Prince Fielder Speculation

[chisoxfan09]

Link: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/414414-...-prince-fielder

 

Chicago White Sox Targeting Milwaukee's Prince Fielder

by

Bob Warja

Written on July 01, 2010

 

Sources within the Chicago White Sox organization, on the condition of anonymity, have indicated that GM Kenny Williams is talking to the Milwaukee Brewers about a blockbuster trade that would send powerful first baseman Prince Fielder to the Sox.

 

In exchange, the Sox would send a package of young players. While Williams has not publicly acknowledged interest in Fielder (that would be tampering anyway), he did have this to say to MLB.com's Scott Merkin:

 

"Well, if there's an opportunity to win a World Series, you got to do what you got to do sometimes—within reason," Williams said. "But it's got to be, you have to have a real opportunity. I think we have an opportunity."

 

The Sox clearly see themselves as having a chance to contend in the AL Central all season now, and the aggressive Sox GM is willing to trade the future for a shot at winning right now.

 

It has been widely speculated that the Sox are interested in Adam Dunn, but Fielder would certainly fit the bill very nicely, as the powerful lefty bat they're craving.

 

Fielder has a .260/.385/.481/.866 slash, with 17 homers, and just turned 26 in May.

 

Meanwhile, the Brewers figure to be out of the race this year, and they are privately concerned about Fielder's salary demands and his weight.

 

Fielder's body type isn't ideal for long-term success, but it certainly isn't unprecedented to have a fat ballplayer continue to rake into his 30s.

 

Um, anyone remember a kid that went by the nickname of "Babe"?

 

He makes $11M this year and with a strong finish, will likely receive a hefty increase going forward.

 

But remember, this a guy who hit 50 homers in 2007 and 46 last season. His career OBP is .381, so, like Dunn, he draws walks, but with a few less strikeouts.

 

Fielder averages 131 Ks per 162 games, while Dunn averages 180. He is also about 4.5 years younger.

 

So what kind of package will lure the Brewers into moving Fielder to the Sox?

 

Well, they are reluctant to trade Gordon Beckham, despite his slow start to the season. But that shouldn't be a deal breaker, as the Brewers have a young shortstop in Alcides Escobar and a second base prospect in Brett Lawrie.

 

But they are apparently willing to move prospects such as Jordan Danks, Tyler Flowers, Dan Hudson, or Dayan Viciedo.

 

According to ESPN's Keith Law, Milwaukee has the 26th ranked farm system, so they need the boost that a trade like this could bring.

 

In fact, this deal makes so much sense that it could not possibly happen. Or could it?

 

Where there's smoke, there's fire.

 

This could be all smoke and mirrors and the vast majority of the forum would luv Filder but there are starting to be concerns about his weight problems and what kind of salary he makes next year in final year of arb and beyond. Is he worth a package of Viciedo, Danks2, Hudson, or more?

Edited July 5, 2010 by iamshack

[Kalapse]

Ugh, Bleacher Report. I really wish people wouldn't take that site as seriously as they do.

[GreatScott82]

Ugh, Bleacher Report. I really wish people wouldn't take that site as seriously as they do.

Seriously it is not a reliable source whatsover. It is interesting to think about though. As a writer from the Milwaukee Journal elaborates on the current state of the team and speculates about a possible fit.

 

Looking for some pop

Don't be surprised if the Chicago White Sox make a play for Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder before the July 31 trade deadline. Sox general manager Ken Williams is a known wheeler and dealer, and with his club climbing back into the playoff race, he is looking for another hitter.

 

Paul Konerko is having a big year at first base for Chicago but the Sox have no real threat at designated hitter. Alternating Konerko and Fielder at DH and first base would provide a potent righty-lefty threat in the middle of the lineup.

 

Williams has some intriguing options that might tempt the Brewers, such as right-hander Gavin Floyd, reliever Sergio Santos, pitching prospect Daniel Hudson and young third baseman Dayan Viciedo.

 

If Melvin waits until the off-season as many expect to entertain serious trade offers for Fielder, the White Sox might make a play for Washington first baseman Adam Dunn, who is drawing interest from several clubs.

[Steve9347]

Ugh, Bleacher Report. I really wish people wouldn't take that site as seriously as they do.

It's a pile of trash and should be banned from Pale Hose Talk.

[maggsmaggs]

In five minutes, I could be on Bleacher Report with an article stating inside sources indicate the Sox are close to a deal to acquire Adam Laroche. It's a garbage site.

[whitesoxfan101]

Yeah, somebody throwing darts at a wall is a better source than bleacher report.

[hi8is]

In five minutes, I could be on Bleacher Report with an article stating inside sources indicate the Sox are close to a deal to acquire Adam Laroche. It's a garbage site.

Do it, just for fun.

=)

[iamshack]

I think he stole my idea from the early morning hours today...

[caulfield12]

I do think one aspect of this is correct.

 

We'd have to trade either Danks or Floyd, possibly Santos and one or two key pieces (Hudson/Viciedo/Flowers) to get it done.

 

I'm still not convinced it's worth it...but this also seems with the pitching stars aligned to be the year we might have the best chance to win it all, compared to say 2011/2012/2013.

 

It has really got to be gut-wrenching for the entire front office, like taking on Rios/Peavy and then having nothing to show for it....well, until this year.

 

The other obvious problem is that the strength of this team, the pitching, is no longer a strength if u take one of those starters out and insert Hudson AND Garcia into the back end.

 

 

[iamshack]

I do think one aspect of this is correct.

 

We'd have to trade either Danks or Floyd, possibly Santos and one or two key pieces (Hudson/Viciedo/Flowers) to get it done.

 

I'm still not convinced it's worth it...but this also seems with the pitching stars aligned to be the year we might have the best chance to win it all, compared to say 2011/2012/2013.

 

It has really got to be gut-wrenching for the entire front office, like taking on Rios/Peavy and then having nothing to show for it....well, until this year.

 

The other obvious problem is that the strength of this team, the pitching, is no longer a strength if u take one of those starters out and insert Hudson AND Garcia into the back end.

I'm not sure how you can say that without really knowing what you'd get from Hudson. I'd say the chances that Hudson would be as effective as Danks or Floyd right now are somewhat remote, but my guess is he would not be demonstrably worse. A rotation of Peavy/Floyd/Buehrle/Hudson/Garcia would still be potentially one of the stronger rotations in baseball, and adding Fielder to the DH slot to replace Kotsay/Jones would arguably make the team much stronger overall.

 

If Kenny traded Danks and prospect(s) not named Hudson/Flowers/Viciedo for Fielder today, I could live with such a deal.

[Balta1701]

I'll Guarantee you KW asked. I'll similarly guarantee you the price is currently too high.

[caulfield12]

I don't think that the Brewers would trade their "franchise" player (along with Braun) for Danks. Danks is appreciated by all the GM's, scouts and true baseball fans, but he's not a marquee player like Fielder, IMO.

 

It would be ballsy, but 1 1/2 years of Fielder for 2 1/2 for Danks, right? Unless you included another premium prospect from the White Sox (that would be Flowers or Viciedo), it's not getting done. Obviously KW can't give up two starters....and I'm a little dubious about Hudson replacing the stats of Floyd/Danks, too.

 

I would guess it's something like Floyd/Danks, Santos (maybe) and Viciedo or Flowers for Fielder and one more hitter...not Hart, but someone.

 

The other problem is we can't be sure Freddy will hold up the rest of the season, especially with the lingering questions about Peavy and Buehrle...although they SEEM healthy for the moment.

[chisoxfan09]

Mods, can you change the title in general to something more appropriate, like the Prince Fielder "Catch All" thread?

[3E8]

It would be ballsy, but 1 1/2 years of Fielder for 2 1/2 for Danks, right? Unless you included another premium prospect from the White Sox (that would be Flowers or Viciedo), it's not getting done.

Too ballsy and unwise. An extra year of Danks is more valuable. The casual fan won't perceive it that way though. On their current paces this year alone, Danks is worth more wins than Fielder. When you factor in the >$7M salary difference between the two, the gap separates further

[witesoxfan]

Too ballsy and unwise. An extra year of Danks is more valuable. The casual fan won't perceive it that way though. On their current paces this year alone, Danks is worth more wins than Fielder. When you factor in the >$7M salary difference between the two, the gap separates further

 

I've said previously that the Brewers wouldn't do that either because if they're trading Prince, they'd be going into a rebuilding phase, but that's not quite true. They'd hang onto Danks for this year, and then halfway through next year, and if they weren't in it, they'd unload him for prospects (or if some team were dumb enough, another player who is similarly as good as Danks with an extra year of service time).

 

But I've also said what you said above, and trading Danks would be absurd. Trading Floyd is more reasonable, but even that's absurd.

 

At this point in time, the Sox are better off making a smaller acquisition, such as someone like Adam LaRoche or, if the club feels that giving Beckham some time in AAA would be good and don't want to entrust Lillis*** or Vizquel as the full-time 2Bman, someone like Kelly Johnson or even the return of Juan Uribe if the Giants remain out of the race in the West.

[iamshack]

I've said previously that the Brewers wouldn't do that either because if they're trading Prince, they'd be going into a rebuilding phase, but that's not quite true. They'd hang onto Danks for this year, and then halfway through next year, and if they weren't in it, they'd unload him for prospects (or if some team were dumb enough, another player who is similarly as good as Danks with an extra year of service time).

 

But I've also said what you said above, and trading Danks would be absurd. Trading Floyd is more reasonable, but even that's absurd.

 

At this point in time, the Sox are better off making a smaller acquisition, such as someone like Adam LaRoche or, if the club feels that giving Beckham some time in AAA would be good and don't want to entrust Lillis*** or Vizquel as the full-time 2Bman, someone like Kelly Johnson or even the return of Juan Uribe if the Giants remain out of the race in the West.

 

Why? Based on what?

 

We have very few assets if our objective is to win playoff series'. Our only assets are long-term, and if you move those you very well may doom this franchise going forward over the course of the next 2-3 years.

 

The only path I see is gambling on Hudson to replace on of your current valuable assets (Danks or Floyd) and adding a much needed BIG bat to improve the overall strength of this team.

 

As much as I hate to say it, I don't think we have a chance to win with this current offense.

[Mr. Showtime]

I changed the topic title and sub-title. Hopefully we can keep all the rumor and talk of players to this thread.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Why? Based on what?

 

We have very few assets if our objective is to win playoff series'. Our only assets are long-term, and if you move those you very well may doom this franchise going forward over the course of the next 2-3 years.

 

The only path I see is gambling on Hudson to replace on of your current valuable assets (Danks or Floyd) and adding a much needed BIG bat to improve the overall strength of this team.

 

As much as I hate to say it, [/b]I don't think we have a chance to win with this current offense.[/b]

I'm in the camp that says a LH bat is sorely needed. It's not a cure all but its very helpful. But I also think if the pitching holds up the rest of the season we'll be right in the thick of it like we are now after a bad 2 months then one extremely hot streak .Now if we win more seies than we lose and sweep a few more than we get swept in we'll inch our way forward and end up 15-20 games above .500 If we get a bat we can get to 20+ games above and that too might be good enough.

[JPN366]

I'm the last person who would trade prospects, but Fielder's only 26, he's a proven commodity, if he can be resigned for at least 5 years, the White Sox should consider it. I imagine the Brewers would want either Viciedo or Flowers as the centerpiece in the deal, a replacement level player to take over first base. They'll want at least two pitchers, possibly three and one or two position players. You're looking at sending them five players for Fielder. Fielder isn't a free agent until after 2011, so they would be need to be overwhelmed.

Edited July 5, 2010 by JPN366

[iamshack]

Wow.

[witesoxfan]

Why? Based on what?

 

We have very few assets if our objective is to win playoff series'. Our only assets are long-term, and if you move those you very well may doom this franchise going forward over the course of the next 2-3 years.

 

The only path I see is gambling on Hudson to replace on of your current valuable assets (Danks or Floyd) and adding a much needed BIG bat to improve the overall strength of this team.

 

As much as I hate to say it, I don't think we have a chance to win with this current offense.

 

As has been mentioned several times, the Sox have roughly $80 million committed to 13 players already for next year's roster, and that includes holes at C, 1B, DH, and one of the rotation spots. As of now, the Sox have cheap, if somewhat unattractive replacements for all 3 of those positions at this point in time for Opening Day of next year at the very least, and quite possibly the next 6 years if Flowers, Viciedo (who is part of that guaranteed $80 million), and Hudson perform well. They'll need to add some bullpen pieces (as Pena, Santos, Linebrink, and Thornton are about the only guarantees in the pen next season), they'll need a bench, and they'll need to find ways to replace others. It's not totally inconceivable that the Sox could go with some combination of Viciedo, Morel, and Teahen at 1B, 3B, and DH, but it's not very likely either. It's also relatively difficult to find cheap production at catcher, and the Sox could very easily have that with Flowers. It's a bit easier at 1B and the 5th spot in the rotation, but both can be hit or miss, and thus, Viciedo and Hudson have great value to the Sox as well.

 

Trading, say, Danks for Fielder, adds about $7 million to that number (Danks at about $5.5 mill for next year, Fielder at $12.5 mill), so you'd be looking at $87 mill between 13 players. Since Hudson is replacing Danks in your scenario, there is still a hole at the back of the rotation. There's still a hole at C (since it's extremely likely that Flowers would have to be included in a deal for Fielder), a hole at DH, and holes in both the bullpen and bench that would have to be dealt with somehow, and the team would optimistically have $13 mill to replace all of those holes. That's fiscally unfathomable, and the Sox would either go into next year with a roster half All-Stars and half AAA fodder, or they'd have to trade some big contracts (such as Prince, Rios, Buehrle, or Peavy) to be able to fill the holes.

 

Beyond that, adding smaller pieces, such as LaRoche, Johnson, or Uribe, wouldn't require Hudson, Flowers, or Viciedo to facilitate a trade. Well, maybe Johnson, since he'd still be relatively cost controlled, but definitely not LaRoche or Uribe. If Arizona is currently in "collect any and all talent" mode, as opposed to hole filling mode (which they should be in with how messy that organization is right now), Morel plus a lower level prospect should be able to get him. I'd also say it'd be possible for the Sox to get Uribe through a combination of semi-talented advanced prospects or talented raw prospects, and the Sox do have those - probably Jordan Danks at the very most, and I think you could get him for a combination of mediocre prospects, like Retherford and Torres...basically guys who could be serviceable players.

 

I'm probably wrong in the actual values of what it would take, but you shouldn't have to give up any of the big 3 to make 2 minor additions. At the end of the season, both LaRoche and Uribe are free agents, so you still only have $80 mill committed. It's a similar concept to what the Sox did in 2003 when they added Alomar and Everett...adding Uribe would probably only be a marginal upgrade at 2B, and LaRoche would be a monumental upgrade at DH.

 

All that said, I'm also not sure that you want to make a move. This team is generally hit or miss, but they've played well recently, Kotsay has hit relatively well recently (.261/.356/.432/.788 in his last 101 PAs, .298/.385/.474/.858 in his last 65, and .316/.395/.500/.895 in his last 43) and determining how he'll hit for the rest of the year is difficult. Beckham is obviously uber talented, and if he can return to any resemblance of what he did last year, his "addition" makes a world of difference too.

 

All I'm really trying to say in this entirely clusterf*** of a post is that I'm not about to go and trade John Danks for Prince Fielder because I don't know if Fielder puts the White Sox over the top, and constructing a competitive baseball team for 2011 becomes a hell of a lot harder if you trade for him, regardless of what happens with Fielder and the 2010 White Sox.

[iamshack]

As has been mentioned several times, the Sox have roughly $80 million committed to 13 players already for next year's roster, and that includes holes at C, 1B, DH, and one of the rotation spots. As of now, the Sox have cheap, if somewhat unattractive replacements for all 3 of those positions at this point in time for Opening Day of next year at the very least, and quite possibly the next 6 years if Flowers, Viciedo (who is part of that guaranteed $80 million), and Hudson perform well. They'll need to add some bullpen pieces (as Pena, Santos, Linebrink, and Thornton are about the only guarantees in the pen next season), they'll need a bench, and they'll need to find ways to replace others. It's not totally inconceivable that the Sox could go with some combination of Viciedo, Morel, and Teahen at 1B, 3B, and DH, but it's not very likely either. It's also relatively difficult to find cheap production at catcher, and the Sox could very easily have that with Flowers. It's a bit easier at 1B and the 5th spot in the rotation, but both can be hit or miss, and thus, Viciedo and Hudson have great value to the Sox as well.

 

Trading, say, Danks for Fielder, adds about $7 million to that number (Danks at about $5.5 mill for next year, Fielder at $12.5 mill), so you'd be looking at $87 mill between 13 players. Since Hudson is replacing Danks in your scenario, there is still a hole at the back of the rotation. There's still a hole at C (since it's extremely likely that Flowers would have to be included in a deal for Fielder), a hole at DH, and holes in both the bullpen and bench that would have to be dealt with somehow, and the team would optimistically have $13 mill to replace all of those holes. That's fiscally unfathomable, and the Sox would either go into next year with a roster half All-Stars and half AAA fodder, or they'd have to trade some big contracts (such as Prince, Rios, Buehrle, or Peavy) to be able to fill the holes.

 

Beyond that, adding smaller pieces, such as LaRoche, Johnson, or Uribe, wouldn't require Hudson, Flowers, or Viciedo to facilitate a trade. Well, maybe Johnson, since he'd still be relatively cost controlled, but definitely not LaRoche or Uribe. If Arizona is currently in "collect any and all talent" mode, as opposed to hole filling mode (which they should be in with how messy that organization is right now), Morel plus a lower level prospect should be able to get him. I'd also say it'd be possible for the Sox to get Uribe through a combination of semi-talented advanced prospects or talented raw prospects, and the Sox do have those - probably Jordan Danks at the very most, and I think you could get him for a combination of mediocre prospects, like Retherford and Torres...basically guys who could be serviceable players.

 

I'm probably wrong in the actual values of what it would take, but you shouldn't have to give up any of the big 3 to make 2 minor additions. At the end of the season, both LaRoche and Uribe are free agents, so you still only have $80 mill committed. It's a similar concept to what the Sox did in 2003 when they added Alomar and Everett...adding Uribe would probably only be a marginal upgrade at 2B, and LaRoche would be a monumental upgrade at DH.

 

All that said, I'm also not sure that you want to make a move. This team is generally hit or miss, but they've played well recently, Kotsay has hit relatively well recently (.261/.356/.432/.788 in his last 101 PAs, .298/.385/.474/.858 in his last 65, and .316/.395/.500/.895 in his last 43) and determining how he'll hit for the rest of the year is difficult. Beckham is obviously uber talented, and if he can return to any resemblance of what he did last year, his "addition" makes a world of difference too.

 

All I'm really trying to say in this entirely clusterf*** of a post is that I'm not about to go and trade John Danks for Prince Fielder because I don't know if Fielder puts the White Sox over the top, and constructing a competitive baseball team for 2011 becomes a hell of a lot harder if you trade for him, regardless of what happens with Fielder and the 2010 White Sox.

 

Well my scenario does not include trading Flowers, as I clearly stated Danks and a prospect not named Hudson, Flowers, or Viciedo.

 

Secondly, this is the only way to get a true impact bat without both impairing the long-term health of the franchise, IMO. Yes, it's $7 million. I don't think $7 million is going to make fielding a competitive team next season "fiscally unfathomable."

 

Thirdly, I don't agree that we are going to be able to acquire LaRoche without trading one of Hudson/Flowers/Viciedo.

 

Fourth, I don't think acquiring Juan Uribe is going to guarantee us much of anything at this point.

 

Fifth, I think Kelly Johnson is going to be more difficult to acquire than you think.

 

But hey, it's all just speculation at this point.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Nice clusterf***.

[witesoxfan]

Well my scenario does not include trading Flowers, as I clearly stated Danks and a prospect not named Hudson, Flowers, or Viciedo.

 

Secondly, this is the only way to get a true impact bat without both impairing the long-term health of the franchise, IMO. Yes, it's $7 million. I don't think $7 million is going to make fielding a competitive team next season "fiscally unfathomable."

 

Thirdly, I don't agree that we are going to be able to acquire LaRoche without trading one of Hudson/Flowers/Viciedo.

 

Fourth, I don't think acquiring Juan Uribe is going to guarantee us much of anything at this point.

 

Fifth, I think Kelly Johnson is going to be more difficult to acquire than you think.

 

But hey, it's all just speculation at this point.

 

I just generally don't think that trading Danks to acquire Fielder is really in the best interest of the team. Danks is the best starter the Sox have. You would have to be 100% sure that Hudson is ready to step in and put up atleast a 4.00 ERA if you're even going to consider making that trade, and I don't know that you can say that, considering his control isn't superb and that lefties are hitting him pretty hard still (when they make contact, that is). He's a good prospect, but I think he should be eased into the rotation, rather than thrust into it in the middle of a pennant race with the expectation of him being the club's #4 starter and the media looking at it as him replacing John Danks.

 

I also say I think it's fiscally unfathomable because I don't see any way the Brewers can justify dealing Fielder and getting only Danks and a prospect not named Hudson, Flowers, or Viciedo. The best case for the Sox, in that instance, would be Danks and Viciedo, since it does help cut out some of that $7 million that would be added (it'd only be $5.75 mill, wee!), and the Sox could still use Flowers at C, which I think would be the hardest position to fill cheaply. Even considering that, the Sox would have between $9-14 mill to fill a hole at DH, the 5th spot, the bench, and the bullpen, and that just doesn't seem reasonable.

 

In regards to LaRoche, I would say that each passing day lowers his value. Williams would basically be playing a waiting game and hoping that no one acquires him and that the Sox stay in the race if he were to acquire him. The DBacks may be asking for one of the top 3 now, but if the Sox wait a while, the DBacks may cave and give into a package of "good prospect and so-so prospect" for him.

 

Acquiring Uribe would simply be for the marginal improvement he would provide over Beckham. If he maintained his .773 OPS, that'd honestly be fantastic, but the Sox would be acquiring him for depth purposes and because they figure the .700 OPS he would put up would be an improvement over what Beckham/Lillibridge would put up for the rest of the season.

 

I also agree with the Johnson stuff. Even as mediocre as he is defensively, the fact that he's cost controlled and a great bat would increase his value a ton. He's a good player, but he's going to cost quite a bit.

 

---

 

Williams is definitely making calls about players, but I imagine he's also a bit in wait and see mode. He's in a bit of a catch 22...if he makes a move now to get said player(s) for an extra month, he's going to have to pay a premium (because he's going to be paying for 17% more playing time from whatever player he would acquire right now for the rest of the season), but if he waits until the price drops, the Sox may be 3-4 games out, playing slightly above .500 ball, while the Tigers and Twins either get hot or make a move to improve their ballclubs. I wouldn't want to be in his position right now.

Edited July 5, 2010 by witesoxfan

[iamshack]

I just generally don't think that trading Danks to acquire Fielder is really in the best interest of the team. Danks is the best starter the Sox have. You would have to be 100% sure that Hudson is ready to step in and put up atleast a 4.00 ERA if you're even going to consider making that trade, and I don't know that you can say that, considering his control isn't superb and that lefties are hitting him pretty hard still (when they make contact, that is). He's a good prospect, but I think he should be eased into the rotation, rather than thrust into it in the middle of a pennant race with the expectation of him being the club's #4 starter and the media looking at it as him replacing John Danks.

 

I also say I think it's fiscally unfathomable because I don't see any way the Brewers can justify dealing Fielder and getting only Danks and a prospect not named Hudson, Flowers, or Viciedo. The best case for the Sox, in that instance, would be Danks and Viciedo, since it does help cut out some of that $7 million that would be added (it'd only be $5.75 mill, wee!), and the Sox could still use Flowers at C, which I think would be the hardest position to fill cheaply. Even considering that, the Sox would have between $9-14 mill to fill a hole at DH, the 5th spot, the bench, and the bullpen, and that just doesn't seem reasonable.

 

In regards to LaRoche, I would say that each passing day lowers his value. Williams would basically be playing a waiting game and hoping that no one acquires him and that the Sox stay in the race if he were to acquire him. The DBacks may be asking for one of the top 3 now, but if the Sox wait a while, the DBacks may cave and give into a package of "good prospect and so-so prospect" for him.

 

Acquiring Uribe would simply be for the marginal improvement he would provide over Beckham. If he maintained his .773 OPS, that'd honestly be fantastic, but the Sox would be acquiring him for depth purposes and because they figure the .700 OPS he would put up would be an improvement over what Beckham/Lillibridge would put up for the rest of the season.

 

I also agree with the Johnson stuff. Even as mediocre as he is defensively, the fact that he's cost controlled and a great bat would increase his value a ton. He's a good player, but he's going to cost quite a bit.

 

---

 

Williams is definitely making calls about players, but I imagine he's also a bit in wait and see mode. He's in a bit of a catch 22...if he makes a move now to get said player(s) for an extra month, he's going to have to pay a premium (because he's going to be paying for 17% more playing time from whatever player he would acquire right now for the rest of the season), but if he waits until the price drops, the Sox may be 3-4 games out, playing slightly above .500 ball, while the Tigers and Twins either get hot or make a move to improve their ballclubs. I wouldn't want to be in his position right now.

 

Wite, what would you rather do though, spend all this money on a competitive team that simply does not have the tools to actually win anything, or spend a bit more and field a team that actually can win something? I think Kenny and Jerry have always taken the latter approach.

 

Now you will probably disagree that we can win anything without Johnny Danks, and while that may be true if Hudson were to flop, I think the chances of Hudson pitching fairly well and us winning by adding a big bat are better than keeping Danksy in the rotation and simply not having enough punch in the lineup to win enough games.

 

I certainly could be mistaken, and this is why I am hesitant to agree that we need to do something NOW like many others are demanding. I would like to see more how the character of this teams shakes out now that our SP is performing, but the simple fact is that we have a hole at DH and the AL is loaded with great lineups. So it seems to me that an upgrade, and preferably, a big upgrade, is going to be necessary.

 

And it is because I agree with almost everything that you are saying about next year and the immediate future that it came down to trading Danks or Floyd for me. We can't afford to trade the few prospects we have. Which means we have to use some other assets to acquire a valuable bat, and to be honest, that is probably either Floyd, Danks, or Beckham. I chose Danks because of his reluctance to sign an extension, basically.

 

What it comes down to is I believe the difference in our offense between Fielder and Kotsay would be far greater than the dropoff between Danks and Hudson, which would improve us overall and possibly put us over the top, while not killing us for the immediate future or the long term.

 

And if need be, if it doesn't work out, I am sure Fielder could be dealt midseason next year to add cheap pieces for the remainder of 2011 and beyond.