Baseball roundtable

by Ricky O'Donnell on December 15 at 2:33PM

Only problem with this roundtable: needs more Bruce Paine. If nothing else, I think we might have been able to coax Cobra out of retirement to answer some Cubs questions.

Nice job by Arin coming up with some good questions about the Sox for me. Make sure to watch for my questions to C70 either later today or sometime tomorrow.

1. If Jermaine Dye is traded, what is the situation going to be in the outfield? Do you think that Kenny Williams would go after anyone in free agency to plug holes?

Yeah, if Dye is traded, the Sox have no choice but to sign a free agent. Ryan Sweeney and Aaron Cunningham - who were both dealt to your A's - could have been options had they not been part of head-scratching trades made in previous years. Bobby Abreau would be the ultimate, but I'm not sure if a) he would accept a two year contract, or b) that the Sox would be able to fit him under an increasingly tight budget anyways. Juan Rivera could be an option, and maybe Gabe Kapler or Eric Hinskie as well. But yeah: if Dye is traded, the pickings are going to be slim for corner outfielders after Abreau. If it happens, I just hope Kenny Williams can land a stud young pitcher. I'm not sure if Homer Bailey qualifies, though he might.

2. How long before Dayan Viciedo is in the starting lineup? Is he really only 19 years old? Do you think $10mil is reasonable for a kid that has never faced ML pitching?

A) I don't know, b) I don't know, c) yeah, it's is definitely reasonable. The contract Viciedo received - four years, $10 million - is huge for such a young kid that has never played in this country, but I am 100 percent cool with it. The way I look at it, the money is better spent on someone with a high ceiling who could develop into a force for years to come than on signing someone like Juan Uribe. I think Uribe signed a one-year, $5 contract last season; I'm very pleased part of that money is going to Viciedo, even if he never amounts to anything. Sometimes you have to take a risk, and giving a fat Cuban 19-year old that much money is one. But, even though using the money on a player like Uribe can be an asset as well - he was the Sox' best backup at three infield positions last season - I'd rather have them take a 'go big or go home' philosophy and hope they can find someone to fill Uribe's role through the minors.

3. Which one of the young arms is going to surprise this season? Who will be left out of the rotation?

I think the Sox are going to do something with the rotation, whether the player enters from a trade of Dye or Bobby Jenks, I'm not sure yet. I just can't see KW heading into the season with two gigantic question marks in the rotation. I've always sort have like Clayton Richard. If he's the Sox' fifth starter next season - and not the fourth - I think they'll be ok. I wouldn't expect him to turn into Gavin Floyd, but I think he can be a quality back of the rotation lefty.

4. Division thoughts? Best case and worst case scenarios?

Um, I have no idea, since this offseason is far from over. Though, as it stands right now, I think the Sox are unquestionably worse than they were last season. That may not be such a bad thing - if Tyler Flowers develops the way some expect, the Sox may have found themselves a longterm solution at catcher once AJ departs - but the trades of Javy and Swisher are going to sting a little this year. I'm not sure who's better in the AL Central, though. The Twins will be as feisty as ever, and if some if Detroit's starting pitchers bounce back, they can be really dangerous. The Indians still really scare me, too, though I'm not sure why after what they did last season.

5. If you were an umpire, who would you rather have in your face after a questionable call, Ozzie Guillen or Lou Pinella?

I'd rather have Oz in my face, just because he'd probably say something more intresting. Pinella isn't even all that firey anymore, I think he's just going through the motions at this point. Which reminds me: when Pinella eventually gets axed the Cubs really need to keep him on in the same role that Johnny Red Kerr currently occupies for the Bulls, that of the senile old man providing useless yet hilarious in game commentary. I really think Pinella has a future in that.

2 Comments | Leave a comment

Brian | December 16, 2008 1:49 AM | Reply

Hey Richouse, quick follow-up question for the roundtable.

Q: With Crede probably gone, is the 3B job Josh Fields' to lose? Is he still considered an upper-level prospect by the organization?

Rickhouse | December 16, 2008 3:38 PM | Reply

I loved Fields - to the point where I thought the Sox would be better with him than Crede as the opening day third baseman last year - but his stock really fell last year. He was awful in AAA, which isn't good when you're 26. He's also a bad defender. I think the job is his and I actually think he'll surprise some people this year. He's still got lots of power, and with little competition behind him at third, he should get every opportunity.

Baseball roundtable

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