Tigers Sign Damon - 1 yr, 8 mil; NTC

[Quin]

I want to know how we swung and missed on so many DH candidates this offseason.

 

Now all I can hope is Kenny makes a trade for Crawford, since Gonzalez is nothing more than a really nice pipe dream.

[Dick Allen]

Although it didn't turn out as I had hoped, I'm glad this debacle is OVA.

[macsandz]

Not worse than last year? We've replaced the power numbers from Dye and Thome with Jones and Teahan.

 

Yeah, Beckham will hit only 14 HRs again this season.

 

Jones hit just 8 fewer HRs in 222 fewer at-bats than Dye last season.

[WHarris1]

It's not that I think we should drop 8M on Damon, I just get ill thinking of all the Kotsay ABs we're going to have to witness this year

[macsandz]

Well it already did on paper, this development moves it from mediocre to bad in my opinion. I think Johnny Damon could have moved us from a low to mid 80's wins team to a mid to upper 80's wins team, which might be the difference in our division. It's really a shame.

 

He's not worth $3M more than Abreu played for last season.

[whitesoxfan101]

I want to know how we swung and missed on so many DH candidates this offseason.

 

Now all I can hope is Kenny makes a trade for Crawford, since Gonzalez is nothing more than a really nice pipe dream.

 

I hear you on this one. I am interested to see if they call Jermaine Dye. He's getting no offers and would be a better DH than the guys we currently have, but that bridge may have already been burned. As it is, the one positive we have on our side is we can pitch and this division sucks. With that in mind, the front office will probably be willing to add a bat in July, since I think it's very likely by that point we'll be in the race, yet also realize our offense is awful.

 

He's not worth $3M more than Abreu played for last season.

 

I completely agree, he's being overpaid. But overpaying is sometimes necessary to fill holes, and I think this would have been a good spot to do it.

Edited February 20, 2010 by whitesoxfan101

[fathom]

It's not that I think we should drop 8M on Damon, I just get ill thinking of all the Kotsay ABs we're going to have to witness this year

 

Just think, one line drive out against Nathan started this whole Kotsay phenomenon. Blame it on Brian Anderson, I guess!

[macsandz]

It's not that I think we should drop 8M on Damon, I just get ill thinking of all the Kotsay ABs we're going to have to witness this year

 

C'mon guys. If this Damon drama proved anything it's that Kenny is not gonna let the Kotsay/Jones DH experiment happen for very long.

[WCSox]

Not worse than last year? We've replaced the power numbers from Dye and Thome with Jones and Teahan.

 

Actually, we've replaced Dye with Pierre and Fields/Nix/Getz with Teahen. The drop-off from Thome to Jones is significant, but that's the major drop-off. If Rios is halfway decent and Quentin is healthy, this offense will be at least a little better.

 

@ $8M for one year, Tigers overpaid. Let them have him at that price.

 

Agreed. That said, Thome and Branyan have already signed for cheap. If Kenny overlooks Blalock as well, he'dd better have something big in store down the road.

Edited February 20, 2010 by WCSox

[whitesoxfan101]

Just think, one line drive out against Nathan started this whole Kotsay phenomenon. Blame it on Brian Anderson, I guess!

 

I don't think Kotsay playing well in the eyes of the FO down the stretch last year is why they are going to the rotating DH thing this year. I just think Ozzie actually likes the idea of being able to rotate a bunch of crappy hitters in that spot because of the "versatility" it allows him, and Kenny has made the unfortuate decision to allow this mistake to happen.

[Quin]

Alright, plan C: Jermaine Dye.

 

Seriously, I would hope he would sign a $4M deal with us to DH considering he is getting NO OFFERS from anyone else right now.

 

You know what? I'd go to JD and say "Look. I'll give you $3M to DH, since you can't play the field. Take it or leave it." Then, let him and Jones it out, and if they both suck, cut Jones, if they both hit, trade one midseason for prospects. If Jones hits and JD doesn't, DFA JD and trade for Crawford, and if JD hits and Jones doesn't...don't do anything. We know how competition for roster

[Dick Allen]

You know what? I'd go to JD and say "Look. I'll give you $3M to DH, since you can't play the field. Take it or leave it." Then, let him and Jones it out, and if they both suck, cut Jones, if they both hit, trade one midseason for prospects. If Jones hits and JD doesn't, DFA JD and trade for Crawford, and if JD hits and Jones doesn't...don't do anything. We know how competition for roster

If he would accept the fact he's a DH, he'd probably be a good one. If he still fights it and thinks he should play in the field, he'll struggle. DHing isn't for everyone.

[macsandz]

Actually, we've replaced Dye with Pierre and Fields/Nix/Getz with Teahen. The drop-off from Thome to Jones is significant, but that's the major drop-off. If Rios is halfway decent and Quentin is healthy, this offense will be at least a little better.

 

 

 

Agreed. That said, Thome and Branyan have already signed for cheap. If Kenny overlooks Blalock as well, he'dd better have something big in store down the road.

 

Blalock would be a terrible fit. Save the money.

[WCSox]

You know what? I'd go to JD and say "Look. I'll give you $3M to DH, since you can't play the field. Take it or leave it." Then, let him and Jones it out, and if they both suck, cut Jones, if they both hit, trade one midseason for prospects. If Jones hits and JD doesn't, DFA JD and trade for Crawford, and if JD hits and Jones doesn't...don't do anything. We know how competition for roster

 

That's not a bad option, but that bridge may likely be burned.

 

[WCSox]

Blalock would be a terrible fit.

 

Care to elaborate?

 

[whitesoxfan101]

Blalock would be a terrible fit. Save the money.

 

I suppose you could sign him and platoon him and Andruw Jones. I don't think Jones numbers vary greatly between his facing lefty and right pitchers though, and that would give Blalock the vast majority of the at bats.

[103 mph screwball]

Not for 8 million. No. Besides, if the Sox had put that much money into Damon, there would not be a spot for Konerko to DH when the Sox trade for Adrian Gonzalez. Felipe López is available too I think and he fired Boras. It's a DH guys. Hell Jermaine Dye would make a fine DH if that bridge hasn't been burned. If the Sox start the year with Nix a DH, it won't be the end of the world. We know the Sox have another 6 million to throw at the right bat, and they have prospects to trade. Screw Damon. He's a tiger. LET SPRING TRAINING BEGIN!!!!

[caulfield12]

 

 

The fact that the Tigers are feeling they're back into this AL Central race speaks volumes.

 

After basically surrendering the season with the trading of Granderson and Jackson for budgetary reasons, they've reversed course and added Valverde and now Damon.

 

I guess this is the final nail in the coffin for any hopes the White Sox had for sustaining a new approach...it lasted from 2006-2010, but we no longer have the clear advantage over the Twins and certainly not over the Tigers in payroll or the willingness to spend that money.

 

If KW has still had a difficult time keeping up with the Twins and Bill Smith (not nearly as effective as his predecessor Ryan....thank God they don't have Bartlett and Garza now) when MIN was operating at 65% of capacity, then why should we expect anything different in the future?

 

I understand that sometimes moves like the Carlos Lee one will work out mysteriously in the end (while somewhat baffling at the time), but this approach isn't any better. We've constructed a Minnesota Twins-like team to play at USCF. Whoopee. Well, this is all on KW...I don't buy the whole blaming Ozzie thing for our present line-up construction. So, because this strategy worked in 2005, it will work again. We shall see.

 

 

 

 

[macsandz]

You know what? I'd go to JD and say "Look. I'll give you $3M to DH, since you can't play the field. Take it or leave it." Then, let him and Jones it out, and if they both suck, cut Jones, if they both hit, trade one midseason for prospects. If Jones hits and JD doesn't, DFA JD and trade for Crawford, and if JD hits and Jones doesn't...don't do anything. We know how competition for roster

 

Can you guys please look past Dye? He's done. There's a reason he's not signed. The rest of baseball knows that guy that tortured us with a .175 BA for the 3 months we needed him most is only gonna get worse.

 

[WHarris1]

Was it posted that Damon got a NTC?

[iamshack]

I understand that sometimes moves like the Carlos Lee one will work out mysteriously in the end (while somewhat baffling at the time), but this approach isn't any better. We've constructed a Minnesota Twins-like team to play at USCF. Whoopee. Well, this is all on KW...I don't buy the whole blaming Ozzie thing for our present line-up construction. So, because this strategy worked in 2005, it will work again. We shall see.

 

What do you buy then?

[caulfield12]

Not for 8 million. No. Besides, if the Sox had put that much money into Damon, there would not be a spot for Konerko to DH when the Sox trade for Adrian Gonzalez. Felipe López is available too I think and he fired Boras. It's a DH guys. Hell Jermaine Dye would make a fine DH if that bridge hasn't been burned. If the Sox start the year with Nix a DH, it won't be the end of the world. We know the Sox have another 6 million to throw at the right bat, and they have prospects to trade. Screw Damon. He's a tiger. LET SPRING TRAINING BEGIN!!!!

 

 

Do you really believe they're going to trade away Flowers, Hudson and Mitchell/Danks for A-Gonzalez? Forget about it.

 

If the 2007 and 2009 seasons have shown anything, it's our inability to develop and not have to trade our minor league prospects that has put us in this defensive position with roster construction in the first place.

 

Felipe Lopez most definitely won't be our DH, either.

 

If the Sox start the year with Nix as ANYTHING but DH against LHP, then it will have been officially worse than starting 2009 with Anderson/Wise/Getz/Fields/Lillibridge/Miller.

 

The irony is that after everyone has put the Thome debate behind them, KW will probably be forced to add someone like Adam Dunn and we'll be right back where we started, excepted likely 3-7 games back in the standings and having lost more prospects because we hadn't developed enough hitters in our minor league system over the last decade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caulfield12]

What do you buy then?

 

 

That KW put himself in a financial straight-jacket with the Peavy and Rios acquisitions...

 

There were a lot of "ifs" at the eve of 2005, too. Iguchi, Pods, Dye coming off an injury, and exactly what did El Duque have left, if anything? How close was McCarthy (not unlike Hudson this year)? Takatsu was the de-facto closer but everyone was worried about hitters sitting on his FB and laying off the frisbees (see One Tricky Pony). The bullpen, there were no hints of the seasons Cotts and Politte would have.

 

The problem I guess is when there's no margin for error, everything has to go right. We have insurance for one injury in the starting rotation, that's good.

 

I'm starting to believe that Tyler Flowers is going to be given a serious look as the DH at some point this season, maybe even in the first half. Otherwise, there's not really any logic to what KW is doing.

 

 

[2nd_city_saint787]

I still think the Sox are better than the Tigers but I'm not sure they're better than the Twins.

[Springfield Soxfan]

Was it posted that Damon got a NTC?

Yes, and that is probably what sent Damon to Detroit, KW will not give no trade clauses any more.