Upon Further Review... Still "Boooooooo!"

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I've had some time to mull it over, get past the initial emotional and kneejerk reactions and really let the Getz-for-Teahen trade sink in. I've talked to a few Sox fans about the Teahen trade since it happened and most seem OK with it. The responses I keep hearing all center on how Getz isn't that great.

Sorry fellas, but you're missing the point. If you've really been living and dying with the Sox for the last 10 years, you know that aside from 2005, this team has been way, WAY too one-dimensional and consistently lost to a squad with far less talent who played the game right.

Now we finally have a guy who is exactly in that mold, a Piranha, and all of you are OK getting rid of him to add a guy who strikes out a boatload, isn't fast, isn't good, and costs a bunch more?

REALLY?

Well, for every one of you who responded as such to this trade, I want you to swear on your 2005 White Sox Media Guide that you will not complain when we inevitably go through a terrible slump next year because all of our power bats go cold at once (just like has happened every year since 2000, including 2005).

And you also can't complain about how Ozzie doesn't run enough.

And you also also can't complain about how we have no fire or grinders.

And you also also also can't complain about how our defense is subpar.

Nope, you all supported a deal that did the exact opposite of what every well-informed Sox fan wants to see out of this club - better fundamentals, more speed, more small ball, strong defense, more bunting, players hitting behind runners, fewer Ks, a more consistent offense, etc etc etc etc etc.

Now you must suffer in silence.


Here's why, in convenient list form:

1) Getz deserved more of a chance to show what he could do. He had flashes of being a plus average hitter and getting on base with consistency, and he was certainly capable at second and a great base-stealer. All the talk leading into the season was that he had a good swing that would hold up and how Getz should develop into a nice major leaguer. So why give up on the kid after one year - a year when he was at least capable?

Wouldn't an energetic, plus average, solid OBA, very good speed guy who'd do whatever you asked to help the team win be a great guy to lock down 2B and the 9th spot (or eventually even the #2 slot) in the order for the next 5-7 years? Especially when he'd cost peanuts that whole time?


2) Not convinced? OK, so let's give the Sox the benefit of the doubt and say Getz wasn't a big leaguer. Very plausible - the guy certainly didn't light it up and might not have much upside. Plus who was the last guy the Sox got rid of who consistently excelled (strictly from a numbers perspective)?

Even accepting we got better just by not giving Getz 600 ABs, the correct move was to go out and find a better version of that exact type of ballplayer! The Sox DESPERATELY need speed, grit, and consistency. They need more guys who won't allow Ozzie to use a one-dimensional lineup as an excuse to avoid small ball. They need more guys who can help spark the offense during the inevitable and frequent lulls that the sluggers will go through. So if Getz wasn't the answer, work the phones and find someone who is.

While we haven't really had to regret the on-field performance of players they jettisoned (at least not from anyone doing it year in and year out), we absolutely have had to regret the loss of a player's fire, style, and intangibles. You think that 2006 Sox team, with all the talent of the 2005 team PLUS Thome and Vazquez, failed in part because they missed the energy and attitude brought by Rowand, Willie Harris, and Carl Everett?

Or last year's team, which had far more talent than the 2008 team - you think it's a coincidence that The OC and Swish were playing in October while the Sox were out golfing? Numbers aside, these guys provided the Sox chemistry elements we desperately needed. The talk of the entire 2008 season was how that clubhouse was unlike anything anyone had seen in baseball.

One obvious major factor was Swish, with his crazy, fun-loving antics. On a club full of guys like Paulie and Quentin, who take every bad at-bat so hard, you need someone to keep things loose. Coupled with "The King of the Shaving Cream Pie to the Face" Toby Hall, the Sox were more able to roll with the inevitable ups and downs of a long season.

Equally necessary was Cabrera filling the role previously held by Big Frank - that of "dick." On a team of laid back, self-focused guys like Paulie and Thome, you need the intense competitor who doesn't accept less than the best from those around him. And not in a nice way either - a guy who intimidates others into keeping their focus and doing things right because they don't want to piss off the douchebag. AJ fills the role admirably, but when he's the only one, it doesn't have as much of an impact. Add in a second dick, and now guys have to really concern themselves with facing the wrath of a teammate unless they get their jobs done right. I think that ups the intensity and focus, keeping the team playing as it needs to day in and day out.

Similarly, the Sox need a few Getz-like types to bring a bit of energy and grit, to be the lunch box guy doing whatever is needed. I'm not asking for a whole squad full like the Twins have - just a few of them to make the Sox a bit more dynamic. Steal a base, move a guy over, hustle to break up a double play - these little things take pressure off everyone else and get them focusing on doing little things themselves.

Consider this - 1st and 2nd, yet another Sox longballer up w/ no outs. They swing away - good odds are that if they are fortunate enough to avoid the double play, they still won't get a hit or move the runners. Now Quentin follows, and is immediately trying to do too much. He's thinking about how he needs to hit a big 3-run jack to salvage what started as a nice rally but is fast becoming a huge missed opportunity. At the same time, the pitcher is now feeling more confident, working with all the pressure on the hitter. The odds are stacked against CQ coming through.

The alternative - same no out situation, but now a Getz-like player bunts, sets up a 2nd and 3rd with one out for Quentin. CQ is now looking only to drive the ball and bring in a single run w/ a sac fly. Pressure's off and he's in a place to succeed. At the same time, the pitcher is feeling the heat, knowing even a good pitch can plate a run and a bad one can blow open the game. Odds have now swung significantly in the Sox favor.

Over the course of a 162-game season, that situation presents itself over and over. For the last 10 years, the Sox have built their team in a way that puts themselves in the first situation far, far more often than the second. That not only leads to fewer wins, but it leads to longer losing streaks and more frustrated, inconsistent hitters. Eliminating a Getz-type from the roster for a non-Getz type will only exacerbate that problem, giving us more stretches of futile offense and loss ground in the standings.


3) So you don't like Getz and don't even think we need (or can get) a similar player who's more capable? You're an idiot, but I'll humor you for a second. Tell me - what on Earth does Teahen bring to this team, besides $2M in lost payroll and at-bats being taken up by a mediocre hitter? That $2M that could have gotten us another strong veteran arm in the bullpen, something every contending team always needs. And as I made clear in my last post, Teahen's got no power, doesn't hit for average, isn't fast, and isn't great on D. And here's something I missed before - he strikes out all the time. Isn't that exactly the opposite of the type of guy we want to get 500 plus ABs next year? What possible good can come from his presence in the lineup every day?


4) Now let's just say that Getz tanks and Teahen does have a solid season. The trade works out perfectly for the Sox. I still don't like moving a guy out of third base who showed himself capable of playing there. Check the Hall of Fame or the list of needs teams are entering this (or any) off-season with. It's clear as day that the hot corner is one of the hardest positions to fill. So why the hell are the Sox moving Beckham away from this spot?

Beckham looks like a shoe-in to be a productive big leaguer for years and won't cost you much of anything for another 4-5 seasons. Isn't that the perfect way to cover one of the harder to fill spots on the diamond? I mean even if Teahen does have a fluke great season (remember, he's been completely mediocre for three straight years), that only means you'll have to pay him a bunch of money in 2011, most likely for a return-to-form mediocre season. Heck even if he somehow strings two good years together, that just means you're losing him to free agency in 2012.

So why move Beckham away for the longshot of two good years of Teahen? To clear room for Viciedo, who everyone says is already overweight and only 20? As I am living proof of, it does NOT get easier to lose weight the older you get... pretty much the exact opposite. To open up a spot for some other prospect who's gonna come up and probably suck, a la Fields, BA, Owens, Borchard, etc? Just ask Cub fans how fun the almost uninterrupted three decades of 3B futility after Santo were.


5) Accepting that Getz sucks, Teahen is good, and you do find a longterm answer at 3B along the way - why on Earth would you move a franchise guy capable at another position to 2B, one of the easiest spots to fill? Especially when 2B is the perfect place to find a guy who can hit for average, has good speed, and will get his uniform dirty - i.e. the exact type of players we've been missing since 05? Go back over the last 3-5 years - guys like Polanco, Loretta, Grudzlanek, DeRosa, Iwamura, Matsui, Castillo, Iguchi, Counsell have all helped some contending team make the playoffs, win pennants, and earn rings by doing the little things from the 2B position.

If Beckham came up as a 2B and/or couldn't play anywhere else, so be it. But why would you make a franchise guy learn his third position in a year's time, just to fill a 2B slot when it's so easy to find needed grinders to do the same thing?


This deal has just thrown my whole outlook for this off-season. Despite our struggles this past year, the Sox were evolving slowly into the type of team I wanted - a dynamic lineup that could hit for average and run just as well as beat you with the longball. A young nucleus of all-around players surrounded by a strong supporting cast. A deep starting staff, a strong back of the rotation, and capable arms to bridge the two.

Sure, we're still missing some pieces. It's not clear who will lead off nor how we'll take advantage of the DH opening. The bench needs some retooling. And the bullpen definitely requires some significant investment.

But I love the idea of Quentin, Alexei, Beckham, and Rios in the heart of the order, bringing average, speed, and pop. I like proven vets Konerko and AJ around them.

And I liked that Getz would be in place to pair with a legit lead-off hitter and maybe a more dynamic DH to give this team a scary, multi-dimensional offensive attack.

Looking at it now, I can live w/ losing Getz if I thought the Sox would replace him with a similar player. But instead we're gonna see a lot of at-bats of Teahen being horrendously mediocre, probably paired with a traditional slugging type left-handed DH (Thome and Matsui are the hottest rumors) that will tip the scales back to a beer league softball approach to the offense. The ability of Quentin, Alexei, Beckham, and Rios to run? That becomes a novelty item that won't factor into a day-to-day offense that lives and dies (and more often dies, as the last 10 years have shown) by hot streaks and timely hitting.

Too bad, because the rotation looks damn good with Buerhle, Danks, and Floyd giving you nasty middle of the rotation work behind Peavy and in front of a capable vet w/ upside in Garcia. Jenks and Thorton are tough in the back of the pen, while Carrasco, Pena, and Linebrink have the ability to be solid middle guys. Sure you still need another lefty and probably another capable righty to have a contending-caliber bullpen, but that's doable.

The pitching is close to being there - we just needed the right defense and lineup to make it all work. Another title was a realistic goal.


Well, it's impossible to predict what direction Kenny will go in, so I owe him the full off-season before I make my final conclusions on what to expect from the 2010 Sox. But step 1 has been pretty objectionable in going in the exact opposite direction we need to.

I'm so frustrated by this that I had to post twice on the topic because I just can't handle yet another season of having the most talented club in the division but doing nothing with it because we again we're too naive/delusional/incompetent/stubborn to ensure the team was built with a championship mix.


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