6/4 back over .500 Postgamer thread.

[voodoochile]

Originally Posted by Tragg

Gillaspie can get some work there too (and at 1B), which will also open the door for more of our infielders.

I see them returning to the platoon DH role next year with Viciedo getting about half the at bats and the rest split between players needing a day off.

If the Sox were to trade for a starting pitcher (Buehrle please!) and one more live arm for the bullpen, both of which have more than one year left on their contract I don't see anything wrong with them going for the playoffs this year. Obviously it's difficult to trade for a reliever who is signed past the end of the year and actually has a live arm, but they can always try. Need to find another late inning arm especially a lefty.

[Rocky Soprano]

Originally Posted by voodoochile

I see them returning to the platoon DH role next year with Viciedo getting about half the at bats and the rest split between players needing a day off.

If the Sox were to trade for a starting pitcher (Buehrle please!) and one more live arm for the bullpen, both of which have more than one year left on their contract I don't see anything wrong with them going for the playoffs this year. Obviously it's difficult to trade for a reliever who is signed past the end of the year and actually has a live arm, but they can always try. Need to find another late inning arm especially a lefty.

I would love to have Mark back. I can't see that happening though.

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by Rocky Soprano

I would love to have Mark back. I can't see that happening though.

Agreed. Although he's my favorite Sox player of the last decade, not only is he expensive and doesn't fit with rebuilding, but he's currently the leader of the Blue Jays' rotation. They're not trading him unless they fall apart in the next month.

[Chez]

Kudos to Johnny Danks. I thought he was going to be an albatross for the rest of the year (and next) after he got rocked in Houston, but he's worked hard on his mechanics and thrown three straight gems.


The offense is a bit stagnant -- which can happen against the Dodgers' pitching. We need to get Eaton going again at the top and score runs without the benefit of the long ball.
A .500 season would far exceed what my expectations were in March.

[LITTLE NELL]

Over .500 after 61 games makes you wonder where we would be if Avisail wasn't hurt and out for the season. How many more game might we have won if Abreu hadn't missed 15 games and Sale missing 3 or 4 starts while on the DL.

.

[SoxSpeed22]

Hopefully this is an upward trend for Danks. The bullpen has been pretty solid ever since that tumultuous April, if they can turn into a strength, this will be an interesting rest of the season. I would also be thrilled with a .500 season, even with losing Garcia for the season.
As far as trading goes, maybe Dunn might get moved, but we will have to see. They might have to move one of the three between Semien, Beckham or Johnson (preferably not him) in the offseason to create less of a logjam, but that is not a bad problem to have.

[Tragg]

Originally Posted by voodoochile

I see them returning to the platoon DH role next year with Viciedo getting about half the at bats and the rest split between players needing a day off.

If the Sox were to trade for a starting pitcher (Buehrle please!) and one more live arm for the bullpen, both of which have more than one year left on their contract I don't see anything wrong with them going for the playoffs this year.

I would disagree with that prescription. Don't trade for bullpen arms, nor for 35 year old pitchers who earn 19 million.

[kufram]

Originally Posted by voodoochile

I see them returning to the platoon DH role next year with Viciedo getting about half the at bats and the rest split between players needing a day off.

If the Sox were to trade for a starting pitcher (Buehrle please!) and one more live arm for the bullpen, both of which have more than one year left on their contract I don't see anything wrong with them going for the playoffs this year. Obviously it's difficult to trade for a reliever who is signed past the end of the year and actually has a live arm, but they can always try. Need to find another late inning arm especially a lefty.

I've been thinking this exactly. Buehrle might be a stretch, but something like that. Plan for the future but live for today. If we are a couple of pitchers away from contending, which is not impossible this year, then you have to go for it. There seems to be a good chemistry with this team so I wouldn't mess with that too much. Maybe add by subtracting via Da Aza

[harwar]

Originally Posted by gobears1987

I'm not giong to lie, but I'd be content with a 0.500 season. I hope the front office doesn't get delusions of contending this year and have that interfere with moves that can otherwise help the rebuilding.

In the past, Kenny Williams would have taken a team that probably was better destined for a rebuild and would have instead traded prospects for a veteran in hoping to push them into the playoffs. Either that or he would pick up a veteran off waivers (Rios *cough*). The team would fail to contend and the move would hold down the Sox the next few years. I trust Hahn will not make such an error.

I read where Hahn said that if the White Sox are in a position to get into the playoffs that they will do what they can but that they are "not going to do anything that’s going to compromise our longer term goals" .. that sounds about right to me .. this years team is a surprise for me .. i thought that they would finish 5-10games under .500 after a fairly bad season .. it looks to me that the White Sox are doing everything right and i hope that they hold course .. excited about tonight's draft..

[doublem23]

Originally Posted by kufram

I've been thinking this exactly. Buehrle might be a stretch, but something like that. Plan for the future but live for today. If we are a couple of pitchers away from contending, which is not impossible this year, then you have to go for it. There seems to be a good chemistry with this team so I wouldn't mess with that too much. Maybe add by subtracting via Da Aza

A couple years ago the Sox acquired Francisco Liriano for essentially nothing (Escobar whose a nice little middle infleld utility player, but we have seemingly dozens of those and Pedro Hernandez who is still a pretty lousy pitcher)...

So I could realistically see the Sox trying to flip 1-2 mediocre guys out of their upper MILB roster pool. Looking at the guys who will be FA after this year, a couple of potential targets... AJ Burnett, Roberto Heredia Hernandez, Colby Lewis, Brandon McCarthy, Edinson Volquez...

Just throwing that out there.

[PalehosePlanet]

Originally Posted by Tragg

I would disagree with that prescription. Don't trade for bullpen arms, nor for 35 year old pitchers who earn 19 million.

Agreed.

Also, why would the Jays, a first place team that should stay in contention all year, trade their best starter?

[amsteel]

Based on all the injuries this year around the league it's gonna be a seller's market at the deadline. The return on middling players this year will be higher than normal.

I certainly hope the Sox don't make any moves solely for the reason of trying to stay competitive in the WC race.

[Tragg]

Originally Posted by doublem23

A couple years ago the Sox acquired Francisco Liriano for essentially nothing (Escobar whose a nice little middle infleld utility player, but we have seemingly dozens of those and Pedro Hernandez who is still a pretty lousy pitcher)...

So I could realistically see the Sox trying to flip 1-2 mediocre guys out of their upper MILB roster pool. Looking at the guys who will be FA after this year, a couple of potential targets... AJ Burnett, Roberto Heredia Hernandez, Colby Lewis, Brandon McCarthy, Edinson Volquez...

Just throwing that out there.

Burnett is having a horrible year and is paid $15 mill. You should be able to get him just for taking on some of his salary.
Most of the rest are having bad years. But they should all be real cheap. But I just don't know that they'll bring much more than Rienzo, unless Coop sees something he can do a quick fix on.

[Noneck]

I read trade for a good starter from a few posters here. The problem with that is the number of expendable assets on the Sox to gain such a sought after commodity. Slim pickens (not the actor) on that front.

[ddog528]

I would hope they stand pat, honestly.