The Swisher trade

by Adam J. Morris on Jan 3, 2008 4:37 PM CST in News Comment 66 comments

I leave for a couple of hours to do a deposition, come back, and discover another big A.L. West trade has gone down...

Nick Swisher is now a White Sock, being dealt to Chicago by the A's for Gio Gonzalez, Fautino de los Santos, and Ryan Sweeney.

According to Cot's, Swisher is under contract for $3.5 million in 2008, $5.3 million in 2009, $6.75 million in 2010, and $9 million for 2011, with a $10.25 million club option for 2012. 2011 would have been his first free agent year.

I'm sure folks here know about Swisher...he is what he is, a solidly very good switch-hitting corner outfielder who is under control (if the option is exercised) through his age 31 season. He's not a star, but given his age, production, contract status and salary, he's a very valuable commodity.

And the package the ChiSox gave up reflects that...Kevin Goldstein had de los Santos and Gonzalez #1 and #2 on his ChiSox list, with Sweeney #8, and the A's also got the #4 ChiSox prospect, Chris Carter, in the Dan Haren deal.

John Sickels has Gonzalez and de los Santos #1 and #2 on the ChiSox list, and #2 and #3 on the A's list, with Sweeney coming in at #5 (#12 on the Oakland list).

Sitting here looking at this, I'm starting to think the A's got just about as much for Swisher as they did for Haren. The two Gonzalez are each great prospects, and I seem like Chris Carter more than most, but I'm baffled by the love shown Brett Anderson, a 19 year old finesse lefty pitcher who apparently is built almost as badly as me, and the rest of the Arizona prospects are just guys.

With the 2 Gonzalezes, de los Santos, and Carter, the A's seem to have gotten four guys who have star potential, and the Oakland system had been really weak in those sorts of big-upside types. They are doing a good job of re-stocking.

Of course, this also means that the Rangers chances of finishing out of the cellar in the A.L. West just increased significantly.

As for Chicago, I don't understand what they are doing...they won 72 games last season (which matched their Pythagorean projection), finished last in the A.L. in runs, finished 12th in the A.L. in ERA, and have been making a bunch of moves this offseason suggesting that they believe that they are a team on the cusp that needs a couple of pieces to push them over the top.

Quentin and Swisher are, at least, guys with long-term value, and I think the Quentin trade is defensible...but the Swisher deal seems shaky, to me...

0 recs | Comment 66 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Kenny Williams

Like I said in the other thread, I think having Quinton and Swisher signed to affordable contracts for the next 5 years allows the White Sox a bunch of flexibility in filling out the rest of the team over that time span.

Looking back, the move that doesn't seem to fit into the context of what it appears KW is doing over there is the Garland - O. Cabrera trade.

Juevos Daniels: biggest stones in the business.

by tricer on Jan 3, 2008 4:39 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

good move

Their outfield production was horrible last year. The only question I have is can Quinton play CF?

Red Sux Nation is an evil organization.

by BillyBobisdrunk on Jan 3, 2008 5:25 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

You cannot defend this trade

for Kenny Williams. Chicago got straight robbed.

Williams does not have a CF, Swisher? no. Owens? Not every day. Quinton? no.

Unless their spinning Konerko, which really would make them more left handed heavy, this deal is a steal for Oakland.

by Nichols22 on Jan 3, 2008 5:30 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Swisher

can play CF, but their recent defector Alexei Ramirez can as well. If that happens, then maybe they move Dye for help elsewhere.

by brettgardner on Jan 3, 2008 5:36 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Adam

You don't think the additions of Quentin, Swisher, and Ramirez improve the team rather significantly? They'll have a healthy Joe Crede, whom they will doubtless trade for pitching, along with an improved Danks and Floyd. I suppose I support their moves a lot more than most, and, as I said in the other thread, I think they're right in that division race.

by brettgardner on Jan 3, 2008 5:33 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Not enough...

...to make them a 90 win team, I don't think.

Swisher helps, but sticking him in CF is going to offset some of the offensive gain with a defensive hit. Ramirez is an unknown, and Quentin has question marks.

Their rotation, after Buehrle, has some issues...Vazquez was very good last year, but it was his first really good year in the last 4 or 5, and then you have Contreras, Danks and Floyd, which is probably shakier than what the Rangers are running out in the 3-4-5 slots.

It seems like they've made a bunch of moves to make them an 85 win team, in a division where you probably need 95 to win the division.

by Adam J. Morris on Jan 3, 2008 7:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Meh

This is a "win now" move, but even though Swisher is a nice player under control during his prime, I don't think the White Sox were close to being competitive in that division and Swisher doesn't push them over the hump.

This could be a good move for other teams but not the White Sox. Swisher makes them better next year but in the years following, the White Sox don't have any prospects to replenish the major league team.

"When I was a pup, we got spanked by presidents 'til the cows came home! Grover Cleveland spanked me on two non-consecutive occasions!" LBrooks

by WyoRanger on Jan 3, 2008 5:43 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

win-now

I don't really see it that way. The White Sox have control over Swisher just as long as they have control over Danks.

Juevos Daniels: biggest stones in the business.

by tricer on Jan 3, 2008 5:48 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Don't disagree

But ChiSox gave up their top two prospects and another top 10 for one player. I don't know anything about their farm system, but that seems like quite a bit to give up. That might be a good deal for another team, but the White Sox were so bad last year that Swisher isn't going to get them into contention with the Tribe and Tigers, and now (I presume) the ChiSox farm system is basically empty.

"When I was a pup, we got spanked by presidents 'til the cows came home! Grover Cleveland spanked me on two non-consecutive occasions!" LBrooks

by WyoRanger on Jan 3, 2008 6:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Well

The thing is, you don't just want a good farm system so you make some goofy magazine's top 10 list, you want it so that it will improve your big-league team.

As mentioned above, Swisher is a guy who's very proven and still under control for quite some time, which is immensely better than a guy who's still just a prospect.

I realize that Chicago was pretty awful last year, but I'm not sure that 1. Gonzalez was going to be so dominant that he'd pull them out of it anyway, and 2. That they could afford to wait and see. I wouldn't call Cleveland an old team. Detroit maybe, but this team needed to step up and compete right now, and I think they've pulled off a series of moves here which will help them do that.

by brettgardner on Jan 3, 2008 6:24 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Would you have dealt...

...say, Hurley, Harrison, and Boggs for Swisher?

by Adam J. Morris on Jan 3, 2008 7:28 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Good lord no.

Don't get me wrong--I don't want Swisher here, necessarily, just saying that it's a good move for Chicago. Now, I would take Swisher over Hamilton, but for the price, I think we made out better.

Although if that were Kiker instead of Hurley I might have to think about it. I'd probably still pass though.

by brettgardner on Jan 3, 2008 7:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Seriously?

In about half a freaking second.

Especially if the age and composition of our roster pretty much forced us to be in win-now mode.

"God plays by his own rules, folks. And HGH is f***ing legal as hell up in heaven." -Andy Pettitte

by thedirkatron on Jan 3, 2008 8:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, you get it

Your second sentence there sums it up pretty nicely, although I still don't like the characterization of the move as win-now. Swisher is under control for 5 years, likely the best 5 years of his career.

Williams has Konerko, Dye, Thome, Buehrle and Vazquez. All those are veteran guys that are good to very good, but will be declining long before the A-ball pitcher contributes anything. So KW basically has 3 choices: do nothing, which likely results in not having a chance to win now or later. Or he can try and start selling off those veteran pieces (the most valuable of which would be Buerhle and Konerko, both of whom he just extended)to rebuild a pretty weak farm system. Or he could trade off what chips he has and try to add enough to his core that he might give his team a chance to contend over the next couple of years. He choose the last option, but did so in a manner that gives him quite a bit of flexibility in assembling his roster over the next several years.

And I really think that 2 years from now, Williams would be able to flip Quinton and Swisher for just about the same type of prospects that he traded to acquire them.

Juevos Daniels: biggest stones in the business.

by tricer on Jan 3, 2008 8:42 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

That's a good point.

by brettgardner on Jan 3, 2008 8:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

agreed, definitely

by a bebop a rebop on Jan 3, 2008 11:04 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Just fwiw

Most people would greatly prefer the three they gave to Hurley, Harrison and Boggs. DLS is not there yet by any means, but he is a much scarier arm to give up. He will rank higher on lists like BA and BP than Hurley or any other pitcher we have. Gonzalez I'd much prefer over Harrison, and Sweeney I'd personally prefer to Boggs, though you obviously worry about his power.

But you would give that package a notch or two advantage with each player.

by Brett Perryman on Jan 4, 2008 8:10 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I might

give up Hurley, Harrison and Boggs for Swisher, but I would not have given up the Chi Sox package. I think they overpaid a little. Swisher's ZIPS projections look mighty fine, but I think there's still no doubt they finish in 3rd place.

Cranberry Sauce

by t ball on Jan 4, 2008 10:34 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Anderson

Not being argumentative and generally respecting your opinions AJM, but I have noticed a couple of comments where you seem not to high on Anderson. I've watched him pitch throughout his HS career and his build is not really all that bad for a pitcher. He has a broad/tall(around 6'5", 210) frame that carries the weight well, and not really chunky at all. The last time I saw him, I was thinking that he could use some build on his upper body in fact. As far as he being a finesse lefty, he has very remarkable control, but in high school he was throwing low to mid 90's as a junior, with a pretty filthy cutter/slider. I'm a pretty big Kiker fan, but I would have rather seen the Rangers take Anderson in that draft instead. He is a few months younger than Kiker, and has basically been pitching one level ahead of him in the minors. I was looking at his stats just to make sure I was not missing something that you were seeing and came across the following:

Anderson excelled in the Midwest League, where his impressive 2.88 RA per 9 innings matches nicely with his Base Runs estimate of 2.90 runs allowed per 9 innings. Anderson complemented his above-average strikeout rates with outstanding control and groundball tendencies. Here are 19-year-olds with comparable strikeout and a walk rates at the Class A level during the past three years:

Name Year League IP K% BB%
Brett Anderson 2007 MIDW 81 26% 3%
Nick Adenhart 2006 MIDW 106 23% 6%
Michael Bowden 2006 MIDW 107 27% 7%
Philip Hughes 2005 SAL 68 27% 6%
Tyler Clippard 2004 MIDW 149 23% 5%

There are some pretty impressive comps in that list, and on top of that, he is the only lefty on the list. Having watched him throw, I would have to label him as more of a power lefty than a finesse kind of guy. Sad to say, but I really believe he will probably be dominating us as a starter one day. If you disagree, I would be curious as to why you feel that way.

by B_Black on Jan 3, 2008 5:53 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Anderson

When the Rangers were discussing Teixeira with the Diamondbacks last summer, he was the pitcher I really wanted thrown in the deal. Anderson's father is a college pitching coach, and supposedly Anderson is fairly advanced pitchability-wise for a young starter.

"I dont care to debate with a troll." - Sharky

by RCCook on Jan 3, 2008 6:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

+1

hes frank anderson's son (fmr texas pitching coach/current oklahoma state head baseball coach i think)

i agree. he should be real good, IIRC AZ gave him above slot money to buy him out of his committment to OSU...he seems like a billy beane kinda guy to me...

by knockoutking24 on Jan 3, 2008 6:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

great command

Had a BB/9 of 1.11 which is phenominal. But didn't have near the strikeout numbers that Kiker had and also allwed more hits per 9. Was promoted very aggressively after only 14 starts albeit really good starts. Looks like he naturally struggled after the promotion but thats to be expected. Should be fun to watch he and Kiker go head to head next year.

by Steven on Jan 3, 2008 6:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Anderson

Here's what Kevin Goldstein said about him:

Anderson instantly becomes the best pitching prospect in the system. He's arguably the most polished teenage pitcher in the minors, and the only one I can think of who already has a plus breaking ball, plus changeup, and plus command. He's also a big left-hander with average velocity and as I recently commented elsewhere, he might not have the star power of some other young arms, but if you could bet on one teenage pitcher reaching the majors and being a regular contributor, Anderson would be your best bet.

BA says he profiles as an "innings eater," with his fastball sitting at 90 mph.

Now, those guys have value...but it seems like high school pitchers whose big assets are plus command and a plus breaking ball don't have a ton of growth potential. Those are the types who will often succeed in the lower minors, but struggle disproportionately against better competition.

I don't know. I'd be interested in hearing z's take on Anderson. I'm not saying he's not a nice prospect...it is more that, a 19 year old command guy who projects as a #3/#4 type doesn't seem like an elite prospect, to me. He seems like a lefty Omar Poveda.

by Adam J. Morris on Jan 3, 2008 7:39 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

WHIPs

Poveda A-: 1.00, A+: 1.43
Anderson A-: 1.06, A+: 1.56

Nice comparison. Anderson gives up more hits and less walks. Although Povedas strikout ratios went up with his promotion to Bakersfield while Andersons remained the same. Only about 5 months seperate the two.

by Steven on Jan 3, 2008 7:55 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

How many times has...

...Gio Gonzalez been traded?

Didn't the Sox deal him to Philly in the Thome trade and then get him back in the Rowand deal?

Talk about being a pawn....

Proud Supporter of the Texas Rangers since 1973

by T Coleman on Jan 3, 2008 6:11 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

Well Thome and Rowand were traded for each other, but they did get GG back in the Freddy Garcia deal.

by brettgardner on Jan 3, 2008 6:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the correction

Proud Supporter of the Texas Rangers since 1973

by T Coleman on Jan 3, 2008 6:25 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The more I look at the trade...

The more I am liking it for the White Sox.

I am starting to think that most Sox fans have been overreacting by valuing Gio & DLS above and beyond what they are just because they were a respective 1 & 2 in a pathetic system.

(Wild conspiracy alert) Maybe Kenny Williams had this plan all along to reacquire Gio and put him back in Birmingham. Thus restoring his trade value which he lost when he went to Philly, and then reselling him at peak value for an above average affordable player.

It was a shame about Ryan Sweeney too, because the organization always sold him as this monster of a prospect who's power just hadn't developed yet. Unfortunately, he was doomed before he ever swung and missed on a pitch at the Cell. Maybe Billy Beane sees himself in him. I really hope he turns out in Oakland.

---
I'd be really interested to see if they expect Swisher to be their full time center fielder and possible leadoff hitter.

by krushcuts on Jan 3, 2008 6:38 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

thoughts

i hope ozzie sucks it up again and get fired. hes the guy i hate the most in baseball - more than bonds even.

kenny williams - does he know something we dont?

billy beane - he knows how to rebuild. plain and simple. if harden is healthy in ST id imagine he moves him, but then again i wouldnt be suprised if he keeps him

by knockoutking24 on Jan 3, 2008 6:41 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Ozzie

is awesome. He is winner and will win next year if this team stays healthy.

Red Sux Nation is an evil organization.

by BillyBobisdrunk on Jan 3, 2008 11:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

ozzie....

Is a complete idiot. He runs his mouths, hits and runs like theres no tomorrow. He actually cost the White Sox runs in the 05 season. That means you and I could be a manager, fill out the lineup card and sit on our ass and the team would've been better. Pathetic.

by TheBZA on Jan 4, 2008 8:22 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Ozzie still

has more rings than a lot of managers.

"As of now they're (The Astros) world series favorites. Period." - Sharky

by DJCahill on Jan 4, 2008 8:23 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

ozzie

has rings cuz of how good his 5 man rotation was

there are a LOT of managers and coaches i would take over ozzie.

by knockoutking24 on Jan 4, 2008 11:10 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Ozzie has rings

because he was managing when a lot of his players had one of their best years.

I doubt Ozzie's style works year in and year out, but when a team overperforms like they did, the manager probably gets some credit.

"As of now they're (The Astros) world series favorites. Period." - Sharky

by DJCahill on Jan 4, 2008 11:14 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

quit hating

Ozzie has a ring and you don't

Red Sux Nation is an evil organization.

by BillyBobisdrunk on Jan 4, 2008 9:41 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

so does Mark Lemke

by a bebop a rebop on Jan 4, 2008 6:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

So does

Pedro Astocio...

"That was I got hit by a fluor- fluorescent light bulb right in my spine! I swear, I cried for fifteen minutes." -Bernice Juach

by miles on Jan 6, 2008 11:17 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I have

a "World's Greatest Dad" mug.

Cranberry Sauce

by t ball on Jan 6, 2008 1:24 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

also for prospects (unless mentioned is off sickle

carlos gonzalez - 1 (B+) (was BA's #1 AZ prospect)
gio gonzalez - 2 (B+)
fautino de los santos - 3 (B+)
brett anderson - 3 (B+) (was BA's AZ #3 prospect)
chris carter - 4 (B+) (was BA's AZ #8 prospect)
aaron cunningham - 8 (B-) (was BA's AZ #7 prospect)
ryan sweeney - 12 (C+)
greg smith - 14 (C+)

trade gives the A's 6 B+, 2 B, 5 B- (13 in B range)

kevin goldstein:
whitesox:
de los santos = #1/5*
gio gonzalez = #2/4*
chris carter = #4/3*
ryan sweeney = #8/2*

oakland:
carlos gonzalez = #2/5*
brett anderson = #3/4*
chris carter = #5/3*
aaron cunningham = #7/3*
greg smith = #13

vs. rangers
1 - teagarden
2- hurley
3- andrus
4- davis
8 - kiker (actually he moved JMJ from a B to a B- dropping him from 7 to probably 12 - so technically now #8 is maxram)
12 - neftali feliz
14 - brandon boggs

interesting thoughts:
carlos gonzalez - kinda sucked it up last year, but has tools coming out of everywhere lol
de los santos - came out of NOWHERE this year
anderson - would love to have him - look at the comparables above in this thread
gio gonzalez - cant decide what i think about him - did lead the minors in k's this last yr
ryan sweeney - was #1 in whitesox system last yr IIRC
chris carter - not too high on him. like the other AZ chris carter (the one who got traded to BOS and played for stanford) more

beane def. didnt go into this rebuilding mode half-assed, did he? lol

by knockoutking24 on Jan 3, 2008 6:52 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

is it really "white sock?"

by ab03 on Jan 3, 2008 7:00 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I think

the plural of White Sox is White Soxee or White Soxer. Or maybe it's White Suck.

by abc123 on Jan 3, 2008 7:22 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I would definitely...

...trade Hurley, Harrison, and Boggs for Swisher.

And I would have done it yesterday.

by txtwstr7 on Jan 3, 2008 8:03 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Well Boggs

is pretty useless, but you'd trade two guys who could be in the rotation this year for an outfielder--albeit a very good one? Just a little too steep for me.

by brettgardner on Jan 3, 2008 8:05 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

+1

no brainer

The three true outcomes - Does it make me money, does it get me fed, or does it get me laid?

by JTodd on Jan 4, 2008 10:18 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Well...

...if you swing a trade for Swisher, then you have the following five hitters plugged into the core of your line-up (and providing above-average production) for the next 3-4 years.

Kinsler
Young (as long as he's a SS)
Saltalamacchia
Hamilton
Swisher

That type of stability and sustained production from the up-the-middle positions is just too enticing to pass up, especially considering the positional flexibility of Swisher...

In all honesty, I think trading for Swisher does as much for the 2009-2011 Texas Rangers as holding onto Harrison/Hurley and hoping they pan out. Give me the stud positional player locked in for several years over rolling the dice with two very good (not great) pitching prospects and an OF prospect who doesn't project to be anything more than potentially useful...

by txtwstr7 on Jan 3, 2008 8:11 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Ok

Well I consider Hurley to be a great prospect with a few nagging concerns. Harrison is a good prospect. But if they both reach their full potential, you've got 1/2 starter and a 4/5 starter compared to a guy with good, not great, power and a great OBP. I agree with you that the lineup with Swisher would be great, but the Rangers have had great lineups in the past. I'd prefer to have a great rotation and go from there.

by brettgardner on Jan 3, 2008 8:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Not that I don't think it'd be a fair trade

But JD would be crucified by Joe Average and the media for trading more pitching. I was pretty suprised the hysteria that Volquez for Harrison caused, I don't want to imagine what people would be screaming if we traded "all of our pitching to a division rival!"

by TheBZA on Jan 3, 2008 9:32 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

not now

but hopefully in a year or two we will be in a position that a deal like that would make some sense. Right now, Hurley and Harrison are too important, but if we catch a couple of breaks and the young arms continue to progress we could pull off a deal similar to that without it hurting too much.

Juevos Daniels: biggest stones in the business.

by tricer on Jan 3, 2008 11:01 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I hope all you LSBers...

had a happy holidays.

I'm with Adam on this deal. Swisher is a good player and will be under control for some time but this doesn't make much sense for the ChiSox. They are still a 3rd place team and gave up 3 very good young players. I like this deal for the A's and feel like Beane is at it again. All we can do as Ranger fans is hope that he misses in a couple of these trades and the A's will be in trouble.

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Jan 3, 2008 10:40 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

The ChiSox

can use Swisher for the next two or three years to try to win with their aging core of guys, and then when things begin to crumble they can deal Swisher for a package that should be pretty equal to what they gave up for him now. He's signed reasonably for 5 years, so he's going to still have a lot of value in three years.

And as far as the guys they gave up, only Gio had a reasonable shot at helping this team win in the near future, which is where their window is (if you believe that window exists at all). Sweeney is a big pile of mediocrity, and the other guy is basically Neftali Feliz part 2... a big dreams guy who's not gonna be ready for a long time.

"God plays by his own rules, folks. And HGH is f***ing legal as hell up in heaven." -Andy Pettitte

by thedirkatron on Jan 3, 2008 11:06 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree...

that Swisher can be dealt in the future, as his contract is very reasonable. However I don't see him really helping the ChiSox win much more in the next few years. I like Gio and Fautino a lot, although I realize De Los Santos is a ways away. Sweeney, like you say meh...but knowing how lucky Beane is with these deals I'm sure he will probably be better than Swisher by 2010.

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Jan 3, 2008 11:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Wow

Beane is a good GM, no doubt, but he's not God.

To suggest Sweeney will be better than Swisher is borderline insane.

Sweeney is an average guy who does a lot of things okay, but nothing great. Think Charles Thomas on this one.

"God plays by his own rules, folks. And HGH is f***ing legal as hell up in heaven." -Andy Pettitte

by thedirkatron on Jan 3, 2008 11:23 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Sweeney > Swisher...

that was a joke.

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Jan 3, 2008 11:30 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

lol

Okay. Whew!

Some people really do think of Beane as some sort of super-genius who can do no wrong, so I was sort of scared there for a minute.

"God plays by his own rules, folks. And HGH is f***ing legal as hell up in heaven." -Andy Pettitte

by thedirkatron on Jan 3, 2008 11:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

wait

you mean hes not? LOL </sarcasm>

BUT, if i can pick any GM in the league to rebuild my mediocre team...this is the guy. IF you can stand 1 or 2 years of being horrible (which is usually what is needed to truly "rebuild")

by knockoutking24 on Jan 4, 2008 3:07 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

If your friends jumped off a cliff...

would you?

This is pretty cool, I've watched it like 4 times. The first two were just to make sure that it was real. I'm pretty sure it is.

http://www.biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=4262

Juevos Daniels: biggest stones in the business.

by tricer on Jan 3, 2008 10:54 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Danks made Gio expendable?

I wonder if Beane asked for Danks.

Saying I apologize is the same as saying I'm sorry, except at a funeral. --- Demetri Martin

by rooster on Jan 3, 2008 11:01 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

well

the a's douche bag factor definently decreases by a lot.

by selppuc on Jan 3, 2008 11:42 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

However...

The White Sox now lead the league in douche.

by ghostofErikThompson on Jan 4, 2008 1:44 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

ozzie alone

makes them in the top 3 - BEFORE the addition of swisher

by knockoutking24 on Jan 4, 2008 3:07 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Can't forget

A.J. Perdouchebag...

"The best cornerbacks are the ones you never hear about"

by miles on Jan 4, 2008 5:40 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The difference betwen

the A's and us? We actually re-stocked our system with trades AND have put a rather competitive team out on the field this year. Paraphrasing Beane, we actually did something special, they just did something spe...

JD > Beane

if you apologize for everything, you apologize for nothing...

by Longhorn on Jan 4, 2008 8:26 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

disagree

Both did well. Beane got several good prospects for those two trades, several high ceiling guys in areas that were weak in their system. And I'd bet he's not done yet.

Daniels did very, very well with fewer top notch chips to trade, though. The Lofton and Gagne returns are almost as impressive as the Teixiera return to me, since you couldn't expect nearly as much for them.

Cranberry Sauce

by t ball on Jan 4, 2008 10:32 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The Haren trade

I definitely think he could have done better there.

Rex Hudler is in demand as a motivational speaker.

by Brian Thomas on Jan 4, 2008 10:52 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Concur...

but as t-ball said, he's not done yet.

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Jan 4, 2008 3:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Haren trade

Maybe, but I'm taking the two trades together and comparing them with what Daniels did in 3 trades. Both GMs added a lot of talent very quickly. I think Daniels made the best overall deal with Teixeira.

Cranberry Sauce

by t ball on Jan 4, 2008 8:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs