307 replies to this topic

[Trlicek's Whip]

Morel's been out for a while with lingering back issues. He was kept out of games, then finally DL'd in late May (and Orlando Hudson signed) because he hadn't shown improvement very quickly.

Still speculation, but if we did get Zach Stewart, it isn't horrendous. His limited MLB experience has been uninspired to date but he's got a high GB%, no history of arm trouble, and is only 25. Definitely an upgrade in cost and age to Lackey, Dice-K.

Lillibridge is slightly better than Punto, knee-jerk kvetching aside, in that he plays more positions including all three OF, 1B, 3B, and even a few games at 2B. Given that the Red Sox have their starters set, he's better than Punto bench depth.

[patinorange]

I don't understand why people would think Youk had much value left at all. He has been breaking down for some time, he's 33, and he isn't very good right now.

We could have said this about Papi a few years ago. I think the White Sox got a zero cost, all upside bargain for money only ( hopefully the Red Sox dumped the salary, otherwise this is inexplicable)

[EddieYost]

This deal sucks. I hope they didn't throw in money too.

[Ed Hillel]

I don't understand why people would think Youk had much value left at all. He has been breaking down for some time, he's 33, and he isn't very good right now.

So don't trade him. I know he hasn't had a great couple months, but he's been so good the past 5+ years, I'd be willing to bet on him being able to turn it around and give value off the bench or serve as insurance to an injury/slump. I see no reason to essentially jettison him.

[Corsi]

Red Sox will get Zach Stewart, Brent Lillibridge for Youk.

https://twitter.com/...004390089887746

[bosockboy]

Is Lillibridge really going to occupy a roster spot?

Not with Punto signed through next year. Gotta be AAA insurance.

[pjr]

Ken Rosenthal‏@Ken_Rosenthal
Lillibridge to #RedSox. RHP Stewart thought to be other piece. Significant cash to #WhiteSox.

[RedOctober3829]

Rosenthal

https://twitter.com/...004167477202944

I didn't think that anything of value was coming back for Youk, but paying a lot of money and getting that haul back is pretty bad. If that was the best deal Cherington had to pick from, I can't imagine what other teams offered.

[RGREELEY33]

Disappointing return pending info on dollars, but probably an indicator that Sox needed Youks attitude gone from the clubhouse.

[SoxScout]

wow Lillibridge. He's worse than Punto!

.258 .340 .505 13 HR 17 SB last year

[Mystic Merlin]

We could have said this about Papi a few years ago. I think the White Sox got a zero cost, all upside bargain for money only ( hopefully the Red Sox dumped the salary, otherwise this is inexplicable)

Good luck hoping for that kind of that late-career renaissance.

The Sox wanted to get him out of here ASAP - he seemingly wasn't happy with his role, and that role was not going to change.

Edited by Mystic Merlin, 24 June 2012 - 04:23 PM.

[pokey_reese]

Can we just release them the minute they arrive? We have guys who can already do what they do (which is be terrible).

Seriously, this whole thing feels botched. The Sox created an environment where they basically forced themselves to trade Youk when they had the least leverage and he had the least value.

[Gash Prex]

Wait, expensive, old, injured, unproductive, and unhappy players blocked by cheap players don't have lots of value?

Actually Ben just isn't savy enough of a GM to dupe other teams into giving up a quality starting pitcher and top prospect for Youks.

[Corsi]

.258 .340 .505 13 HR 17 SB last year

But his last season seems as much an aberration as Punto's.

[johnnywayback]

Well, there's your AAA SP with options. As many have sagely pointed out, that's the biggest hole that could reasonably (I use the word because getting a front-line starter for Youkilis was never reasonable) be filled here. Sad to seek Youkilis go, sad that he no longer fetches much, not particularly upset about this mediocre return.

[bosockboy]

So don't trade him. I know he hasn't had a great couple months, but he's been so good the past 5+ years, I'd be willing to bet on him being able to turn it around and give value off the bench or serve as insurance to an injury/slump. I see no reason to essentially jettison him.

Because there's nowhere to put him as the wounded are filtering back. It's Middlebrooks' time.....

[YTF]

Significant cash? This is the part I don't get. For what the Sox got in return, may as well have kept him for the time being.

Edited by YTF, 24 June 2012 - 04:27 PM.

[ngruz25]

Zach Stewart seems eerily similar to Michael Bowden: excellent lower-level minor league numbers, mediocre stuff, terrible major league results.

[Doctor G]

Thanks to Youkilis for the desire courage and loyalty he gave the Red Sox the whole time. Good luck in NYS this coming weekend Kevin.

[Sprowl]

It's a no-lose deal for the White Sox, and a head-scratcher for the Red Sox, unless there are some unreported pitching injuries. Stewart and Lillibridge don't look like contenders for major-league roster spots.

[Corsi]

If this was the "winning" offer, what the hell were the Dodgers, Pirates, Indians, etc offering?

[joyofsox]

White Sox win 1-0 in 10 innings.

[bosockboy]

Wonder if Pirates offered Correja.

[pokey_reese]

I am dreading when Middlebrooks cools off and slumps just as Youk heats up for Chicago. The media will go nuts.

[budcrew08]

White Sox win 1-0 on a walk-off hit. Let's see when the official announcement comes.

[rembrat]

It's worth it just to see Brent Lillibridge and Clay Buchholz in the same room.

[4-6-3]

If this was the "winning" offer, what the hell were the Dodgers, Pirates, Indians, etc offering?

Maybe the other clubs wanted the RS to pay the entire portion and only insignificant prospect? Not sure why you take Stewart or Lillibridge.

[Hendu's Gait]

Significant cash? This is the part I don't get. For what the Sox got in return, may as well have kept him for the time being.

this. exactly this. With the 2nd wildcard in play, you have much more of a buyers market than in previous years. I just don't get this subsidy.

[Corsi]

#WhiteSox getting $5.5M in deal.

https://twitter.com/...006664631599105

[4-6-3]

https://twitter.com/...006664631599105

Kenny Williams never ceases to amaze.

[HillysLastWalk]

Everyone realizes Youkilis is 33, only under contract through the end of the season, injury-prone, and has seen his OPS go 0.975, 0.833, 0.670 the last three years, right?

I'm also disappointed in Stewart, but not because I thought the Sox were going to do much better.

You might be right. But, at the same time, you can say that the 0.975 season was the 7th straight season his OPS increased (in other words, it increased every single season he was in the ML). Then, last year, he got injured (and contributed) to a "poor" season where he had an OBP of 0.373. And this year, I feel anyway, now that he's healthy, you are going to see more of the 2010 Youks. But, we'll soon see. That dude is a beast with the bat.

Maybe I'm overstating his value, but man, I didn't even want to see him go.

Edited by HillysLastWalk, 24 June 2012 - 04:35 PM.

[Ramon AC]

I hope Will Middlebrooks has a hell of a career, those are big shoes he's about to fill. The Nomar trade hurt, and Manny was my favorite player since Jim Rice, but this trade feels like the end of an era more than those two. No more Jews on the hometown team, either.

Perhaps this will be addition by subtraction, maybe the clubhouse becomes a better place to spend every day, and getting WMB's bat into the lineup permanently can only help. Not to mention never seeing Adrian Gonzalez in RF again. But will anyone be shocked to see Youk hit .300/.380/.500 the rest of the way and snag a 3/$36 deal in the offseason?

Threads like these usually have a predictable trajectory. Sadness then outrage followed by rationalization and acceptance, and finally optimism. What's the upside here? Lilibridge was a highly touted prospect iirc, but I don't see much in Stewart's lines to hang my hat on.

[bankshot1]

what would the downside have been if the Sox DFAed Youks?

[EvilEmpire]

The behind-the-scenes drama must have been pretty high to sign off on a deal like that. Marginal players in return for Youkilis is understandable. Paying that much of his contract on top of it just reeks of desperation to make a move fast.

[SoxScout]

I don't see much in Stewart's lines to hang my hat on.

1 year ago:

Right now, Stewart projects as a number three or four starter at the major league level. He doesn't have Kyle Drabek's long-term upside, but he has sharper command at this point and could be a better bet for short-term success if he throws strikes. I felt that Stewart was actually Drabek's equal as a prospect entering 2010 (I had Stewart ranked 17 and Drabek 18, both with B+ ratings), although I moved Drabek ahead on the list in 2011. I still had Stewart as a Grade B+ entering this year, but had moved Drabek up a notch to an A-.

http://www.minorleag...ronto-blue-jays

[patinorange]

You might be right. But, at the same time, you can say that the 0.975 season was the 7th straight season his OPS increased (in other words, it increased every single season he was in the ML). Then, last year, he got injured (and contributed) to a "poor" season where he had an OBP of 0.373. And this year, I feel anyway, now that he's healthy, you are going to see more of 2010 Youks. But, we'll soon see. That dude is a beast with the bat.

Maybe I'm overstating his value, but man, I didn't even want to see him go.

Beast with a bat and maybe a top 5 first baseman defensively in the game. He's not great at third, but better than Orlando Hudson. If he stays healthy, this is a steal for the White Sox.
I don't understand the Dodgers. They should have been able to match this pile of crap.

[jon abbey]

White Sox play Yankees next weekend, so you guys will get to root for him again very soon.

[Corsi]

Zach Stewart, going to Red Sox, was once a hard thrower (95-plus). But he's only been 90-91 since coming to White Sox.

Sounds promising.

[Yaz4Ever]

The behind-the-scenes drama must have been pretty high to sign off on a deal like that. Marginal players in return for Youkilis is understandable. Paying that much of his contract on top of it just reeks of desperation to make a move fast.

The only part of this I have a slight disagreement with is the use of the world marginal. I think they're worse than that.

[Ted Cox 4 president]

I would've been happier if he had ended up in the NL.

[mikeford]

I'm just pissed off that we basically paid them to take him off our hands and didn't even get anything useful back.

[Rudy Pemberton]

Keeping Youkilis wasn't an option. Nowhere to play him, not happy as a backup. As far as paying his contract, that's the way these in-season trades always go down. They got pieces that could help for a guy they didn't want or need. Let's move on.

[bosockboy]

what would the downside have been if the Sox DFAed Youks?

The 3 million or so in salary relief we would lose.

[cwright]

Over the last couple of years, Lillibridge has been a lefty-killer:
vs LHP:
2010: .303/.343/.606 (35 PA)
2011: .287/.346/.585 (107 PA)
This year, he's been terrible against them, however, in a small sample size: .080/.115/.080 in 26 AB

Given that he has played every position except catcher in the last two years, I think he could be a useful bench player.

[E5 Yaz]

White Sox in Boston on July 16

[Tony C]

1 year ago:
http://www.minorleag...ronto-blue-jays

Right, and Keith Law had him just 2 years ago in his top 100 (top 50? can't quite remember). He also threw a no-hitter last year and, after that, began sucking. He's sucked bad this year, too, and no idea on why his velocity has dropped. But certainly a decent flier to place in AAA and see if he can get his mojo back, if he does he won't be the first pitcher to struggle for a year or upon making the majors and then turn it around. I'm not sure how one could expect more than a flier, in addition to some salary relief and a leftie killer.

[reggiecleveland]

Just throwing this out but the one thing you can say for Ben is he has acquired some iffy guys that turned out to be okay, especially when they went to the pen. maybe Stewart can become a decent reliever.

Edited by reggiecleveland, 24 June 2012 - 04:46 PM.

[bosockboy]

I could see Lillibridge as a 25th man on a playoff roster...pretty versatile and has speed.

As for Stewart, everyone bitched about Mortensen also and he's been a decent find.

Edited by bosockboy, 24 June 2012 - 04:48 PM.

[Bigpupp]

So who comes off the 40 to make room for both of these guys?

[Corsi]

Lillibridge will be reporting to the #RedSox. Stewart to AAA.

https://twitter.com/...011239077949441