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[Princess Dye]

So the money is there. After all.

 

Since JR OK'd this deal, for a pitcher no less....which he's known to not want on long term deals...

 

 

 

Then what was the problem with spending relatively little dough on Hudson, Abreu...make the deal in one way or another for Figgins...

 

AND keep the farm system's best players.

 

 

 

 

Why give away the young talent when we couldve done a lot more in free agency to solidify this team? That's a lack of foresight. Unless they just absolutely completely love Peavy alone.

Edited May 22, 2009 by Princess Dye

[SoxFan562004]

So the money is there. After all.

 

Since JR OK'd this deal, for a pitcher no less....which he's known to not want on long term deals...

 

 

 

Then what was the problem with spending relatively little dough on Hudson, Abreu...make the deal in one way or another for Figgins...

 

AND keep the farm system's best players.

 

 

 

 

Why give away the young talent when we couldve done a lot more in free agency to solidify this team? That's a lack of foresight. Unless they just absolutely completely love Peavy alone.

Abreu didn't have a position here, hindsight with the injuries he could have played, but they weren't going to sign him and bench Dye or Thome or platoon.

 

I think they value players, and they value Peavy high, their scouts probably ok'd him for the longterm and they saw a unique opportunity that didn't pan out. Money was there for Hunter, Fukudome and Cabrera in the last few years, if they want a player, they'll be flexible

[rangercal]

There is a difference between a top ACE and roster fillers.

[Chisoxfn]

Hudson did have question marks and the Sox liked Getz. Like it or not they did, although I'd have played him in CF. Sox also might not have wanted to give up draft picks, imo, as I think they value rebuilding the system right now. Abreu had no spot, otherwise they would have picked him up and I'm sure if there were pitchers or leadoff hitters out there we'd have seen the Sox go after em (Hudson was the only one and while we all wanted him, at a point last year he himself wondered if he'd ever play again).

 

Peavy is a totally different fit and someone who isn't just a one year option but a guy you build around. I think the point is Kenny doesn't want to tie up his payroll with meh players, he wants to get a high impact star in an area where the Sox don't have any in-house candidates to fill it.

[Princess Dye]

There is a difference between a top ACE and roster fillers.

 

Right but you can add 9 or 10 wins to our year end total by either (1) adding Peavy (2) adding enough dependable bats to a roster that badly needs it

 

Basically I just started the thread b/c of the team's multiple faces. If you're playing the kids, tell us as much. Dont tell us that payroll is maxed out if it's not. It's just weird to me b/c it's not like the Torii situation. This year we pursued pretty much no one, with good names out there.

 

 

 

 

 

As to the point on Abreu, I think one of the aging bats couldve been moved for a guy like Figgins...but I guess we'll never know. But the larger point is the philosophy that apparently exists during trading time but snoozes when all these guys are there for the taking.

 

In a way that leaves the farm system intact!

Edited May 22, 2009 by Princess Dye

[caulfield12]

Abreu didn't have a position here, hindsight with the injuries he could have played, but they weren't going to sign him and bench Dye or Thome or platoon.

 

I think they value players, and they value Peavy high, their scouts probably ok'd him for the longterm and they saw a unique opportunity that didn't pan out. Money was there for Hunter, Fukudome and Cabrera in the last few years, if they want a player, they'll be flexible

 

 

Also, we didn't have a Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller (once considered an elite prospect) in our system to trade, so that Cabrera deal wasn't really that close from everything we've heard.

 

Interesting some of the biggest trades that didn't go down...

 

Erstad for Garland

Soriano for McCarthy

Peavy today

Miguel Cabrera

Dye for Bailey/Dickerson

Garland to the Astros (Hirsch, Taveras, etc.)

"missing" out on Hunter/Rowand/Fukudome

also, not trading Buehrle, Contreras, Dye, Garland and Vazquez in 2007...in retrospect, it would be interesting to see what would have happened, but it's very difficult to give up the 2008 season even if it would have meant we might not be struggling as much in 09

Edited May 22, 2009 by caulfield12

[fathom]

Hudson also would have cost us a first round pick.

[southsider2k5]

So the money is there. After all.

 

Since JR OK'd this deal, for a pitcher no less....which he's known to not want on long term deals...

 

 

 

Then what was the problem with spending relatively little dough on Hudson, Abreu...make the deal in one way or another for Figgins...

 

AND keep the farm system's best players.

 

 

 

 

Why give away the young talent when we couldve done a lot more in free agency to solidify this team? That's a lack of foresight. Unless they just absolutely completely love Peavy alone.

 

As had been said before, this is how it works for the Sox.

 

Annually they get a budget number from the Board of Directors for the organization. Pretty much Kenny has to stay within that number. Occasionally Kenny will target someone who takes them out of this range, and he will go back to Jerry and ask for a special consideration to chase after this specific player.

 

Much like us, just because they give special allowance for something specific, it doesn't mean they can spend the money on anything. Think of your own budget. You have your own spending limits, but maybe for something very specific you might talk to the wife and get permission to whip out the credit card just this one time. It doesn't mean you have more money, just that you are willing to make a one time exception in this case.

 

Now I am sure my budgetary stalker will be here later with the "Sox are cheap" speech...

[Dick Allen]

Hudson also would have cost us a first round pick.

Which would have saved about $1 million in a signing bonus for someone who chances are will never amount to anything. The fact is JR isn't going to take a bath on Peavy, not with the current roster, because Jake Peavy with no other changes isn't the difference between a World Series and winning 75 games this year. He's not this mythical "special player" that guarantees victory.

 

They went after Hunter. They went after Fukudome, a guy who had never played in the major leagues before. The money is there. Their every dime in goes out BS has been exposed a few times. There's nothing wrong with a business making a profit, but KW needs to stop the woo is me, I have no money, and then hey Jake Peavy I just found $50 million, come play with us, then Jake says no and we will go back to the "we have no money" routine. Some will buy KW only has $.50 and can't pay the electric bill. I think most know better now.

 

He said he was working on Peavy for 11 months, maybe he withheld his salary believing he would acquire him, but there is money available. JR doesn't operate in the red.

Edited May 22, 2009 by Dick Allen

[NorthSideSox72]

As had been said before, this is how it works for the Sox.

 

Annually they get a budget number from the Board of Directors for the organization. Pretty much Kenny has to stay within that number. Occasionally Kenny will target someone who takes them out of this range, and he will go back to Jerry and ask for a special consideration to chase after this specific player.

 

Much like us, just because they give special allowance for something specific, it doesn't mean they can spend the money on anything. Think of your own budget. You have your own spending limits, but maybe for something very specific you might talk to the wife and get permission to whip out the credit card just this one time. It doesn't mean you have more money, just that you are willing to make a one time exception in this case.

Exactly.

 

[CanOfCorn]

There is a difference between a top ACE and roster fillers.

 

This.

[CanOfCorn]

Which would have saved about $1 million in a signing bonus for someone who chances are will never amount to anything. The fact is JR isn't going to take a bath on Peavy, not with the current roster, because Jake Peavy with no other changes isn't the difference between a World Series and winning 75 games this year. He's not this mythical "special player" that guarantees victory.

 

They went after Hunter. They went after Fukudome, a guy who had never played in the major leagues before. The money is there. Their every dime in goes out BS has been exposed a few times. There's nothing wrong with a business making a profit, but KW needs to stop the woo is me, I have no money, and then hey Jake Peavy I just found $50 million, come play with us, then Jake says no and we will go back to the "we have no money" routine. Some will buy KW only has $.50 and can't pay the electric bill. I think most know better now.

 

He said he was working on Peavy for 11 months, maybe he withheld his salary believing he would acquire him, but there is money available. JR doesn't operate in the red.

 

This was not a one year deal...at least for the Sox. This was a building deal. We also know that pitching wins championships. Building around a rotation of Peavy, Buehrle, Danks, Floyd (if he can get his head out of his ass), and either Colon/Richard/Poreda/whoever then putting pieces together behind them, that's how you win titles. So, yeah, dishing out the money for 3 years (notice they weren't willing to pick up the 4th for $22 mil) at a pretty decent cost of 3/$48 mil for a presumed ace is a pretty good cost. Going up to 4/$70 mil was just too much. As much as I am disappointed, I love the fact that the organization was willing to take a short term hit in salary for the rest of 2009 for a hopeful long term gain through 2012. I think we all need to stop thinking about the option year and remember this is roughly $16 million a year for three years for a former Cy Young pitcher who's 27. And don't start with the NL vs. AL crap or Petco vs. Cell crap...I know all of that, but as someone said in the other thread...there are two pitchers pitching in that park in any given game.

[harfman77]

As has been discussed, there was no one available worth any money to the Sox on the FA market. Hudson has been injury prone and would have cost the Sox their first round draft pick, couple that with blocking Getz and potentially Beckham, a deal there didnt make sense. Not many gold glove caliber 2B are going to take a job playing CF. The team spent on Viciendo, but other than that wanted to see what Fields could do after what he showed two seasons ago. There were two classes of pitching, elite which the Sox were priced out of with the likes of Sabathia, and junk heap which is where they got Colon from. Lowe was probably the most realistic target, but preferred the NL.

 

Peavy is an ace, a top 5 pitcher in baseball. With him your starting pitching is set for years when combined with what is currently in house. It seems the formula that the Sox are trying to throw together is strong veteran pitching with a young core of athletic offensive players, trying to emulate TB somewhat.