Sox to Make Hard Push for Granderson

[Princess Dye]

If everyone is so adamant on punting '14 why would it matter if we stick Granderson in CF and then move him to DH/LF after next year?

 

 

More so than punt on '14, we could see a lot of money spent...but just spend it on younger ready-now guys. McCann is one example, though timeline wise Abreu makes more sense.

[witesoxfan]

UZR does not think he's any good out there at all and hasn't been in years.

 

I have no problem with Granderson if he's viewed the right way. He's an extreme platoon player and has been for most of his career. He bashes righties but hits like Alexei Ramirez against lefties. He strikes out a lot and pulls down a tolerable but not great amount of walks. He's clearly on the downside of his career but he's also a veteran presence at this point. He played only ~50 games last year and he was trending down the year before that.

 

Is he a regular CF? No. Is he an everyday player? Maybe he'd like to think so, but he'd be a lot better off playing 1 of 2 or 2 of 3 days to stay healthy. Should he be facing lefthanded starters? No.

 

He'd be good on a team where there are a couple right-handed hitting corner OF's who either are up there in years or who you might want to protect from some of the hardest righties, and where the team also has the DH spot open now or in the near future. If you could give him 120-130 games against right handed starters, maybe 2/3 of them in the field, that should work as long as most of those games in the field are not in CF.

 

We can make that work but we have to have a manager willing to do so and he has to be willing to do so as well. Aside from having a DH for one more year, we do have 2 right-hand hitting OF's, at least one of whom has shown strong splits against lefties in several seasons.

 

I would trust the GM to make that move, I'm not sure I'd trust either of the recent white sox managers to use him the way he should be used, which would wind up getting him banged up and on the DL and mostly wasted quite rapidly.

 

He did not have nagging, chronic injuries last year. He was hit on the wrist in Spring Training and missed like 2 months, and it was like within a week of coming back he was hit and re-broke the same wrist. We can talk about concerns with power next year, but if you don't consider Gordon Beckham an injury risk, you really can't consider Granderson an injury risk either.

[Quin]

If the two freak injuries from last year make him come cheap, yeah, I'd be ok with Granderson IF you trade De Aza for something of value, because De Aza does have value as much as people want to not believe it.

 

But I'd much rather go for Ellsbury if we're going OF.

[Balta1701]

He did not have nagging, chronic injuries last year. He was hit on the wrist in Spring Training and missed like 2 months, and it was like within a week of coming back he was hit and re-broke the same wrist. We can talk about concerns with power next year, but if you don't consider Gordon Beckham an injury risk, you really can't consider Granderson an injury risk either.

He's played a lot of games but he's also played through a lot of things over the last few years as well, not just this year. A brief googling found a 2 sprained hamstrings and at least 2 precautionary MRI's during the 2012 season, an oblique strain in 2011, and a 15 day DL trip in 2010.

[southsider2k5]

I don't understand how McCann is "ready-now" but Granderson isn't? I am not against signing McCann but he him being 29 as a catcher and Granderson being 32 as an outfielder makes them the same age in mind. Not to mention the Granderson is a much more athletic player.

 

Totally agree. The age difference is overstated here because of the positions they play.

[Balta1701]

Totally agree. The age difference is overstated here because of the positions they play.

I think "an athletic CF" can take quite a pounding as well. They're doing a lot of running and probably have a good number of impacts with the wall as well.

[Soxfest]

Granderson is 32 no more than a 3 year deal max.

[southsider2k5]

Any athlete playing 7 straight months of baseball will take a beating. McCann probably takes more of a pounding in a month that Granderson does in a year. For every one time Granderson runs into a fence McCann takes 25 (probably more) foul balls/foul tips/blocks to the body. There is no argument there Balta.

 

Exactly. In no way is playing CF as hard as playing C.

[Balta1701]

Any athlete playing 7 straight months of baseball will take a beating. McCann probably takes more of a pounding in a month that Granderson does in a year. For every one time Granderson runs into a fence McCann takes 25 (probably more) foul balls/foul tips/blocks to the body. There is no argument there Balta.

And for every foul tip McCann takes, Granderson probably runs an extra mile or two, with starts/stops and sprinting thrown in.

[witesoxfan]

And for every foul tip McCann takes, Granderson probably runs an extra mile or two, with starts/stops and sprinting thrown in.

 

So who lives longer, long distance runners or fullbacks?

 

This is obviously a little too simple, but it generally gets the point across.

[Balta1701]

So who lives longer, long distance runners or fullbacks?

 

This is obviously a little too simple, but it generally gets the point across.

But if I turn that around and ask who has the longer career, the best fullback or the best distance runner...things come up a lot more even, don't they? I think of distance running, or sprinting, as something people do best in their 20's and maybe early 30's, same as fullbacks, and there are a few fullbacks who do last longer than that because they're good at it.

[Soxfest]

Exactly. In no way is playing CF as hard as playing C.

+1

[Chicago White Sox]

I'm cool with Granderson if he gives us a home-town discount and the years are right (3 max, 2 ideally). Obviously the age is a concern, but his bat would help a ton against RHP (if healthy) and he would be the ultimate role model for some of our younger players. No matter when we target being competitive again, I do think we need to add some veteran leadership and energy to the clubhouse. I think the team may have been a little too relaxed this year. Not sure how much Granderson would change that, but I honestly feel we need mix up our chemistry a bit.

[Steve9347]

You know, the one thing this lineup has been missing is a left-handed bat that swings for the fences and struggles to hit .220.

[Dunt]

MLBTR is saying that they expect something like the Pence deal and we would lose our second round pick. No thank you.

[witesoxfan]

But if I turn that around and ask who has the longer career, the best fullback or the best distance runner...things come up a lot more even, don't they? I think of distance running, or sprinting, as something people do best in their 20's and maybe early 30's, same as fullbacks, and there are a few fullbacks who do last longer than that because they're good at it.

 

Long distance runners can run until they're 60 years old. Wide receivers occasionally last until they're 40+. Only the best fullbacks will, and no halfbacks do.

 

Players whose body takes a beating do not last as long and begin breaking down around the ages of 28-30. Players who are typically more athletic and run typically break down around 30-33. I don't see anything wrong with the argument that McCann and Granderson are at the same baseball age.

[witesoxfan]

You know, the one thing this lineup has been missing is a left-handed bat that swings for the fences and struggles to hit .220.

 

Well this is silly and short-sighted. The last thing the Bulls need is an expensive point guard who will miss the whole year while he sits and he's not injured. Same argument. Let's not look at their career averages and try and figure out what they'll actually do, let's base their entire career based on what they did in their worst overall season, regardless of the reason it was the worst.

[bmags]

MLBTR is saying that they expect something like the Pence deal and we would lose our second round pick. No thank you.

 

Really? A 32 year old CF with an injury plagued year will get as much as Pence?

[southsider2k5]

MLBTR is saying that they expect something like the Pence deal and we would lose our second round pick. No thank you.

 

yeah, if that happens, it won't be the Sox doing it. Reality is that Granderson will get a fraction of Pence's deal.

[Balta1701]

By the way, on the subject of comparing McCann and Granderson, I wouldn't expect McCann to play 140+ games next year either. If signing him, I'd be hoping he could catch 120-130 games, same as I'd be hoping Granderson could play.

[Dunt]

yeah, if that happens, it won't be the Sox doing it. Reality is that Granderson will get a fraction of Pence's deal.

 

 

Without a doubt. I can see 3 yrs at $36, but no chance he is going to get 5 or $90 MM

[southsider2k5]

Without a doubt. I can see 3 yrs at $36, but no chance he is going to get 5 or $90 MM

 

3 years at $12 to $15 million makes sense for the White Sox. They get a lefty power guy, and a guy at a "discount". I could see an off season consisting of that and Abreu for 1B as its main parts.

 

I just can't see them committing 5 years to a catcher, especially at that money.

[caulfield12]

If Granderson's asking for more than $10 million per year and more than 2 years, I'd pass.

 

They could have gotten guys like Coco Crisp for a lot cheaper price.

 

On the other hand, Michael Bourn got $48 million over 4 years...so it's a wash, between Granderson at say 3 years and $33 million and Bourne's deal.

 

However, Granderson's not the ideal leadoff hitter that Bourn is, and he doesn't give you the same range/defense, either.

 

If you're going to spend that kind of money, you should get close to an everyday player or value for that price.

[Balta1701]

I just can't see them committing 5 years to a catcher, especially at that money.

If Phegley hits like he did last year, then signing Granderson makes very little sense to me because the Sox will still have several major weaknesses in their lineup even if Abreu is signed. (Their entire IF other than 1b would be average to below average with the bat). Granderson makes the team better but even teamed with Abreu I'm not sure that makes this a competitive AL Central roster.

[2nd_city_saint787]

Granderson isn't the worst guy the Sox could go after, but he is not an OBP guy and that is a bigger problem on this team than power and defense.

 

He was surprisingly ranked 12th and 14th in the league in walks in '11 and '12, so if he can put together a good year batting average wise than he'll put up a .350+ obp.

 

He's pretty much the OF version of Adam Dunn and as a Dunn supporter I'm cool with that. Disregarding this injury plagued season he's put up an ops over .800 vs RHP every year since '06, and with all the RHP within the division that type of bat could really come in handy.

 

His ops vs division opponents the last 3 years...

 

Cle- 1.099

Det- .909

KC- .969

Min- 1.172

 

As far as De Aza goes, I'm with a lot of other people here, I hope he's not just made the 4th OFer or traded for scraps. He SHOULD have some value.