Jesse Crain filling the void

The word on the street (ie. internet) is that the Sox signed Jesse Crain to a 3-year contract somewhere in the ballpark of $13MM.

The years and money seem a bit much for a setup man, but it's completely (and unfortunately) in line with the relief free agent market this offseason. Crain will presumably fill the void left by Putz, and that's a pretty big hole to fill. However, the signing of Crain does raise a couple questions.

First, if there was money to sign Crain, why let Putz go? J.J. will probably earn more per annum than Crain, but not by much, and the total guaranteed value of his contract is for less. This makes me think two things... Either the Sox don't trust Putz to stay healthy, or they tested out the trading market, didn't like what they were hearing, and decided to pony up a little bit extra.

I think the latter makes more sense. There were rumours that KW was dangling a couple players (Floyd, Quentin), but didn't like the return he was offered. It wouldn't make much sense to go "all in" with big free agent signings, and let the team fall apart because of a thin bullpen that was a relatively minor signing away from being reasonably deep.

I don't know if I like the signing, but I don't hate it either. It seems reasonable given the market, and hopefully Crain - who is still just 29 - can build on his breakout year from 2010. He was a different pitcher last year, throwing more sliders than fastballs, and it seemed to work for him. His fastball has also been gaining velocity in recent seasons, which should fit into the Sox' bullpen philosophy.

I also hope this will put an end to any Kerry Wood talk. I don't want that dud on my team.

It's on like Donkey Kong

Well, Paulie's signed. I think most of us still expected this, even with reports of talks breaking down. As soon as Reinsdorf stepped in, as was reported, I think it was foregone conclusion a deal would be reached.

The money is fair enough given what Paulie did this past season. But to be realistic, I don't think this deal is going to end well. He'll be 35 by the start of the season, and 2010 was a notch above any other season he's had, especially recently. Still, it's hard to hate seeing Paulie stay in Sox uni.

I think the best part about this deal is the nickname for the Dunn/Konerko duo. For those who don't know, Dunn's nickname is "Big Donkey". And if you don't know that Konerko regularly goes by "Kong" .... why are you here?

So...."Donkey Kong" becomes one of the cooler nicknames for a duo I've ever heard.

Putz to the desert

Well, J.J. Putz has signed with Arizona. On the plus side of things we get a sandwich pick, but on the more obvious downside of it, we lose a significant part of our bullpen.

Now, I should mention that I have no problem with KW not resigning Putz. I wouldn't have matched or topped the offer the DBacks gave him. He's simply too injury prone. Even in 2010, he was a bust in the second half of the season. I was open to bringing him back at a reasonable cost, but not with the guaranteed $10MM or so that he got.

The real question now is what steps should be taken to replace him. There's a fairly good number of decent relievers on the free agent market. However, free agent relievers are demanding some inflated salaries (thanks, Detroit), and with the White Sox finances the way they reportedly are....a free agent signing is doubtful provided we bring Paulie back.

I'm intrigued at the availability of Jonathan Broxton. He had a pretty dismal season for the Dodgers, but there's no doubting his arm. He seems like exactly the type of guy KW would target: flamethrower, big body, coming off a down year, big name.

I imagine it would take a considerable package to get Broxton, but with our "all in" philosophy, we might have the prospects to make it work. I'm dreaming big on this one, but I don't think it's totally out of the question. The most obvious problem would be that Broxton is owed $7MM for 2011. Unless we send Quentin to LA as part of the deal, it's probably not feasible. And even if we do send Quentin, we're short an outfielder.

So basically...I proved myself to be an idiot. Glad I worked this out.

What about Dayan?

Something that strikes me as interesting in the whole Dunn/Konerko celebration is the future of The Tank. I guess this is a little premature, seeing as Konerko hasn't signed yet, but most people (myself included) think it's a foregone conclusion.

So if Paulie does come back, Viciedo is basically a guy with nowhere to play. I'm high on Dayan. I think he has some serious power potential, and I think he's a victim of his own hype. I also think the Sox feel the same way I do, which complicates things. But with KW saying the Sox are "all in" I think he's basically become trade bait.

I'm fine with trading him if we get full value, but I don't think we can just yet. He doesn't get the credit he deserves. He's a 21 year old kid who raked in the big leagues this year, and all anybody says about him is that he has no patience. I know pitchers will adjust to his free swinging ways, but if he can learn a little bit of patience ....we've got a slugger on our hands. I don't think it's totally unlikely he can become more patient either...he showed that in his second big league stint this year. Baby steps, people!

The same can be said of Flowers, actually. He's probably not quite MLB ready yet, but he's also not two years away. He's another guy that, if traded, we wouldn't exactly be selling high on. I like all the excitement going on right now, but I worry how we'll be looking back on this offseason a couple years from now.

I'm Psychic

Well, it took just one day after I made my last post for the Sox to sign Dunn. I love the signing, especially if his time in the field is minimal. This is where my only problem lies. If Dunn is DHing, that leaves Quentin in RF for another season. If we keep Quentin I would much prefer him to stay away from RF, but with both Dunn and Quentin on the roster, that likely won't happen. So here's my next prediction... we sign Konerko and trade Quentin to the Orioles. I predicted this before, and I think it's even more likely now. The O's have missed out on Victor Martinez, Dunn, and if we sign Konerko you can add him to the list. Fact is, guys just don't want to sign there unless they have no other options. They're going to have to suck it up and acquire someone via trade. I'm not sure what the return would be, but I predicted before it's Luke Scott so I'll stick with that (although I think something along the lines of Felix Pie and Chris Tillman is more likely).

I don't really have much more to say about the signing other than it probably happened because of my post.

Word of the Sox re-signing Pierzynski quickly followed Dunn (which was odd because he went from signing with the Jays to signing with the White Sox in the span of a couple hours) and I have no problem with this either. It's a tad boring, but hard to hate at 2Y/8MM. The Sox are only paying AJ $2MM in 2011 with hopes of having enough money to bring Paulie back, and if they're that strapped for cash in 2011, something has to give. They just traded away Linebrink in a salary dump, which frees up some money, but also depletes an already thin bullpen. We have some internal options there (Infante, Nunez, Santeliz) but nobody that can really be counted on. If the Sox re-sign Konerko, someone will need to be traded. My guess is Quentin, which I talked about already.

Anyways, nice signing. Good to finally see the ball rolling. Nobody seemed to make much of this, but Ken Rosenthal said he's heard the Sox are also involved in advanced trade discussions so there could very well be more coming soon. Like Kenny said, the Sox are "all in" for 2011.

What oh what to write about?...

This has been one hell of a boring offseason so far...for the White Sox at least.

I'm hoping this will be the quiet before the storm, but it's so hard to tell. If I had to bet, I think this will be a busy month. I don't know why, but I think Reinsdorf is going to pony up some cash this offseason. He's not a stupid man. He knows the Sox need to compete to draw, and he knows the Sox are going to need to spend to compete. He also knows they're no longer the only team in the division that can have a 9-figure payroll.

Some people are worried about the Tigers. Not me. Not yet anyways. Yes, they've spent a lot of money. But what do they have? They have the same mediocre left-side of their infield, an injury-prone setup man coming off a career year with a contract that could make Linebrink's look good, and a DH who lost a big chunk of his value when he stopped being a catcher. I mean...am I the only one that thinks that Victor Martinez contract was terrible? Adam LaRoche has a comparable career OPS and will be lucky to get 20 percent of the money Victor did. I'm by no means saying they're equals...but is Martinez really THAT much better? Is it worth THAT much more money that he can catch a couple times a week? The Tigers shed some shitty contracts and it's almost like they can't wait to replace those with new ones.

Anyways, I'm hoping KW & Co. are simply taking their time and avoiding rushing into anything stupid (see: Teahen, Mark). I wouldn't be surprised to see them make one big move (I'm hoping Dunn) and then waiting out the market for some bargains in the New Year.

Anyways, we'll have to wait and see. Longer, that is...

Crickets...

Is this the quiet before the storm? I hope so. I'm bored.

I want Bobby Jenks back

Something that really bothers me is how much most White Sox fans want Bobby Jenks gone.

When you say that to Sox fans, they assume you can't let go of the past. I agree there is a degree of sentimentality involved, but it's somewhere in the realm of 1 percent.

The other 99 percent is based in logic.

I agree that I don't want the Sox to offer arbitration to Jenks, but that's not a knock at his abilities. I just don't believe any closer...aside from the absolute elite of the elite...deserve an 8 figure salary. But I'm totally in favour of the Sox resigning Jenks after non-tendering him. Doubtful, given the perceived animosity between Jenks and the organization, but it's still worth a mention.

Bobby Jenks, by most modern statistical measures, had one of the best seasons of his career in 2010.

I'm not a stats guy by nature, but I personally believed Jenks pitched well this year. I looked up his peripheral numbers, and they agreed.

His FB velocity was its highest since 2006, his K/9 was its highest since 2005, his K/BB was its highest since 2007, he was getting more ground balls than ever in his career (58.3%, 2.80 GB/FB rate - just awesome). His BABIP shot up 70 points from 2009 to .368, which is probably was his FIP was 2.59, the second lowest of his career.

Everything points to bad luck. Absolutely everything.

Jenks has always been the subject of (in my eyes) unfair skepticism, and this year was no exception. I don't tend to agree with athletes that complain about accountability issues, but I actually agree with Bobby. He's earned the benefit of the doubt, but has seemingly never received it. I can't picture him coming to a post-non-tender-agreement with the Sox (too many ego's), but I do envision him as an absolute steal for some team in 2011.

I'll miss you, Bobby. I think a lot of Sox fans will join me a year from now when they see you pumping your fist to saves with another team.

Eduardo Escobar's ceiling

I've felt this way for a while.

When I first read about comparisons between Escobar’s defense and Vizquel’s, the first thing I did was check their MiLB offensive stats.

Now, the notion that Escobar’s "D" compares to Vizquel is something I can’t verify (having never seen him personally), but I doubt it’s quite that good. Not a knock at EE, but Omar is among the all-time best defenders at the game's hardest defensive position.

Still, they are comparable for a few reasons. Beyond simply being Venezuelan, they’re both switch hitters of a modest build. Omar is a tiny bit shorter, EE a tiny bit skinnier. They both had good speed in the minors, and they both failed to translate that speed into steals.

What gives me hope is that Omar’s bat continued to improve into his late 20′s, and into his early 30′s. His baserunning followed suite, while his defense remained elite. If EE can follow the same (or at least similar) path…well that’s just a nice thought. Right now, he projects to me as a Cesar Izturis type...a utility player on a contender. But the potential for greatness is there, and in terms of prospects...that's the most important thing.

EE is already a better hitter than Omar was at the same point in their respective careers. Assuming an Omar-like path of progression is obviously unfair, but it’s always nice to dream.

Phil Rogers Hates Tyler Flowers

If you didn't notice, Phil Rogers didn't include Tyler Flowers in his 2010-11 Chicago White Sox Top 10 Prospecs list. Here's the list:

1. Chris Sale, lhp
2. Brent Morel, 3b/ss
3. Dayan Viciedo, 1b/3b
4. Jared Mitchell, of
5. Eduardo Escobar, ss
6. Gregori Infante, rhp
7. Jacob Petricka, rhp
8. Brandon Short, of
9. Trayce Thompson, of
10. Anthony Carter, rhp

The omission of Flowers was the first thing I noticed. I was also a little skeptical of Anthony Carter taking the 10-spot over someone like Addison Reed (and Flowers) among others, although I scoffed at Eduardo Escobar in the 10-spot a couple years ago so who knows.

I really dislike how Baseball America allows guys like Rogers to put these lists together. I’ve been a BA subscriber for years, and in my mind it damages their credibility. Their prospect lists are where they make their money. You think they’d allow their own staff to make the decisions. I’d trust, say Jim Callis, over Phil Rogers anyday.

Considering they say these lists are more indicative of the White Sox’ internal feelings, does this mean AJ gets offered arbitration? I’m actually in favour of this anyways, but it’s still an interesting thought.

I’ve never been a big Flowers fan. Even at this point last year, he screamed “Chris Snyder with a better back and worse defense” to me. Not bad, but not great either. I would still keep him around, though, and and see how Miguel Gonzalez does next year before making any moves.

Anyways, I’m babbling. Bottom line…strange omission. I would have expected Flowers to remain in the top-10 based on his position alone. Makes you wonder…

I'm Back...Offseason Prediction Time...

Well, this thread happens every offseason, and nothing we (or anybody) predict(s) ever seems to happen. But still, it's always fun to speculate and share some opinions.

Ok so here's my thoughts.

Offer arbitration to Konerko (Type A), AJ (Type A), Putz (Type B). Don't offer it to Manny (Type A).

I assume Konerko and Putz will reject. I'm not sure about AJ...he could go either way. If he rejects, I let him go and take the picks. We could surely use them. If he accepts then we have our catcher for 2011. Sure, he'll be overpaid. But he'll also be a reliable and known commodity, lefthanded bat, and on a one-year contract. I figure offering him arbitration is a "can't lose" situation. I think he'd accept because he's coming off a bad year and the economy still isn't the best. He's also a Type-A, and I'm sure he knows that will hurt him on the open market. I'm not an agent, but if he asked my opinion I would tell him to accept, so I'll assume he does. I expect Putz rejects, and I would look to resign him which I think he would be open to.

Of all our arbitration eligible guys, I would non-tender Tony Pena and Jenks. I wouldn't be adverse to resigning Pena, but if he leaves he's easily replaced. Guys with his numbers rarely receive major league contracts on the open market. At least not from contenders. With Jenks, I'd resign him for less, but not as a closer. I doubt he'd resign with us without the guarantee of closing, and so I would let him walk.

Quentin is a guy that is close to being a borderline non-tender, but he simply has to be offered a contract. I would be willing to give him one more season to prove himself, but as DH. However, I'd also look into trading him, but while also avoiding 'selling low'.

As for free agents I would look into, I would try and resign Konerko. I'd go as high as 2Y/22M guaranteed (2Y@10M, 3rd year 11 million with a 2M buyout). I have a hunch he will leave, and in that case I would look to sign Adam Dunn, and I would offer him either 3Y/33M or 4Y/40M. I'm going to guess he goes for the latter, and the deal is structured (in $Millions in order of years) 9,9,10,12.

I would also look to shore up the bullpen. I expect some regression from Santos. He snuck up on people to start the year, but guys will know what to expect this time around and his 1.50ish WHIP will catch up with him, even with some improvement. I want to resign Putz, and I want him to split closing duties with Thornton. I think these guys can handle it. Atlanta had success with Soriano/Gonzalez in similar roles a couple years ago. I think Putz can be worked out for something like 2Y/10M (5 per). I think Gregory Infante can be a 6th/7th inning type. Still, we're going to need another RHR and LHR. There's a bunch of available relievers (which will grow in number after non-tenders) but I would target Joaquin Benoit(1Y/$4M & $5M 2012 option - 500K buyout) and Pedro Feliciano (1Y$2.25M).

I would look to sign some starters coming off injuries on heavily incentive laden contracts. Justin Duchsherer, Kelvim Escobar, Erik Bedard, etc. as insurance. I'd also be open to resigning Freddy if he didn't demand too much. I think Freddy is doubtful, as he's probably earned a guaranteed spot in a rotation somewhere. All we really need is an insurance policy if Peavy isn't ready...and we likely only need them for half a year (Peavy likely back mid-year/Sale likely ready by mid-year...at least one of the two)

In terms of trades, there's some obvious targets. Colby Rasmus is an obvious one, and I would love to get him. He would cost a ton, however, and I'm not sure we're in a position where we can afford to pay the cost. I would look to acquire Matt Kemp from the Dodgers, as he's coming off a dreadful year and reminds me of Alex Rios. His dedication and focus have come into question, but there's no doubting the skills. I'm willing to write 2010 off as a down year and bank on a rebound. Ned Colleti publicly denounced him this year, which might indicate his availability at a below market cost. Also, the Dodgers are losing Hiroki Kuroda to free agency, and will likely be looking for a replacement RHSP. I would try to trade for Kemp with a package built around Gavin Floyd and fillers, and have him play RF.

I would also look to trade for Luke Scott with a package built around Quentin. I think they're not too far off in terms of value (Scott performed better, but is slightly more expensive). Both have poor defense (Quentin probably worse), but Quentin has the higher upside. The fairness lies in the LH/RH needs of each lineup, and the fact that Quentin is younger and cheaper. Also, this trade gives the Sox the balance and reliability a contender looks for, while giving the O's the upside their team needs.

Here's what I see for our team.

LF: Pierre ($5M)
2B: Beckham ($0.45M)
CF: Rios ($12M)
1B/DH: Dunn ($9M)
RF: Kemp (6.95M) - I like Kemp batting 5th..the most common spot in the lineup leading off the 2nd.
DH/1B: Scott (ARB eligible...approx. $6M)
SS: Ramirez ($1.1M)
C: Pierzynski (ARB accepted...approx. $7.25M)
3B: Morel ($0.4M)

3B/RF/2B: Teahen ($4.75M...ugh)
3B/SS/2B: Vizquel ($1.75M)
C: Castro ($1.2M)
CF/2B/SS/3B: Lillibridge ($0.4M)

SP1: Danks (ARB..approx $5.75M - although an extension is possible)
SP2: Peavy ($16M..ugh)
SP3: Buehrle ($14M)
SP4: Jackson ($8.35M)
SP5: Garcia/Escobar/Duchsherer/Bedard+Sale. ----- Some combination of SP1-4 plus two of SP5 plus 2nd half Sale should be enough. (approx. $2.5M combined?)

LR: Infante+SP5 ($0.4M) - Infante was SP majority of career. Insurance SP5 can join pen when not needed in rotation
MR: Santos ($0.4M)
MR: Feliciano ($2.25M)
MR: Linebrink ($5.5M...ugh)
SU: Benoit ($4M)
SU/CL: Thornton ($3M)
SU/CL: Putz ($5)

STARTING LINEUP: approx. $48.15M
BENCH: $8.1M
STARING ROTATION: $46.6M
BULLPEN: $20.55M
TOTAL PAYROLL: $123.4M

If there's a bullpen crisis and we're looking like contenders otherwise, Chris Sale serves as a pretty awesome fallback plan.

Also, my plan suggests an approximately $20 million increase in payroll. This seems drastic, but the payroll was approximately the same as I'm suggesting in 2008. It's asking a lot, but it's not totally irrational.

----

So those are my thoughts. I'm sure I'll change my mind of some on these ideas....but hopefully it's a good starting point.

What do you guys think?

Selling Season is Upon Us

After tonight's loss, I think it's getting close to that time that we all accept that our White Sox aren't competing this year. We all know the candidates to be traded, but I think the most obvious is our old friend AJ. He has his 10-5 rights coming up (10 years service time, 5 years with the same team) which gives him an immediate no-trade clause. He's also an impending free agent. And we also have Tyler Flowers, who despite having massive struggles since the start of May, is still our catcher of the future.

So who exactly do we target?

Well, the Rangers have been rumoured to be interested. This is strange, given what looked like an embarrassment of young catching talent a couple years ago. But anyways, Chris Davis strikes me as an obvious candidate. He has the capability of playing 3B, an immediate need given Teahen's surgery, and also profiles as a long-term 1B, which will be a nice commodity when Konerko leaves. He strikes out way too much, and that's what has held him back from taking the final leap from AAA to MLB. It's been a struggle for Davis, and he's become a forgotten player far too quickly given his power potential. Michael Young is entrenched at 3B, and Justin Smoak is the Rangers' new 1B of the future. He looked like a potential breakout star after his 2008 season, but he struggled mightily in 2009, hitting .238/.284/.442 in 2009. What people forget is that he was 23 years old. He's just a few months younger than Gordon Beckham. As a 24 year old in 2005 Morneau put up a .239/.304/.437 line. Very comparable to Davis' line as a 23 year old. I'm not suggesting Davis is a future MVP, but I am suggesting he could still live up to that 40 HR potential.

There's other possibilities, sure. Jake McGee from Tampa Bay strikes me as one off the top of my head, but Davis was the one that stands out. I know some people will argue we could get more for AJ, but really...I have some serious doubts. He's a catcher getting up there in years with limited defensive value, who's slumping offensively, who is an impending free agent, and who has questionable makeup. I love him, as do most Sox fans, but it's that same love for him that makes up overrate his value. I think an AJ/Davis deal would be a great one for both teams.

Juan Pierre

I should start by saying I actually like Juan Pierre. It's hard not to. He seems like a genuinely nice guy, and from everything I've heard, he's a very dedicated, hard working individual. Those are the types of guys that people should cheer for.

That being said, he's been a pretty big disappointment thus far, and that's putting it lightly. To begin with, he looks like he's lost a step, and when that's your only redeemable quality (besides intangibles, of course), that's not good. Not at all. He's played some questionable "D" in left, albeit better than Pods, and he's been useless at the plate. He's not a power hitter, sure. We all knew that. But 0 extra base hits a month into the season is pretty terrible. But worse than that, he seems to struggle at doing anything other than grounding out to middle infielders...that is...unless that would be beneficial, in which case he pops out to first basemen...ugh.

So now Ozzie has dropped him from the leadoff spot, which was pretty impressive on Ozzie's behalf. I love accountability, and Ozzie has held him accountable. Now if only Greg Walker could be held accountable for the team's annual failure to show an semblance of situational hitting....but I guess that's another post. I'm not sure I agree with the decision to bat Alexei leadoff, but I can deal with it. I'd be surprised if Teahen isn't batting there tomorrow against Vazquez, but still. I like the idea to shake things up a little bit. I'd love it if we could find ourselves a legit leadoff man, but that's easier said than done, of course. I'm sill on the Brett Gardner bandwagon, but again...easier said than done. It's disappointing Alejandro De Aza is off to a rough start at AAA, because I saw his speed/patience combo as having some potential.

I'm not really sure where I'm going with this. I have no absolute solution to offer. I wasn't a huge fan of the Pierre acquisition, but it was fair to assume he'd be a passable leadoff hitter. It's far too early to say he can't, but it's also not too early to contemplate some emergency alternatives. What they are, we'll have to wait and see. Or, we'll have to wait and see what kind of return we can get on AJ, Paulie, and the gang.

Bonds = Gaylord

This title may not only seem off topic for a White Sox blog, but also bigoted. I assure you, it's neither. Recently, there's been some debate over whether or not Pierzynski is a cheater. The cause of this discussion is a faked hit-by-pitch that occurred during a Ricky Romero start against the White Sox where the Sox were nearly no-hit. AJ pretended to be hit on the foot (which he didn't appear to be), and headed to first base. Umpire Tim "The Terrible" McClelland accepted AJ's claims, and awarded him first base. Alex Rios immediately followed with a 2-run home run. The Jays still won, but Romero was denied his no-hit bid.

Rob Neyer seems to have ignited the "AJ's a cheater" argument. To me, not only is this ridiculous, it's completely irresponsible on Neyer's behalf. Calling a player a cheater is a big deal. What he said about AJ was no different than claiming a player is on steroids without any significant evidence. Except..well..what AJ did wasn't really cheating. It might be frowned upon, but it's not cheating. It's not against the rules to try and trick an umpire. Fact is, it's commonplace.

When a player traps a fly ball and tries to sell it as a catch, is that not the same thing? When a player turns his back on an inside pitch, but also leans into the pitch to get hit, is this not the same thing? They both involve theatrics to convince an umpire that something happened, which didn't. The reason is to help their team win. This is not wrong. Players should do this. There's a reason Buck Martinez, former catcher/manager and TV announcer for the Blue Jays, gushed at AJ's intelligence after the play, and throughout the series. He's a former player, and he knows the deal.

But anyways, you may be curious as to what this all has to do with Bonds being a Gaylord. Well it all started when I got all uppity and began responding to people on Fan Graphs' article that basically showed their stat-nerd writers are running out of numbers to crunch. Neyer, a stat nerd revolutionist himself, had his opinion treated as gospel by his nerdy minions. Anyways, it all led to me making a post that kind of enlightened myself to a point I had never even thought of. One poster, named "Walt", said that cheating is not accepted in baseball. I disagreed, saying that aside from PED use, cheating is widely accepted. In fact, it's often celebrated, and all one need to do to support this fact is look at the Hall of Fame.

There's several players currently in the Hall that did the same things that AJ did, but because that's not cheating, they're probably not quite "cheaters". But then I thought of one particular player. Gaylord Perry. Perry was notorious for doctoring baseballs. He wasn't just a spitballer, but he also greased up baseballs to a ridiculous extent. He was caught, and suspended for this while he played. His own catcher, Gene Tenace (coincidentally a Blue Jays alumni coach) had this to say: "I can remember a couple of occasions when I couldn't throw the ball back to him because it was so greasy that it slipped out of my hands. I just walked out to the mound and flipped the ball back to him." I got that from Wikipedia, and they have it referenced from somewhere else. Just in case. They also mention he approached Vaseline about endorsing their product because he used so much of it...and not to keep his skin baby soft.

But anyways, the point is, if Perry knowingly did all these things, how did he get elected to the Hall? I thought the Hall of Fame shunned cheaters. No Mark McGwire's allowed. No Barry. No Clemens. Right? Isn't that the assumption? But really, is what Perry did and what those guys did any different? Actually, considering for much of the time steroids weren't outlawed by baseball - and doctoring the ball was during Perry's era - doesn't that make Perry worse?

Truth is, I don't know. I'm not sure I really want to think that hard about it because I don't really like the thought of juicers in the Hall. But if Gossage gets in under the reasoning that Sutter got in...doesn't that same logic imply that cheaters should get in if Perry (among others) got in? They were all just trying to get an edge, right? Some used drugs, others used Vaseline. Is that really so different?

I'm not making a claim so much as I'm posing a question. I'm curious as what other people think about this. What is it that upsets us so much about PED use, but not other forms of cheating that have the same overall effect? If Perry had broken sacred records, would people still be so nonchalant about his Hall of Fame status? I'm not saying they would. I'm not saying they wouldn't. I'm saying it's worth thinking about.

Mandruw Jones Mups the Mante...

I really liked the Andruw Jones signing from the start. It was a great deal at 500K, and I enjoyed the thought of his bat coming off the bench. I wasn't quite so enamored, however, with the decoration that he would be part of a DH tandem with Mark Kotsay. Actually, I didn't really buy it. But, then the season rolled around and we had a DH duo of Jones and Kotsay. Not exactly inspiring. Still, from what I saw of Jones in Spring, he looked pretty solid. You could see that he slimmed down quite a bit, and he was not only hitting the ball with authority, but playing a solid outfield.

That's a big deal. If Jones can play defense even close to the level that he did in Atlanta, he suddenly becomes a very valuable player. If he gets regular time in the outfield, while hitting something around .250/.340/.450 or thereabouts, that's a solid regular. A solid regular at 500K is a hell of a steal.

Still, just like I tried to not get too down about him being a semi-regular, I'm trying to not get too worked up from what I've seen this season. Truth is, he got off to a torrid start in 2009 as well, only to see his on-base skills, and eventually power, diminish. After April, spent 3 of the remaining 5 month+October hitting below .200. And when he did hit above .200, it wasn't by much. Not very good numbers. Especially since he spent most of the time as a designated "hitter". As mentioned, his power remained for a few more months -- he hit 8 home runs and slugged .627 in July! -- but didn't hit a home run for the reason of the season after he hit two on July 29th.

I think there is a difference, however, in Andruw Jones 2009, and the 2010 edition. For one, he's slimmed down. That was evident in Spring this year, not just in his appearance, but in his performance. He was tracking down fly balls, and stealing bases, etc. Plus, his bat speed appeared to come back a little bit, which is big news. I think it's reasonable to suggest that his offensive abilities (and defensive, for that matter) should stay reasonably in tact as the season wears on. He's not a fatty anymore, and he's not playing in Texas either. I'd imagine being fat in the Texas heat isn't much fun, which also leads to the question of why there's so many fat people in Texas. You think they'd want to slim down, or that they'd at least sweat out the fatness. Maybe it's just too hot to jog?

Aaanyways, I don't expect him to continue this torrid pace, and if you think he will, you're dreaming. He's not hitting .350 with 50 homers. However, something close to the line I posted earlier would be just a-ok - especially if he plays the field well. It's more than early, but it's not too early to get just a little excited about his start. I know I am.

A few predictions that probably won't come true.

At the start of every season, people make predictions. And, aside from the one's that any idiot could predict - the Yankees will win a lot of games, Pujols will be good, etc. - very seldom do any of them come true. I've notice this has led some bloggers, and even some in the mainstream media, to create predictions that are blatantly stupid, and for that matter...not very funny. So I won't fall into that trap. Here's some stuff I can actually see happening, but probably won't.

1.) Mark Teahen will actually be pretty good. Maybe it's my inner-scout beating up my inner-sabermetric-nerd, but I think this is the year he breaks through and breaks the dreaded "ex-Royals who ruin out lives" curse. I see him putting up a .270/.340/.460 batting line, which is fine by me.

2.) Sergio Santos is the next David Aardsma. I think he'll struggle this year, and really, who can blame him. As noted in my previous post, he's as raw as any big league pitcher you'll find. That being said, like Aardsma, he has a great arm and I suspect he'll find success someday with another team, and Alexei Ramirez will make us all smile by hitting a game winning home run off him.

3.) Scott Linebrink will be suck, blame his shoulder, go on the DL, come back, suck some more, and then be released. He then will blast the organization, and Ozzie will publicly blast him for being a turd.

4.) Gordon Beckham will be awesome.

5.) Carlos Quentin will lead the team in home runs...and at bats as DH.

6.) Jake Peavy will make a smooth transition to the AL. He won't be quite what he was with San Diego, but that's fine. He'll finish 3rd in AL Cy Young voting, right behind King Felix and Javier Vazquez.

Just kidding..

7.) Alex Rios finally stops being a dink, and lives up to most of his potential. He doesn't live up to all of it - think Matt Kemp - but he plays like an All-Star and makes KW look like a genius.

8.) Dayan Viciedo has a good first half, terrific second half, and ends the season as the best prospect in our system.

9.) Ken Williams makes a Geoff Blumesque deadline deal to replace an injured Mark Kotsay, but that's about it.

10.) The White Sox beat out the Twins in the final week of the season, winning the division by 1 game. They end the season 88-74, and are eliminated in the ALCS by the eventual World Series winning Tampa Bay Rays.


Well that's about it. In hindsight that was probably a pretty boring read. Sorry about that. Y'all come back now!!!!

Sergio Santos...what a guy

If there's ever been a Spring Training story that warms the heart, good ol' Sergio Santos knows just what string to pull. He's a recovering first rounder. He's changing positions. He's never EVER given up on his dream. He's essentially a golden boy for Spring Training narratives.

BUT, he's also a potentially very useful cliche. He's not your average Josh Kroeger. He can throw an easy 96+ mph with a dirty slider. Sure, his command comes and goes. But he's been pitching for less than a year. That kind of goes without saying...

The things that makes him unique, is that despite his extreme inexperience, he has a tremendous shot at making the big league roster. He burned up all his minor league options as a shitty shortstop, and he has little to no chance of making it through waivers. It's a tough predicament for the Sox, and one that is worth the risk. At this point in their respective careers, he probably has the best stuff of any righthander in the Sox bullpen.

And on that subject, it seems comical to me that people think Putz is challenging for the closer role. Really? Seriously..you think that? Jenks has proven himself to be better than Putz the last couple years, and not only that....Thornton has proven himself to probably be better than Jenks! Where is this Putz love coming from? Guy was great a couple year ago, but what happened to the ol' "wait-and-see" approach? Who knows...

Jayson Nix, a Love story

I love Jayson Nix. I have an unexplainable man-crush on him. A bromance, should you be so inclined. I loved him even when he looked like a bust with the Rockies. I was ecstatic when we signed him so promptly last offseason. That's right...ecstatic...for Jayson Nix. In my mind, he's got the tools necessary to be an above average 2B. He's got his problems, to be sure. His lefty/righty splits suggest platoon. He gets too anxious on fastballs and pulls very hittable pitches foul far too often. He swings and misses at too many sliders.

BUT, he also has a bunch of bright spots that I feel are unfairly ignored, whereas the aforementioned weaknesses are discussed far too often. He's got power. Big time. He has excellent instincts on the basepaths to go with above average speed. He plays, in my mind, outstanding defense at 2B. Basically, I see him - over 550 AB's - putting up a line somewhere along the lines of .255/.340/.460. That's pretty damn solid, given the defense and speed he offers, for a second baseman. He's a 20-20 guy EASY with regular playing time.

You may question the batting average, and that's fair. He had a very low line-drive rate last year at 13.0%, which undoubtedly didn't help. However, I believe that to be an aberration. The same goes for his related - and grossly low - .249 BABIP. His line drive rate the year before with Colorado was a much more normal 17.9%. However, that year he also posted a .179 BABIP.... strange. I'm not a statistician, as you may be able to tell (especially if you're a statistician). I fancy myself more of a scouting type. However, to me...this looks like a guy that may have suffered from some bad luck 2 years running.

Now, the Sox expect to contend. I hope so at least. For a contending team, it's hard to stomach the risk involved with having an unknown commodity as your starting 2B. There's also some guy named Beckham that's apparently some sort of roadblock (Jerk!). However, if I were a non-contender, he would strike me as a definite target. The Sox really don't have a ton of need for him, and he'd be an excellent "buy-low" candidate. As much as I think he can help the Sox, I'd almost rather see him get a shot at starting with another club. I hate seeing guys with starter potential get the utility label, which is painfully tough to overcome. Here's hoping some contender sees him the same way I do...and gives the Sox something nice in return.

Thoughts on the DH "situation"

Before I make any comments, I should say I'm actually optimistic about Andruw Jones, but not as a DH. If he's going to play, I think making him an OF and giving Quentin some days off makes more sense. But anyways, moving on...

It's pretty clear that KW thinks the team could benefit from another lefthanded OF/DH option or he wouldn't have gone into discussions with Boras, and addressed the media about those discussions - neither of which is typical of him. He wants athletic types with the ability to play the OF if needed. I have to say, I would be surprised if we haven't added someone that fits this mold by July (unless we're out of contention, of course).

So, here's just a few of my own thoughts on some possibilities. If anything, at least this can stir up some discussion.

1.) Brett Gardner: He might be my favourite choice. He plays wicked defense, has outstanding speed, and knows how to get on base. An outfield of Pierre, Gardner, Rios would be scary good. Plus, he's make a solid 1-2 combo at the top of the lineup. The Yankees don't really need him. They've got Granderson, Swisher, Winn, Thames. Gardner has shown he has the ability to start, but it doesn't look like he'll get that chance with the Yanks. KW and Cashman are known to have a good relationship, so it's a realistic possibility.

2.) Felix Pie: I actually suggested this in the MLBTradeRumors forum. The O's need a 2B with Roberts hurt, and we've got an excess of IF's. I'm a huge Jayson Nix fan. I think he's got starter potential. He's got patience, power, speed, and great 2B defense. His AVG was low, but so was his .249 BABIP, which is bound to rise. Anyways, I think Pie has equally solid potential, and also has the athleticism that KW wants. The O's have one of the best young OF's in baseball already with the underrated Reimold to go with Adam Jones and Markakis. There isn't much chance for Pie to assert himself as a regular. I think this would be a trade that could give two players better shots at proving themselves as regulars, and also help each team. It seems like a win-win deal.

3.) Brad Hawpe: This one is a little more of a longshot. He's more of a middle-of-the-order type than the other guys, but he has the OBP that we need more than anything. He's a pretty awful OF, but he's passable enough to fill in on the corners every now and then to give guys a rest. The Rockies aren't exactly the big market team, and Hawpe isn't exactly cheap. He'd be a one year rental though, so we probably wouldn't have to give up much in return, and it's a possibility if they're willing to cover a little bit of the money he's owed. The Rockies don't have much need for him. They have Seth Smith, Spilborghs, CarGo, Fowler. Hawpe is clearly a good enough hitter to be a regular, but by the playoffs last year he relegated to the bench. The only real problem here is finding something they need.

4.) Melky Cabrera: True, the Braves just traded for him, but the main piece of that trade was Arodys Vizcaino. If Jayson Heyward makes the club, which is looks like he just might, Cabrera becomes an extra. Rumors have linked KW to him before, and I don't see why they wouldn't again. He sucks in CF and lacks upside, but he's a decent corner OF type with good athleticism.

5.) Matt Joyce: He's proven himself enough in the minors, but he realistically has NO CHANCE of becoming a regular in Tampa. They already have a solid OF, and Desmond Jennings will be coming up soon. Joyce is an underrated prospect with a knack for getting on base and gap power. He's essentially blocked in Tampa, who could use another RHR. Carl Crawford is another possibility...and he'd make my pants lift up...but I just don't see it happening.

6.) Adam Dunn: The Nationals are trying to assert themselves as being more than just a pushover, so I doubt they will make him available. I've also heard they want to extend him. He's also a terrible defensive player in every sense of the word. But...the guy is exactly what we're missing offensively. And if he has to play the field once a week, it's worth the sacrifice. We need OBP and some power if possible. He gives a ton of both. The Nationals have 3 passable OF's with Willie Harris, Nyjer Morgan (who's awsome), and Elijah Dukes. Josh Willingham can play 1B if Dunn leaves. Finding a need for the Nats isn't hard, but Dunn's salary would be a major holdup.

7.) Ryan Sweeney: This became less realistic when they traded Hairston back to SD, but it's still an interesting possibility. I have a hard time seeing KW making this move, because he'd essentially be making an already well recognized terrible trade look even worse, but he makes sense for our team. He's a good defensive OF (though defensive metics say he's elite..not just good), and he's got that athleticism KW loves. Seriously...he's got the perfect body that scouts look for, and the Sox are a very traditional team in terms of scouting. He's a guy that does a little bit of everything, with the potential for more. The A's have a bunch of OF's already. They've got Rajai Davis, Coco Crisp, Travis Buck is out of options (and thus another possibility), and Michael Taylor is almost ready. I'm not sure what they need though. Sweeney wouldn't demand anybody awesome, and they're already set pretty much everywhere with passable players. Still, I'm sure a fit could be found. But I don't see it happening.



Anyways, I'm done. Just some thoughts. Feel free to agree, disagree, offer your own suggestions, etc. Like I said earlier...I'm hoping for Gardner.