The Chicago White Sox have acquired lead-off hitter Juan Pierre from the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to Yahoo! Sports. The Sox are reportedly sending minor leaguers John Ely and Jon Link to the Dodgers, who are said to be picking up roughly half of the $18.5 million left on Pierre's contract. Pierre is signed through 2011.
White Sox Acquire Juan Pierre for 2 Prospects
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Ely was a third-round pick for the White Sox in 2007 out of Miami, Ohio, but he's a local kid (Homewood-Flossmoor). Ely is thought to have mediocre stuff, but he makes up for it with his craftyness and mental approach. Still, if anything, he projects as a long-reliever or a No. 4/5 starter.
Unlike Ely, Link is a hard thrower with great stuff that the Sox were once high on as a potential set-up guy, but mediocre command, a velocity dip this past season, and his age (25) has changed that.
Filling in for Manny Ramirez, in 145 games and 380 at bats with the Dodgers, Pierre batted .308 with a .365 OBP, 27 walks, 27 strikeouts and 30 stolen bases. The White Sox will surely take those numbers, but they came in limited playing time and Pierre hasn't played full-time since 2007. In 2007, he batted .293 with a .331 OBP, 24 doubles, 8 triples, 33 walks, 37 strikeouts and 64 stolen bases. Again, numbers the Sox will happily take from their leadoff hitter.
Pierre is a sure bet to leadoff, but where he plays is to be decided. He's best suited for left, but has spent time in center. It's a matter of what defensive combo the Sox like best: Pierre (LF), Rios (CF), Quentin (RF), or Quentin (LF), Pierre (CF), Rios (RF)?
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70 Comments
Jason Gage said:
ESPN is reporting that it will be two prospects who could pitch in 2010.
My guess is it will be two of the following:
Kyle McCulloch
Sergio Santos (less likely)
Johnny Nunez
John Link
Lucas Harrel
Carlos Torres
Cleveland Santeliz
Brandon Hynick
I would be okay losing any two of those guys, given the amount of cash the Sox will be getting in return. Pierre is the safest bet out of the leadoff hitters the Sox were looking at.
I will admit though, I really really liked the idea of Gardner. Hopefully Kenny has the resources to spend $5M or so on a DH. I'd be looking long and hard at Vlad Guerrero.
Mario Scalise said:
I like this, assuming the minor leaguers aren't too important. Pierre isn't a stat-friendly player, but he can hit and he can run, two things the sox have little of.
Jason Gage said:
Sox will be giving up Ely and Link. Both are solid prospects, Ely being the better of the two. But neither are high impact prospects.
Nice deal Kenny and from the Dodgers perspective, its a rock solid deal. Ely is a crafty righty whose stuff doesn't excite scouts but production does and Link is a power righty whose stuff excites scouts but production and command, not so much.
RobBaird said:
According to foxsports.com's Jon Paul Morosi it is Jon Link and John Ely.
Jason Gage said:
Yep, not too bad. Ely is a low-upside guy with a decent probability of being a 5th starter. That is valuable, but given the cash the Sox got, an acceptable guy to give.
Link is a guy with good stuff, but not so great of command and not enough secondary stuff, imo. I think the deal was very fair for both teams and things should get interesting now as Kenny has the rest of the off-season to get his "big bat".
I'm told he's working on something big right now, but we'll see if they can get it done.
jrobin1434 said:
What does your gut say...what are you thinking?
Jason Gage said:
My gut says the Sox will knock on the door of quite a few guys and if Kenny gets a guy via trade it will likely be someone we haven't really discussed.
I think he's going to be turning over every stone and I think he's got an idea of who he wants, it might not be possible though and at that point he's going to move onto to other things.
He might get backed into a corner at some point and that is when you'll see him turn to the Glaus, Delgado, Vladdy, etc whom are available on the FA market. Vladdy would probably be the best fit and he's still got a few years left of above average offense.
Jason Gage said:
Kenny is apparently working on a bigger move. We'll see if it materializes, but we are told it would be another bat.
Jason Gage said:
I agree with you Mario, I think the Sox would take those 2007 numbers. Ideally it would be nice to have a little higher batting average, but the stolen base numbers and solid average would be more than adequate for the top spot.
I also love that this move will prevent the club from having to use Beckham at the top of the order.
Mario Scalise said:
I assume you mean higher OBP. On-base percentage is nice, but I feel more comfortable with a .300 average in the leadoff spot, because you have to show an ability to hit. I'm curious to see how many pitches Pierre sees an at bat.
anthony s said:
Juan Pierre sucks
Mario Scalise said:
You should write a book. So smart, eloquent and well-spoken. You convinced me!
JimH. said:
Mario, be careful. Based on this response, one could surmise you have a quick temper and are prone to hurl putdowns.
Just kidding.
JimH. said:
This is a decent move and it solves the leadoff hole. Is Pierre perfect, no he's not, but he's a good player who does a lot of things that won't show up in Kalapse's StatStation II.
If the propects are Ely and Link, that's fine. I like Ely and think he will pitch in the big leagues. He has a very high effort delivery though. So, for his sake I hope he stays healthy. Link is nothing special but he may bounce up and down for a few years.
I totally agree that Kenny is not done yet. An impact bat is an obvious next step. Don't be surprised if someone unexpected gets traded from the White Sox.
Then when all the dust settles they'll deal with the backup catcher spot and decide if it'll be Flowers or if they'll sign Redmond.
Mario Scalise said:
With all the vets they are adding and them still lacking some power, I'd like for them to have Flowers up on the roster.
JimH. said:
I don't completely disagree and see your point and I think KW is considering it too.
The flip side is this. They have a great starting staff and expect to win. Redmond, even at 38, is outstanding defensively. The guy is a sure fire future manager and he can help squeeze everything out of a pitching staff. He is outstanding at handling pitchers.
Further, he know the Twins inside and out, he knows the Central, and very frankly he knows the White Sox. He would be an underrated but very valuable addition. There's a reason why Guillen wants him.
Mario Scalise said:
Good point.
RobBaird said:
What about Lyle Overbay of the Blue Jays? Could the White Sox be in talks with them to acquire him. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN said that the Jays could be looking to trade him since they sent one of the prospects that they got from Philly to Oakland for prospect Brett Wallace 3B/1B/DH type.
Mario Scalise said:
I think I'd be fine with someone like Overbay. Another left-handed bat ... wouldn't solve the hole in the middle of the lineup, but it would give the Sox a solid lineup 1-9, which could be all they need with the rotation.
Jeff Buchanan said:
If Pierre can stay at his 2009 level then this won't be too bad (can't believe I said that). However if he reverts back to his '05/'06/'07/'08 level, which is quite likely, then just shoot me, because you know he'll be leading off every single day.
Mario Scalise said:
Yes, Sox fans everywhere should kill themselves because Juan Pierre is leading off ... GMAFB. The guy's a career .300 hitter ... never in the history of baseball has that not been good for a hitter.
JimH. said:
Mario, good for you. you're getting a little bit of my "edge"!!
Seriously though. It doesn't surprise me that the only ones who hate this deal are the stat heads. It's as predictable as the sun rising in the east.
Pierre is far from perfect, as the stats types are quick to point out. But he adds a lot to the team as anyone who has seen him play with any consistency knows. Jason Gage is out there in the LA area, he has seen Pierre a lot. Pierre is a decent pickup, given the cost and what he'll contribute. He's a pro's pro who shows up every day, works hard, and adds value.
But I will not argue with the stats lovers on this one because they have their stats and that's that. No hard feelings.
Mario Scalise said:
Pierre is definitely far from perfect. Average defense, no arm, zero power, not getting younger. I have no idea what the advanced stats are, but I would bet they suggest he doesn't generate enough offense, but 30% of the time the guy will get a hit ... and in his career, he's done that in every situation. Lefties, righties, home, away, april, may, june...etc. I want to know what I'm getting from the leadoff hitter. With Pierre, I think the Sox will know what they are getting day in and day out. No different than Pods last year. Every game, every opponent, every pitcher faced, Podsednik was consistent. As long as Pierre can do the same, not strikeout, and steal some bases, I'm happy.
Jeff Buchanan said:
He didn't hit .300 in any of those seasons listed. He OBP'd .331 or lower in all if those seasons listed. He wOBA'd .319 or lower in all of those seasons listed.
Any way you want to try and stretch it he was not a good hitter over that four year period, and you want to lead him off? GMAFB. Don't be fooled by his '09 season, the chances of him repeating it while moving to the tougher American League are slim. Expect him to revert back to his -7 runs above replacement level of offense.
There is a very strong chance that Juan Pierre is the worst hitter on this team next year and so giving him the most PA's on the team would be a completely, 100%, illogical decision.
Mario Scalise said:
In 2005, only 21 guys in the entire majors had more hits than him. In 2006, only four guys. In 2007, only eight guys. Does that make him great? No, I never said that, but that's impressive enough to not think the guy is a total waste as you suggest.
JimH. said:
Mario ... forget it ... you've been wOBA'd.
Mario Scalise said:
Your quick temper and putdowns sure aggravate me, but at least we think a like.
JimH. said:
Don't get aggravated Mario. It's not a quick temper, it's built on years of inconsistent treatment at SoxTalk, and I know many of the perpetrators read here, unless they're in class or adjusting their backwards baseball cap or something.
Any putdowns are more than well deserved. Especially if they are directed at Fathom.
See Mario? It's all your fault. You opened a can of worms and now my quick temper and putdowns have come to the forefront. :-) You know how Bridgeport guys are.
Anyways ... I'm anxious to see the next move. I would guess a trade vs. a free agent signing. To me the only one on the FA market who makes sense would be Vlad but his health is in question.
Mario Scalise said:
I liked Vlad ... the "d" being the key letter. His age and playoff struggles make him less attractive.
Jason Gage said:
I think you are right, the team is looking at the trade market to address its "biggest need".
I also got a feeling it is going to be someone we haven't really talked about.
Vladdy also makes sense, but I think that is the clubs fall-back plan, plus Vladdy isn't ready to sign for less than 6M yet and the Sox aren't going to give him more than that, imo.
JimH. said:
Yes, totally agree. I think it will be someone in trade, someone the fanbase wasn't expecting or hasn't speculated on.
As for Vlad, I also agree he's a fallback plan. Vlad and Guillen are tight, but I do not see Vlad taking a cut rate deal either. Plus he wants to play some OF on a make good deal so he can set himself up for another contract. He's sitting on 409 HR's, he wants 500 as anyone in his position would, and he knows it'll take about 3+ years to reach it.
Jason Gage said:
Vladdy won't take it now, but a month from now when he is still looking for work, he'll be much more willing to accept a deal with a reasonable base-pay with incentives that will push him into the 7-8M a season range.
At that point, he'll be the guy Kenny uses as leverage. And in the instance the Sox trade Quentin to get Kenny's guy, than Vladdy might fit the bill than too.
It will be interesting to see what happens. Kenny has a lot of time to work on one hole and plenty of options.
Jason Gage said:
Of course if they deal Q for a bonafide stud, you might even see the club go with Flowers as the full-time DH.
Probably a crazy un-realistic idea, but the Sox like Flowers a lot.
Jeff Buchanan said:
Anyone who takes batting average over wOBA is either ignorant, uninformed or just completely lacking in baseball knowledge.
JimH. said:
Hey Stats Buchanan, anyone who has "wOBA" in their daily vocabulary is a stats geek.
See? Two can play the "I'm so much smarter than anyone else" game.
So which one are you at SoxTalk?
Mario Scalise said:
I have never been called ignorant, uninformed, or thought to lack complete baseball knowledge. Why have people been lying to me all these years?
Here is the problem I have with OBP (not to say I don't like the stat, just that I have one issue with it) ... a walk is contingent on a pitcher throwing four pitches outside the strike zone and the batter not swinging at them. BA is about the batter actually hitting the ball. At the end of the day, while I definitely want a guy that has a good eye and can take a walk, I'd much rather have a guy that can hit the ball, because the good pitchers don't throw balls. When you're facing good pitchers, you need to hit the ball. A batters ability to draw a walk means a whole lot less against good pitching then a guy with the ability to get a hit.
Again, I'm not saying OBP or wOBP is stupid. It definitely has a place in the game and I definitely take it into account, but it's a stat soley based on the pitcher making a mistake. The weaker the pitcher, chances are the worse the control, the more likely a walk is to occur.
Racking up more hits than 90% of the players in the game isn't good? I always thought it was.
Jason Gage said:
Very good counter-point mario. I tend to agree with you and I think it is important to weigh stats with other important notions.
None of us are saying Pierre is great, he certainly has his limitations, but some people call him one of the most feable baseball players in the game and that just isn't the case.
Jeff Buchanan said:
Good pitchers throw balls and good pitchers walk batters. A.J. Burnett, Yovni Gallardo, Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Ubaldo Jimenez, Matt Garza, Carlos Zambrano, Andy Pettite, Jair Jurrjens, Matt Cain, John Danks and Felix Hernandez all finished in the top 20 for BB's issued this year. They all issued over 70 walks and they're all good pitchers and some are very good pitchers.
"The weaker the pitcher, chances are the worse the control, the more likely a walk is to occur."
The weaker the pitcher, chances are the worse the stuff, the more likely a hit is to occur.
A hit is better than a walk, I'm not arguing that fact. OBP as a whole, however, IS more valuable than batting average. It has been proven that OBP holds a much stronger correlation to runs scored than BA, just like OPS holds a stronger correlation than OBP and the same for wOBA over OPS.
My "Anyone who takes batting average over wOBA is either ignorant, uninformed or just completely lacking in baseball knowledge." statement may have been a little extreme, but in your case Mario, you do fall into the uninformed category. You proved this with "wOPB". It's wOBA, and contrary to what you seem to think, it is not OBP or a variant of OBP. You shrug wOBA aside in favour of BA, yet you have no idea what wOBA is. Do you not see a problem with that?
Mario Scalise said:
wOPB was a typo. I'm aware of it to an extent, but I spend and have spent too much time around a baseball field and watching the game to know the exact formula of some of these statistics. It doesn't change the fact that BA is meant strictly for hitting the ball, which is what I value more than you. I'm not arguing Pierre's Hall of Fame status, just your thinking that he's such a horrible hitter despite racking up more hits than 90% of the players in the game in a span where you said he was especially bad. I don't get your thinking on that. There are players I don't like but at the end will respect to an extent for their ability to hit the ball.
As for walks ... perhaps I should have chosen my words more carefully, but it could be that good pitchers will walk batters because they have more opportunities to walk batters.
Again, I'm not arguing that Pierre is great or that OBP and wOBA are useless ... it's a matter of opinion. Having watched, covered, instructed and coached thousands of games at several levels, I have my opinion of a player's value ... much of it is based on what see combined with some numbers that I feel are important. You have your reasoning.
I respectfully disagree, although you calling me uninformed ... kinda pisses me off seeing that you believe Pierre is a bad offensive player because wOBA told you so. I'll stop here before I say something I'll regret.
SHollingsworth said:
This is as good an acquisition that could have been made for the White Sox.. Period. $3 -5 million a year for Pierre, even giving up Ely and Link is an A+ move on Williams part.
Pierre is a very good leadoff hitter (filling the Sox's biggest need); he bats LH (adding balance to the lineup); he is the best bunter in the game; he is the best basestealer in the game; forget the weak arm stuff -he's a good LF, getting to a lot of balls (as good as Pods or better). GMAFB 3 - 6 year old stats?
Why don't you quit reducing things to meaningless, overly-analytical numbers and watch the players play the game.
Jeff Buchanan said:
Overly analytical, I like that.
I'm not sure what the basis for your "he is the best basestealer in the game" argument is, but I can tell you with great certainty that it is incredibly flawed. His 74.47% SB success rate over the last two years gives him a positive net value, but it is a very small amount (roughly 1 run*). There are a lot of players who are better basestealers than Pierre.
*calculated using The Book's run values by event
Jason Gage said:
Chris Getz might not be a better base-stealer in his career than Pierre but he was more effective than Pierre last season.
JimH. said:
Yes and no. His success % was better. However, when a good basestealer runs a lot, it puts lots of pressure on the pitcher and the defense. It might not pay off in the 1st inning when a guy gets thrown out, but it may well pay off later when you have a pitcher groove a fastball because he doesn't want Pierre (or any basestealer for that matter) running in a tight game.
Of course, that's something statistical analysis won't reveal, but it's a very real part of baseball reality.
Just presenting the other side to your comments Jason.
SHollingsworth said:
uhhuh. leads active players.
JimH. said:
Post more, you make sense. Of course Stats Buchanan will VORP-alyze your response to death.
Jeff Buchanan said:
Not a big of VORP actually.
Mike Thomas said:
Great deal. Kenny strikes again. I wish spring training started today.
JimH. said:
The wild guesses have begun, SoxTalkers are speculating Prince Fielder. Raining on that parade, Prince is a Boras client.
I also think it'll be someone who can add at least something defensively. Not saying a top notch defensive player but a guy who won't totally hurt you out there.
Here's a name I've thrown out before, an under the radar type. Conor Jackson of the DBacks. Somewhat undervalued, could replace Konerko after 2010, good average and OBP guy. Just a thought. Doesn't seem likely give the DBacks needs but who knows. I do know KW likes him, a lot.
Jason Gage said:
Jackson would be a good get. There is also speculation that the Sox are talking about moving Carlos Quentin in a big deal.
I could see that making sense if they could package Quentin (whom they'd clearly have reservations about health wise) in a deal for a budding star. I'm talking a Matt Kemp/Andre Ethier type.
More or less, a pipe-dream of mine since I gush over Kemp/Ethier.
jrobin1434 said:
There are alot of possible things KW are doing right now, and I have being trying to think outside the box on what he might do...This is my thought...
Aubrey Huff- A very underated player, but might not do us any good at the 3rd or 4th spot.
Nick Markakis- If Quentin is in the deal and a good prospect like Hudson or Danks, who knows...
Tony Pena- He is getting up there in age and who knows what direction T.B. wants to go in.
Josh Hamilton-This would be hard to see, but you never know depending on what Texas thinks.
Hanley Ramirez- This one is really interesting, because you hear his name being brought up occasionaly with Red Sox. Could you imagine, Beckham at third, Ramirez and Ramirez SS and 2nd and Teahan DH?
Ryan Zimmerman- Big stretch, but fantastic player. Nationals would never give him up...you wouldn't think.
Prince Fiedler- This one might be a toss up. I can see it happening for some reason, and I think he would look great in a Sox uniform.
MY GUT FEELING, BUT A LONG SHOT-Lance Berkman- Would do wonders at the DH position and Houston needs to dump some salaray. KW loves his play and was impressed how he lead Houston in '05. This might be a double take for the Sox as well, because if Paulie is in the trade, we still might have 1st base open, and a small contract to Nick Johnson would not be bad. That would have a good middle of the line up and very competitive team in the Central.
Free Agents
Delgado-power lefty
Vlad-Would be good fit
Tejada-Don't put it past Kenny(has hit 3rd before)
Nick Johnson-Would put up almost same production offensively and defensively and Konerko.
Jason Gage said:
While it is unlikely the Sox will grab most of those names, it is likely that Kenny will contact the respected clubs about many of those guys.
He has a lot of time to kick the tires around and fill a need. I see where Ozzie is saying he is ok with Kotsay/Jones at DH, but to me that is unacceptable. The club has too many other offensive weaknesses to break camp with those two as DH's.
Kotsay is a nice bench player, but he can't handle a ton of at bats and be sucessful and Andruw Jones has been pretty poor for a couple years in a row now. He can be solid and maybe he breaks out but to rely on those guys would be a mistake.
And Vizquel should only be looked at to backup in the infield. It is his defense, bunting and baserunning, not his bat, so there is no reason to ever really use him at DH.
Jason Gage said:
I should point out, the Sox front office tends to distance themselves from giving Ozzie too much info so I think they would rather keep him a bit out of the loop.
Oz tends to have loose lips and that goes against Kenny's MO. While the quotes from the front office are scary if true, they are most likely GM speak and the team will have a better option at DH come the start of the 2010 season.
JimH. said:
Another good post. I don't agree with everything you said but it's well thought out.
Interesting you bring up Miguel Tejada.
soxsider said:
Beckham would be gone in about half of those trades and i do not see him leaving town any time soon
Jason Gage said:
Beckham is as untouchable as a Sox could get. The guy is going to be the face of the franchise if all goes right.
SHollingsworth said:
Hmm. Moving Quentin or Konerko doesn't make sense for 2010. 2011? More sense, at least with trying to replace Konerko's production. I would not be at all surprised if Guillen's DH pool idea is the way the Sox go into 2010, picking up a DH, if needed, at the deadline. The rest of this offseason - probably a veteran catcher; maybe a LH RP?; and, depending on Jenks' arbitration $$$, maybe a trade for another RP or two for the back end of the bullpen.
Jason Gage said:
Moving Konerko could make sense, if the club could get out from under his contract. They could easily use his money on other players who they could get more production from. The problem is his contract is impossible to get out of without sending cash the other way and in that instance the Sox are probably better off keeping him.
In the case of Quentin I personally think it would be pretty foolish to trade him, unless you are getting a budding star who is cheap and under contract. Quentin is cheap, has MVP potential, is a hard worker, and is supposedly in tremendous shape. Did I mention again that he's cheap and under team control for a few more seasons.
I expect the Sox to wait till May or June and than extend Quentin (unless of course they trade him). He's going to have a monster 2010.
Mario Scalise said:
It seems like people are seeing two options:
- Sox go with a pool of current players as their DH.
- Sox sign a DH.
How about both? My hope is that a firstbaseman/outfielder/thirdbaseman is brought in which will allow the Sox to use a pool of players at the DH spot. Just because the Sox are saying they don't want the DH spot consumed by one player doesn't mean they aren't looking for another bat.
JimH. said:
There you go. This is almost exactly what I've been saying. They are a little weak in terms of backup IF as it stands now, seeing as it's only Vizquel. They do have guys who can play 1B - Konerko/Kotsay and even Jones has played 1B, as has Teahan. They have reasonably good depth in OF.
But yes, a guy who can play 3B and possibly a couple other positions and offers a decent bat would be welcome and it would fit what Ozzie is trying to accomplish (not that I totally agree with him). Right now, that guy is Jayson Nix. Can they upgrade? I hope so.
Here's the other fly in the ointment. Ozzie wants a guy on the bench who can pinch run. Nix, while not a speed merchant, can do that. To be frank, I cringe at Nix getting a lot of AB's as DH though. He's a dead pull hitter who doesn't use the whole field and he strikes out a lot.
There has been some chatter that Nix has been working hard to change his approach. Hit for better contact, use the whole field, and so on. I have my doubts whether he can do it or not. Further, as a 3B he's a good 2nd baseman. The question is, can they upgrade? Is there the right guy out there who fits and is affordable? Those are the questions they are debating.
The other option of course is to sign a true DH and just go with Vizquel as a sole backup IF.
Mario Scalise said:
Yep. I'd love if they could find themselves another third baseman. Only concern would be that Teahen would be more comfortable finally having a set position, but that position could also be right, with Quentin and Pierre sharing both LF and DH. No matter how they do it, a third baseman would give them so much more flexibility, which is what Guillen wants.
jesox38 said:
Out of all the names thrown out, what about adam dunn coming to the southside? I dont know what the Nats would want, but he is an automatic 45 HRs. Im assuming Konerko would be moved if this happened, or maybe not? W
Mario Scalise said:
Not a Dunn fan, but considering how the offense looks as of right now, he wouldn't hurt.
Jeff Buchanan said:
I would love to get Dunn but I just don't think it's realistic. He makes $12m in '10, and from what has been said, that appears out of our price range.
Moving Konerko would give Kenny some more flexibility but I don't think there would be much/any interest. He's old, expensive and just not that productive any more.
Jason Gage said:
I'm not Dunn's biggest fan and Dunn clearly has some flaws to his game, but if the Nats were to send cash the Sox way I'd be completely on board.
The Sox could use a big-bat in the middle to supply some power and Dunn would be one of the better options.
I'd still put the odds on that happening at about 1-3%.
JimH. said:
I agree Jason, I think the odds of Dunn are zero. He makes a ton of $ and there's no reason for the Nationals to want to send cash. Their payroll isn't huge and they need to be more competitive.
Plus, with Dunn you have the K's. A lot of them. Yes he adds power and OBP but the White Sox are trying to move away from all those K's.
Here's what's interesting ... KW's comments indicate he's not quite on the same page with Ozzie in regards to this DH situation. KW feels they need another LH bat in the middle of the order. They may well get one, your sources Jason indicate KW is trying hard to swing a deal. On the other hand, Ozzie seems reasonably content with the team as is, although I know for a fact he prefers Redmond over Tyler Flowers (for 2010).
Balance all this with Ozzie's desire for speed off the bench (which I agree with) and it makes for a very interesting roster dilemna.
SHollingsworth said:
Offensively, it would be great if we could acguire Dunn and move Konerko to DH.
But, due to the Sox' 2010 budget, I think your assumption that Konerko would have to be moved to another team is probably correct. And, I could live with that (their contracts are probably very similar) - Dunn would definitely help the team.
Hopefully, Williams could find a trading partner that wants Kong *and* has something the Nats want . . . well that doesn't sound too likely though.
I am not necessarily a Nix fan but don't underestimate the value of a utility player that can competently play both IF and OF positions. Throw in his speed and baserunning ability (at least as a late inning factor); and, you have someone who can help the team in many ways.
bluz1st said:
When singles start turning into doubles and the base paths turn into a merry-go-round you will not be saying forget the weak arm stuff. Once the Sox opponents see this guy in left (or, gulp, center) they will all try running on him....and more often than not, they will be successful.
JimH. said:
No question that's the downside to Juan Pierre. And yes it will be frustrating at times. It would be nice to have 3 guys with top notch arms in the OF but it seems that's never in the cards for almost all teams.
But yeah, there is no question teams know they can run on Pierre. When Pierre played for the Cubs in the Crosstown series in 2006 the White Sox were always challenging his arm.
Mario Scalise said:
Both points are true, but looking at outfield arms across baseball the past few years, I think you can get away running on most guys ... and by that I don't mean arm strength but accuracy. Today's outfielders are fundamentally poor and erratic.
Jason Gage said:
Clubs ran on Pods all the time too. I'm not saying it is a reason why we should accept Juan's poor arm but he does do plenty of good things to. He has a lot of flaws to his game, they are well documented, but around the right combination of players, Pierre can be solid, imo.
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