Chicago White Sox Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 QUOTE (ptatc @ Feb 8, 2012 -> 09:11 PM) To be fair KW inherited him from Schueler and subsequently let him have too much free reign. I don't think KW should fall on the sword for someone he inherited even if it did happen on his watch. Bowden hired Rijo and thus was more responsible for him and his actions. I'm pretty sure KW hired Wilder from the Brewers and it was a highly regarded move at the time. IIRC, Wilder then went on to interview for the Red Sox GM job a few years later. Clearly the guy was considered a strong talent evaluator and had a great resume, so it's hard to blame KW for hiring him and trusting him in a significant role. The question is why did it take so long for KW to become aware of Wilder's illegal activities. It's one thing to have trust in an employee, but you still have a responsibility to oversee their actions and it doesn't appear that KW did a great job of that. Unfortunately, we'll never really know the details of the whole Wilder fiasco. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 QUOTE (ptatc @ Feb 8, 2012 -> 09:11 PM) To be fair KW inherited him from Schueler and subsequently let him have too much free reign. I don't think KW should fall on the sword for someone he inherited even if it did happen on his watch. Bowden hired Rijo and thus was more responsible for him and his actions. As mentioned below, wasn't it KW operating directly beneath Schueler in the organizational hierarchy who brought Wilder on board? He originally was hired by the White Sox as a special assistant to General Manager Ken Williams on November 5, 2003, before assuming the role of director of player development on December 8, 2003. In his new role, Wilder is responsible for assisting General Manager Ken Williams with evaluating the major league club, as well as assisting with player development and scouting evaluation. As director of player development, Wilder oversaw the entire minor-league department and player development staff and also the club's Latin American Operations. In three seasons in that role, the White Sox system produced pitchers Bobby Jenks and Brandon McCarthy, third baseman Josh Fields and outfielders Brian Anderson, Jerry Owens and Ryan Sweeney for the major-league roster. Wilder spent four seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers from 2000-03, working as a special assignment scout in 2003 after serving as vice president of player personnel from 2000-02. In that capacity, Wilder was the primary talent evaluator for the Brewers at both the major and minor league levels, oversaw their scouting and player development systems and directed the professional scouting staff. (Also worked for the Altanta Braves from 1991-1995). That's quite a bit different from Rick Hahn being blamed, for example, for something Buddy Bell did or didn't do as director of the minor leagues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptatc Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Feb 8, 2012 -> 09:37 PM) I'm pretty sure KW hired Wilder from the Brewers and it was a highly regarded move at the time. IIRC, Wilder then went on to interview for the Red Sox GM job a few years later. Clearly the guy was considered a strong talent evaluator and had a great resume, so it's hard to blame KW for hiring him and trusting him in a significant role. The question is why did it take so long for KW to become aware of Wilder's illegal activities. It's one thing to have trust in an employee, but you still have a responsibility to oversee their actions and it doesn't appear that KW did a great job of that. Unfortunately, we'll never really know the details of the whole Wilder fiasco. OK, I thought Wilder was there prior to KW. I just remember KW talking about how he always looked up to him and thought of him as a trusteed mentor. He must have known him from outside the organizartion. KW is definitely on the hook for hiring him. I think it took so long because he did trust him and gave him a lot of room to operate on his own. Maybe that's why he Wilder thought he could get away with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 OK, I thought Wilder was there prior to KW. I just remember KW talking about how he always looked up to him and thought of him as a trusteed mentor. He must have known him from outside the organizartion. KW is definitely on the hook for hiring him. I think it took so long because he did trust him and gave him a lot of room to operate on his own. Maybe that's why he Wilder thought he could get away with it. So.... So after 47 pages of posts - are we close/in in the running for Cespedes? Do we even want him? Where are we at with him? Wasn't he meeting with the Marlins yesterday or today? ??? Anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 QUOTE (Andrew @ Feb 8, 2012 -> 11:35 PM) So.... ??? Anything? www.miamiherald.com/sports Cespedes is Miami-bound for likely Marlins visit Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who is the last remaining target of the Marlins' offseason acquisition spree, is scheduled to arrive in Miami later this afternoon and will more than likely meet with team officials tomorrow. Cespedes will first meet today with his agent, Adam Katz. A handful of teams are believed to be interested in the 26-year-old slugger, and there are reports that bidding for the free agent could hit the $60 million mark. The Marlins have been outspoken in their desire to land Cespedes, which is most unusual of the typically tight-lipped organization. Even if the Marlins are successful in signing Cespedes, he will almost certainly start the season in the minors. Once he's proven himself there, the Marlins must then decide where to position him once they call him up. Cespedes has been playing center, a position that will be occupied to start the season by Emilio Bonifacio (Bonifacio, by the way, had his salary arbitration hearing this morning.) Scouts believe Cespedes is better suited in a corner outfield spot, both of which are currently taken on the Marlins by Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison. But those are details for later. More than likely, the Marlins will give him the grand tour of their new ballpark, take him to Joe's Stone Crab for lunch, and give him their best sales routine to convince him that South Florida is the place to be. Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/fish_bytes/...l#storylink=cpy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtySox Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 QUOTE (Andrew @ Feb 8, 2012 -> 11:35 PM) So.... ??? Anything? Doesn't seem so. Marlins and Cubs are the supposed front-runners. Then comes the rest of the pack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Cespedes meets with Marlins, visits ballpark By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com | 02/08/12 6:40 PM EST MIAMI -- For several hours on Wednesday, Marlins officials met with Yoenis Cespedes. They showed him around Miami, and gave the Cuban native a tour of their new ballpark. Overall, the visit went well. Still, the Marlins are in a wait-and-see situation as to if they will actually sign the 26-year-old outfielder. "It was good to see him again," Marlins president David Samson said on his weekly segment of The Dan LeBatard Show on 790 The Ticket. "We hadn't seen him since he was in the Dominican. He's still not a free agent officially. "But he was able to be in town for some appointments, I guess. He wanted to come and see the ballpark, and we're always happy to show people the ballpark." Cespedes recently gained temporary residence in the Dominican Republic. He received a travel visa, and arrived in Miami on Tuesday afternoon. Cespedes and his agent, Adam Katz of Wasserman Media Group, met with Marlins' officials on Wednesday. They took a tour of Marlins Park, located in the Little Havana section of Miami, in the afternoon. "First of all, I need to play good baseball, wherever I go," Cespedes said through a translator on Channel 7 WSVN. "If I get to play where there is a Latin community, it's that much better." Despite being declared a free agent by Major League Baseball on Jan. 25, Cespedes has not been legally cleared by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Currently, the outfielder remains "blocked" by the OFAC. Until Cespedes is unblocked, he can negotiate and even reach agreement with a team. The signing, however, won't become official until after he is legally cleared. Samson said Cespedes did not take a physical on Wednesday. The Marlins have aggressively pursued Cespedes for months. A contingent of at least 10 employees, including team owner Jeffrey Loria, attended a Cespedes workout in the Dominican Republic in November. Multiple sources consider the Marlins the frontrunner to signing the Cuban sensation. The Marlins, Tigers, Cubs, Orioles, White Sox and Indians all have expressed interest in Cespedes. There is optimism that he will be cleared to sign with a team before the start of Spring Training later this month. With Miami's large Cuban influence, the Marlins feel Cespedes is a natural fit. His impact could be felt on the field and at the ticket gate. The Marlins project him as a center fielder. But even if he signs, it is likely, he will open the season at Triple-A New Orleans. Emilio Bonifacio is the frontrunner to be starting center fielder on Opening Day. Samson said on his radio show that exactly how many tickets a player like Cespedes would sell is hard to measure. "It's hard to know," Samson said. "Everything has to hit at the right time. I think if we have this new ballpark and we win, that is the key, much more than anything else. "Having Cespedes on our team would be great. But we don't control it. We'll try to come to a negotiated deal. If we can't, we can't. That's ok. The team is always more important than any individual. And we've got a great team right now. We just have to go out and prove it." Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. He writes a blog, called The Fish Pond. Follow him on Twitter @JoeFrisaro. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 CST_soxvan Daryl Van Schouwen Cespedes talks up Marlins; agent Katz calls visit "just the first step in the process.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7558696/...sday-agent-says Yoenis Cespedes might leave U.S. Email Print Comments2 By Jayson Stark ESPN.com Archive Yoenis Cespedes, who met with the Miami Marlins and toured their new ballpark on Wednesday, could head back to the Dominican Republic as early as Thursday, said his agent, Adam Katz. "Nothing is scheduled for now," Katz said when asked if he and Cespedes plan to meet with other teams before the 26-year-old Cuban outfielder departs. He declined to say whether Cespedes had met with other clubs besides the Marlins since he arrived in Miami on Tuesday. Cespedes had lunch Wednesday with Marlins president David Samson, executive vice president Larry Beinfest and general manager Mike Hill, then got a firsthand look at the Marlins' new park, which is located in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood and is set to open in April. "We had a good meeting," Katz said. "They made a very impressive presentation. Discussions are ongoing and productive. But there are several other teams in the mix." Katz wouldn't disclose whether the Marlins had made Cespedes an offer. And Marlins president David Samson declined comment Thursday. "We're just going to let the process play out," Samson said. Tuesday, Samson said the club has been "negotiating aggressively" in its pursuit of Cespedes, but drew a distinction between Miami's interest in Cespedes and its signings of Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell earlier in the offseason. He said the Marlins view Cespedes as a signing that could "put the cherry on top" of a feverish offseason, but have already established clear limits on their bidding for a player with no track record in professional baseball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 CST_soxvan Daryl Van Schouwen Marlins made "impressive presentation" to Cespedes, katz tells j.stark. "But there are several other teams in the mix." He may return to DR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Have to be using the threat of a walk back to the DR as negotiating leverage. I'm not exactly how sure that visa process works...but it's not 100% sure that he'll just be able to re-enter the US again without any complications the 2nd time. In other words, make a good deal now, he's yours. Wait...and maybe he won't be able to start the year in your minor league system and go through big league camp. Of course, that works two ways. Some teams will just wait them out and the pricetag might come down to the $30-40 million range the longer it drags out, especially if he's back in the Dominican and not holding meetings with other teams. Then again, any American front office executive is free to fly down there and meet with him and probably Katz or Katz's in country representative (Spanish interpreter/translator). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan4life_2007 Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 lol@returning to the DR. The dude is (maybe) 26, not 20. Now's the time for him to get paid. He'll sign with somebody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sockin Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 FWIW George ofman @georgeofman A team has made a bigger bid for Cespedes. Cubs? Sox? Will he take more money than Marlins offer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 QUOTE (Sockin @ Feb 9, 2012 -> 06:26 PM) FWIW George ofman @georgeofman A team has made a bigger bid for Cespedes. Cubs? Sox? Will he take more money than Marlins offer? I am going to throw this out there.. Baltimore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Part of me is rooting for the Tigers, just because they almost doomed themselves with bad/bloated contracts and the same might easily happen with Cespedes, Martinez, Fielder, Verlander and Cabrera hogging so much payroll space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan4life_2007 Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 9, 2012 -> 07:03 PM) Part of me is rooting for the Tigers, just because they almost doomed themselves with bad/bloated contracts and the same might easily happen with Cespedes, Martinez, Fielder, Verlander and Cabrera hogging so much payroll space. If the Tigers win the WS this year or next, it will have been worth it. Jim Hendry would still have a job if the Cubs had won in '07 or '08. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtySox Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 9, 2012 -> 06:56 PM) I am going to throw this out there.. Baltimore. I'd imagine it's the Cubs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamshack Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 9, 2012 -> 08:18 PM) If the Tigers win the WS this year or next, it will have been worth it. Jim Hendry would still have a job if the Cubs had won in '07 or '08. And how long are they allowed to not make a postseason run after this year or next then for it to still have been worth it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max power Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Cespedes isn't going to help the tigers win the world series this year, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg775 Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 10, 2012 -> 02:18 AM) If the Tigers win the WS this year or next, it will have been worth it. Jim Hendry would still have a job if the Cubs had won in '07 or '08. Exactly. It's funny the way Sox fans think the Tigers will regret these signings someday. Though Fielder should have picked a home run haven not a place hard to hit bombs like Detroit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quin Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 QUOTE (greg775 @ Feb 10, 2012 -> 02:25 AM) Exactly. It's funny the way Sox fans think the Tigers will regret these signings someday. Though Fielder should have picked a home run haven not a place hard to hit bombs like Detroit. QUOTE (iamshack @ Feb 9, 2012 -> 09:01 PM) And how long are they allowed to not make a postseason run after this year or next then for it to still have been worth it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 QUOTE (greg775 @ Feb 10, 2012 -> 02:25 AM) Exactly. It's funny the way Sox fans think the Tigers will regret these signings someday. Though Fielder should have picked a home run haven not a place hard to hit bombs like Detroit. Dunn. Rios. Peavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 (edited) And Martinez might not even be 100% to start 2013...they're playing with fire having three DH's on the roster, and then adding Cespedes, who could just as easily be another Fukudome. Cespedes is clearly not a true CFer, either. They already have Boesch and D. Young, as well as Austin Jackson. Not even sure how he fits, probably more for 2013 than 2012. The Twins almost never make mistakes and they really blew it with Nishioka. International free agents are so hard to assess. And just wait until Greg's Marlins have problems with Hanley, Zambrano and Morrison's tweets. Reyes ends up healthy for approximately 75 games and Bell pitches like Doug Jones and Josh Johnson isn't quite back to 100%. Edited February 10, 2012 by caulfield12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milkman delivers Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 10, 2012 -> 06:28 AM) Dunn. Rios. Peavy. His blindness to logic is comical, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 QUOTE (DirtySox @ Feb 9, 2012 -> 07:26 PM) I'd imagine it's the Cubs. Conventional wisdom, probably so. But Baltimore has been looking to throw some money around all winter and no one cares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.