must be thrilled with the demotion of PK

Puke. As long as he agrees to play 1B this is a classic low-risk and high reward KW trade.

The fact that the Reds probably asked for Richar and someone else and KW was like “Nick Massett” and the Reds said yes is awesome. I fail to see how Massett had any value, if the Sox had DFA, would any team even have claimed him?

Yep Jeeves, the salary pickup is the kicker, looks like the Reds outbidded themselves on this one.

Masset gone really is addition by subtraction and Richar really hasnt done anything to prove he can play in the Bigs, at least in the AL.

Like you say, Jr. will find his place and our hitting will hopefully be more consistent.

past what I found at B-R, check out this post by Kevin Goldstein. The positional averages he came up with are:

POS AB H 2B 3B HR BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
C 541 147 30 1 15 45 83 3 2 .272 .332 .415
1B 586 166 36 2 27 75 109 3 2 .283 .369 .490
2B 606 170 34 4 14 52 90 12 4 .281 .342 .421
3B 600 167 36 3 22 61 106 9 3 .277 .347 .458
SS 612 170 33 5 14 48 93 18 6 .278 .334 .415
LF 597 167 35 4 24 65 110 12 4 .281 .354 .471
CF 604 168 31 6 17 55 101 23 7 .278 .342 .435
RF 597 167 35 3 23 64 108 9 4 .280 .353 .461

That’s pro-rated to 675 PA for regulars and 600 for catchers. I wish I knew how to make that look prettier.

Brandon Allen’s line at Birmingham through 55 PA:

.304/.418/.739

if there are natural doubts or pessimism about the use of griffey, the roots stem from last year, for example putting players on the field that had no right to be there. but your summary puts things into perspective, and as jeeves mentioned above, that the reds are pay half the salary and buyout is another positive.

how he will be in center. Don’t know how accurate that is. Talk about a nightmare! First base sounds better to me.

"Griffey’s apprehension"

He didnt approve the trade immediately because he was concerned about his ability to play CF. He was assured by White Sox GM Kenny Williams that he’d be playing some RF and doing some DH-ing as well… and that the Sox were confident enough in his ability to get jumps on balls and in his overall instincts that he wouldnt be a detriment in center…

Chicago White Sox

Approximate Post-Season Odds: 3-2
The Big Gun: Non-existent in one of baseball’s weaker systems.
Extra Starters: The Triple-A rotation is filled with mediocre strike throwers, which is why you’ve seen Clayton Richard summoned from Double-A ahead of them, as Lance Broadway, Jack Egbert, and Wes Whisler are all command-and-control types. If the need arises, Egbert is likely first in line.
September Fortifications: Josh Fields will likely be back, but his performance at Triple-A (.248/.325/.450) hasn’t exactly earned him the call. Former Pirate prospect Brad Eldred has a .607 slugging percentage thanks to 28 home runs in 305 at-bats, and could be an all-or-nothing bench bat. Chris Getz is a lefty bat with on-base skills, can fill in at five positions, and could get an audition for a big-league gig next year.
The Long Shot: Their 2007 first-round pick, Aaron Poreda, is already in the Double-A rotation, and scouts still think the six-foot-six lefty with plus-plus velocity (but little else) could dominate out of the bullpen.

Von hier

Will Griffey be in the lineup tonight?

Found his way to Sesame Street

to: ozzieguillen13@hotmail.com

“Dear Ozzie,

We at Southsidesox.com congratulate Kenny on this deal. We didn’t lose anyone that can help us a lot now and got a future HOFer. That’s win-win. But for the love of all that is good and holy, do NOT let Griffey play CF. Every defensive metric I’ve checked out and every scout’s opinion I’ve read has said he’s done playing center. Not only that, but the consensus is that he’s worse than JD in right. So unless the plan is to put Griffey in left with Q in right and JD at first, please stick Griffey primarily at first. He may have an ego and you may respect what he’s done, but the fact is that we want to win now. Knowing you, you’re not going to let a prima donna attitude get in the way of the team, but remember that the scouts and stats agree too: he’s not a good outfielder.

In the very least, remember that The Cell has a relatively small outfield so you can get away with him in the outfield more easily than you would in, say, Comerica. Anytime we play in a big outfield, Griffey is going to cost us extra bases.

I’m sure you know all this and I am pretty sure you guys are going to do the right thing, but I’d hate to see things go to shit now when they’ve gone so well so far. Later man.

-colin”

The computer whizzes at AccuScore, after thousands of simulated computer games with and without Ken Griffey Jr., have determined that the acquisition of Griffey increases the Sox’ chances of making the playoffs.

“If the White Sox make Ken Griffey Jr. a regular starter, the question is do the benefits (offense) outweigh the costs (outfield defense)?” AccuScore analyst Stephen Oh said. “To answer this question AccuScore simulated the White Sox against top competitors in the American League, including the Twins, Red Sox, Angels, Rays and Yankees. Thousands of simulations were run for each of the games, one set with Griffey on the White Sox and one set without.

“On average, Griffey improved the White Sox single game winning percentage by +0.8 percent. This does not sound like much on a per game basis but extrapolated over the remainder of the season, it helps the White Sox’ total playoff chances. Their odds of winning the division increased by 3.5 percent and making the playoffs by 4.5 percent.”

AccuScore calculated the Sox have a 63 percent chance of making the playoffs, a 7.7 chance of winning the pennant and a 4.8 chance of winning the World Series.

-the White Sox traded for Ken Griffey Jr. with the intention of making him a regular outfielder. Oh my god I can hardly fathom this level of stupid.
-the Reds, in turn, were smart.

There were reports that the Nationals were going to trade pitchers Joel Hanrahan and John Lannan to the White Sox for first baseman Nick Swisher, but Bowden said such talks never took place.

“I never had a discussion with the White Sox regarding John Lannan and Joel Hanrahan,” Bowden said. “[White Sox general manager] Kenny Williams sent me an e-mail and it said, ‘I heard I’m getting Lannan. Can you fill me in on what I gave up?’ There is no truth to any of it.

Chicago White Sox broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, who was general manager of the team for one season, said the Sox haven’t played to their potential this season.

“We haven’t got close to playing like we can, and if we play like we can, we’re tough,” Harrelson said. “I’ll tell you what, though, Minnesota is a good ballclub, and this is going to be interesting. Whoever gets the best work out of the bullpen down the stretch is going to win this division. We’re good in the bullpen if we’re healthy.”

Nick Swisher’s “Dirty 30” club officially changed names but not locales as of Thursday evening.

With the arrival of Ken Griffey Jr. from Cincinnati in a somewhat stunning trade finalized hours before the non-waiver Trade Deadline, Swisher offered to give up his jersey No. 30 to the future Hall of Famer and take the No. 1 instead.

“When I talked to Junior he said, he was very honest and that’s what we want from our players. He said, ‘I’ve got to tell you, I don’t know that you’re going to see the guy from Seattle,’” said Williams, who added how the trade basically started to take shape on Wednesday. “I said, ‘We’re not looking for that guy from Seattle. What we’re looking for is for you to use your instincts.’

“Center field is actually the easiest of the outfield positions to play from a health perspective. I know that doesn’t sound right because you’ve got to go a lot of left and right, but trust me, it’s a little easier to play center field.

“[Instinctively], we feel he’s going to give us at least what we were getting out there,” Williams added. “Remember, we didn’t have the prototypical guy out there in the first place. Swish did a heck of a job, and he’ll continue to get some time out there. But he isn’t the most prototypical guy that you can put out there, and you don’t have to be if you have good baseball instincts.”
...
Playing under the final year of a nine-year, $116.5 million deal, the White Sox will pay Griffey the pro-rated minimum for the rest of his 2008 salary and then split his $4 million buyout for 2009 with the Reds. Griffey also has a $16.5 million club option for next season, which the Reds said they did not plan to exercise.