Sox Machine: Chicago White Sox blog

And speaking of B-Jays...

After ending his Oakland career with an 0-for-13 performance in the ALCS, Frank Thomas is reportedly gearing up to move north of the border.  If it holds, Thomas will sign a two-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays in the neighborhood of $20-23 million.

Thomas made a lot of sense for the A's.  I'm not sure what the Blue Jays are doing, though.  All it seems to indicate is that Vernon Wells is definitely gone by the end of the season, because that's another $10-13 million that won't find its way into his contract in 2008.

It's not just Wells that Toronto needs to address.   By my count, the Blue Jays might lose their No. 2-3 starter (Ted Lilly), top two catchers (Gregg Zaun and Bengie Molina), a solid left fielder (Frank Catalanotto), a solid setup guy (Justin Speier) to free agency, and they still have a pretty big hole at shortstop.  I know Adam Lind is ready to play full-time, and he should be a lot of fun to watch, but that only takes care of Catalanotto. 

Moreover, they created the DH hole when they traded both Eric Hinske and Shea Hillenbrand.  I'm not saying those guys are Frank Thomas-caliber hitters, but they at least have youth and cost on their side.  Toss in the $55 million thrown at A.J. Burnett last year, and that's a lot of money invested annually in guys who are one bad step away from the disabled list.

The deal itself doesn't surprise me -- I probably would've guessed around two years, $18-20 million, and there's probably a few extra million kicked in to move to Canada.  The destination does surprise me, but Frank deserves any money he can get.  It's probably the last big deal he'll ever sign, so he may as well make the most of it.

Wells will probably cost too much for the Sox to acquire him -- and looking at what Alfonso Soriano and company are asking this offseason, he'd have to really love a city to bypass the chance of the open market after the 2007 season.

Barring a disastrous set of circumstances, Frank will hit his 500th homer as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.  That's a little weird.  It's also a little unfortunate, because 500 homers there is only 439 homers American.

Angling for a B.J.

According to a Cleveland Plain-Dealer blog, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have reportedly won the bidding war for Japanese third baseman Akinori Iwamura.  Iwamura can also play second base, and some have said he can handle first and center field as well.

If this holds, and if the D-Rays actually sign him, it might force out someone who could interest the White Sox -- former uberprospect B.J. Upton.

Let me bounce this idea off you guys, and let me know what you think:

It's already been determined that Upton, who is a supreme athlete, can't handle short on an everyday basis.  They were trying him at third, which is where Iwamura or Jorge Cantu would fit in.  Second base would be the same deal, although it's hard to say where they feel Cantu is better off, because he's brutal with the glove in general.  Then there's Ty Wigginton, who can play first, second, and third, and that leaves shortstop Ben Zobrist as the only guy with a set position.

And don't forget the minors, where the D-Rays have Evan Longoria (not Eva), Reid Brignac, and the flickering candle that is Joel Guzman's prospect status.

Shifting Upton to the outfield isn't much of an option either, since Tampa Bay has a combination of Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli, Jonny Gomes and Delmon Young, for starters.  This being the case, Upton could be very much available.

This raises two questions:

1. Would the Sox try to get Bossman Junior?
2. Could the Sox get Bossman Junior?
   

Here's my best attempt at answering them:

No. 1:  I think it would be silly for Kenny Williams not to ask.  Here's a former No. 2 draft pick, who has speed, power and the ability to get on base, and his stock can't get much lower.  Upton has a few things hampering his development, such as:

1. The lack of a natural position.  They figured him to be a shortstop -- he couldn't handle it.  They then slid him over to third -- the results aren't good, either.  He's too physically gifted to DH, so the outfield is his last resort.
2. He took a step back in his major-league progress.  During his first stint in 2004, when he debuted at 19, he hit an impressive .258/.324/.409.  Two years later, getting more at-bats, he hits .246/.302/.291.
3. He's had physical and behavioral problems.  Upton had some problems with his left shoulder towards the end of last year, and things haven't been rosy for him in Triple-A.  He complained about the way the Devil Rays handled him, and in June, he was charged with a DUI.

The Sox can handle the first issue, because they have at least one opening in the outfield (especially for a righty), and could use more help at third base in the future.  Kenny traded for Carl Everett twice, so he's not afraid of problem children.  The second point might be their only concern, but I'd say Upton is still a surer bet to succeed than Ryan Sweeney or Brian Anderson.  His minor-league track record still looks good, especially in the stolen base column which Ozzie Guillen loves so well.

No. 2:  This question is a lot tougher, because with the new management in Tampa, it's hard to say what they'll ask for -- aside from young pitching, which everybody asks for.  They've been cheap in the past, but the owners haven't shown much either way in terms of willingness to spend, and this Iwamura bid makes things a bit more encouraging.  Assuming Brandon McCarthy is untouchable, here are some possible ingredients for a trade package:

Big-ticket pitcher?  There's no way the Devil Rays will compete in a bidding war, so Mark Buehrle and Freddy Garcia are out.  That leaves Jon Garland and Javier Vazquez -- that might be a possibility with some cash included, though I'd much rather get Crawford for a Garland-caliber talent.  At this point, I'm indifferent to Vazquez.

Lance Broadway, Charlie Haeger:  Broadway, while not blowing anybody away in the minors, has compiled a very solid and encouraging track record, and I think Haeger intrigues a lot of teams because of the various inherent plusses knuckleballers bring to the table.  Heath Phillips could also be in the discussion, but he's not the type for a team like Tampa Bay.

Oneli Perez:  He's become a force over the last year, posting tremendous numbers in three levels of the minors last year.  On the other hand, he's a 23-year-old minor-league reliever, so I don't see much of a reason to grow that attached.  The Rays could use the bullpen help.

Ross Gload:  I don't think Gload is a huge commodity for a lot of teams, but he makes a lot of sense for a team like the Devil Rays.  The one thing they don't have is a true first baseman, and we know that Gload can hit when given playing time.  He's fantastic with the glove, which is important for a team that 1) has shaky pitching and 2) a shakier defense, especially in the infield.  He fits both the Devil Rays' budget and, as a lefty, is a nice complement to Wigginton in terms of platooning.  There's a chance Gload could be a selling point.

Brian Anderson, Josh Fields, Ryan Sweeney:  Given all the young players on their hands, I don't see any of these guys being desirable.  But I'd trade any for Upton.

There are some definite downsides to acquiring Upton (defense, attitude, the shoulder?) but the idea excites me.  He seems like the kind of player the Sox would've drafted if he fell that low -- toolsy as all hell, with some holes that they hope he can refine.  Upton's already cut his strikeout rate while improving his walks in the minors, something Borchard or Josh Fields haven't yet done.  If the price is right, the Sox could gamble on the glove.