11 Free Agents Named in Mitchell Probe
- Jim (pdf link) gets interviewed by USA Today.
- BTB thinks like Cheat.
- Another Top 50 MLB Free Agents & Where They are Going list.
- Bend It like Beckett.
- And Carl has a new strip: There's a Snake in Our Boot!
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104 comments
Comments
You won't like this article then, Cheat...
Free agent outfielder to meet with GM on Sunday"
I know it's mostly fluff and that Hunter has said that he would love to play for every team in the MLB, but a 5-year, $15 million dollar contract might get it done if the Sox add a sixth year team option with a decent buyout.
by SSH2005 on Nov 8, 2007 8:23 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Is Hunter really that bad?
I also didn't realize how much of a pitcher's park the HHH Metradome has played at. BB-ref has it at a park-factor of 96 for the past three years.
by CWSKeith on Nov 8, 2007 8:31 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
no he's not bad
by larry on Nov 8, 2007 8:32 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
That's the big reason....
by hitlesswonder on Nov 8, 2007 8:59 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
If Stewart could magically repeat his 2007 season
The main problem I have with giving Torii Hunter that kind of deal is that I would rather give it to Andruw Jones. He is younger and a better hitter. I don't care about one flukishly awful season for Jones and a flukishly great season for Hunter. Jones >>> Hunter.
by SSH2005 on Nov 8, 2007 9:07 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
definitely.. I see your point,
Fields is in the majors in 2008 for sure.. He showed a ton of power and somewhat athletic who has shown some ability to adjust and improve in the second half..
Im not opposed to owens winning the spot in spring training with improvement.. He's shown decent numbers in the minors when healthy, I think you may be able to squeeze lance johnson type numbers from this guy for a few years.. so long as he's cheap, I dont mind him and hunter out there in center. They'll just be looking for a center fielder in a couple of years anyway with whomever they would sign...
by Eternalkonflict on Nov 8, 2007 9:38 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
There is NO WAY,
by ballyb on Nov 9, 2007 8:26 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
You actually beleive Williams????
by Tony82087 on Nov 9, 2007 8:29 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I know this is a running joke...
by SSH2005 on Nov 8, 2007 9:11 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
He really was pivotal
by ChicagoPete on Nov 9, 2007 6:05 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
What
by Soulja Boy on Nov 10, 2007 2:14 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Use your brain...
by SSH2005 on Nov 10, 2007 8:21 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
The question is
The fact is he is gone - went to a team that put him out there and left him out there to learn and adjust - I just don't believe that would have happened on the Sox. Remember, we are in a win now mode and our core just needs a little assistance to get back to the top. (Sorry, just tired of hearing about Young)
by Brush Back on Nov 10, 2007 9:34 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
So...
Just sayin'.
by joeforthree on Nov 11, 2007 9:07 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
It was a joke...
by hitlesswonder on Nov 11, 2007 9:14 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I realize that..
by joeforthree on Nov 11, 2007 8:29 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
re
like me! [who just realized BA was blamed]
by The Wizard on Nov 11, 2007 9:04 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
really?
no matter what BA had done, ozzie would've benched him...
by The Wizard on Nov 11, 2007 9:03 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
BA anagram:
by Chiburb on Nov 9, 2007 10:07 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
The obvious offseason...
2.) Garland must be traded. I don't know what to expect in return but Garland is not worth the contract he will be expecting. The value he could return in a trade is worth more than a year of his flaky ass.
3.) Kenny either has to keep Crede at 3B and stick Fields in LF or trade Crede and acquire a LF'er. I would prefer the latter since getting something for Crede is better than watching him put up another .750 OPS season and/or go down with a bad back again.
4.) Kenny needs to sign one or two relievers. Kenny is on the right track going the Japanese route. They will be cheap and could be real boom value players (see Okajima).
5.) We needed an upgrade at SS but Kenny decided to go with the status quo. He didn't have too many options but the Tigers were able to make something happen. Because of the lack of an upgrade at SS, upgrading LF as well as CF is pretty much mandatory now.
Thankfully, Kenny failed at the least important offseason need. He can still redeem himself with big upgrades to CF and LF though. We shall see what happens...
by SSH2005 on Nov 8, 2007 9:27 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
My hope
I can envision Boras holding Jones until towards the end of the free agent period, saying he's only going to talk to team willing to go $6/125. When no market materializes, he works out a mutually beneficial deal that gives Jones an incentive-laden deal that allows him to opt out after, say, 2 or 3 years. Maybe a deal that guarantees him the ability to make 5/75, but also gives hit the possibility to make 3/60 and walk away -- a JD Drew special.
by The Cheat on Nov 8, 2007 9:28 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
CF
by The Wizard on Nov 8, 2007 9:37 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
according to club sources
by The Cheat on Nov 8, 2007 9:46 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
*PUKES*
by Soulja Boy on Nov 10, 2007 2:20 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I must have missed where Ryan Sweeney...
by SSH2005 on Nov 10, 2007 8:24 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Trust me
by Soulja Boy on Nov 10, 2007 9:25 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
damon not a fan of chicago
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/jon_heyman/11/08/scoop.thursday/1.html
by larry on Nov 8, 2007 10:01 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
First annual meeting of the MLB Liars Club
"Hi, my name is Kenny Williams. I really, really like my club as is right now. I mean, I love these guys from 2005 so much I've been handing out extensions like candy. I don't need anything..really. But if you totally blow me away with an offer, I might consider trading let's say Crede or Contreras or Garland or Uribe or Konerko or just about anyone on my roster for just about anything."
by ChicagoPete on Nov 9, 2007 9:08 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Is this new, or was I asleep
"With Josh Fields waiting in the wings and no longer considered a possibility in left field, Williams seems ready to make a decision.
''Something is going to have to give, one way or the other,'' he told reporters Wednesday in Orlando, Fla. ''Either via trade or if we bring them both to spring training.
''If Joe ends up winning the job, then Josh may have to go back to Triple-A. And I don't know about that after what he came up and accomplished, if that is a very fair, realistic or beneficial thing for the organization -- short-term and long- term -- to do.''
I know it's Cowley, but still...
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/whitesox/642972,CST-SPT-sox09.article
by Chiburb on Nov 9, 2007 10:09 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
This quote --
So I apologize to anyone who read my rant the other day saying how pissed I'd be if Fields was sent to Charlotte.
by CWSKeith on Nov 9, 2007 11:00 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Keith, my real question is:
by Chiburb on Nov 9, 2007 11:02 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not sure
- His value at third is greater than his value in LF -- even if his glove remains below average.
- They're optimistic that Fields wasn't as bad with the glove -- or that he can improve -- as he showed this past season.
- They're not quite ready to give up on him yet (at third), even if he may never get any better. You can always move him to left-field in a year or two, but if you move him off of third-base for a whole season, that's a lot of development time lost for a 24 (25?) year old.
by CWSKeith on Nov 9, 2007 11:35 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
even if his glove remains below average.
- I'm not sure that's true.
- Also he's got a cannon of an arm. If he can adjust to the outfield, put him in right field.
by ballyb on Nov 9, 2007 12:11 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
it's all talk
frankly, playing him at third makes the most sense. left fielders are easy to find. 3B, not so much (though we sorta have two, both with questions, of course). if, for whatever reason, crede is still here come april, there is no question that fields will be playing left (or somewhere). the whole fields in AAA is utter rubbish and everyone knows it.
i think the most obvious conclusion to draw from this talk (if you like drawing conclusions from november blusterings) is that a CF will be signed, owens or sweeney or some stopgap will be in left, crede will be traded or non-tendered, and fields will play third.
by larry on Nov 9, 2007 11:34 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
It's "The Plan"
by hitlesswonder on Nov 9, 2007 11:36 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe Dad will spring for a new
Yech.
by Chiburb on Nov 9, 2007 10:55 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
After reading "Bend It..."
Which is why Joe Torre is writing a book, due for publishing. I believe he says the purpose of the book is to discuss how much these metrics have changed the game of baseball forever, and why there will never again be a dynasty like the Yankees.
I can't wait.
by winningugly on Nov 9, 2007 11:02 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
The only Math really worth knowing,
by ballyb on Nov 9, 2007 11:20 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Another Hot stove Item from Gammons
by indianguy30 on Nov 9, 2007 11:27 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Damn
by CWSKeith on Nov 9, 2007 11:37 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
What has Sweeney really shown so far?
by SSH2005 on Nov 9, 2007 12:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Has KW jumped the shark?
I think the Sox front office philosophy has officially moved beyond my comprehension.
by hitlesswonder on Nov 9, 2007 11:41 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Let's at least
by bhoov on Nov 9, 2007 11:55 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
When was the last time Gammons was right?
by rhythm on Nov 9, 2007 12:05 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
i'm not sure this is so bad
by larry on Nov 9, 2007 12:03 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Sure, it could be good
It's just if Sweeney has any value left and the Sox want to move him I'd rather see him traded for another prospect or part of a package for a position player. It seems like trading a prospect for a reliever is inefficient.
I do agree that Sweeney hasn't done much more than be young and mediocre in the minors.
by hitlesswonder on Nov 9, 2007 12:24 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
packaging him is fine
by larry on Nov 9, 2007 12:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Come on, Larry.
by ballyb on Nov 9, 2007 12:38 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
He's only the best OF propsect
by The Cheat on Nov 9, 2007 12:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Formerly well-regarded?
Anyway, I like the strategy of trading an OF prospect for a middle-infield prospect much better than trading for a reliever. Even if that was't a good trade based on the specific players.
by hitlesswonder on Nov 9, 2007 12:19 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
he was quite highly regarded
by larry on Nov 9, 2007 12:27 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Richar
I'm cautiously optimistic that Williams has found something in Richar. As a 20 and 21 year old in high-A he held his own but at the same time didn't improve. His third year there -- as a 22 year old, so not terribly old for the league -- he put up a .885 OPS. He followed that up with a decent year in AA, although he lost a lot of power that year (injury?). And obviously last season, he had his best year as a pro -- I didn't realize just how much he killed the ball at Charlotte (albeit in 133 at-bats, posting a .346/.400/.556 line.
Maybe Richar doesn't become Robinson Cano but at the very least, I think we've found a player who can give us average production for a second baseman for a good number of years.
by CWSKeith on Nov 9, 2007 1:49 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
.277/.338/.451 for richar
by larry on Nov 9, 2007 1:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
All of the James projections
by The Cheat on Nov 9, 2007 2:11 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Yup.
And don't tell me it was all the wrist injury - he looked like hell before he was injured. So why the love affair? At least Josh "Killing" Fields has power and USED IT enough to be given a legit shot to start in '08. Sweeney seems to be an even bigger ? than BA, and his attitude (as evidenced by his quote a week or tow ago) doesn't sound that much different than BA's.
Sweeney - no affection here.
by winningugly on Nov 9, 2007 1:07 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed
by Brush Back on Nov 9, 2007 1:57 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Holy Hyperbole, Batman!
If that's the definition of "every (and I mean every) opportunity," what the heck did Scott Podsednik get? What about Erstad? After 16 games, he was hitting .169/.231/.220. Jerry Owens, who held a .172/.226/.207 line after 18 games, went a modern (last 50 years) White Sox record for an outfielder in between extra-base hits during which he hit .229/.283/.229.
Let's try to put Sweeney's overmatchedness (it's a word, dammit!) into a more accurate perspective. Through a similar number of at-bats last year, Anderson was hitting .146/.234/.195...
You're talking about 4 games, plus 2 pinch hit appearances. I think you're overreacting just a tad.
by The Cheat on Nov 9, 2007 2:37 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
yeah
by larry on Nov 9, 2007 3:14 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
larry, as usual, is a bit more eloquent
I agree with you, Cheat, that the limited cup of coffee should hang him for good, but I don't like how he acted when adversity visited his doorstep -I would like to have seen hunger when he was sent down instead of a continual exhibition of poor performance. Not confidence-inspiring to me.
Sure, give him a shot in ST, but I disagree with the folks who have him our 2nd-4th best prospect. I truly hope I am talking out my ass and encourage you to remind me when he is competing for the '08 ROY title. I just don't see it right now.
by winningugly on Nov 9, 2007 3:25 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
So when are you guys going to put
by bhoov on Nov 9, 2007 3:38 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
if by you guys
by larry on Nov 9, 2007 3:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
And I'm an asshat when it comes
So I'd be even more of an asshat than usual. Pass.
by winningugly on Nov 9, 2007 3:47 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
If I read your post
I'd like to have hope for Sweeney, but he's doing nearly everything to dash said hopes. He's getting too old and spending too many seasons in AAA to keep hearing the 'we're waiting for him to develop [ ]' line. When he went back down to Charlotte last season, it seems like he faded away. And now with his current performance, it's hard to be optimistic about what the Sox can get from/for him. I hope to hell that I'm wrong, but Sweeney, to me, is a guy with a lot to prove, and not a lot of time to do it.
by HulkSmash on Nov 9, 2007 3:45 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Not sure about the clock ticking
Thus, IMO, I don't expect much.
by winningugly on Nov 9, 2007 3:51 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I disagree
I also disagree with Hitless, who listed Sweeney 10th with a guy like Gerst and Martinez well ahead of him. (now it may be a relative toss up in his mind, but he was making a statement by putting those names ahead of Sweeney)
I don't think Sweeney took a big step back this year. Stagnated, yes, but he was showing improvement in his batting eye, while maintaining his passable power (until that late July slump, and early August DL trip). That stagnation moves him down to 5-7, but he's still a more advanced prospect with more likelihood of making an impact at the bigs than say John Shelby.
I wouldn't really be letting him compete for a job with the big club either. He hasn't earned it. And if there's not significant improvement in Charlotte this year, he becomes another cautionary
tale in the stats vs. scouts debate.
by The Cheat on Nov 9, 2007 3:57 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I
by dantesox on Nov 9, 2007 4:07 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Not that it matters, but
I'm pretty pessimistic about Sweeney just because he's never excelled at any level. But I certainly don't think the Sox should give up on him at all. In fact, given the Sox outfield (right now ? ? and an injury-prone Dye) I would expect the Sox will need to call up an OF from AAA this season. If he's in the organization, I would expect Sweeney to get significant big-league at-bats in 2008.
by hitlesswonder on Nov 9, 2007 4:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
It'll work out in the end.
I do, however, believe in the wisdom of (some) crowds. And a list based on the cumulative averages of our select group has produced a couple of fine lists. No reason to mess with success.
by The Cheat on Nov 9, 2007 4:19 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
PS
Man, a guy goes 3-0 with a 72-90 club and he's all about hisself...
;)
by winningugly on Nov 9, 2007 4:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Nah
I've done the same thing the last two years... The biggest disagreement in our past two lists was probably Valido, and the crowd here got that one way more right than I did.
by The Cheat on Nov 9, 2007 4:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
*should NOT hang him for good*
by winningugly on Nov 9, 2007 4:10 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Well said.
by colintj on Nov 9, 2007 7:37 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Torri Hunter & Aaron Rowand
Hunter gets 6 years $90M
Rowand 4 years $56M
I know which one I'd take at those prices.
by hitlesswonder on Nov 9, 2007 11:44 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
So do I
His defense is better than Rowand's, and his peripherals are far more promising. Put him at a launching pad like Comiskey in a pro-hitter division like the AL Central and I bet he puts up a .260/.360/.580 line -- and that's assuming he did permanently lose some bat speed last year. Otherwise, there are a lot of long flyballs at Turner Field, RFK and Shea that end up three rows deep in Chicago or KC or Cleveland, and a .285/.380/.620 line isn't out of the question.
by BridgeportJoe on Nov 9, 2007 1:14 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
In fact...
by BridgeportJoe on Nov 9, 2007 1:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
common kenny
No, not Alex Rodriguez. A frontline starting pitcher.
"I think there's potential out there," general manager Omar Minaya said of the availability of top starting pitchers.
offer a pitcher ang get lastings
btw, how many more years is milledge under club control? 4 or 5?
I see 185 PAs in 2006 and 208 PAs in 2007 in the majors
by The Wizard on Nov 9, 2007 1:08 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
// counts fingers
5 more years!
common oscar!
by The Wizard on Nov 9, 2007 1:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Wiz, you got me
Tutor me, por favor.
by winningugly on Nov 9, 2007 2:22 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
my mistake
by The Wizard on Nov 9, 2007 2:27 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Is common oscar
by ballyb on Nov 9, 2007 2:32 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Stone's Blog - take on some AFL players
Take it for how you value Steve's opinion
by Brush Back on Nov 9, 2007 2:00 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Funny.
by ballyb on Nov 9, 2007 2:27 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
No kidding
by JasonC23 on Nov 9, 2007 3:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Well I can confirm
by BustedFlush on Nov 9, 2007 3:20 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Bartolo
From the top 50 FA's link
Does anybody think this will happen?
by tbone328 on Nov 9, 2007 11:16 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
I
by dantesox on Nov 10, 2007 2:45 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I don't see it
by The Wizard on Nov 10, 2007 4:18 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Chicago has one quality team
by CWSKeith on Nov 10, 2007 10:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Biggest Rosenthal cock-tease ever...
Still, the Sox are in the mix for Cabrera, according to major-league sources, with the intent of playing him in left field.
And, considering general manager Ken Williams' history of bold risk-taking, the team stands at least a puncher's chance of completing a trade.
For the White Sox to acquire Cabrera, they probably would need the Red Sox to re-sign third baseman Mike Lowell, the Angels to balk at moving second baseman Howie Kendrick and the Dodgers and Yankees to focus on pitching instead.
In the admittedly unlikely event that all of that took place, the White Sox then would need the Marlins to accept a package of, say, left-hander Gio Gonzalez, third baseman Josh Fields and center fielder Jerry Owens.
Such an offer probably would be too light, but perhaps the Sox could acquire additional prospects for right-hander Jon Garland in another deal. Then again, parting with Garland on top of Gonzalez -- one year after trading Brandon McCarthy -- might not be such a good idea.
The White Sox almost certainly would include Fields in any trade for Cabrera, leaving them with one more year of Joe Crede at third base. The Sox then would move Cabrera from third to left, a position where he played 248 games from 2003 to '05.
Cabrera's increasing weight and off-field habits remain concerns for every interested club, but he might benefit from moving to a larger market, where he would need to be more accountable than he's had to be in Florida.
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, a fellow Venezuelan, could serve as Cabrera's mentor, just as he did as a Marlins coach when Cabrera was a rookie in '03.
Guillen has said that Cabrera "is like my own son" and lectured him at least twice about his weight gain in the past year.
"I'm a little upset with him," Guillen said last June. "You're still young. You're going to keep getting bigger. He knows he's got a problem. We talked about it ... When you're young and good, you can get away with a lot of stuff. When you're getting older and you go down, they say you're fat."
For the record, Cabrera is 24.
by SSH2005 on Nov 11, 2007 1:15 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Where can I sign for that one
by southsideirish71 on Nov 11, 2007 1:24 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I would also tell Cabrera that he could...
by SSH2005 on Nov 11, 2007 1:46 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
i don't buy that
we'd have to make a few other moves (hunter could get you another 4 wins or so, for example) before this starts to make sense short-term. and long-term it's pretty much an obvious loser.
by larry on Nov 11, 2007 2:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

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