Winter Meetings?

[elrockinMT]

Even though they don't officially start until Monday (7th), I would assume most organizations are starting to show up this weekend. Hopefully to get a headstart on some negotiations.

 

Who are the first teams to make a deal (ie, trade)?

 

 

KW flies under the radar and probably won't show up till Thursday morning

[elrockinMT]

make out with who? each other?

 

 

Do you believe that story?

[elrockinMT]

I get a text last night from a friend visiting another friend in Canton, Il. " I walk into this dive bar and Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye are here chillin. There's only like 20 people here. A bunch of hillbilly chicks were hitting on em. They got two of the girls to make out because of who they were.

 

Maybe they'll get even more lucky and get inked during the meetings?

 

It must have been hilarious to see JD and Thome in a run of the mill bar in Canton, IL randomly.

 

 

Only my own guess here, but if JD and JT are planning on going to Indy for the Winter Meetings they had better hurry as they are on the wrong side of Illinois. Maybe it's that cheap liquor in Canton?

[chunk23]

The Winter Meetings are about to get underway. I predict KW to do something HUGE, perhaps involving Jenks. . . The Rays want to add a backstop and bolster their bullpen. Hmm perhaps Jenks and Flowers for BJ Upton.

 

Will Carroll thinks KW will make a move, albeit a small one. Of course the last time he made a small move at the winter meetings he got TCQ.

[BurlyMan56]

Do you believe that story?

 

 

Lol, yeah, they were making out with each other.

[southsider2k5]

You can bet the Sox will be shaking some pretty significant trees. Kenny is looking for a big bat.

[WHITESOXRANDY]

I get a text last night from a friend visiting another friend in Canton, Il. " I walk into this dive bar and Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye are here chillin. There's only like 20 people here. A bunch of hillbilly chicks were hitting on em. They got two of the girls to make out because of who they were.

 

Maybe they'll get even more lucky and get inked during the meetings?

 

It must have been hilarious to see JD and Thome in a run of the mill bar in Canton, IL randomly.

 

I'm not sure that I even believe Thome and Dye were in the same bar out in nowhere, illinois. And, I sure don't believe Thome is going oout in public and getting hammered and making out with chicks. But, it sounds good.

[knightni]

I'm not sure that I even believe Thome and Dye were in the same bar out in nowhere, illinois. And, I sure don't believe Thome is going oout in public and getting hammered and making out with chicks. But, it sounds good.

No, the text says that they got two chicks to make out [with each other].

[Melissa1334]

You can bet the Sox will be shaking some pretty significant trees. Kenny is looking for a big bat.

well lets hope so because we really need one. i dont want to go into the season hoping* for teahen to produce, for cq to stay healthy and produce, for rios to bounce back, for beckham to continue where he left off, too many questions,we need that big bat. sure matsui or vlad can help but we need an even bigger bat

[Disco72]

I'm not sure that I even believe Thome and Dye were in the same bar out in nowhere, illinois. And, I sure don't believe Thome is going oout in public and getting hammered and making out with chicks. But, it sounds good.

 

Canton isn't that far from Bartonville, which I believe is where Thome's parents live. When I lived in Peoria, I ran into Thome once or twice at local pubs, so the story has some face validity.

[Jordan4life_2007]

well lets hope so because we really need one. i dont want to go into the season hoping* for teahen to produce, for cq to stay healthy and produce, for rios to bounce back, for beckham to continue where he left off, too many questions,we need that big bat. sure matsui or vlad can help but we need an even bigger bat

 

Even if we do get that big bat, we still need all those things you mentioned to happen to be an above average offense.

[Melissa1334]

Even if we do get that big bat, we still need all those things you mentioned to happen to be an above average offense.

it should be an interesting off season , with all these holes im sure kw isnt going to stand pat.im sure we'll be in for a big surprise

[ptatc]

Only my own guess here, but if JD and JT are planning on going to Indy for the Winter Meetings they had better hurry as they are on the wrong side of Illinois. Maybe it's that cheap liquor in Canton?

 

I believe Thome owns a hunting ranch in the area and both are avid hunters. They could have shot a couple of deer then go to the meetings.

[elrockinMT]

I believe Thome owns a hunting ranch in the area and both are avid hunters. They could have shot a couple of deer then go to the meetings.

 

 

They have ranches in Illinois? Now out here I would believe it, but Illinois?

[elrockinMT]

Canton isn't that far from Bartonville, which I believe is where Thome's parents live. When I lived in Peoria, I ran into Thome once or twice at local pubs, so the story has some face validity.

 

 

OK

[BurlyMan56]

I believe Thome owns a hunting ranch in the area and both are avid hunters. They could have shot a couple of deer then go to the meetings.

 

 

Yeah, apparently Thome owns land out that way. To clarify, they were not getting hammered just having drinks. Not their fault hillbilly chicks are making out trying to impress million dollar ballplayers. It was a hilarious story to wake up to though.

[Balta1701]

Even if we do get that big bat, we still need all those things you mentioned to happen to be an above average offense.

With our starting pitching...esp. if we can put a decent defense behind them, we shouldn't need an above average offense. We should need an adequate offense.

[chisoxt]

The Winter Meetings are about to get underway. I predict KW to do something HUGE, perhaps involving Jenks. . . The Rays want to add a backstop and bolster their bullpen. Hmm perhaps Jenks and Flowers for BJ Upton.

Come on people our bullpen is bad enough. And who are we going to get to close? Thorton? That's nice now who is the set up guy? Hudson? No we will probably trade him for soemone else too. It has also taken us forever to land a decent catching prospect- all that for an inconsistent outfielder?

 

Sadly, I can see all of this happening

[chisoxt]

With our starting pitching...esp. if we can put a decent defense behind them, we shouldn't need an above average offense. We should need an adequate offense.

Shoring up the defense will help, but if we do not fix the holes in out bullpen, I see a lot of six and seven inning quality starts with losses attached to them.

[beck72]

I'd like the sox to add a bullpen arm. Florida is supposed to be shopping both LHP Reynel Pinto and RHP Matt Lindstrom. Lindstrom was hurt last year [the first year he's missed games and his walk rate went up] and IIRC started the year as their closer. If he's healthy, he could be a good buy low candidate, as he threw very well in 08 and 07, as he has that mid 90's heat the sox don't have currently that they need to diversify the pen. Pinto does have control issues, so he's not really a good fit [unless the sox see something fixable in him that FLA hasn't been able solve--not likely].

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-0...0,7509175.story

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

I'd like the sox to add a bullpen arm. Florida is supposed to be shopping both LHP Reynel Pinto and RHP Matt Lindstrom. Lindstrom was hurt last year [the first year he's missed games and his walk rate went up] and IIRC started the year as their closer. If he's healthy, he could be a good buy low candidate, as he threw very well in 08 and 07, as he has that mid 90's heat the sox don't have currently that they need to diversify the pen. Pinto does have control issues, so he's not really a good fit [unless the sox see something fixable in him that FLA hasn't been able solve--not likely].

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-0...0,7509175.story

The key point in that article though is "arbitration eligible." Jenks, Danks, Q, Pena, Carrasco, and Teahen are all due for raises in arbitration as it is. There's no reason to trade talent for a project who we may be forced to overpay before we even find out if he's going to work for us or not. We should scour the Rule-5 eligible players list for another lefty to compete with Williams (assuming we keep Jenks) and then, if we really do want another righty reliever (which I don't think we do - I think we'll go in-house) then instead of paying $1-2M+ in arb AND giving up talent off the farm, we should just try to put that money towards a veteran in FA and look for both proven success and cost certainty without giving up a prospect.

[Dick Allen]

From the Tribune, Ozzie's take on the leadoff spot:

 

Manager Ozzie Guillen is fully aware that there are four months left until the White Sox's 2010 regular season opener against Cleveland, so he was careful about any thought of selecting rookie sensation Gordon Beckham as his leadoff hitter.

 

"A lot of people are saying that," Guillen said Saturday night at the Fairmont Hotel, where he was participating in the Easter Seals of Metropolitan Chicago (ESMC) Holiday Gala. "He's the one in the lineup I have right now. Is he ideal? That's the only (one) have.

 

"But I really like to have someone else out there. Bekcham is a very, very good RBI man. And I don't want to take the bat away from him, and hoepfully we find someone to take his spot."

 

Guillen is aware that general manager Ken Williams is searching for a leadoff batter.

 

"We tried to find one," Guillen said. "It's not easy. We tried looking for one, the one out there is very expensive, and the one is not there, we have to make big trades.

 

 

If they don't find a legit guy there are a lot worse scenerios than having perhaps your best hitter bat the most times. I would imagine the one that was out there was Figgins.

[Kyyle23]

They have ranches in Illinois? Now out here I would believe it, but Illinois?

 

Why is that so hard to believe? Thome is from the Peoria area

[southsider2k5]

If Kenny can find a decent deal for Bobby, I can see the SOx making this type of deal.

[ThunderBolt]

Come on people our bullpen is bad enough. And who are we going to get to close? Thorton? That's nice now who is the set up guy? Hudson? No we will probably trade him for soemone else too. It has also taken us forever to land a decent catching prospect- all that for an inconsistent outfielder?

BJ Upton is not a guy you just write-off. He's a guy who if everything works out, you build around. He's got ELITE potential, even if he falls short of that he still puts up numbers in every offensive and defensive category. So, yeah i'd say he's worth a closer who we're scapegoating, and a promising catcher with 3 hits in the MLB.