He looks kinda like a beached sea-creature here...I should know better than to second-guess KW's wheeling and dealing after the success of his last few moves (Ramirez, Quentin, Danks, Floyd...etc), but I can't help feeling that something bad is about to happen (Chris Carter part deux).
The Sox are reportedly shopping Javier Vasquez and Nick Swisher this winter. Swisher apparently had a "problem with his swing" that wasn't discovered until midseason and would take the offseason to work out (read: he will hit better this year). Hitting aside, Swisher is versatile, switch-hits, plays most of the field relatively well (and would be a fine fill in at 1B if Konerko goes to the Angels after all), and sees a lot of pitches. He could be much better next season, and could show more of the promise he had in Oakland - especially in our hitter-friendly ballpark. Oh, and did I mention that his contract is fantastic?
Vasquez, on the other hand, is on the downslope of his career. You can't expect him to turn in a Cy Young performance next year, but at the same time, he gets 200 IP and 200 K every year. That's really, REALLY consistent performance from someone who would likely be our #4 or #5 starter going into next year (Contreras may be back, and Richard showed he can play).
Well, we've got to do SOMEthing, right? This is Kenny we're talking about!
Here's my itinerary (call me crazy if you want):
#1. Trade Josh Fields. This guy is an accident waiting to happen. Low walk totals, high K's, bad fielding, and one-dimensional power are NOT what the Sox need right now. If he starts next year, imagine Brian Anderson on roids, but without the fielding ability. The few times he fully connects with the ball will probably leave the park, but how many times will he K on the breaking ball? Fields' value is probably the highest it will get barring big-league success, and he may net us something useful. As long as it isn't Willy Taveras...
#2. DO NOT GET WILLY TAVERAS. I cannot stress this enough. What the hell would Willy do for us? Yeah, he's fast. Whoop-de-do. He's not exactly a consistent hitter or particularly great CF. I would much rather let Anderson try and develop another year than have Willy get out at the top of the order every game. Hell, let DeWayne Wise play. Just please, please, PLEASE don't overpay for this sack of shit. Years of Fantasy Baseball will tell you all you need to know about Mr. 1-Dimensional.
#3. Let Paulie for Figgins Happen. I love Paulie as much as the next completely heterosexual baseball fan, but he's not the same guy anymore. Assuming that Texeira is gone, the Angels will need another big bopper in the lineup. Chone Figgins plays the infield (we need a 3B or 2B), has great speed (we like that), gets on base (yay), and would probably work out well as a leadoff hitter. Granted, he has an injury history (and gets hurt with regularity), but he could be a big change to the team dynamic. Risks were made to be taken, right?
#4. Get More Bullpen Help. We need to do this every year, don't we? The only consistent members of the bullpen were Jenks (consistently Jenks-y), Thornton (consistently beasty, but can't go more than 1 inning), Linebrink (consistently hurt when we needed him most), and Dotel (consistently gave up the long ball in clutch situations). After those four, it's a crapshoot. Wassermann doesn't really impress me, and the concept of Boone Logan or any of the other temp fill-ins starting next year terrifies me. Get help!
Godspeed, Kenny. Godspeed.
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