SB Nation - Chicago White Sox

Astros Winter Meeting, Day Three: Links, Thoughts and Idle Speculation

davoag — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:54:48 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

Unless you have this man closing games for you, do you need a big-name closer? And yes, I was referring to Yogi...

Look, I'm all for conventional wisdom. There is usually a reason it's conventional; it's worked for years and years. It's what people do. In baseball, it's what teams do to win. I don't mock all conventional wisdom in baseball. Some of it is very sound. One thing I can't figure out, however, is why this one fact has become so crucial to a team's offseason goals. Why do the Astros 'need' to find a closer this winter? Just because they lost their closer from last season?

Let's consider last season*. How many teams went into the 2009 season with unsettled or unproven closers? That would be 11. Here's the complete list, followed by some quick thoughts on the situations.

*This isn't the most scientific study, since I'm looking just at teams from 2009 and not expanding the data range past that. I acknowledge that. Let's move past it.

Tampa Bay (84-78) Had Percival ostensibly as closer, but pitched 10 innings in 2009 and was not used as closer much early. Still had six saves, but so did five other members of bullpen.
Toronto (75-87) Knew BJ Ryan would be back at some point, never signed anyone as replacement.
Detroit (86-77) Had a group of a couple players, sorted itself out during the season.
Seattle (85-77) Found David Aardsma off junk pile.
Oakland (75-87) Went with all-kids, Andrew Bailey emerged as closer
Florida (87-75) Went with unproven kid in Matt Lindstrom, moved to Leo Nunez halfway through season.
Washington (59-103) Went with Mike McDougal, had okay season.
St. Louis (91-71) Found Ryan Franklin after going through motions with several others
LA Dodgers (95-67) Broxton saved some games at end of 2008, but still unknown entity going into 2009
San Diego (75-87) Entered season with Heath Bell as closer, no prior experience
Arizona (70-92) Let Brandon Lyon walk,used Qualls as new closer
Atlanta (86-76) Traded for Soriano, but also had Mike Gonzalez

Obviously, there were some teams that were going to be bad no matter what. They'd made the decision to rebuild and thus, didn't invest heavily in a closer. Those teams (Washington, Oakland, San Diego) finished with losing records. The Padres found Heath Bell could be a successful closer and the A's had the same thing happen with Andrew Bailey.

The rest of the teams? 7 of the 11 had winning records. There are numerous examples of teams being killed by not having a late-inning guy. That's the 2008 Mets excuse, anyway (forcing them to spend ungodly amounts of money on JJ Putz and K-Rod). I think, however, that a large majority of teams don't necessarily need to focus on getting a closer as part of their success. Finding good players and putting them in the bullpen will work itself out. Why spend the money on a luxury item when you can win without one?

Maybe this is all rationalization since the Brewers are going to swoop in and sign both LaTroy Hawkins and Randy Wolf in the same day. I really believe that the Astros success in 2010 won't hinge on who pitches the ninth inning. Houston will be an average-to-below average team no matter who the closer is.

Onto the links:

Add the Cardinals to the list of Miguel Tejada suitors. Well, maybe not...it's just that Tony LaRussa likes him. Which he revealed for the sole purpose of driving me crazy. Would St. Louis play Tejada at shortstop or third base?
Could the Tigers end up being Jose Valverde's landing spot? The Granderson/Jackson deal saved them about 10-12 million dollars, depending on how much Jackson gets in arbitration. That puts them in perfect position to pick up a player like Valverde for the back end of the bullpen. It would also give the Astros the 19th pick in the 2010 draft. Apparently, the Nationals had interest but pulled back due to his cost. Did Valverde's agent overestimate his market?
Here's a nice defense of the Pudge Rodriguez signing. While I agree the human aspect of baseball decisions is often minimized by everyone, this seems a bit much. For one, it was widely reported when Pudge joined the Astros that he really doesn't prepare for the mental side of the game very well and is mostly concerned with hitting. Sure, he may provide moral support out there on the mound, but don't look for him to tell Strasberg what kind of pitches this guy doesn't want to see.Aaron Gleeman seems to agree with me, too.
I don't know what's more disturbing; that the White Sox could beat us out for Putz's services (and that that would be considered a bad thing) or that Matt Thornton uses the term 'bromance.' I have nothing more to say.
One of the better Twitter feeds during the Winter Meetings has been Will Carroll's. The Baseball Prospectus writer was profiled by his hometown newspaper and has apparently been one of the stars of the Indianapolis show. As someone who purchased his Carroll Guide to Sports Injuries, just so I could sound smart when I talk about Lis Franc-type injuries, I am very appreciative he's in the business.
Finally, here's a little prospect talk for those minor league nuts in the audience:
Some data on player speeds out of the box in the Arizona Fall League. The guys at Project Prospect only timed Castro twice and he fell into the below-average category, but he may have suffered the same fate as Buster Posey: fatigue. From what I'd heard to that point, Castro should have average speed in the majors.
We were recently contact by a site with some great prospect video (though it is a pay site). One of the profiles is on Henry Villar. Some very good video here with lots of pitches thrown. I didn't see any closeups from the side to tell how his arm mechanics looked, but could see some other things. His delivery is relatively smooth, but the fact he falls off to the first base side so heavily means it might not be as repeatable as you'd like. He's also not in great fielding position when he finishes. His arm slot doesn't look to put too much stress on his delivery and for a hard thrower, he certainly has a free-and-easy motion. Not too many warning signs for injury down the road.
Here's a video of Ross Seaton. I have to say, this was pretty encouraging. While Seaton did struggle with command issues in this particular start, it was a TON of video on his delivery. I can see why scouts would like him; Seaton has a very smooth delivery throughout. He lands in a balanced position, it's not too violent of an arm motion. His arm slot seems comfortable, though he does tend to miss the same slot sometimes. His elbow does not seem to fly forward before the ball and he seems perfectly balanced to field after the play. In fact, the end of his delivery reminds me a little of Greg Maddux. Now, he definitely didn't show Maddux-like control, but if his effortless delivery can really bring 92-93 MPH heat? He's a lot more interesting. Here's my end of the season scouting effort on Seaton, based on his numbers.
There's also video of Jordan Lyles on Baseball Intellect, but I won't bore you any more with prospect talk. At first blush, it's some of the longest video I've seen on prospects and a good source for first-hand scouting reports.

Washington Nationals: Winter Meetings Checklist.

Ed Chigliak — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:30:22 -0000

More photos » by Charles Dharapak - AP

Jerry Owens, a 2003 Montreal Expos' draft pick, who signed with the Nationals Tuesday, visiting the White House on Monday, April 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds).

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• Nationals Sign Jerry Owens - OF.

When the Washington Nationals acquired OF Alex Escobar in February of 2005, then DC GM Jim Bowden told MLB.com's Bill Ladson in an article entitled, "Nationals acquire Escobar", that he believed the one-time can't-miss Mets' prospect was, "...capable of hitting 20 to 25 home runs and driving in 80 to 90 RBIs," as was every player he signed, "But (Escobar)," to that point in his career, had, "...had problems with injuries and lack of opportunities," that had held him back. In exchange for Escobar, Bowden sent the Montreal Expos' 2nd Round pick from 2003, outfielder Jerry Owens, (who was taken 57th overall that year behind only Chad Cordero and a pick ahead of Kory Casto), to the White Sox. Owens, then 23, told Mr. Ladson that it was nice to go to a team that wanted him, since, in his own words, "I don't know what my future would have been with the Nationals," where a crowded outfield of Brad Wilkerson, Jose Guillen, Terrmel Sledge and Endy Chavez blocked Owens path to the majors.

(cont.)...

Escobar, who continued to have injuries set back his development, would play a total of 33 games for the Washington Nationals, hitting for a .356 AVG, .394 OBP, .575 SLG and a .969 OPS with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR's and 18 RBI's before finally being released in the summer of 2008 after several injury-filled seasons...Owens played a total of 129 games for the White Sox in four seasons, with 93 of the games coming in 2007 when the then-26-year-old outfielder hit .267 with 9 doubles, 2 triples, 1 HR and 18 RBI's in 356 AB's. Now 28, Owens hit .323 with 126 hits in 100 games and 390 AB's at Triple-A Tacoma in Seattle's system last season, and Tuesday he was signed by the Washington Nationals to a minor league deal and given an invitation to Spring Training where he'll compete for a job in a crowded Nationals' outfield.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:51:04 -0000

by Keith Birmingham - AP

Another day, another picture of Randy Wolf.

View full size photo »

Some things to read while making your pitch to Gatorade.

It's been roughly 24 hours since we were told the Brewers were "very close" to a deal with Randy Wolf, but said deal has yet to materialize. Both Tom H. and Buster Olney are saying the Brewers are expecting a response today, now that Arn Tellem has had a day to shop the offer around, but reportedly hasn't found anyone willing to match it. Other notes on Wolf:

Tom H. says he "gets the feeling that the Brewers are suprised that Randy Wolf hasn't accepted their three-year offer yet."
Jayson Stark heard that the Brewers' offer to Wolf was bigger than the three year, $28 million deal the Braves recently gave Tim Hudson.
Jon Heyman tweeted that the Mets don't appear likely to land Wolf, and while MLB Trade Rumors lists them as showing interest in five other pitchers, Heyman says the price of mid-level pitching might drive them to spend a little more in pursuit of John Lackey.
The Junkball Blues has a look at the average return teams get on three year contracts to starting pitchers. There are some good ones (Greg Maddux, Andy Pettitte, A.J. Burnett), but also some disasters (Adam Eaton, Jason Schmidt, Carl Pavano).
Jorge Says No! wonders about the wisdom of offering Wolf a third year, but says the Brewers' willingness to do it implies they don't think they can sign Prince Fielder to a long term deal.

By the way, over two months ago Jorge Says No! predicted Wolf would get three years, $31 million on the open market. Impressive.

I feel the need to clarify my position on the Wolf rumor a bit, because I feel I was a little hard on the front office in this one act play last night. I still don't think Wolf wants to play in Milwaukee, which is why Arn Tellem has spent the last 24 hours searching for anyone on a coast willing to match the Brewers' offer. With that said, I'll give credit where credit is due to the front office for finding the guy they wanted and being aggressive in an attempt to get him here. If it turns out that the scenario I laid out is true and Tellem was just using the Brewers to raise the price for someone else, so be it. At least we're talking about the Brewers making an effort, and not hearing the reasons why they can't.

Meanwhile, the Brewers are close to a deal to bring Claudio Vargas back for another season, and are just waiting for formal acceptance from Vargas and his agent (FanShot). Conversation on the deal is probably complicated a bit by the fact that Vargas is currently in the Dominican Republic pitching in winter ball.

They're also expecting an answer sometime today from Craig Counsell, who may or may not be seeking a two year deal for next season. It sounds like Counsell and his agent spent the day yesterday checking out other options. Don't be surprised if a deal gets done relatively quickly.

Ken Macha told reporters yesterday that Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra are the only pitchers guaranteed a spot in the Brewer rotation next season, implying that Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan will have to compete to earn an opportunity (FanShot). Open competition should be good for all involved, especially if the Crew manages to bring in some high-upside pitchers to compete.

Tom H. has all of those notes (and a terrible headline) in his roundup piece today, along with this note: The 40 man roster is starting to fill up, so don't be surprised if the Brewers decide not to take a chance on a Rule 5 pick in tomorrow's draft. I think that's a poor decision. Among others, Tim Dillard and Luis Cruz could probably pass through waivers without much notice. Passing on a cheap lottery ticket to protect one of those guys doesn't seem to make sense.

In the minors:

Project Prospect has a look at the speed of several Brewers who recently performed in the Arizona Fall League. Jonathan Lucroy appears to be in about the middle of the pack, while Taylor Green rated out way on the low end. They mustn't have had enough data to publish a ranking for Lorenzo Cain.
Angel Salome will be the next Brewer prospect to head out for winter ball: He's reportedly leaving at the end of the week to play for Este in the Dominican League. You can keep up with him and all the Brewer winter leaguers in our Winter League Updates.

We're continuing the effort to put together a BCB All Decade Team, and if you haven't cast your first votes yet, there's still time. Voting at first base will remain open until 4 pm today, and voting at second base runs until 4 pm tomorrow. Check back later today to vote for a shortstop.

Around baseball:

Braves: Designated outfielder Ryan Church for assignment.
D-Backs: Acquired pitchers Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy in a three way deal that sent Curtis Granderson to the Yankees and outfielder Austin Jackson and pitchers Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth and Phil Coke to the Tigers.
Mets: Signed 1B/3B Mike Hessman to a minor league deal.
Nationals: Signed outfielder Jerry Owens to a minor league deal.
Phillies: Signed Ross Gload to a two year deal.
Pirates: Are expected to sign Bobby Crosby to a one year deal.
Tigers: Signed catcher Robinzon Diaz, who was recently released by the Pirates.
Twins: Designated Boof Bonser for assignment.
White Sox: Signed Mark Teahen to a three year, $14 million deal, avoiding arbitration.
Yankees: Will receive the #1 pick in tomorrow's Rule 5 Draft as the PTBNL in the Brian Bruney trade.

Meanwhile, ~~Gritty von Canthitalick~~ Jason Kendall continues to search for work, but there's more suitors than you might think: The Rangers are reportedly strongly considering Kendall, now that Jarrod Saltalamacchia injured his shoulder playing winter ball. The Royals have also expressed interest.

From surprising news to what might possibly be the week's least surprising news: John Lackey is having a hard time finding a team willing to offer him a six year deal.

Actually, this might be the most surprising news: Kudos to the BBWAA for their decision to allow Sean Forman of Baseball Reference to join their organization.

We could have used this days ago, but Dave Cameron of FanGraphs has a guide to deciphering sources in Winter Meeting rumors. Again today, the meetings provide us with some things you might never have known without the internet, and wouldn't have missed:

Michael Tucker, who hasn't played in the majors since 2006, is in Indianapolis and wants to play next season.
Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson heard about a trade offer the Diamondbacks made for him and was offended by it.
C. Trent Rosecrans gave the Meetings' Best Hat Award to Manny Acta.
Blue Jays beat reporter Jordan Bastian gives us a look at the hotel lobby, complete with Christmas tree.
Jonathan Mayo of MiLB.com had to step away from the meetings for a moment to help his mom figure out the TV.

On this day in 1977, the Brewers traded pitchers Jim Slaton and Rich Folkers to the Tigers for Ben Oglivie. The 29 year old Panama native would spend the last nine years of his career as a Brewer, hitting .277/.345/.461, leading the AL with 41 home runs in 1980, and appearing in three All Star games.

Happy birthday today to:

Doc Medich, who made the final ten starts of his major league career for the 1982 Brewers, and turns 61.
Ed Romero, who spent parts of eight seasons as a Brewer in the late 70's and 80's and later served as a minor league infield coordinator and manager. He turns 52.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some snowblowing to do.

Drink up.

Quick Takes On Smaller Deals: Teahen, Gload, Crosby

Satchel Price — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:44:33 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

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While the baseball world reacts to the Granderson/Jackson/Scherzer blockbuster from yesterday, a few smaller deals haven't been discussed much on MLBDD. I'll get the post updated each time I add another quick take. Let's dig into them here:

Mark Teahen Signs Three-Year Extension With White Sox

Yesterday, the White Sox extended Teahen through his final two arbitration years and his first year of free agency. The deal pays the 28-year-old former Royal $3.75M in 2010, $4.75M in 2011, and $5.5M in 2012, for a total of $14M guaranteed. While the deal gets Teahen for cheaper than he would've gone going year-to-year, he likely would've gotten around $16-18M had the White Sox let that happen, barring a big breakout similar to what he did in 2006.

I'm not really sure why the White Sox felt the need to guarantee the money for Teahen, he's a below-average defender at third base, where the Sox plan on using him at least in 2010, and he's essentially a league-average bat, so it seems like an odd move considering his track record of disappointment. The White Sox might expect him to breakout with a move to the Cell, but giving up Chris Getz, Josh Fields and $13M (they got $1M from Kansas City) for three years of Mark Teahen seems like a really high price.

Ross Gload Signs Two-Year Deal With Phillies

After receiving interest from every team in the NL East except for the Mets, Gload signed with the Phillies to essentially take Matt Stairs' spot on their roster. Gload is capable of playing first base and both of the outfield corners, and he posted a .261/.329/.400 line in 2009 with the Marlins, leading the league in pinch hits and posting a career high walk rate. Gload has always been more of a contact hitter, his career ISO is just .125, and he never posted a walk rate higher than 5.6% from 2005 to 2008. Presumably, the money is very minmal, but I do find it odd that someone as mediocre and fungible as Gload managed to land a multi-year deal.

Bobby Crosby On Verge Of Signing With Pirates

Crosby, 30 in January, gives the Pirates "competition" at shortstop with incumbent Ronny Cedeno, acquired in the Jack Wilson deal. Crosby seems likely to win the job over Cedeno, considering that Crosby has a far superior career wOBA in spite of playing in the tougher league while hitting in one of the worst offensive parks in the game half of the time, with a .302 mark compared to .272 for Cedeno.

Both are solid defensively, and while Crosby didn't play much shortstop in 2009, he consistently posted above-average defensive metrics in the previous few seasons, and his +4.1 UZR/150 for his career easily trumps that of Cedeno, who has a -5.6 UZR/150 for his career at shortstop. Considering that Crosby walks more, has flashed superior power potential, and has a better track record defensively, it seems likely that the Pirates are about to add their 2010 everyday shortstop, as unfortunate as that may seem.

White Sox Sign Teahen to 3-Year Extension

The Cheat — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:53:21 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

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It looks like the White Sox weren't involved in the Winter Meeting's first big blockbuster, but that doesn't mean they weren't making suprising moves, signing Mark Teahen to a 3-year extension. The Sox lone position of depth appears to be third base, the position that Mark Teahen was supposedly brought in to play. They moved Gordon Beckham off third to bring in Teahen, and have both Dayan Viciedo and Brent Morel at the hot corner in the upper minors next year.

When Teahen was brought over from the Royals, the thought was that he was a passable stop-gap, that he could give the Sox a year of average-bat, below-average defense at the hot corner and not cost too much in terms of talent or actual money. But by signing him to a 3-year, $14M extension, the Sox are committing themselves to a player who, with the exception of a breakout 2006 campaign, has proven to be moderately above replacement level everywhere he's played.

I wouldn't go so far as to call Brent Morel trade bait, but this deal makes his name sure to be brought up by any team seeking to make a deal with the Sox.

Tampa Bay Rays News and Rumors for December 8th: Carl Crawford for Carlos Quentin Swap Discussed, Brian Shouse Rejects Arbitration, Rays Offered Bobby Abreu Two Years, Interest in Matt Capps, and More

R.J. Anderson — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:49:20 -0000

Carl Crawford

This one was posted in the previous thread, but for those who missed it:

Sources with Tampa Bay and the Sox said the sides had talked several times this offseason, not only checking out closer Bobby Jenks and his availability in a deal, but more specifically a trade that would have sent Carlos Quentin to the Rays for Carl Crawford.

The author also quotes White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen on such rumors, who says:

''A lot of people know what the White Sox need because Kenny talks to so many teams,'' Guillen said. ''Obviously, we need a leadoff hitter, left fielder, we're looking for that. But right now Carlos is prepared to have a pretty good year. The last 10 games of the season, he was the Carlos we expected.

Not to let the proverbial cat out of the bag, but Jenks fits the a similar profile of Kevin Gregg, Matt Lindstrom, and Matt Capps. Each is an end-game reliever coming off a rocky season with longball issues. Salary issues are probably going to prevent Jenks from ever donning a Rays cap, he's due at least $5.6M next season.

Brian Shouse

Good news here. Shouse declined arbitration, which means if/when he signs with another team, the Rays will receive an additional draft choice.

Milton Bradley/Pat Burrell

Nothing's changed. Here's the latest Sun Times piece to prove it.

Matt Lindstrom

A quick update on everybody's favorite Marlin reliever nowadays:

The Texas Rangers and, to a lesser degree, the Tampa Bay Rays are among teams inquiring about the Marlins' hard-throwing right-hander — even though Lindstrom had an inconsistent season.

Bobby Abreu

USA Today has a somewhat interesting note about the contract offer the Rays made last year to Abreu:

Two years ago, the Yankees gave Jorge Posada, a catcher who had turned 36 on Aug. 17, a four-year, $52 million contract. A year later, they let outfielder Bobby Abreu, then 34, walk away after he posted at least 100 RBI for the sixth season in a row.

Abreu spent most of the winter waiting for a big payday. There were plenty of offers, with 10 teams expressing interest, agent Peter Greenberg says, yet only the Tampa Bay Rays offered more than a one-year deal.

The Rays also offered more money than he wound up signing for.

Matt Capps

From the Post-Gazette:

Two sources confirmed yesterday that the Pirates have threatened to non-tender Capps, although that tends to be a negotiating tactic.

[...]

Several teams have asked the Pirates about Capps, including the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays.

Such a move would seemingly lower Capps value, but maybe Neal Huntington knows something I don't.

---

More to come.

Mike Gonzalez an option for White Sox?

Eli Greenspan — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:52:20 -0000

More photos » by John Bazemore - AP

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INDIANAPOLIS- The White Sox need a reliever.

Bobby Jenks was a solid closer last season, but was not the dominant closer the White Sox had hoped for. Adding a top reliever would give the back-end of the bullpen some much needed relief and give Ozzie Guillen the option of moving Bobby Jenks out of the closer spot if necessary.

Free agent Mike Gonzalez is drawing considerable interest, but the soon-to-be 32 year old would be in a similar role in Chicago, rotation between the 8th and 9th inning. Gonzalez dominated lefties, holding hitters to a career .201 average.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Mike Gonzalez	5-4	80	0	0	0	10	7	74.1	56	28	20	7	33	90	2.42	1.20

The White Sox are also looking to add a leadoff hitter and designated hitter, but are keeping a tight lip on who that may be. After adding Jake Peavy, how much money they have available is in question.

Vladimir Guerrero is an option, who is reportedly looking at a one year deal worth 7-9 million dollars. For the outfielder, Coco Crisp is an option and sources say Scott Podsednik could be had if all else fails. They are reportedly also looking at Johnny Damon.

Andruw Jones For $500K Is Good Deal

Satchel Price — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:38:11 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

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I know the move happened a bit ago, but in a move reminiscent to GM Kenny Williams' previous acquisitions of aging stars Roberto Alomar and Carl Everett (although those were trades), the White Sox added formerly elite center fielder Andruw Jones.

While Jones, who turns 33 in April, will likely never again be the player that posted WAR's over 5.0 seven times from 1997 to 2006, making him the best center fielder in the game during that period, he still appears to have some left in the tank after a solid rebound season in Texas. In relatively limited playing time, spent mostly as a designated hitter, Jones posted a .214/.323/.459 line and a .338 wOBA. Not exactly near his previous marks, but Jones showed that he's still far better than he showed the Dodgers in 2008, with much improved contact, line drive and HR/FB rates. In his very limited playing time in the field in 2009, he posted a +3.0 UZR, and while his declining athleticism and lack of experience in the playing field definitely indicate that he'll never be the defensive monster that he once was, there's reason to believe that, given his track record, he could be a solid defender, at least in a corner outfield spot.

While Jones was certainly helped by hitting in Arlington, a ballpark very condusive to offense, he was also held back by a very low .224 BABIP. Given Jones' extreme tendency to hit the ball in the air, low BABIP's certainly aren't new to him. From 2005-2009, he's posted these BABIP marks: .243, .270, .248, .231, and the lowly .224 mark from this season. Jones was definitely unlucky in 2009, but not nearly to the extent that one would generally expect. Using the brilliant Expected BABIP calculator provided by The Hardball Times, which uses a variety of result-driven statistics (K, AB, HR, BB, SB/CS, batted ball numbers provided by Baseball Info Solutions) to determine what a players BABIP *should* be, Jones' expected BABIP comes out to .299, right at the league average, and substantially higher than the .224 mark that he actually posted. Factoring in some improved luck from Jones in 2010 and he could very well be a solid everyday player if his defense hasn't declined substantially from his final days in Atlanta, although his declining athleticism and lack of playing time certainly puts that into question.

So for only $500,000, the White Sox have made another very astute move on the free agent market, adding a solid piece with some upside at a very low cost. Presumably Jones won't be expected to be more than Chicago's fourth outfielder and part-time designated hitter, and he definitely has the upside to offer far more than that given his power potential and ability to get on base. Considering Chicago's obvious need for some additional pop and outfield help, retaining Mark Kotsay didn't exactly add a big bopper to the lineup, this appears to have been a very solid addition for the White Sox.

Michael Weiner Hot Dogs His Bold Hello as Union Chief

Rev Halofan — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:00:28 -0000

Michael Weiner, just installed as the head of the MLBPA, held his first news conference in his new role and among the things mentioned was expanding the division series:

Players would like to see the first round of playoffs expand to best-of-seven when their next labor contract starts in 2012, Michael Weiner said Wednesday in his first news conference since replacing Donald Fehr as the union head.

"There is a lot of sentiment for a seven-game division series," Weiner said. "I think a properly constructed postseason schedule could accommodate three seven-game series but still have it extend over a shorter period of time than what happened this year."

There's no doubt that a seven-game series is, in some ways, more "fair" than a five-game series -- you go down 2-0 in a five-gamer and you're pretty much toast (as the Angels found out in 2004, 2007 and 2008), but down 2-0 in a seven-game series is not insurmountable. The issue, as Weiner said, is "a properly constructed postseason schedule".

The Angels have historically taken it in the backside hard when it comes to playoff series scheduling and format. In 1982, the then-AL Milwaukee Brewers beat the Angels in a best-of-5 ALCS down 0 games to 2. Oddly, the ALCS was expanded to a Best of 7 format before the 1986 playoffs, just in time to see the Angels win that once-critical third game over the Boston Red Sox, but come up short in the following three contests.

In 2005 we won a best of 5 ALDS by a 3 games to 2 margin and were forced to fly to Chicago overnight to begin the ALCS against the White Sox (there had been a rainout in NY causing a delay in the Division Series schedule). Meanwhile in 2009, the ALCS schedule is paced so leisurely that the Yankees can start their Ace at will with ample rest, absolved of their greatest weakness - a starting pitching dropoff.

Beyond the Hot Stove: Opening Edition

SFiercex4 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:52:20 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

In this April 30, 2009 photo, Center fielder Andruw Jones fields a fly out for the Texas Rangers during a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Arlington, Texas. If Jones can prove he can still do this, Jones' new emplyer, the Chicago White Sox, should be fairly happy with their investment.. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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The Hot Stove officially started two Fridays ago with the start of free agency, but here at Beyond the Box Score we have already covered quite a few moves prior to that (check out this, this, and this if you missed them).

Still, we have only so many people, and there are only so many things to say about some moves, so I figured I'd conglomerate a few of these into one big recap each week called Beyond the Hot Stove. Here I'll cover some of the smaller moves of the week that was in the Hot Stove. Since this is the first one, we'll cover moves starting from Friday, November 20th, the start of the free agent period. Links all courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors.

- The first Hot Stove happening was Omar Vizquel's one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox. Vizquel has never been much with the bat, but my guess is that is not why he was brought to the South Side. Even in limited playing time the last few seasons, Vizquel has shown a decent glove, putting up around 30 runs above average the last three seasons at shortstop according to UZR. Granted, most of that happened in 2007, but it would seem as if Vizquel's golden glove has not yet fallen off with advanced age.

As for the White Sox? They look like they will be shuffling the infield once again with the departure of incumbent second baseman Chris Getz. Vizquel could likely work as a serviceable part-time player at shortstop and third base (he played a little third with the Texas Rangers last year), but I highly doubt they'll stick with him for more than the playing time he saw last year.

- The Milwaukee Brewers signed Chris Capuano and continue to search for more starting pitching after throwing the majors' worst rotation last season. Capuano is a Brewers product, but has not pitched in the majors for two seasons since undergoing a second Tommy John surgery and rehabbing. Capuano was a solid middle-of-the-rotation guy before the injuries set in, so he has a shot at being decent if he gets a chance this season.

- Speaking of injury issues, the Oakland A's signed Dallas McPherson to a minor league deal. McPherson has massive home run power and struggles with mostly everything else, particularly strikeouts and staying on the field. He might get some time at third base as filler until Brett Wallace or someone else in the A's organization steps in, or he may linger in the minors once again.

- The Toronto Blue Jays made two interesting moves to shore up their infield, resigning John McDonald and signing Alex Gonzalez. The McDonald move is a head-scratcher, as McDonald has no bat (career wOBA .264, Bill James projected .254 for 2010) and will be playing the role of defensive backup for $1.5M a year. He does seem to be a solid defender, both at shortstop and at second base, and the Jays do have an awful third baseman in Edwin Encarnacion, so the thought may be to replace Encarnacion with the more sure-handed McDonald in the late innings. Is that worth 0.3 WAR and $1.5M?

As for Gonzalez, he is just one season removed from a 2.5 WAR campaign in 2008. However, that came on a career high .340 wOBA that he has never come close to prior to or since that season, so don't count on that happening again. Gonzalez has always been a solid shortstop (career UZR/150 of +7), and a combination of him and Aaron Hill up the middle may vacuum a few more batted balls for Toronto's pitchers. Gonzalez will give most of that value back with his awful bat, however. Bill James has him projected at a .296 wOBA, and if Gonzalez starts all season, he would have to be a +10 glove to approach being an average player. Then again, he's being paid $2.75M, so no one's expecting average production from him.

- By far the most intriguing move to me was the White Sox signing of Andruw Jones to a one year, $500K deal. Jones had a comeback year after a hellish 2008, batting .214/.323/.459 in 331 PA, good for a .338 wOBA and 1.5 park-adjusted batting runs above average. I don't think I need to show the 2008 numbers to tell you that this was a massive improvement over '08. He did all this with one of the lowest BABIP's in baseball (BABIP of .220). For a player who had such trouble with contact (72% contact rate) and swung so much out of the zone (24.0% out-of-zone swing rate), his walk rate was surprising (12.7% UIBB%) but typical of the old Jones from his Atlanta years. He also posted a promising .246 ISO.

Bill James projects a similar wOBA for 2010 of .335, and Jones will be moving into another hitter's haven in U.S. Cellular Field. Jones only played 145 innings in the outfield in 2009, but he is only two seasons removed from a typical Jones-esque season of 21 runs above average in center field in 2007. Jones has not played center field regularly since 2007, and given his physique it may be wise to keep him in the corners. However, it seems plausible that Jones can still contribute positively in the outfield for the White Sox, which is exactly what the Sox need. If he can play a decent corner outfield (on the order of +2 to +5 runs over a full season) and be an average hitter like he was last season, he would be worth a lot more than what the White Sox would be paying him, even after his incentives bump him up to $1M. A good deal for both player and team involved.