Jim Thome for Aaron Rowand

[Beckett95]

White Sox to deal Rowand for Phillies' Thome

 

This might mean the White Sox wont try to resighn Konerko..

[AlexanderTheGreat13]

I just heard that on ESPNEWS. Maybe its just me but what are the White Sox thinking? Thome has horrible back problems. I also think hes done.

[Beckett95]

ya this trade makes no sense to me unless they are giving up on signing Konerko

[AlexanderTheGreat13]

ya this trade makes no sense to me unless they are giving up on signing Konerko

and even if they have given up they should have gone after Delgado then because Thome is the last person I would want.

[Beckett95]

Rowand--28--$3.25 million--'04 stats .310 24hr 69 rbi 17 sb

Thome--35--$12.5 million---'04 stats .274 42hr 105 rbi (played in only 58 games in '05)

[Sizzlin22]

Thome had a rough year but it's not like he can't come back. But this is definitly a clear sign that Konerko won't be in a whie sox uni next year.

[AlexanderTheGreat13]

I just dont like the age and injury history.

[Beckett95]

good trade for the phillies however

[Beckett95]

Rollins--SS

Rowand--CF

Abreau--RF

Burell--LF

Howard--1B

Utley--2B

Bell--3B

Lieberthal--C

 

good lineup but that need to resign wagner and get a starting pitcher

[riverside sluggers]

whoah damn I didnt see this trade coming. I was sure it would be Thome to the Twins or Orioles as their DH.

[yankeessuck013]

Bad move for the White Sox, they don't even need Thome. Rowand also covers the field very well and he takes away a lot of extra base hits

[riverside sluggers]

this doesnt necessarily mean Konerko is out of the team. With White Sox not picking up Frank Thomas' option, Jim Thome could simply be their new full-time DH and backup 1st baseman.

[yankeessuck013]

this doesnt necessarily mean Konerko is out of the team. With White Sox not picking up Frank Thomas' option, Jim Thome could simply be their new full-time DH and backup 1st baseman.

 

yes that is a possibility, but I highly doubt the Chi Sox will pay 26 mill for 2 players

[AlexanderTheGreat13]

Jim Thome - 1B - Phillies

 

 

The Phillies will get Aaron Rowand and two prospects for Jim Thome, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. They're expected to pay slightly more than half the $46 million the first baseman is still owed.

Radio reports indicates the two prospects are pitchers Daniel Haigwood and Gio Gonzalez, which makes an already shaky trade a potential terrible one. Both Haigwood and Gonzalez are among the White Sox's top 10 prospects. Thome has agreed to waive his no-trade clause to join the White Sox. The deal is contingent on Thome passing a physical Friday in Chicago. Nov. 23 - 4:50 pm et

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

 

I cant believe the White Sox gave up not only Rowand but 2 top specs for Thome. Are you kidding me?

 

Rotoworld.com btw

[yankeessuck013]

They said that trades would be the key to this offseason. It certainly seems that way so far.

[podsednik20]

ya this trade makes no sense to me unless they are giving up on signing Konerko

Nope, they arent. Konerko's agent said he is more likely to come back to the whitesox. well thats what it said on a website. and um If he does they will have Konerko as 1st basemen, and have Thome the Dh, which he will switch off with Frank Thomas.

[ksushi]

The phillies just struck gold. And the white sox just bent over and took it like a sally while the philles had their way with them. I hope the white sox don't get Konerko, I hope hes insulted and won't talk to them. I think though they might have DH plans for Thome, which leaves the door open for Konerko to come back.

 

They basically just felt that their team wouldn't be the same without a overly large hurt guy with frank thomas gone so they opted to over pay for the oger with back issues. I mean come on, whats a world series without a fat hurt guy on the DL to share it with?

[Soxfan1]

Chicago got ripped. Maybe they might use Thome as a Dh unless they are giving up on Konerko.

[podsednik20]

You guys are making it like the Whitesox are going to suck with out rowand, come on get a grip, yes he was a good CF, yes he had some clutch hits. But i dont think it wasa rip off. please what if thome is 100% are you going to be saying all this crap then?

[ksushi]

rowand had some value on the trade market. stellar defense with some good offense. thome has a bad back and probably some prescription painkillers, but beyond that everything about him is a question mark. this is a bad baseball move. it really makes them no better.

[AlexanderTheGreat13]

The bottomline is you gave up 2 pretty good prospects and a good CF for a 35 year old 1st basemen with a bad back. You dont even know if Thome can play. Pat Gillick is doing hand stands right now. You could have gotten more then just Thome for that package. s*** Delgado is better and the Mets gave up less then what you guys gave up for Thome. Just a bad trade for the White Sox.

[asindc]

I'm getting the sense reading this thread that very few baseball fans outside of Chicago know about Brian Anderson, a top prospect in the White Sox organization. He played well in a few late season apperances with the White Sox, showing good power and very good defense. To the extent that he might have lesser offensive numbers than Rowand (by no means a given), the rationale is that Thome is a BIG upgrade over Crazy Carl as a DH. And yes, Thome knows he's coming over as primarily a DH, with backup duty at 1B. That's why he agreed to waive his no-trade clause. Also consider that Kenny Williams is not done. He still might pursue Juan Pierre. Even if he doesn't, however, Anderson has been seen as a possible replacement for Roward for at least a year now, with Roward being the most likely every day player moved this offseason.

 

As far as Konerko's reaction to this move, Thome and Konerko, I believe, have the same agent. The White Sox have consistently advertised their search for a DH to replace Everett, someone who could also play some first base. The two main concerns are 1) Frank's health and 2) re-signing Konerko, in that order. This does address both concerns, but it does not detract from the top priority of Konerko, and I suspect he knows that, since the club has very publicly been pursuing this move for weeks now.

 

As far as is health, the back issue has been debated since before he went to Philly. He has consistently put up 40-hr seasons since his back became a "concern." Last year was his first year missing significant time, and that was for an elbow tendon. If you think that's a chronic injury, then so be it. The White Sox medical staff will of course examine that.

 

My personal concern with this move is where Frank Thomas fits into the developing scenario, especially since Konerko is still the top priority. This is mostly a sentimental consideration for me (and virtually all other White Sox fans), as it wil be VERY painful to see him in another uniform. But his health is far from certain, otherwise the Thome deal would not need to be done.

 

The upsides: 1) We didn't give up any of our frontline pitchers. We were afraid the Phils would want McCarthy or even Contreas; 2) The Phils are sending $22 million with the deal. Thome is owed $44.5 over the next 3 years; 3) We didn't give up any of our top minor league prospects.

 

Downsides: 1) Thome's elbow and age. Covered this above; 2) Anderson is quite a talent, but for the most part unproven (in the same sense that Palpelbon has shown readiness for the next level, but hasn't been called upon for an entire season). So were Iguchi and Jenks, however.

 

Overall, I like this move.

[Soxfan1]

Impressive post Asindc, I agree that Rowand was a bit overrater but the bottomline is Thome isn't underrated he just sucks. 22 million is not even half of what you will pay for s*** in Thome.

[Moose]

Impressive post As.

 

LOL.

[Soxfan1]

Thanks for the heads up Moose. <_>

[thee sox]

Rowand--28--$3.25 million--'04 stats .310 24hr 69 rbi 17 sb

Thome--35--$12.5 million---'04 stats .274 42hr 105 rbi (played in only 58 games in '05)

 

Nice job comparing Rowand's 2004 numbers to Thome's 2005.

 

You guys can say what you want, but this helps the Sox. Rowand had a real nice offensive season in 2004, but his numbers dropped way off this year. His defense is phenomenal, but we have Brian Anderson, who is major league ready who is going to be a better offensive CF and is already a great defensive CF.

 

We may have Thome and Konerko, and quite possibly even Frank in our lineup next year. They're not giving up on Konerko, but they needed an insurance in case he doesn't re-sign. Thome will DH and give Konerko time off, if we don't re-sign Konerko...we have Thome to play first. Depth...it won this year.

[thee sox]

The phillies just struck gold. And the white sox just bent over and took it like a sally while the philles had their way with them. I hope the white sox don't get Konerko, I hope hes insulted and won't talk to them. I think though they might have DH plans for Thome, which leaves the door open for Konerko to come back.

 

They basically just felt that their team wouldn't be the same without a overly large hurt guy with frank thomas gone so they opted to over pay for the oger with back issues. I mean come on, whats a world series without a fat hurt guy on the DL to share it with?

 

Really? And what do you know about Aaron Rowand that I don't? That he had a hell of a series in New York this year and now the Yankees want him? He's a mediocre hitter with a "I will do anything" defense. We'll see how this works out, kind of like what everyone had to say about Lee for Podsednik last year. This is a GM that put together a World Series team in one offseason, I'm pretty sure he knows what he's doing.

[26 to 6]

Thome had a rough year but it's not like he can't come back. But this is definitly a clear sign that Konerko won't be in a whie sox uni next year.

I wouldnt go that far. I still think Konerko will be there next year. he and Thome will probably alternate between 1B and DH (with Knoerko getting most of the time at first).

 

Not sure how I feel about this one yet, not bad though.

[Beckett95]

IF Thome stays healthy (big IF) it will help the white sox. They have 3 good young OF prospects (Brian Anderson, Ryan Sweeney and Chris Young) who are all capable of being as good if not better than rowand. If you can get Thome to bat .280 with 40 hrs behind Konerko, that could be a scary lineup.

 

Pods

Iguchi

Konerko

Thome

Dye

Pierzynski

Crede

Uribe

Anderson

 

with their pitching they might be the team to beat in the A.L

[Beckett95]

From MLB.COM

 

With Rowand moving on, the center field job now belongs to Anderson. The 23-year-old right-handed hitter, selected 15th overall in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft, has done nothing to erase his "five-tool" tag as a player since joining the White Sox organization out of the University of Arizona. Anderson has a .301 career average over stops at Great Falls, Class A Winston-Salem, Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte, playing for the Knights for most of 2005.

 

Anderson added 30 home runs, 143 RBIs and 20 stolen bases, covering 248 games over three seasons. He also made a brief stop with the White Sox during their championship run, hitting .176 with two home runs and three RBIs in 34 at-bats. Those two home runs, though, were a sign of future greatness for Anderson, who launched both against Seattle's Felix Hernandez, the Mariners' 19-year-old fireballer, during a 5-3 victory in 12 innings on Aug. 26.

 

"B.A. is a good player. He's going to be fine," said Rowand of Anderson. "He can hit. He plays defense. He plays the game the right way. Chicago fans and the White Sox are going to be happy to have him."

 

While some in the organization acknowledge that Anderson is more than just the frontrunner to take over for Rowand, his election will not be unopposed. Both Jerry Owens and Chris Young, recently added to the 40-man roster, could provide a Spring Training challenge for the affable Anderson, who figures to take the city by storm with his engaging, and often times comically eccentric, personality.

 

Young, 22, who was singled out by manager Ozzie Guillen as the most improved offensive player he witnessed during Spring Training 2005, is coming off a season with Birmingham in which he led the Southern League in doubles (41), extra-base hits (70) and runs scored (100). He also tied for the league lead with 26 home runs, while hitting .277 with 30 stolen bases and 77 RBIs.

 

Owens, who turns 25 at the start of Spring Training, was one of the top offensive players in the Southern League after coming over from the Washington Nationals during the past offseason. Owens led the league with 173 hits and his .331 batting average, while scoring 99 runs and swiping 38 bases. Owens impressed Guillen when the manager watched him recently during Winter League action in Venezuela, and he could provide that second speed player at the top of the order Guillen desires.