Erstad to Sox?

by longdrive on Jan 23, 2007 12:17 AM CST

Ken Rosenthal says there's a chance.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6396994

I'm hoping he's wrong.

Seriously, a waste of space in my opinion. I'd rather give the at bats to Anderson and Sweeney. And knowing Ozzie's love for grinders, he'd probably end up a starter. So let's not tempt him, okay Kenny?

Keeping fingers crossed on the Marlins picking him up first.

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Darin Erstad = Timoniel Perez

by wite on Jan 23, 2007 1:49 AM CST reply actions

I disagree

For the RIGHT price I dont mind taking a chance here at all. Perhaps you have forgotten how brutal are LF and CF can be?

by Tdogg on Jan 23, 2007 8:18 AM CST reply actions

Ugh

Justed looked at his PECOTA line. On second thought......

by Tdogg on Jan 23, 2007 8:21 AM CST up reply actions

well, he had an OPS over .750....

...in 2000.

Go Badgers!

by shaftr on Jan 23, 2007 8:39 AM CST reply actions

If we sign Erstad...

he is platooning in CF at the very least, if not starting in CF over Anderson since Ozzie doesn't seem to like him very much. He would also backup 1B. Preston Wilson would look like Barry Bonds compared to Erstad...

by SSH2005 on Jan 23, 2007 9:40 AM CST reply actions

Odds on who plays CF?

I'd rank them in order: Erstad, Sweeney, Anderson and that's taking into account that Erstad hasn't signed yet. In the beginning, I would expect to see Anderson platooning, playing only against LHP and then failing at that and being kicked to the curb. Given everything Ozzie has said about Anderson, I think he'll be headed out of town this year just like McCarthy.

FWIW, I think Erstad would be a terrible move. Given the injuries and age, it's not clear he can play CF at all anymore. And his bat is worse than Anderson's, not that many people would realize that since Erstad is a Proven Veterean. Also, the idea of Erstad being the backup first-baseman should not be spoken aloud. It's blasphemous.

by hitlesswonder on Jan 23, 2007 9:43 AM CST reply actions

who should be the back-up 1B, then?

this is something that hasn't received a lot of attention on here or anywhere, really. we don't have one right now. i'm curious why you consider erstad as a back-up 1B as "blasphemous". i know we don't put all that much stock in this, but the guy won a GG there in 2004 - and anyone who backs up konerko is primarily going to be a late inning defensive replacement.

i don't think erstad is a great option because his bat has been awful for about five years now and i don't see that changing. but i'm interested in who is left out there that can fill the voids we have. if we sign an outfielder-only (like preston wilson), we still need someone to back-up at 1B. i'd much rather have someone there who can, you know, actually play defense. i don't see anyone on our roster presently who can do that. i also don't see anyone who brings enough offense to the table to make-up for their defensive frailties on the ocassional days paulie will be getting a break by DHing. gload played in about 50 games last year at first - it's a void that needs to be filled.

by larry on Jan 23, 2007 1:19 PM CST up reply actions

Backup 1B

Is probably Rob Mackowiak right now.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Jan 23, 2007 1:25 PM CST up reply actions

great

a guy who has played roughly five games there in his career. i know that's what we've been told but that doesn't make him a legit back-up, just like pablo and jermaine and toby hall aren't legit. as paulie painfully reminds us for about 140 games every year, just about anyone can be put at first. doesn't mean it's a good idea.

by larry on Jan 23, 2007 1:37 PM CST up reply actions

umm

Does Casey Rogowski play first? I imagine if we needed a firstbaseman for more than just spot duty, someone would be put on the DL and Rogowski would be called up.

Go Badgers!

by shaftr on Jan 23, 2007 2:05 PM CST up reply actions

again

he "plays" first in the same sense that paul konerko and rob mackowiak play first. i'm not all that concerned about if paulie gets hurt - no matter who we had backing him up, the loss would be devastating. i'm concerned about late inning defensive duties and the occasional (what, about 20-25 games?) spot start. ross gload filled the role perfectly and i'm not necessarily expecting someone with his acumen with the glove. but right now, we have no one - unless you count thome, who certainly won't be playing much first - who has ever played the position in anything other than an emergency situation. i don't want to see us lose a game after a potentially game-winning run is scored by pablo running for paulie, only for pablo - or whoever - to boot the game away.

by larry on Jan 23, 2007 2:14 PM CST up reply actions

He had an OPS of .600 last year

Even if it's just 25 games he plays at 1B, that's just unacceptable in a lineup with Pods/BA/Uribe. The opposing pitcher gets an inning and a third off each time through the lineup.

Maybe someone can run the numbers, but I can't believe Erstad's glove at 1B can compensate at all for his bat. I'd much rather see Mackowiak play 1B, even with the dropoff in defense. I don't rememebr Konerko coing out much in late-inning situations, so I'd mostly be worried about spot-starts. Maybe I'm an idiot but I'll take Mack.

Even more than that, I'd like to see the Sox drop Ozuna, obtain a real right-handed backup OF and grab someone like Carlos Pena for backup 1B.

by hitlesswonder on Jan 23, 2007 2:58 PM CST up reply actions

there's no way

his defense compensates for that shitty of a bat. no one needs to run the numbers for that conclusion.

paulie was relieved by gload about 30 times last season. ross made about 20 starts.

as far as i'm concerned, we have three bench spots locked - alex, mack, and toby. the other two are open for competition. one problem is that pablo is always so goddamned good in spring training.

i like the pena idea. he'd be a useful pinch hitter as well.

by larry on Jan 23, 2007 3:17 PM CST up reply actions

Ozuna...

Has a spot locked up. There's one open spot, and it's for a fourth outfielder. There's no room for a backup 1B.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Jan 23, 2007 3:23 PM CST up reply actions

it's no lock

especially when you're a guy with a career OPS+ of about 80 who's coming off a season where you were 50% in stolen bases. lock means, barring injury, you're on the opening day roster. pablo has no defined role on this team if we get a true fourth outfielder - and we will/have. he's got to win the utility/pinch runner role. there's no doubt in my mind that we're going to trade heath phillips or some other bajenaru-like pitcher for a utility man.

by larry on Jan 23, 2007 3:50 PM CST up reply actions

You make sense...

But Ozzie loves Pablo, and he batted .328 last year. He's not going anywhere.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Jan 23, 2007 3:53 PM CST up reply actions

i know they're like blood brothers

but there are other guys ozzie likes, too. i know most people think ozzie is completely irrational in his choice of players but i don't think the organization is so stupid as to go with ozuna again unless he 1) proves himself yet again in spring training (and, like i said, he usually tears it up) and 2) there's no one better out there to get. sure, he's got the inside track. but we're not talking mack or cintron - guys who are secure in their role. ozuna still has to fend off challengers and he knows it.

by larry on Jan 23, 2007 3:57 PM CST up reply actions

I'd bet...

Cintron will go before Ozuna does.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Jan 23, 2007 4:01 PM CST up reply actions

nope

we couldn't park cintron in the minors like we could ozuna. plus, cintron is the only one who can play SS on this team as constituted. and his salary is too big to eat.

by larry on Jan 23, 2007 4:18 PM CST up reply actions

Apparently...

The backup 1B will be Darin Erstad, so there's your answer.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Jan 23, 2007 4:23 PM CST up reply actions

unfortunate

[apparently]

by larry on Jan 23, 2007 4:28 PM CST up reply actions

I'll have to see his CF defense

If he can play an average defense in LF, it goes from a "useless" signing to a "pretty useless" signing. IIRC, Luis Terrero's one plus was his defense. Oh, yeah, and he'll be 27 next year. I'm not saying he's good, just that I fail to see what Erstad does better than Terrero (besides play first base).

Also, Pods is going to get groin surgery? Me thinks the Sox ought to find a real LFer. That seems pretty unacceptable to me -- he's had three months off, and only NOW he decides that the surgery is needed?

Ugh... It's not a signing that should hurt the Sox a lot (unless Ozzie tries to make Erstad the starting CFer), but it won't help them.

by CWSKeith on Jan 23, 2007 4:31 PM CST up reply actions

he was an above average

outfielder; not sure how this ankle injury has affected that, though.

regarding pods: now is around the time players will really be kicking their off-season regimen into high gear. it's likely he aggravated it when he started his sprinting - much more likely than him carrying the injury for almost four months and now getting the surgery.

by larry on Jan 23, 2007 4:35 PM CST up reply actions

pods

gonzalez reports that the injury to his right groin came in a workout last week.

by larry on Jan 23, 2007 6:18 PM CST up reply actions

Fair enough

That's not something I should've ripped Podsednik for; there's certainly enough he already should be ripped for.

by CWSKeith on Jan 23, 2007 7:22 PM CST up reply actions

Well...

Now the story is that Podsednik will be getting surgery, so it's a moot point anyway, as it doesn't look like he'll be on the Opening Day roster.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Jan 23, 2007 4:03 PM CST up reply actions

We

need to take the calculated risk and see if it makes sense getting either Upton or Dukes...yes, I said Dukes...although I'd prefer Upton, from the Rays.

by dantesox on Jan 23, 2007 3:23 PM CST up reply actions

I would take Dukes in a second

Prefer him to Upton, in that we know he can hit and Upton's regressed the past two years. Whether Dukes can stay out of trouble and in the lineup is an open question, but if he plays he'll be productive.

by asinwreck on Jan 23, 2007 9:15 PM CST up reply actions

We've

got a glut of outfielders who don't amount to much if we add Erstad...and, unfortunately, he's not right-handed....look:Mackowiak, Ozuna, Anderson, Dye, Sweeney, Tererro, Podsednik....I smell a spring training trade...but none of these guys will help us get what we need.

by dantesox on Jan 23, 2007 2:16 PM CST reply actions