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Review: Paramount Room
Both of our baseball teams made some noise involving pitching on Wednesday at MLB's Winter Meetings, with the Cubs signing a high-priced free agent, while the White Sox traded away one of their starters.
The Cubs signed Ted Lilly to a 4-year, $40 million deal — with Jim Hendry in the hospital, no less! "Jim was hooked up to an EKG machine, and we got it done," Lilly's agent explained. Hendry had been admitted to the hospital for chest pain and was expected to remain overnight.
As for Lilly, the Cubs' new $10 million-a-year arm went 15-13 for Toronto last season, compiling a 4.32 ERA in 181.2 innings of work. For his career, he's 59-58 with a 4.60 ERA. That ERA is over the league average ERA of 4.56 over the course of his career — meaning a below-average pitcher can now command an 8-figure salary! Wouldn't it have been better and cheaper to simply have offered Greg Maddux an entension rather than trading him?
Not to be outdone by a guy in a hospital bed, Sox GM Kenny Williams also made a big deal on Wednesday by trading Freddy Garcia to the Philadelphia Phillies for pitchers Gavin Floyd and Gio Gonzalez. What!?! Who are these guys he got in return for a pitcher who won 31 games over the past two seasons? One went 4-3 with a 7.29 ERA in 11 starts with the Phillies last season before being sent to the minors. Gonzalez is a minor leaguer that the Sox sent to the Phillies as part of the Aaron Rowand for Jim Thome trade.
Despite much speculation that the Sox were trying to bring Aaron Rowand back to the team, he wasn't included in the deal. Had he been, then maybe it would have made more sense. With the huge demand for pitching this offseason — see Lilly's huge deal — that's the best Williams could get for Garcia? A guy who will pitch 200 innings and win 15 games, year in, year out? The only apparent benefit to this trade now is that it frees up a few million in salary.
Does this big salary dump mean that Kenny's got something else in the works? Say, a trade for Vernon Wells along with a contract extension? Andruw Jones? Manny Ramirez? Alex Rodriguez? Because otherwise we don't understand why you would make such a trade.
We'd rather see the team go out there with a real chance to make the World Series in 2007 even if it means they might lose some players to free agency after the season. Without a bold move to improve the club, this just looks like the Sox tightening belts and deciding to focus on money over competing. While we have never failed to be amazed by Kenny Williams in the past, his and Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf's comments sound like they're waving the white flag on the cost of pitching.
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While I don't like the arrogance displayed by Kenny Williams, Gavin Floyd and Gio Gonzalez are MAJOR talents. Floyd may never be the star everyone predicted him to be, but Gonzalez certainly has the ability to be.
I would have preferred to see Vazquez go - but he didn't give up more than 3 runs in eight of out his last ten games of the year. I just hope they know what they're doing.
Kenny is up to something, I hope.
Hey, Garcia and Buehrle are both free agents soon, and you might as well get something in return, but prospects? When they could use a centerfielder? Man, I wish Rowand was back in this deal...
A Vernon Wells trade would fall into the "dumberer" category. There's not doubt he's a great talent and I would kill to have him on the Cubs but his agents will without a doubt be seeking a long-term, $20 million/per year deal for this guy. The Sox can't afford him so trading away Mark Buehrle and Brian Anderson for a summer rental would be the worst idea in the history of mankind.
nmpkm, I'd much rather have Garcia and Buehrle and be able to compete in 2007 than worry about losing them next season. There are so many variables that could impact the team's ability to compete then -- do everything you can to win when the window of opportunity is there.
I agree that the "window" is closing fast for the Sox, but we have more starters than we know what to do with (like that's ever a bad thing) and Buehrle REALLY phoned it in the second half last year. People on the inside kept speculating that he got his ring and wanted to get his chance to pitch for his hometown Cardinals.
I'm fine with the starters we got, but not fine with some of the crazy moves I've heard rumored. Vernon Wells? A-Rod? Ew...
benjy wrote:
"what!?!"
my sentiments exactly. with freddie onboard [or a trade of freddie for an established player, like rowand or A Rod or Dave Roberts or V Wells] the sox were a contender to be back in the post-season in 2007. with the addition of these two guys, it seems kenny wants to be back in the world series -- in 2009.
I've tried to put good spin on it, but the Sox trade really does stink of "rebuilding."
I also wish folks would stop worrying about CF (BA is a mad pimp, just ask the RedEye poll. His D is also solid, and his production is better than Pods. Left field is the position that needs work (and SS).
Kenny Williams is probably targeting a 2009 World Series...he knows that there are some financial limitations he's under. While the Sox are by no means on a small-market budget, they can't spend extravagantly either. They're rebuilding some parts of the team with younger, inexpensive players who they hope will develop into full-blown talents in a few years.
erik, BA's "mad pimp"-edness in the Red Eye is due to some girls from the south side who don't know any better getting a crush on him because of how he looks and not on how he plays (see "Johnny Damon" and "Boston area schoolgirls circa 2003"). I'd kill to get Aaron "So Gritty I'd Run Through A Wall And Break My Nose To Make The Play" Rowand back.
I think Mike is right about 2009, though. I'm sad to see Freddy go.
As per Cubs fans, you gotta feel good about any deal made when the GM is undergoing a major medical procedure, right gang? :-)
A few comments on your skepticism of the Lilly deal:
1. Starting pitchers don't come cheap.
2. It's not as if the Cubs had a powerhouse staff going into the offseason (Zambrano, Hill, Marshall, and the Human Question Mark formerly known as Prior, etc).
3. He compiled those "average" stats pitching in the toughest division of the AL (East). Move him to the NL Central, and have him pitch vs. the Pirates (etc) and he should look even better.
Who knew so many sox fans owned computers? Is WebTV a good service?
Hey, the Cubs needed a solid lefty. And Lilly is as solid as it gets these days, but wow, $40 Mil? MLB GM's collectively have lost their mind.
Also, can anyone settle an arguement with a Cubs fan friend of mine. He was hurt the Cubs sprung so much for Lilly when for a couple of million more they could have gone after Zito. I thought Zito would be a terrible fit for the Cubs (A Flyball pitcher in Wrigley?) and would just dig the Cubs deeper into monetary hell.
But what do I know, I'm a Sox fan and haven't been paying attention to the National League for a while.
I'm sicking of hearing about overspending and stupid deals. While I don't necessarily like the current state of the free agent market, there's nothing we can do about it. If the Cubs decided to "take a stand" and refuse to pay outrageous amounts of money for players, some other team will. Then the Cubs will be in the same place they were last year.
chi why so snarky toward Sox fans? Does it have anything to do with the Cubs not winning a World Series in over 100 years?
Hey now, NSH, the last two World Series champions are the White Sox and Cardinals. And that to finishing DFL in the "powerhouse" division that is the NL Central, and well... Cubs fans can't help but to feel snarky.
Let him heal, NSH. Let him heal.
nmpkm, I agree. I don't think BA's an All Star (my man crush on the Greatest American Hero notwithstanding), but I think he's less of a concern than Pods or maybe Uribe. We have some options for each (do we have Cintron for next year in case Juan "I refuse to let you walk me" finds a way to get thrown in jail during the off-season?), but I think that CF should be well down the list of our concerns.
I still stick by Anderson's 2nd half numbers.
While I'd have loved to see Rowand back, I question what made that deal fall through and who/what else the Sox were giving up/getting.
As it stands for 2007, the deal has to be evaluated as to Garcia against McCarthy. Floyd will be at most a mid-reliever (though given our bullpen needs, a decent pickup) and Gonzalez has a ton of upside in a few years.
Yes, he was picking up pieces for the future and "rebuilding" but it was either McCarthy went or one of the starters, because McCarthy did not function well out of the pen last year, and is not going back to the minors.
I don't hate the trade for 2007 provided McCarthy steps into being a big-game pitcher. Would have preferred Vazquez go though.
Still need to do something about the outfield situation though, or pray Podsednik somehow turns into a leadoff hitter.
I heard Bonds might be available
NSH-- You should see if that fancy WebTv machine you have came loaded with a calculator program.
chi your right the cubs last won the World Series in 1908, I was thinking it was 1906 but that was when the Sox beat them, my bad.
I'd say you'll have to wait a couple more weeks before commenting on what the White Sox are up to. I'll bet they have other deals to come and it's too early to call this a good or bad trade. They are saving about $10 million, which I think will go to cover another player that is not here yet.
Bonds has always been a White Sock in his heart
Bill V, True... Kenny Williams loves him some roster moves. And this could give him a chance to find a lead off guy and/or shortstop erik mentioned.
I love Podzilla at the second spot, not so much in the lead off.
Also, I heard Sosa is available. He loves baseball berry, berry much.
nm, i read yesterday Oz wants to move pods to the 9 spot, opening up some kind of hole for a future lead off hitter, while making no mention of where Brian Anderson will be batting.
Lead off centerfielder hmmm I wonder who he has in mind?
Ricky Henderson thinks that Ricky Henderson can still compete and then Ricky Henderson can help the White Sox with it's lead-off problems. Ricky Henderson.