Jose Criptreras

Get off my dang lawn! Friggin' kids!

After a successful 15-day stint on the DL, Contreras took a few steps off the sofa, got in a cab to U.S. Cellular, and promptly ruptured his achilles tendon after running from the mound to first base. My theory? He had just started to get into Mythbusters and didn't want to miss any of the new season.

More importantly, with Criptreras on the DL (again), we're looking for another starter. Rupturing the achilles likely puts Jose out for the entire year, including any playoff games that apply. Not only do the Sox need to make an immediate move to get a body into the rotation, they need to make a secondary move to shore up an exhausted - and ultimately lacking - bullpen. Amazingly, the Sox acted quickly, acquiring Horacio Ramirez from the Royals. Ramirez is having a good season (2.59 ERA, 0.90 WHIP), but we all know how trades with Kansas City for bullpen pitchers turn out. The Sox have sent both Boone Logan and Josh Fields to AAA, so there's two open spots even after Ramirez gets here (although one is expected to be filled by Crede when he gets off the DL).

That said, here are a few options:

#1. DJ Carrasco to the rotation, Sox call up Aaron Poreda to replace Carrasco's long-relief role. Probably the most likely solution (maybe not Poreda, but you get the idea). Carrasco has excelled in the long relief role, pitching almost a full start for Jose today, and has had great success. Calling up Poreda also gives the Sox a taste of whether or not Poreda can fill the long-relief role, give the bullpen some rest, and reward his dominance in AA.

#2. Sox call up Lance Broadway to fill 5th starter role. Clayton Richard didn't work out, so it's on to the next prospect. Broadway has been waiting for his chance for a while, and he could probably give himself a job for next season if he gets the job done here.

#3. Sox call up someone else in a taste-test role. Possible options include Justin Cassell (AAA), Wes Whisler (AAA), Mike Macdougal (HELL), Poreda, Richard, Charlie Haeger, Toma Ohka, Jack Egbert, or maybe even Jon Link (AA). We suddenly have a lot of options!

#4. Sox get another body off the wire. Options include old-school (Freddy Garcia, Esteban Loaiza) and new school (I hear Cedric Benson is available...)

One thing is for sure - Jose Contreras' contract is turning into one of the biggest clusterfuck moves EVER. At least we won't be calling up Dewon Day...

Lou's Not Done Yet

"And we're going to South Dakota and Oregon and Washington and Michigan. And then we're going to Washington, D.C. to take back the White House, Yeeeeeaaaaaargh!"

At this past week's Cubs Convention, Piniella told reporters that the Cubs had not renewed talks with the Orioles about acquiring Bedard or Roberts. Good! As much as I hate the Cubs, I would hate to see them do something as stupid as trade away their minor league system for another "one-shot winner takes all" season -- and Roberts isn't exactly a huge upgrade over DeRosa either. And it's not like the Cubs don't already have 7-8 starting pitchers to play with -- why splurge on everything this year and risk having nothing when new ownership takes over (and doesn't want to spend another $300 million to retain everyone)?

But apparently, Lou Piniella likes winning almost as much as he loves a Klondike bar -- and Lou loves his Klondike bars. Not about to be content, Piniella announced that he was actively looking to deal Matt Murton to try and get someone like Marlon Byrd.

WHY!?

Murton is actually a REALLY good fielder. If you would let Soriano play in the infield like he spent the first several years of his career doing, you would find that you would cut down on his gaffes in the outfield. Not only that, but Murton is a high average hitter that can really make pitchers sweat -- oh, and did I mention that he's still young?

This isn't like the David Kelton ceremonial jerk-off extravaganza that we put up with a few years back -- Murton is legit. I never needed a reason to hate the Cubs, but if they deal Murton just to free up space for an unproven, I think I might poop a little.

Kenny Williams Hasn’t Completely Ruined Us

"Uh huh…well, how much for a ZJ?”

As a lifelong Sox fan, I’m hearing lots of people question their allegiance to Kenny Williams. For bringing a World Series title home, Kenny and Ozzie probably should have earned some sort of immunity. Instead, after just a few moves in this offseason, you can only wonder what they’re thinking for next year.

If the Sox want to rebuild, that’s fine and I’m all for it. I would probably deal Thome for a prospect or two, and deal Konerko for a legit 2B and a chunk of prospects. I would trade Dye for cash and prospects, deal Crede for whatever you can get, and let Uribe’s contract expire. If we’re going to rebuild, you want to use the youngsters we have, and spend one or two years having your guys establish themselves.

Last I checked, we have four young guys who claim they can play the field (Owens, Sweeney, Quentin and Anderson), a seemingly youthful infield (Fields, Cabrera, Richar, and whatever prospect we bring up to play first), and a basic core of pitchers either proven or with serious potential (Buerhle, Vazquez, Contreras, Massett, Danks, Floyd). Not only that, but the Tigers and Indians have already established themselves as the cash cows and frontrunners for the next year or so. If there’s a time to start rebuilding, this is it.

Even so, the Sox could go the other way and make some big impact trades to acquire the missing puzzle pieces, like landing a big name FA outfielder or acquiring a legit 2B. We could try and compete this year, lay it all out on the line, and then rebuild next year if we tank again.

Instead, Kenny seems to be riding the fence. I don’t know who he was talking to at the winter meetings, or what he was talking about, but he needs to start taking some serious steps for next season. I’m not saying we need to acquire Juan Pierre and give him a pay raise like Uribe, but we need to do something.

Are the Bears so far out of playoff contention that I have to be worrying about this shit in December?

Sox Make "Blockbuster Deal" For Some Guy You've Never Heard Of

Recognize this guy? If you said yes, you're probably lying. The guy above is Carlos Quentin, and he's now our utility outfielder -- well, maybe.

Quentin has serious potential. He's about a year away from the majors, and posted a .342 avg in AAA with a .425 OBP a few years ago. In '05, he hit .301, knocking out 21 home runs and driving in 89 runs for Triple-A Tucson. He even has an impressive career OBP of .427 over 1,337 at-bats. Sounds like a great steal, right? Well, here's the problem:

Quentin is injury prone.

He spent all of 07' battling various ailments, ranging from arthroscopic shoulder surgery to hamstring problems. He finished the season with a Brian Anderson-Esque .214 average, five home runs and 31 RBIs for Arizona. Currently, Quentin is almost back to taking real swings (he's still recovering from shoulder surgery).

Long story short, we're looking at good upside and didn't lose very much. If Quentin pans out, we can make him the everyday LF for a defensive upgrade (even a surgically weakened arm is better than Pods' arm). If Quentin only makes the team (or if we acquire another outfielder like Fukudome), then Quentin can be the utility OF to spell Dye, or can even be sent to AAA for more seasoning.

In exchange, the Sox parted with Chris Carter, a slugging prospect who moved from AA to Class A, where Carter hit .291 with 25 home runs and 93 RBIs last season. Carter is a few years away from the majors, and could have some serious pop. He also has the mobility of Mo Vaughn and will probably be full-fledged DH. Carter probably won't be missed terribly from our system (we already have a few guys to replace him), but I really hope the D-Backs didn't just rape us again.