ESPN BBTN Says Wave the Red Flag

[SnB]

Just curious SS2K5, what kind of haul would you ask for Danks? Another pitcher? A good bat?

Brandon Mccarthy back.

[chisoxfan09]

Brandon Mccarthy back.

 

[WCSox]

I think he is down to two years of arb left. My thinking is that if he feels he can't get something done with John long term, which Danks has repeatedly turned down if you believe the reports, and we fall out of the race, there might not be a piece that gets a bigger haul than Danks. If Kenny wants to rebuild on the fly, a guy like Johnny being traded could do it.

 

If the Sox aren't competitive this or next year, I get the feeling that Kenny's hand will be forced to do some major rebuilding. Many of our current productive players will be gone at that point (Mark, PK, AJ, Thornton, etc.) and it doesn't look like our current crop of prospects is going to replace that level of talent (Hudson and Flowers notwithstanding).

[witesoxfan]

If the Sox aren't competitive this or next year, I get the feeling that Kenny's hand will be forced to do some major rebuilding. Many of our current productive players will be gone at that point (Mark, PK, AJ, Thornton, etc.) and it doesn't look like our current crop of prospects is going to replace that level of talent (Hudson and Flowers notwithstanding).

 

Fluke or not, pretty much everyone on this board felt that way after 2007 too, and the Sox won the division in 2008. He may have to make major changes, but I don't know that you'd call it rebuilding.

[WCSox]

Fluke or not, pretty much everyone on this board felt that way after 2007 too, and the Sox won the division in 2008. He may have to make major changes, but I don't know that you'd call it rebuilding.

 

Unfortunately, the current Sox squad lacks the level of veteran talent that they had in 2008 (that team was freaking loaded and should've won 90 games easily). And they'll have even less of it this winter.

 

I have my doubts about the sustainability of Kenny's "retool on the fly" strategy. I wonder if it may just be better in the long run to sell off aging vets for prospects and start over. I know that Kenny isn't a fan of the latter strategy, and don't expect him implement it any time soon. But I don't see how an emphasis on trading minor-league talent for veteran talent (versus more emphasis on drafting and player development) is sustainable over the long run. It's nice to be able to dupe a GM into trading a Freddy Garcia or Gavin Floyd for overrated minor-league talent. But that isn't a reliable strategy. Eventually, you run out of good prospects to fill holes and you end up either taking on bad contracts (Rios) or running mediocre players like Pods and Teahen out there. If the Sox fail to put a competitive product on the field between now and next July, Kenny may have to consider a firesale.