A's trade Swisher to White Sox for 3 prospects

[HoustonGM]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3179423

I gotta say, Billy Beane is pretty good at breaking a team down. They're not contending this year, and Swisher's a good offensive player entering his prime that can handle center field, so he sent him out and got back a former top prospect who's looking more like a bust, but still has good upside and is likely at least an average major leaguer right now, plus two huge upside starting pitchers.

Chicago, I don't know. They should be rebuilding like the A's, but Kenny Williams is making moves that indicate he actually thinks they can compete with Cleveland and Detroit this season (as well as Boston and New York). I love Swisher, and moving from Oakland to the best homer park in teh AL should elevate him to a star, but Chicago shouldn't be looking at contending any time in the near future.

[BM_MAN]

A's Ripped of There

[asianinvasion]

Here we go again. Oakland A's baseball at its finest. Billy Beane trading a high priced star for some pitchers that will eventually in a few years become all-stars.

[beerchaser]

Joe Blanton, you're the next contestant on the Price is Right.

Huston Street, you'll soon hit the pavement.

[FRENCHREDSOX]

Chicago, I don't know. They should be rebuilding like the A's, but Kenny Williams is making moves that indicate he actually thinks they can compete with Cleveland and Detroit this season (as well as Boston and New York). I love Swisher, and moving from Oakland to the best homer park in teh AL should elevate him to a star, but Chicago shouldn't be looking at contending any time in the near future.

It is good deal for both - Swisher,as said by Williams was traded for,3 reasons:
1) to play CF (which they needed badly);
2) to spell Thome & Konerko at DH/1B;
3) because he was cheap & they control him for 3 more years.

Chicago,although not on paper,are good enough to compete next year in the Central (& per se for a playoff spot)

Athletics are well building & stockpiling....could be the Tampa of the West next year

[HoustonGM]

Chicago,although not on paper,are good enough to compete next year in the Central (& per se for a playoff spot)

How in the world do you believe this? They had the worst offense in the AL last season, and one of the worst pitching staffs. They got rid of a steady pitcher, boosted their offense some with Swisher, but they're still no best than mediocre, if that, in either pitching or offense.

And in order to compete, they'd have to compete with the four best teams in baseball. There's no way they finish ahead of either Detroit or Cleveland, barring massive injury or disease breakouts sweeping the rosters of both those teams. Minnesota and Kansas City aren't much worse than Chicago, if they are at all. The chances that Chicago finishes last are much higher than the chances that they come close to competing.

Cleveland was in the ALCS, and are pretty much the same team. Detroit is the same team, except with the addition of one of the youngest, greatest hitters in the game, and a swap of Sean Casey for Edgar Renteria, plus a pitcher who has an impressive resume, and a decent chance at being at least average if not better.

You said "not on paper." But, what else are you basing this on? Intangibles? How much intangibles can bring a weak offense and pitching staff up to the level of two of the best teams in all of baseball? If not intangibles, than what? Their only chance of competing is a miracle.

[FRENCHREDSOX]

How in the world do you believe this? They had the worst offense in the AL last season, and one of the worst pitching staffs. They got rid of a steady pitcher, boosted their offense some with Swisher, but they're still no best than mediocre, if that, in either pitching or offense.

And in order to compete, they'd have to compete with the four best teams in baseball. There's no way they finish ahead of either Detroit or Cleveland, barring massive injury or disease breakouts sweeping the rosters of both those teams. Minnesota and Kansas City aren't much worse than Chicago, if they are at all. The chances that Chicago finishes last are much higher than the chances that they come close to competing.

Cleveland was in the ALCS, and are pretty much the same team. Detroit is the same team, except with the addition of one of the youngest, greatest hitters in the game, and a swap of Sean Casey for Edgar Renteria, plus a pitcher who has an impressive resume, and a decent chance at being at least average if not better.

You said "not on paper." But, what else are you basing this on? Intangibles? How much intangibles can bring a weak offense and pitching staff up to the level of two of the best teams in all of baseball? If not intangibles, than what? Their only chance of competing is a miracle.

Compete is what I said, not necessarily win....also there team has added other players like Linebrink,Cabrera,Quentin & the Cuban Slugger Ramirez.
Also the team's youth (Danks,Fields,Floyd,Richar etc ) have an extra year under the belt of experience plus the return of 3B Joe Crede.


Baseball is funny game with teams SURPRISING people/critics & BM uber-stars/gurus (*joke the last part*).Did you predict last year that Colorado would go to the World Series or that Arizona would be in the NLCS?

I didn't....not a lot of people did,but things clicked at the right time during the season & rookies or bounce-backs or even just ordinary players have great debuts & seasons.



Scouts.com summed it up well:

But what critics somehow lost sight of in this deal is that the White Sox now control Swisher for the next five years.

The White Sox do not need to win it all in 2008 to justify this trade. They can set their sights on the 2009-2010 seasons. The Sox can retain Mark Buehrle, Javier Vazquez, Bobby Jenks, and Paul Konerko through 2010, plus Jim Thome through 2009. To that nucleus, the Sox will add a good amount of young talent that should just be hitting their primes, including Josh Fields, Carlos Quentin, and Danny Richar on offense, plus pitchers John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Lance Broadway, Charlie Haeger, Jack Egbert, and Kyle McCulloch.

That could be a devastating lineup in 2009, particularly if the aging Jermaine Dye still has some life in his bat at that time. The prospect of losing Thome in 2010 hurts, but then the Tigers won't necessarily maintain Miguel Cabrera through that season, either.

The Sox simply didn't have much in the lower levels of their system. It wouldn't have made much sense for them to retain one or two prospects just so they could have a realistic shot at reaching 80 wins for the next decade. Better for them to take their shot for 2009-2010 and dwell in the cellar for a few years afterwards than to idle in mediocrity indefinitely.

As of today their lineup is:
C: A.J. Pierzynski
1B: Konerko/Uribe
2B : Uribe/Richar/Ramirez
3B Crede/Fields
SS Cabrera
LF: Fields/Swisher/Dye/Quentin
CF: Swisher/Owens/Ramirez
RF Dye/Swisher
DH: Thome

A lot of big bats & Swisher adds BBs,which they didnt have last year,Cabrera is a nice 1/2 & provides needed D & allows Uribe to slide to 2B or "super-utility" for the staff of:

#1 Vasquez - still an ace
#2 Buerhle - good #2 if not co-Ace
#3 Contreras - great when on,disaster when off who will show up ?
#4 Danks - will improve
#5 Floyd/Haeger/Broadway

Pen:
CL: Jenks - better than what either Detroit or Cleveland has...
Setup : Linebrink - reliable & has been dominant
rest: MacDougal/Sisco/Aardsma/Day & the losers of the #5 battle

As you,yourself,have said RPs are notorious to have "ebb n flow" seasons....so the team in itself is already better than batting wise & defense wise than the 07 model plus has added a reliable RP (eben though they over paid by offering a 4 year deal ) & still could add an SP like Colon,Garcia or even Lohse.We will evaluate your analysis & mine in October