.302 vs .277 for us.

 

[RockRaines]

Rest assured that KW is still trying to add players but not salary. Players like Abreu etc have found out their price tags are not going to be met and will come down in cost and years.

 

I still expect some action to happen before xmas.

[thedoctor]

Rest assured that KW is still trying to add players but not salary. Players like Abreu etc have found out their price tags are not going to be met and will come down in cost and years.

 

I still expect some action to happen before xmas.

 

in general there's been very little movement this offseason. the market seems constipated. i'm not sure how it exactly relates to previous years, but it does seem as if there have been far less moves up until this point than at this time in previous years.

 

probably a lot of players will have to reassess their wants over the holidays. there is a long list of guys out there right now without a deal or team. i think it behooves kw to wait out the market, although i'm certain that's not a popular opinion among fans.

[ILMOU]

Rest assured that KW is still trying to add players but not salary. Players like Abreu etc have found out their price tags are not going to be met and will come down in cost and years.

 

I still expect some action to happen before xmas.

 

Let's hope so. I like your optimism, Rock.

 

It seems that there's a lot of pessimism about '09, but I can't help but feel confident. Our core is in place, and may perform better in early 09, specifically Paulie, Alexei, Thome, replacement of Swisher than they did in early '08. At least one semi-legit SP will likely be added, and maybe a high-ceiling prospect.

 

I'm also cautiously optimistic that we'll get mid-season reinforcements with Beckham, Poreda, maybe Viciedo, maybe Link, maybe Jose, that could make us a different/better team in the 2nd half. I'm guessing Poreda makes the team in ST and goes to Pen.

[Dick Allen]

I read something pretty interesting today, where some teams just don't know how the weakened economy will affect them, and teams with big-time players who are well-paid may have to give these players up for pennies on the dollar during the season. It would mean a couple things for the White Sox. First, if they plan on trading a guy like JD and expect to get anything for him, they probably need to do it before the season starts. Also, the good news, after 2009, they really don't have very mucthey should be able to acquire.h in guaranteed money on their books. They may be in a position to acquire one or two or a few of these players.

[ChiSox_Sonix]

I read something pretty interesting today, where some teams just don't know how the weakened economy will affect them, and teams with big-time players who are well-paid may have to give these players up for pennies on the dollar during the season. It would mean a couple things for the White Sox. First, if they plan on trading a guy like JD and expect to get anything for him, they probably need to do it before the season starts. Also, the good news, after 2009, they really don't have very mucthey should be able to acquire.h in guaranteed money on their books. They may be in a position to acquire one or two or a few of these players.

 

Huh?

 

 

 

[DBAHO]

In Robo-thal's latest piece, he has Orlando Hudson ending up with the White Sox.

 

Bobby Abreu with the A's also FWIW.

[RockRaines]

I read something pretty interesting today, where some teams just don't know how the weakened economy will affect them, and teams with big-time players who are well-paid may have to give these players up for pennies on the dollar during the season. It would mean a couple things for the White Sox. First, if they plan on trading a guy like JD and expect to get anything for him, they probably need to do it before the season starts. Also, the good news, after 2009, they really don't have very mucthey should be able to acquire.h in guaranteed money on their books. They may be in a position to acquire one or two or a few of these players.

Thats the thing. KW is waiting for the fallout to hopefully add some players and possibly trade a little bit. The economy is hurting alot of companies right now, and many are just now in budget planning for next year. Baseball is the same way, the free agent market hasnt even begun to shake out. Why do you think its taking so long for these uber talented players to come off the board?

[DBAHO]

Thats the thing. KW is waiting for the fallout to hopefully add some players and possibly trade a little bit. The economy is hurting alot of companies right now, and many are just now in budget planning for next year. Baseball is the same way, the free agent market hasnt even begun to shake out. Why do you think its taking so long for these uber talented players to come off the board?

They're all waiting for Teixeira to sign, and then the dominoes will fall from there.

 

Unfrotunately with Bora$$ as his agent, that could be quite a while from now.

[RockRaines]

They're all waiting for Teixeira to sign, and then the dominoes will fall from there.

 

Unfrotunately with Bora$$ as his agent, that could be quite a while from now.

Thats what the media is saying, but with the value of his contract being what it is, I dont think it affects the mid and lower level FA's at all.

[caulfield12]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hotstove08/c...ce=MLBHeadlines

 

Good article on the perceived "value" of Abreu around the league.

 

As far as TEX goes, teams like the Red Sox and Angels are making everyone wait...say he signs with the Angels, then it makes it impossible (in all likelihood) for Rivera or Garrett Anderson to stay there, due to payroll limitations. It also further dries up the market for Konerko, if there is one. Burrell, Abreu, G. Anderson, Rivera, Griffey, Bradley and Dunn (like Cabrera) are seeing their options decrease, but no team is willing to take on those salaries YET if they're still in the running for TEX or Lowe, for example. They're being told to wait. The Cubs need to move salary first before they are able to sign Milton Bradley, which probably means trading Marquis and eating part of his contract, which is also a waiting game, because every GM is now waiting for prices to continue falling, with the first sign being the closer's market with K-Rod's deal. There's pressure of the bottom tier/second tier free agents especially as they're watching a limited number of opportunities dry up.