Hot rumour is Crede and Garcia are the main pieces of a possible multiple player trade. Figured Williams was going to move Crede this being the last year before Crede hits the jackpot.
White Sox Hot Stove
- Thread starter IntenseOperator
- Start date
Local radio personality thinks there will definitely be big moves made by both teams here during & after winter meetings that are up next.
WSox resign Scotty Pods in left for a year.
WSox resign Scotty Pods in left for a year.
gotta due something with that staff I/O
Pitching Nightmare
by Hal Vickery
Last week when I heard the news that the North Side Lovable Losers had signed Alfonso Soriano to an eight-year, $136-million deal, my first thought was quite likely that of any fan who knows the history of that organization. It?s just business as usual. You make a big splash, sell a bunch of tickets to the suckers, and maybe move up to fifth place in the only division in baseball with six teams.
My second thought was along similar lines. Their payroll might go up to the $125-130-million range, but it?s not your payroll that matters. It?s the players you spend it on. On one of the players they spent $73 million on over five years was Aramis Ramirez, a player who dogged it in his free agency year and then deigned to allow the Cubs to sign him to a home team discount, at least according to Ramirez and his agent Paul Kinzer.
My third thought is that the Cubs as currently constituted look a whole lot like they did when I was growing up in the ?50s and early ?60s: big bats, no pitching. Okay, they have some pitching. Carlos Zambrano can be very effective between temper tantrums. That?s about as far as it goes, though.
Mark Prior, Messiah number 37 in a series, had an abysmal year, going 1-6 with a hefty 7.61 ERA. Those are Neal Cotts numbers, except Prior?s a starter (and to make things more interesting, Cotts will now very likely be coming out of the pen to relieve Prior). Kerry Wood is apparently relegated to the bullpen. Beyond that, the Cubs have very little experience in their starting rotation.
So my final thought on the matter before I went to bed Monday night was, ?That?s where our problems are so much easier to solve than the Cubs. We still have a very good starting rotation.?
A few hours later I awoke in a cold sweat. I had just had a terrible nightmare. In my nightmare the absolute worst that could happen to the Sox rotation did.
Mark Buehrle kept pitching like he did during the last half of 2006. In my nightmare he repeated his sub-.500 performance of 2006 and his ERA remained around 5.00. In my nightmare the league had figured him out, and he still had no command over his change-up.
Freddy Garcia still didn?t have a fastball, and the league had finally figured out how to hit the junk that he was throwing at them. Instead of going 17-9, my nightmare had him reversing that. Now the sweat pouring from him was from fear, and all the fans watching him in the stands were sweating even more profusely as base runners ran wild against him.
In my dream Javier Vazquez still couldn?t pitch beyond the fourth inning. Every game brought the same fifth-inning disaster: a walk, a double, a couple of home runs, and a Sox loss.
Jose Contreras? He pitched like he did the first half of 2005. In my nightmare Jay Mariotti revealed that Contreras was actually 56 years old, and he was pitching like it. Like Garcia, Contreras still couldn?t hold anybody on base. Part of the reason was because Contreras needed to hold himself up with a cane.
?Well, what about Jon Garland?? you ask. ?After all, he was the staff ace, going 18-7 in 2006.? True, but in my nightmare, Kenny Williams had assumed his secret identity of Prof. Chaos and traded Garland and Juan Uribe for Omar Vizquel, who played shortstop like a forty year old, that is to say like Royce Clayton in his prime. My nightmare crowds would shout, ?Ol?!? whenever a groundball passed by him.
Garland?s place in my nightmare rotation was taken by Brandon McCarthy. Unfortunately the McCarthy who showed up as a starter wasn?t the one who showed flashes of brilliance. No, not in this dream! My nightmare McCarthy was the guy who often gave up multiple home runs his first inning on the mound.
In my nightmare the Sox weren?t battling it out with the Twins and Tigers for the AL Central crown. In my nightmare the Sox were battling it out with the Royals for fifth place.
Why am I telling you about this terrible dream? Am I saying that this is what I?m believe will happen to the Sox in 2007? Of course not!
However, there is one thing we all need to remember. Pitching is a very fragile commodity. There is a fine line between an 18-game winner and an 18-game loser. That line can be as fine as losing command of a single pitch. The Sox may look pitching rich at present, but look at what an increase of exactly one earned run per game did to the Sox in 2006. You never know what?s going to happen with your pitchers.
My nightmare only included the starting rotation. Right now the Sox really don?t have anyone, with the possible exception of Boone Logan, to replace Neal Cotts as a left-handed middle reliever.
There?s an old axiom in baseball that says, ?You can never have enough pitching.? I subscribe to that axiom, and that?s why I like the Sox chances in 2007, despite my nightmare scenario.
As for the North Side Lovable Losers, let their fans brag about Ramirez and Soriano. Their pitching isn?t going to lead them anywhere?except perhaps to another year of wandering in the desert.
______________________________________________________________________
Editor's Note: Hal Vickery has been a White Sox fan since 1955 when he was five years old. For much of that time he also had a secondary rooting interest in the Cubs, which he has shown the good sense to abandon. When not cheering for or writing about the Sox, Hal teachers chemistry and physics at North Boone High School, in Poplar Grove, IL. Hal commutes there daily from Joliet, where he lives with his wife Lee, and their dog, Buster T. Beagle. Hal's opinions are not necessarily those of North Boone High School, his wife, or Buster T. Beagle.
Pitching Nightmare
by Hal Vickery
Last week when I heard the news that the North Side Lovable Losers had signed Alfonso Soriano to an eight-year, $136-million deal, my first thought was quite likely that of any fan who knows the history of that organization. It?s just business as usual. You make a big splash, sell a bunch of tickets to the suckers, and maybe move up to fifth place in the only division in baseball with six teams.
My second thought was along similar lines. Their payroll might go up to the $125-130-million range, but it?s not your payroll that matters. It?s the players you spend it on. On one of the players they spent $73 million on over five years was Aramis Ramirez, a player who dogged it in his free agency year and then deigned to allow the Cubs to sign him to a home team discount, at least according to Ramirez and his agent Paul Kinzer.
My third thought is that the Cubs as currently constituted look a whole lot like they did when I was growing up in the ?50s and early ?60s: big bats, no pitching. Okay, they have some pitching. Carlos Zambrano can be very effective between temper tantrums. That?s about as far as it goes, though.
Mark Prior, Messiah number 37 in a series, had an abysmal year, going 1-6 with a hefty 7.61 ERA. Those are Neal Cotts numbers, except Prior?s a starter (and to make things more interesting, Cotts will now very likely be coming out of the pen to relieve Prior). Kerry Wood is apparently relegated to the bullpen. Beyond that, the Cubs have very little experience in their starting rotation.
So my final thought on the matter before I went to bed Monday night was, ?That?s where our problems are so much easier to solve than the Cubs. We still have a very good starting rotation.?
A few hours later I awoke in a cold sweat. I had just had a terrible nightmare. In my nightmare the absolute worst that could happen to the Sox rotation did.
Mark Buehrle kept pitching like he did during the last half of 2006. In my nightmare he repeated his sub-.500 performance of 2006 and his ERA remained around 5.00. In my nightmare the league had figured him out, and he still had no command over his change-up.
Freddy Garcia still didn?t have a fastball, and the league had finally figured out how to hit the junk that he was throwing at them. Instead of going 17-9, my nightmare had him reversing that. Now the sweat pouring from him was from fear, and all the fans watching him in the stands were sweating even more profusely as base runners ran wild against him.
In my dream Javier Vazquez still couldn?t pitch beyond the fourth inning. Every game brought the same fifth-inning disaster: a walk, a double, a couple of home runs, and a Sox loss.
Jose Contreras? He pitched like he did the first half of 2005. In my nightmare Jay Mariotti revealed that Contreras was actually 56 years old, and he was pitching like it. Like Garcia, Contreras still couldn?t hold anybody on base. Part of the reason was because Contreras needed to hold himself up with a cane.
?Well, what about Jon Garland?? you ask. ?After all, he was the staff ace, going 18-7 in 2006.? True, but in my nightmare, Kenny Williams had assumed his secret identity of Prof. Chaos and traded Garland and Juan Uribe for Omar Vizquel, who played shortstop like a forty year old, that is to say like Royce Clayton in his prime. My nightmare crowds would shout, ?Ol?!? whenever a groundball passed by him.
Garland?s place in my nightmare rotation was taken by Brandon McCarthy. Unfortunately the McCarthy who showed up as a starter wasn?t the one who showed flashes of brilliance. No, not in this dream! My nightmare McCarthy was the guy who often gave up multiple home runs his first inning on the mound.
In my nightmare the Sox weren?t battling it out with the Twins and Tigers for the AL Central crown. In my nightmare the Sox were battling it out with the Royals for fifth place.
Why am I telling you about this terrible dream? Am I saying that this is what I?m believe will happen to the Sox in 2007? Of course not!
However, there is one thing we all need to remember. Pitching is a very fragile commodity. There is a fine line between an 18-game winner and an 18-game loser. That line can be as fine as losing command of a single pitch. The Sox may look pitching rich at present, but look at what an increase of exactly one earned run per game did to the Sox in 2006. You never know what?s going to happen with your pitchers.
My nightmare only included the starting rotation. Right now the Sox really don?t have anyone, with the possible exception of Boone Logan, to replace Neal Cotts as a left-handed middle reliever.
There?s an old axiom in baseball that says, ?You can never have enough pitching.? I subscribe to that axiom, and that?s why I like the Sox chances in 2007, despite my nightmare scenario.
As for the North Side Lovable Losers, let their fans brag about Ramirez and Soriano. Their pitching isn?t going to lead them anywhere?except perhaps to another year of wandering in the desert.
______________________________________________________________________
Editor's Note: Hal Vickery has been a White Sox fan since 1955 when he was five years old. For much of that time he also had a secondary rooting interest in the Cubs, which he has shown the good sense to abandon. When not cheering for or writing about the Sox, Hal teachers chemistry and physics at North Boone High School, in Poplar Grove, IL. Hal commutes there daily from Joliet, where he lives with his wife Lee, and their dog, Buster T. Beagle. Hal's opinions are not necessarily those of North Boone High School, his wife, or Buster T. Beagle.
White Sox not eager to deal
Sunday, December 03, 2006
There has been no shortage of rumors since the White Sox ended the 2006 season with 90 victories, which only got them to third place in the suddenly savage AL Central.
If you believe everything you hear, Alex Rodriguez is going to be the White Sox? third baseman next year. A-Rod steps in for Joe Crede, who is going to be traded to the Los Angeles Angels.
Carl Crawford is coming over from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to play left field, and let?s just go ahead and welcome back Aaron Rowand in center.
And say ?so long? to shortstop Juan Uribe, along with one of the Sox? starting pitchers, most likely Freddy Garcia or Javier Vazquez.
?Unfortunately, I?ve heard them all,?? White Sox general manager Kenny Williams said of all the trade talk.
Williams is really going to get an earful starting Monday, when major-league baseball?s annual winter meetings open in Orlando, Fla.
When he heads out of Florida on Thursday, there is a chance Williams will have sent Garcia or Vazquez to a new address.
But the Sox? GM, along with manager Ozzie Guillen, isn?t anticipating a string of deals in the shadows of Disney World.
?To a degree, we?re starting with a pretty good club to begin with,?? Williams said. ?We?re looking for some obvious upgrades, but I have no intentions of making it an overhaul since I feel we still have the foundation in place for being a good club.??
Williams addressed one key area Friday, signing left fielder Scott Podsednik to a one-year deal. If he makes any further moves, expect them to be trades.
?I didn?t think the (free-agent) market was one of the most talented I?ve seen, and I did not anticipate there would be the kind of spending on the market that?s been going on,?? Williams said.
Williams obviously was referring to the huge money that already has been thrown at players such as Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Lee, Juan Pierre and Gary Matthews Jr. But it also has filtered down to lesser talents such as Jamie Walker, Justin Speier, Mark DeRosa and Frank Catalanotto.
?I feel sorry for Kenny, for (chairman) Jerry (Reinsdorf) and for (assistant GM) Rick Hahn,?? Guillen said. ?It?s not going to be easy to do things, the way the market is going so crazy. It?s not going to be easy to sign a player or make a deal.??
The Sox? 2007 payroll should again be close to $100 million, and there?s not going to be much room to maneuver unless Garcia or Vazquez is traded. On Friday, Williams said last year?s rotation just might return intact.
To add some more fire to the hot stove, let?s throw out a few names the White Sox might be discussing at the winter meetings.
The Sox are looking to upgrade in center field, and Ryan Sweeney just might get a chance to supplant Brian Anderson during spring training.
But if the White Sox are looking for a more established player, how about Darin Erstad, who was not offered arbitration by the Angels?
If the Sox are looking to trade for a new center fielder, Rowand is likely to be on the list, along with Tampa Bay?s Rocco Baldelli, Milwaukee?s Brady Clark and possibly Boston?s Coco Crisp.
The Sox also are looking to beef up their bullpen, and they?re rumored to have an interest in the Angels? Scot Shields.
Stay tuned. The rumors are about to intensify.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
There has been no shortage of rumors since the White Sox ended the 2006 season with 90 victories, which only got them to third place in the suddenly savage AL Central.
If you believe everything you hear, Alex Rodriguez is going to be the White Sox? third baseman next year. A-Rod steps in for Joe Crede, who is going to be traded to the Los Angeles Angels.
Carl Crawford is coming over from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to play left field, and let?s just go ahead and welcome back Aaron Rowand in center.
And say ?so long? to shortstop Juan Uribe, along with one of the Sox? starting pitchers, most likely Freddy Garcia or Javier Vazquez.
?Unfortunately, I?ve heard them all,?? White Sox general manager Kenny Williams said of all the trade talk.
Williams is really going to get an earful starting Monday, when major-league baseball?s annual winter meetings open in Orlando, Fla.
When he heads out of Florida on Thursday, there is a chance Williams will have sent Garcia or Vazquez to a new address.
But the Sox? GM, along with manager Ozzie Guillen, isn?t anticipating a string of deals in the shadows of Disney World.
?To a degree, we?re starting with a pretty good club to begin with,?? Williams said. ?We?re looking for some obvious upgrades, but I have no intentions of making it an overhaul since I feel we still have the foundation in place for being a good club.??
Williams addressed one key area Friday, signing left fielder Scott Podsednik to a one-year deal. If he makes any further moves, expect them to be trades.
?I didn?t think the (free-agent) market was one of the most talented I?ve seen, and I did not anticipate there would be the kind of spending on the market that?s been going on,?? Williams said.
Williams obviously was referring to the huge money that already has been thrown at players such as Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Lee, Juan Pierre and Gary Matthews Jr. But it also has filtered down to lesser talents such as Jamie Walker, Justin Speier, Mark DeRosa and Frank Catalanotto.
?I feel sorry for Kenny, for (chairman) Jerry (Reinsdorf) and for (assistant GM) Rick Hahn,?? Guillen said. ?It?s not going to be easy to do things, the way the market is going so crazy. It?s not going to be easy to sign a player or make a deal.??
The Sox? 2007 payroll should again be close to $100 million, and there?s not going to be much room to maneuver unless Garcia or Vazquez is traded. On Friday, Williams said last year?s rotation just might return intact.
To add some more fire to the hot stove, let?s throw out a few names the White Sox might be discussing at the winter meetings.
The Sox are looking to upgrade in center field, and Ryan Sweeney just might get a chance to supplant Brian Anderson during spring training.
But if the White Sox are looking for a more established player, how about Darin Erstad, who was not offered arbitration by the Angels?
If the Sox are looking to trade for a new center fielder, Rowand is likely to be on the list, along with Tampa Bay?s Rocco Baldelli, Milwaukee?s Brady Clark and possibly Boston?s Coco Crisp.
The Sox also are looking to beef up their bullpen, and they?re rumored to have an interest in the Angels? Scot Shields.
Stay tuned. The rumors are about to intensify.
hope the sox trade for arod...yanks need some young pitching...& i heard that the sox are loaded.
btw io...
you have to love pinella managing the cubs next year..was hoping that he would have waited for torre to retire..
btw io...
you have to love pinella managing the cubs next year..was hoping that he would have waited for torre to retire..
Local writer saying any A Rod talk is nonsense and is a dead issue.
Rowand pick up is still a live possibility. It's pretty much on the Phillies were that deal goes. I guess they have to figure out were they are going at many positions.
On another note....
My mailman (and huge W Sox fan) brought a good point up today. The W Sox are going to sit with all their pitching till all the other pitchers available have found homes. The market will then be extremely favorable for the W Sox at that point.
Rowand pick up is still a live possibility. It's pretty much on the Phillies were that deal goes. I guess they have to figure out were they are going at many positions.
On another note....
My mailman (and huge W Sox fan) brought a good point up today. The W Sox are going to sit with all their pitching till all the other pitchers available have found homes. The market will then be extremely favorable for the W Sox at that point.
Now they make some pitching moves....
CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox have acquired left-handed pitcher John Danks and right-handers Nick Masset and Jacob Rasner from the Texas Rangers in exchange for right-handed pitcher Brandon McCarthy and outfielder David Paisano.
Danks, 21, split the 2006 season between Class AA Frisco and Class AAA Oklahoma, combining to go 9-9 with a 4.24 ERA (66 ER/140.0 IP) and 154 strikeouts in 27 games (26 starts). He was 5-4 with a 4.15 ERA (32 ER/69.1 IP) and 82 strikeouts in 13 starts at Frisco before going 4-5 with a 4.33 ERA (34 ER/70.2 IP) and 72 strikeouts in 14 games (13 starts) with the RedHawks. Danks averaged 9.9 strikeouts per 9.0 IP at the two stops.
Danks, a 6-foot-1, 200-pounder, was the Rangers first-round selection (ninth overall) in the 2003 draft. He is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 1 Prospect in the Rangers organization and was tabbed by the same publication as their No. 2 Prospect following both the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Baseball America also has cited Danks as possessing the Best Curveball in the Rangers system in each of last three seasons.
A native of Austin, Texas, Danks is 21-30 with a 4.20 ERA (199 ER/426.1 IP) and 439 strikeouts in four minor-league seasons with Texas. He has averaged 9.3 strikeouts per 9.0 IP.
Masset, 24, spent time in 2006 with Frisco, Oklahoma and Texas. He began the season with the RoughRiders, going 2-2 with a 2.06 ERA (11 ER/48.0 IP) and 40 strikeouts in eight starts before going 4-5 with a 4.81 ERA (36 ER/67.1 IP), three saves and 65 strikeouts in 24 games (seven starts) with the RedHawks. He also made eight relief appearances over three stints with the Rangers, going 0-0 with a 4.15 ERA (4 ER/8.2 IP).
Masset, 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, was the closer for Mazatlan in the Mexican Pacific League, posting a 2.61 ERA (6 ER/20.2 IP) with 22 strikeouts and a league-leading 15 saves in 20 appearances. He is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 8 Prospect in the Rangers organization. Masset originally was selected by Texas in the eighth round of the 2000 draft.
Rasner, who turned 20 on December 4, spent all of last season with Class A Clinton in the Midwest League, going 6-16 with a 5.41 ERA (87 ER/144.2 IP) and 117 strikeouts in 27 starts. He is 7-21 with a 6.14 ERA (131 ER/192.0 IP) and 148 strikeouts in 41 games (37 starts) over two minor-league seasons after being drafted by Texas in the seventh round in 2005.
McCarthy, 23, went 4-7 with a 4.68 ERA (44 ER/84.2 IP) and 69 strikeouts in 53 games (two starts) with the White Sox in 2006. The 6-foot-7 McCarthy is 7-9 with a 4.39 ERA (74 ER/151.2 IP) and 117 strikeouts in 65 games (12 starts) in two seasons with the Sox.
Paisano, 19, spent the 2006 season with the White Sox entry in the Venezuelan Summer League, batting .338 (66-195) with no home runs and 17 RBI.
CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox have acquired left-handed pitcher John Danks and right-handers Nick Masset and Jacob Rasner from the Texas Rangers in exchange for right-handed pitcher Brandon McCarthy and outfielder David Paisano.
Danks, 21, split the 2006 season between Class AA Frisco and Class AAA Oklahoma, combining to go 9-9 with a 4.24 ERA (66 ER/140.0 IP) and 154 strikeouts in 27 games (26 starts). He was 5-4 with a 4.15 ERA (32 ER/69.1 IP) and 82 strikeouts in 13 starts at Frisco before going 4-5 with a 4.33 ERA (34 ER/70.2 IP) and 72 strikeouts in 14 games (13 starts) with the RedHawks. Danks averaged 9.9 strikeouts per 9.0 IP at the two stops.
Danks, a 6-foot-1, 200-pounder, was the Rangers first-round selection (ninth overall) in the 2003 draft. He is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 1 Prospect in the Rangers organization and was tabbed by the same publication as their No. 2 Prospect following both the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Baseball America also has cited Danks as possessing the Best Curveball in the Rangers system in each of last three seasons.
A native of Austin, Texas, Danks is 21-30 with a 4.20 ERA (199 ER/426.1 IP) and 439 strikeouts in four minor-league seasons with Texas. He has averaged 9.3 strikeouts per 9.0 IP.
Masset, 24, spent time in 2006 with Frisco, Oklahoma and Texas. He began the season with the RoughRiders, going 2-2 with a 2.06 ERA (11 ER/48.0 IP) and 40 strikeouts in eight starts before going 4-5 with a 4.81 ERA (36 ER/67.1 IP), three saves and 65 strikeouts in 24 games (seven starts) with the RedHawks. He also made eight relief appearances over three stints with the Rangers, going 0-0 with a 4.15 ERA (4 ER/8.2 IP).
Masset, 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, was the closer for Mazatlan in the Mexican Pacific League, posting a 2.61 ERA (6 ER/20.2 IP) with 22 strikeouts and a league-leading 15 saves in 20 appearances. He is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 8 Prospect in the Rangers organization. Masset originally was selected by Texas in the eighth round of the 2000 draft.
Rasner, who turned 20 on December 4, spent all of last season with Class A Clinton in the Midwest League, going 6-16 with a 5.41 ERA (87 ER/144.2 IP) and 117 strikeouts in 27 starts. He is 7-21 with a 6.14 ERA (131 ER/192.0 IP) and 148 strikeouts in 41 games (37 starts) over two minor-league seasons after being drafted by Texas in the seventh round in 2005.
McCarthy, 23, went 4-7 with a 4.68 ERA (44 ER/84.2 IP) and 69 strikeouts in 53 games (two starts) with the White Sox in 2006. The 6-foot-7 McCarthy is 7-9 with a 4.39 ERA (74 ER/151.2 IP) and 117 strikeouts in 65 games (12 starts) in two seasons with the Sox.
Paisano, 19, spent the 2006 season with the White Sox entry in the Venezuelan Summer League, batting .338 (66-195) with no home runs and 17 RBI.
