Sox GM Meetings

[witesoxfan]

If Podsednik is the DH going into the season, Williams better have a horseshoe up his ass for the team to score enough runs.

[Balta1701]

I don't agree on the bolded. I think everything in Rios' career says 2009 was a flukey bad year, and I think Alexei is pretty consistently a top flight offensive SS (relative to position is important here). And I know I'm in the small minority, but I think Teahen looks like a good candidate for somoene who will benefit from this change of scenery (ballpark and all else).

 

I agree on everything else though.

The real issue is, and where he's right is...every one of them is a gamble. The way that lineup is built, with both D2 and Pods, you need to basically win every gamble for it to be an average lineup. Even if Rios is a 90/10 shot at a win, and teahen is a 75/25 shot at a win, and Quentin is a 90/10 shot at a win, the odds of winning 9 times in a row are pretty low.

 

You put another solid OPS in the middle there, instead of using D2 or instead of using Pods, and suddenly you can afford to maybe lose one of those gambles.

[Kalapse]

I don't agree on the bolded. I think everything in Rios' career says 2009 was a flukey bad year, and I think Alexei is pretty consistently a top flight offensive SS (relative to position is important here). And I know I'm in the small minority, but I think Teahen looks like a good candidate for somoene who will benefit from this change of scenery (ballpark and all else).

 

I agree on everything else though.

He was no where near top flight last year, he was in that blob in the middle between the good offensive SS and the no stick all glove SS (his .319 wOBA put him with Theriot and Everth Cabrera). When your DH is Podsednik and your RF is Jordan Danks you need to make up for that offense elsewhere, while Alexei should be able to meet at least the league averages for a SS that's just not good enough. He's basically put up identical production to that of Ryan Theriot the past 2 seasons.

[Kalapse]

The real issue is, and where he's right is...every one of them is a gamble. The way that lineup is built, with both D2 and Pods, you need to basically win every gamble for it to be an average lineup. Even if Rios is a 90/10 shot at a win, and teahen is a 75/25 shot at a win, and Quentin is a 90/10 shot at a win, the odds of winning 9 times in a row are pretty low.

 

You put another solid OPS in the middle there, instead of using D2 or instead of using Pods, and suddenly you can afford to maybe lose one of those gambles.

Exactly, this team is in desperate need of a big bat, we need that sure thing in the middle.

[Kalapse]

Interesting that Dye brought up 1B. That might be a possibility with the Sox, with PK at DH. If we pick up a LH hitting OF, the balance wouldn't be as bad in terms of the lineup handedness (though ideally I'd still prefer more lefty hitters, but that isn't a huge issue IMO). PK can then DH and stay in better playing shape. I wouldn't be opposed to it.

So we take our good defensive 1B and put him at DH so the under performing 36 year old RF can spend the season learning 1B because he doesn't want to DH? I have a huge problem with that idea. The team defense is s*** as is and probably got worse with Teahen taking over at 3B we can't have a guy learning on the job at 1B, we need someone who can pick the ball out of the dirt with consistency, Teahen and Ramirez will make his life a living hell. Dye's probable offensive production (~.820 OPS maybe) isn't worth the problems it would cause defensively. I'd take on Lyle Overbay's contract before I sign Dye to be my first baseman.

[qwerty]

So we take our good defensive 1B and put him at DH so the under performing 36 year old RF can spend the season learning 1B because he doesn't want to DH? I have a huge problem with that idea. The team defense is s*** as is and probably got worse with Teahen taking over at 3B we can't have a guy learning on the job at 1B, we need someone who can pick the ball out of the dirt with consistency, Teahen and Ramirez will make his life a living hell. Dye's probable offensive production (~.820 OPS maybe) isn't worth the problems it would cause defensively. I'd take on Lyle Overbay's contract before I sign Dye to be my first baseman.

 

Also you would have to take in account full time player naturally regresses once they are moved to the dh. A regressing offensive konerko would regress even further. Then we have to hope dye bounced backed to more respectable numbers . Such an idea should never put into action, and thankfully it won't. We still need two bats as far as i'm concerned (i think we will be pleasantly surprised this off-season) and dye is simply no longer in the equation.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

Also you would have to take in account full time player naturally regresses once they are moved to the dh. A regressing offensive konerko would regress even further. Then we have to hope dye bounced backed to more respectable numbers . Such an idea should never put into action, and thankfully it won't. We still need two bats as far as i'm concerned (i think we will be pleasantly surprised this off-season) and dye is simply no longer in the equation.

Agree. I think Kenny is being soft on JD because Kenny loves JD, as he and all other Sox fans should. But that said, the book has closed on Dye as an everyday player here, and if he's ever back it will either be as a pinch hitter/backup 1B a couple years down the road or as a coach.

[NorthSideSox72]

The real issue is, and where he's right is...every one of them is a gamble. The way that lineup is built, with both D2 and Pods, you need to basically win every gamble for it to be an average lineup. Even if Rios is a 90/10 shot at a win, and teahen is a 75/25 shot at a win, and Quentin is a 90/10 shot at a win, the odds of winning 9 times in a row are pretty low.

 

You put another solid OPS in the middle there, instead of using D2 or instead of using Pods, and suddenly you can afford to maybe lose one of those gambles.

 

 

He was no where near top flight last year, he was in that blob in the middle between the good offensive SS and the no stick all glove SS (his .319 wOBA put him with Theriot and Everth Cabrera). When your DH is Podsednik and your RF is Jordan Danks you need to make up for that offense elsewhere, while Alexei should be able to meet at least the league averages for a SS that's just not good enough. He's basically put up identical production to that of Ryan Theriot the past 2 seasons.

 

Every player is a gamble, that isn't much of a statement.

 

I think you guys missed the main points of my post - I actually agreed about the lineup generally, as well as D2 and Pods. Never disagreed with that. I was specifically talking about two lines in Kalapse's post, which I still disagree with.

 

Also, I have been saying the very same thing as the bolded in Balta's post as well. You seemed to take my individual points and try to project that I was approving of that lineup - I definitely was not.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Also you would have to take in account full time player naturally regresses once they are moved to the dh. A regressing offensive konerko would regress even further. Then we have to hope dye bounced backed to more respectable numbers . Such an idea should never put into action, and thankfully it won't. We still need two bats as far as i'm concerned (i think we will be pleasantly surprised this off-season) and dye is simply no longer in the equation.

Bolded: This is not something I would have guessed. Are you saying that most players' offensive numbers get worse when they move to DH? I would figure they'd tend to improve, or at least offset the natural time-related regression.

 

Dye's numbers aren't regression, however, in any common way. He went from scalding in the first half to dreadful in the 2nd - that can't be just natural regression. Way too steep. I think there is a good chance chance that his 2010 overall numbers will beat his 2009 overall, barring injury (which is of course a risk).

 

Also, on your last sentence, as I said above and have said numerous times, I agree on getting two bats. I was saying simply that, depending on who else we get, I might be OK with Dye being one of those two, if he was willing to play 1B or DH. Though I do also share Kalapse's concerns about defense. Let's just say, it wouldn't be my Plan A.

 

[elrockinMT]

Was he not healthy in the 2nd half?

 

And how exactly did he save us in 2009? .793 OPS on the season, 103 OPS+. He was, overall, an average OF with the bat and pretty darn rotten with the glove.

 

 

Sox management also said he saved us. If you don't like Pods fine, but I think he is a good ballplayer and we coud do worse then bringing him back.

[Balta1701]

Sox management also said he saved us. If you don't like Pods fine, but I think he is a good ballplayer and we coud do worse then bringing him back.

The post that sparked that response was talking about JD, not Pods.

[justBLAZE]

Make room for Godzilla?

 

Matsui would be perfect fit for White Sox

 

November 11, 2009, 1:50 PM

 

By: Bruce Levine, ESPNChicago.com

 

Chicago White Sox general manager Kenny Williams left Tuesday's general managers meetings to attend the Bulls-Nuggets game at the United Center and ran into agent Arn Tellem, who represents numerous NBA players but also has World Series MVP Hideki Matsui. Matsui, who will be a free agent on Nov. 20, would be a perfect fit for the White Sox if the team can free up some payroll over the next couple of months.

 

Williams said he has been given his budget number for 2010 by team owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

 

"Yeah [i received it]. But I always work on changing it," Williams said. "Jerry gave me a pretty hard number, but we're working on him. I think I'm becoming annoying to him, actually."

 

Reinsdorf has shown tremendous flexibility with his payroll when the baseball operations and marketing departments are able to show him how a big splash in free agency or via trade might pay off on the field and at the box office. As an example, the White Sox made $60 million commitments to pitcher Jake Peavy and outfielder Alex Rios during the 2009 season. Peavy was obtained in a trade with the San Diego Padres and Rios was picked up on a waiver claim after he was made available by the Toronto Blue Jays. Both of those moves went beyond the White Sox's $95 million payroll last year. However, with $40 million possibly coming off the books after the season from current free agents who might be leaving, Reinsdorf wasn't afraid to pull the trigger.

 

Matsui wants to play at least four days a week in the field, according to sources familiar with the free agent. It appears the Yankees will consider bringing him back only as a designated hitter. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was on record at these meetings stating that DH is the role for Matsui in the future. For Matsui, that might mean that he will direct his agents to find another team for him.

 

Tellem and Reinsdorf have a tremendous relationship that extends to both business and personal levels. Reinsdorf gave then-free agent Albert Belle a record-setting contract in 1997 after growing tired of his fellow owners' failure to show fiscal restraint following another runaway free-agent season. Now he's expected to open the team's wallet with a $100 million budget for next season.

 

The White Sox appear six to eight weeks away from making final roster decisions for next season. Looking at the secondary market after teams decide whether to non-tender their own players in early December would be the team's prudent way of judging the entire landscape of player movement.

 

Williams and his management team will consider bringing back some of their own free agents.

 

"I don't exclude anyone," Williams said. "I can tell you the likelihood as each day goes by isn't great, but at the end of the day, when January rolls around, there will be some opportunities. So you have to wait to play you're hand."

[bschmaranz]

If Matsui insists on playing the field 4 days a week forget it.

[Balta1701]

I think Thome may be the only guy on the FA market who actually would willingly DH.

[GreatScott82]

I think Thome may be the only guy on the FA market who actually would willingly DH.

pretty much. . everyone seems to think they are 'stellar' defensively still. If we bring Gonzalez over- PK would be an excellent DH. .

[southsider2k5]

Matsui would be a good fit, but Bruce Levine is just doing the samething we are doing and picking names out of the air.

[SoxAce]

Chicago White Sox waiting for free-agent market to evolve

 

Ken Williams acknowledged he has a payroll number to work with.

 

"But I always work on changing it," the White Sox general manager said with a smile Wednesday after baseball's general managers' meetings concluded at the O'Hare Hilton.

 

With more than $74 million already earmarked for 12 players in 2010, Williams will try to remain creative and patient in his quest to stretch the Sox's dollars.

 

Receiving nearly $1.5 million from the Royals as part of a trade essentially will cover the cost of third baseman Mark Teahen's raise that will increase the Sox's cash commitments to nearly $78 million.

 

The Sox's payroll hovered in the mid-$90 million mark last season, and Williams has reiterated his financial resources are tight, while not disclosing his 2010 mark.

 

He added teams are more reluctant to trade prospects in deals similar to the trades that Williams pulled off in past years involving John Danks and Gavin Floyd.

 

When asked if teams have inquired about closer Bobby Jenks, Williams replied: "I'm not going to comment on that one."

 

As valuable as Jenks is to the Sox, he could be their biggest bargaining chip.

 

Jenks, 28, was one save shy of achieving his fourth consecutive 30-save season.

 

As a second-year arbitration-eligible player, he could earn at least $7 million.

 

Meanwhile, the Sox will monitor the free-agent market, particularly after teams have decided whether to offer salary arbitration to their own free agents. The Braves, for instance, have two Type A late-inning free-agent relievers in Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez and might not offer salary arbitration to both on Dec. 1.

 

That would mean another team could sign that player after Dec. 1 without losing a high 2010 draft pick.

 

Williams said he is reluctant to lose a high draft pick, although the Sox will keep their first-round pick by virtue of finishing in the lower half of the overall major-league standings.

 

Meanwhile, Williams didn't rule out signing his own free agents, but that won't happen soon.

 

"I know which direction I want to go, but I can't exclude anyone," he said. "There's going to be some opportunity at the end of December or January. So you have to wait to play your hand."

 

[southsider2k5]

In other words, Kenny is going to see how the trade market works first, and then hit free agency to some extent.

[elrockinMT]

The post that sparked that response was talking about JD, not Pods.

 

 

I like J Dye too

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

In other words, Kenny is going to see how the trade market works first, and then hit free agency to some extent.

Which is pretty much the offseason plans every year, save for the '07-'08 offseason where he kind of "fell" into not offering a bad contract to Rowand, Hunter, or Fukudome.

[Chisoxfn]

Levine was speculating that the payroll would be closer to 100M than 95. If so thats a real good thing, because a move of Jenks or Konerko could free up just enough salary that the Sox could make things pretty interesting.

[kitekrazy]

Levine was speculating that the payroll would be closer to 100M than 95. If so thats a real good thing, because a move of Jenks or Konerko could free up just enough salary that the Sox could make things pretty interesting.

 

I would like to see them take a risk and go up to $120M. Give those starters some more confidence. Having a starting 4 like this at trying to be cheap at the same time is like Culter trying to work with the Bears O.

 

[bigruss]

I would like to see them take a risk and go up to $120M. Give those starters some more confidence. Having a starting 4 like this at trying to be cheap at the same time is like Culter trying to work with the Bears O.

They aren't being cheap, they're trying not to lose a ton of money on the season.

[southsider2k5]

I would like to see them take a risk and go up to $120M. Give those starters some more confidence. Having a starting 4 like this at trying to be cheap at the same time is like Culter trying to work with the Bears O.

 

What risk are you taking? Eight season tickets?

[NorthSideSox72]

I would like to see them take a risk and go up to $120M. Give those starters some more confidence. Having a starting 4 like this at trying to be cheap at the same time is like Culter trying to work with the Bears O.

Having one of the highest payrolls in baseball is being cheap?

 

Also, its not about "risk", per se. You'd have to find that $25M somewhere. If you can't generate it in revenue, you'd have to cut your costs (and I don't see how they can cut non-player costs by that much without major consequences), or you'd have to take on debt (because the team already plows back all its profits, give or take). These just aren't scenarios that will work.