SB Nation User Blog: asinwreck

Mike Cameron giftwrapped

asinwreck — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 23:03:05 -0000

We know Kenny Williams doesn't have much money to spend.

We know Mike Cameron will miss the first month of 2008 due to a PED suspension.

We know San Diego doesn't want him back. We know Philadelphia doesn't want him. We know Texas and St. Louis were looking at him.

We know St. Louis has Colby Rasmus waiting to take over sometime this season.

We now know that Texas has picked up Josh Hamilton.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071221&content_id=2335816&vkey=hotstove2007&fe xt=.jsp

Mike Cameron has few options remaining. Though he's not an ideal leadoff hitter, the man takes his walks, hits homers, and plays a fine defensive center field. He could well sign for one or two years at a bargain rate.

Kenny Williams, Mike Cameron is giftwrapped and in the sale bin. Please pick him up this holiday season.

Who likes the Sox farm system? Billy Beane.

asinwreck — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:18:40 -0000

The White Sox have had a poor decade when it comes to developing hitters, but that does not faze Billy Beane. The A's just traded Dan Haren to the Diamondbacks for six prospects. Among them are two guys Kenny traded to Arizona over the past few months, Aaron Cunningham and Chris Carter.

Maybe Beane sees something in these two. If they both pan out, Kenny will have developed more hitting talent for Oakland than his own team. Then again, had Josh Byrnes kept Cunningham and Carter to go with Chris Young, we could say the same of Arizona.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3155417

Barry Bonds indicted for perjury

asinwreck — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 23:01:36 -0000

The grand jury investigating Bonds came back with charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
http://www.sfgate.com/flat/archive/2007/11/15/news/archive/2007/11/15/state/n141013S18.html

Not a great time for Mr. Bonds to become a free agent. Will any team sign him knowing the 2008 season will be filled with legal filings, courtroom theatrics, and a steady barrage of negative publicity with the words "criminal indictment" repeated over and over?

...on the other hand, maybe he'd be a cheap source of power and OBP. Until he gets sent to prison during the stretch drive.

I wonder if Magowan had an informed sense this was coming down when he announced the Giants weren't going to bring Bonds back?

Mike Cameron suspended 25 games for "tainted supplement"

asinwreck — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:24:28 -0000

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3088062

The suspension is for a second violation. Cameron took pains to deny it was for steroids, stating "I never took nothing like that before in my life. That would be 50 games, and that would affect me a whole lot more."

This could be good news for the Sox. Being out for the first month probably hurts his value in an off-season with a lot of free agent centerfielders. I wonder if he would accept a bargain one-year deal from the Sox? Given that his last contact from the Mets was a relative bargain, I wonder how coveted he is by other teams now that he's in his mid-thirties and out for all of April.

I can think of many worse moves that getting Cameron short-term.

Best off-season news so far

asinwreck — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 14:39:18 -0000

Mark Gonzales causally mentioned a development that might have significance.

Rafael Santana will oversee the Sox's new Dominican Republic facility in Boca Chica and work in player development under Dave Wilder, the team's senior director of player personnel, who will continue to oversee the Sox's Latin American operations.

I don't care about the job Santana did at Birmingham, but this news indicates the team might be more serious about developing Dominican prospects. Great. Now, can we see some changes in Venezuela?

Can the Sox get the #1 pick in the 2008 draft?

asinwreck — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:35:03 -0000

With just about a month left in the season, the only suspense left for the White Sox (other than seeing how many times Ozzie Guillen will melt down in public) is whether or not the team will lose enough games to get the #1 pick in next year's draft. The chances are realistic, if not likely.

Entering today's games, the White Sox have the second-worst record in the majors at 57-76, one half game behind Florida and Washington (each at 58-76). The leader is Tampa Bay (53-80), with a solid four-game lead on the White Sox.

Four games is a lot to make up in one month. Now, a team might get on a streak and make up a lot of ground, but that is not the norm. I have faith in these White Sox, though. With Andy Gonzalez and Darrin Erstad manning the corners, they provide exactly the kind of offense needed for the job. Jose Contreras has been a leader in the rotation (though the offense didn't cooperate in the one-game makeup with the Devil Rays), inspiring contributions from his fellow starters this month. The team has been on fire this month, and a sustained effort would close the gap on Tampa Bay.

This team has what it takes to make it to #1. Let's hope they get there.

Would Kenny do it?

asinwreck — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 20:58:47 -0000

A good game to play as we play out the string is speculating about what Kenny Williams will attempt in making the 2008 roster. One tendency we have remarked on before is his ability to pick up players at the low point of their value, as he did with Contreras, Dye, and Thornton. The rumored waiver claim for Tejada would fit that pattern, giving the Sox a marked upgrade at shortstop that would have been unlikely a year ago.

Shortstop is not the only position that needs an upgrade for next season. Even if Dye resigns and Owens manages to earn a starting spot, at least one more outfielder who can actually do something other than make outs will be required to turn the offense around. Erstad is not that man, but a former teammate of his might be. In recent weeks, Tony LaRussa's comments indicate that he has lost patience with Jim Edmonds, and today the Post-Dispatch reports that Edmonds would not veto a trade. Edmonds is increasingly fragile as he enters his late thirties and is in the middle of his worst season (83 OPS+ to date) since arriving in the majors. Yet he has been an above-average offensive contributor as recently as last season, and perhaps St. Louis's price for Edmonds might be a reasonable one for a deal. What the Cardinals might want is open to speculation, given that Walt Jocketty is rumored to be leaving at the end of the year. One of the pitchers might do it, or an outfielder like Brian Anderson...if the team wants salary relief.

Edmonds may not be the most desirable option for the White Sox, but picking him up would fit Williams's behavior, and at least he has shown the ability to hit in the past five years. Getting him would decrease the probability Erstad haunts our nightmares beyond this October, and that alone is reason enough to consider a trade.

An option for SS in 2008

asinwreck — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 02:35:09 -0000

In tonight's Braves-Astros game, Edgar Renteria was injured and had to leave the game. For the first time in seven years, Chipper Jones moved over from 3B to SS (and Willie Harris played 3B and immediately made a critical error setting up a grand slam). This got me thinking about the White Sox shortstop situation -- there is a good chance the White Sox will not retain Juan Uribe, Andy Gonzalez doesn't seem like anyone's idea of a regular shortstop, and Danny Richar profiles more as a second baseman.

On the other hand, the Sox have a potential glut at third base. Joe Crede is still under control for next season as he attempts to return from back surgery, and Josh Fields is now auditioning for the job. Instead of assuming that only one of them can make the lineup, or that Fields would have to move to the outfield given a full Crede recovery, what are the odds Crede shifts over to short? His range and glove are well above average at third, and while he wouldn't be a match for Uribe a couple years ago, neither is the Uribe of today. We could have an infield of:

1B Konerko
2B Richar/Gonzalez
SS Crede
3B Fields

I'd rather do that than, say, pick up Royce Clayton, Cristian Guzman, or one of the other mediocrities likely to be available. Then the main challenge would be to rebuild the horrible, horrible outfield situation.

Thoughts?

a position of strength

asinwreck — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 21:48:23 -0000

Over the past two years, Kenny Williams's trades have been made to insure the team would not be caught short in the starting rotation. Part of that, I believe, was because he was pessimistic about keeping Mark Buehrle beyond this season. With today's signing, though, the White Sox now have a giant stockpile of potential 2008 starters under team control, including all five rotation mainstays from this year. Let's take a look at what this includes, and what it may mean going forward.

Mark Buehrle. A horse, eats innings like Greg Luzinski ate sausage. Aside from the second-half collapse last year he has been among the most durable and consistent pitchers of the 21st century. Given the terms of his contract, he's clearly sticking around for a while.
Jon Garland. Not as consistent (see his last start), but also a durable innings-eater who has been very effective at the Cell. Garland's won a lot of games the past three seasons, which can't hurt his trade value...or the Sox' place in the standings if they keep him.
Javy Vazquez. Gives up a bunch of homers and isn't always efficient enough with his pitchers to go deep in games. That said, he also strikes out a bunch and when he's on (like today) he is impressive.
Jose Contreras. Seems to either be hurt or aging since last year's All-Star break, yet he's under a reasonable contract, shows flashes of effectiveness and has a big-game reputation that could enhance his trade value. I think most of us here would support trading him given the team's other options.
John Danks. Has had the ups and downs typical of a rookie starter, but looks like he will be an asset going forward.

Then there are the prospects and relievers who could step in.

Nick Masset. I don't want to see him in the Sox rotation anytime soon given his ratios, but the organization seems open to trying him there in the future should the situation dictate it.
Gavin Floyd. Didn't do much in his start this week, but his production at Charlotte this year is encouraging. The idea of Floyd harnessing his stuff to become an effective starter is more plausible than it was in March.
Gio Gonzalez. Homer-prone, but strikes out a bunch with his wicked curve. Could join Buehrle and Danks as early as next spring to give the Sox three above-average lefty starters for the next few years.
Andy Sisco. It remains to be seen if Sisco will find a way to be effective with his stuff, but the potential has always been there.
Charlie Haeger. His numbers haven't been as good this year, but the knuckler is still a good bet to be a useful major-league innings eater next season.

That's just the ten most likely pitchers to wind up starting major league games next year. Add Lance Broadway, Jack Egbert, Adam Russell, and Heath Phillips, and you have more than a dozen pitchers who could at least reasonably be imagined to start a game next year. I'd be comfortable with any save Masset and Sisco in next year's rotation, and would guess no fewer than three of this year's rotation will return.

Kenny Williams vowed after the 2004 5th-starter debacle to never be caught without enough starting pitching, and Despite the implosion of the rest of the team, the solid starting gives the Sox two advantages. The rotation is a source of stability from spots 1-5, which few teams in baseball can say. Because the team's strength is a weakness for others, Williams can now package one or more pitchers to shore up the offense. Thank God, because this offense needs help -- an outfielder or two, and one or both of the keystone combo who can actually get on base. That's a lot of holes, but all could be filled via trade.

Now that Buehrle is secure as the rotation anchor, what deals that could help the Sox seem possible now? The first one that comes to mind is Contreras for Lastings Milledge, who would help the OBP and might even be good for that top-of-the-order speed Ozzie craves. Given how many contenders could use a starter right now, what other deals now seem like a good idea?

Poll

Which pitcher(s) will be traded between now and next April?

Jon Garland

6 votes

Javy Vazquez

5 votes

Jose Contreras

30 votes

John Danks

1 votes

Nick Masset

0 votes

Gavin Floyd

0 votes

Gio Gonzalez

0 votes

Charlie Haeger

1 votes

Andy Sisco

1 votes

44 votes | Poll has closed

Cowley claims Buehrle extension imminent

asinwreck — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 13:36:10 -0000

Not sure how much of this article is speculation, but Joe Cowley claims in today's Sun-Times that Kenny Williams has pulled Mark Buehrle off of the market and a contract extension may be completed by the end of the week.

The Sun-Times has learned that a change of heart in both the Buehrle and White Sox camps during the last 48 hours has led to talks about the sides somehow getting together and agreeing on a contract extension by the end of the week. That sentiment also was expressed by one Sox player, who said the ''climate'' was right for Buehrle to sign an extension in the next few weeks. "Call it a calm before the storm," the player said.

More and an Update inside.

Key paragraphs:

But attempts to get either camp to confirm those talks were met with responses that were ambiguous at best. Even Buehrle was having fun with the speculation, dropping clues like cookie crumbs leading to a trail -- or simply trying to confuse the media about exactly what's going on. Asked if he had heard the latest on the trade front, Buehrle smiled and said, "It's wrong, it's wrong." What isn't wrong is that Williams has turned his attention to possibly shipping out other players, seemingly to clear salary to keep Buehrle as one of the cornerstones of the organization. What is confirmed is that Buehrle's agent, Jeff Berry, was in the Tampa area with his client this week and that the White Sox remain Buehrle's first choice of where he wants to play past this season -- with any other team a distant second. There was talk Monday that he even lowered the number of years he was looking for from five to four to remain with the Sox. Neither side would address that rumor.

If there is any substance to this article, either Mark Buehrle or Jerry Reinsdorf has had a significant chance of heart over the terms of an appropriate contract.

Update (wiz): The official site says nothing's official:

A report coming Wednesday morning from WSCR 670 AM, the White Sox flagship radio station, of a new multi-year deal close to being agreed upon between the White Sox and Mark Buehrle would not be confirmed by the team. "There's no official announcement," a White Sox team spokesman said. "Anything else is speculation." The radio station's report was that Buehrle and the team were on the verge of agreeing to a four-year, $50 million deal, quite a turnaround from this past weekend, when the left-hander's name was in the news as the top target on Major League Baseball's open market. Buehrle has made no secret of his desire to stay in Chicago, trying to finish his career with the team with which he started, a sentiment seemingly echoed by the White Sox organization and Buehrle's teammates.