Hey guys it's Ricky. I felt the need to step in here...
Ken Griffey Jr. is my favorite baseball of all-time and my second favorite athlete ever, only behind MJ. My initial reaction to the trade was shock, and momentary elation. It's not very often your childhood hero comes to your favorite team, even if he is a shadow of his former self at this point.
But no one should get too excited. This trade carries a lot of question marks. Because the Sox only gave up Nick Massett and Danny Richar, I approve of the deal, as long as Griffey is used the right way.
The wrong way to use Griffey would be to make him the everyday center fielder. If that happens, the Sox just become a worse team. From a poster on South Side Sox:
Some numbers:Center Field
UZR: -46 runs per 150 games (2003-2006)
PMR: -44 outs per 150 games (2005-2006)
RZR: -36 outs per 150 games (2004-2006)Right Field
UZR: -16 runs per 150 games (2007)
PMR: -14 outs per 150 games (2007)
RZR: -22 outs per 150 games (2007-2008)Say what you will about individual defensive metrics, but we have a mountain of evidence that Griffey is one of, if not the worst everyday defensive player in the game. You're talking about a guy who's a -15 run corner outfielder when he's completely healthy, which he never is. He's impossibly bad and quite likely worse than Raul Ibanez with dust in his eye, meaning that even if he were a plus hitter - which he isn't - he'd still be giving everything right back in the field.
What all that means is that Griffey is an awful, awful defensive center fielder. People think Nick Swisher is a bad defensive center field- the numbers prove him to be perfectly average- but Griff is 100x worse. So everyone with dreams of Griff in center, Swish at first, and Paulie riding the pine....be careful what you wish for.
This trade will only be beneficial if Griffey becomes a utility man. He can play all three outfield slots (granted, not all that well) and first base. We're in August now, the Sox are going to have to get Quentin and Dye some rest. If Griffey is platooned to those four positions, I think it's a hell of a trade for the Sox. According to the Sox blog Life in the Cell, Griffey has an OPS+ this year of 102*. By contrast, Konerko sits at 74. Griffey is still a productive major league bat, and he'll be an asset to the Sox coming off the bench. With the ability to play four positions, Griffey should still get a ton of at bats the final two months, and having a bench guy who can hit like him will be important in the playoffs.
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Quickly, the Score is floating a rumor of Nick Swisher being traded to the A's for Houston Street. If that happens, after the Sox pillaged the farm system to get Swish, I will destroy everything in sight. Kenny Williams is a smart dude, so I don't think that trade will happen. At least I hope not.
* OPS+ is on base percentage plus slugging percentage, with era and ballpark factored in.
Roman Modrowski is the online sports editor for the 
Ricky,
I do tend to know my baseball, but I had no idea that Junior was that bad in the OF. If that's true, then I wholeheartedly agree that he needs to be used judiciously as you say.
I also would be delighted to join your destruction party if they return Swisher back to the A's for the one-way Street. Primarily, it's for the reasons you gave. Remember, getting Street would be like trading those three guys for him! It would be terrible. I still believe that Swisher's best days are ahead of him. We can't give up on him this early, especially in lieu of what we spent on him. Konerko on the other hand?
This Griffey deal therefore is by no means a "blockbuster" and I hope in the next 75 minutes or so as of this writing, we make a SMART move to get more pitching. We talk about the relief corps depleted. Well, who in our starting staff does anyone have confidence in?
Mark "gotta be perfect or else" Buehrle?
Javier "the non-winner" Vazquez?
Jose "my aching 75-year-old body" Contreras?
John "still a year away" Danks?
Gavin "on any given day, anything can happen" Floyd?
I'm telling you the first half's ERA was done with "mirrors." We have become all-hit, no pitch, not-much-defense. This is by no means a World Series calibre team. I keep rooting for them, by we've got to be realistic.
I also love Junior. If he had never gotten hurt he would be quite possibly the best there ever was. He definetly would have eclipsed all of Bond's records. I am not that excited. Its a shrug your shoulders move. Paul Kornerko is leperous and while we all feel for him, you just want him to go away. What would make me smile would be that swisher trade. We need a horse. Sorry PR (pretty-ricky).
Junior was a great player, is a good player, and will be a big plus for the ChiSox. I think adding Junior as an insurance policy player is a good move. He will give you good at bats, and he is a great clubhouse guy. The Reds are a little worse off with Junior gone, but now I pray that the White Sox win another ring, for Junior ... and for Thome. OldCleat
Ricky, what were Edmonds #'s before he became a Cub? Look at his impact on the Cubs now.
While I agree with you that it's best to use KGJ as a utility player incl DH for the WSox, I still look at the fact that he's looked very good at the plate since the break & he could have has big an impact as Edmonds has for the Cubs.
The deadline's gone & Street is still an A. I don't see Minny or the Tigers letting Street clear waivers. We dodged that bullet.
Ricky responds: Oh yeah dude, Griffey is still a very good hitter. A 102 OPS + is really, really good. As long as the Sox don't make him the permanent CF, I really like the trade.
As a fan, you scratch your head, then ponder this guy is 38 years old! He is not the KGJ when 32 years old a few years back.
I'm thinking do I like him because of his previous career accomplishments or do he still has enough left in him to help the White Sox, like Dennis Rodman help the Chicago Bulls win another championship.
Of course he can hit the ball, but can we get to the playoffs and then those dividends pay off in a lineup with two strong home-run hitting lefties such as Thome and Griffey?
Okay Chicago White Sox players, LETS GO! I'm making sucker bets with Cubbie Fans and they falling all over themselves to give me their money to see who is going to the playoffs and World Series. Of course it will bee the Chicago White Sox, but I won't rain on a Cubbie Fans dream............
Read the line below.
NOT YET ANYWAY!...lol
I don't get this acquisition at all. There's really no place to put him, and he makes a mediocre defense worse. I think it will have no effect on the season. The Sox still have a good shot at the division title, but no shot whatsoever at the AL Championship.
Was Eric Davis unavailable?
It cost the Sox about $2.15M to pick up KGJr. That incl their share of the $4M buyout of his contract. The Reds are picking up the rest.
The Sox were 17-10 when Cabrera's OBP avg'd .373. Cabrera is amongst the lead leaders in PA's & is sure to get more than any other Sox player the rest of the way. He's the key to whether the Sox can hold off the Twins in Aug. Don't worry about Sept too much. The Sox under Williams tend to outperform the rest of the div then.
The Sox bested Minn in June by 1/2 gm. Min bested the Sox in July by 2 gms. With Lariano returning, The Twins have at least 30 wins left in them. The Sox must have a winning Aug
& Cabrera's the key.
What's not to get about acquiring a left-handed power bat for 2 '4A' players? Forget the name. This a perfect rent-a-player deal. The Sox gave up nothing.
Can anyone say "PITCHING" here.
This Junior business is such a small bleep on my radar, I was just watching to see if we were going to neutralize things by picking up another RELIEVER. Huston Street? Hasn't Kenny noticed that the starters are ALL struggling right now and a starting arm was needed in the worse way. We're waiting for a forty-eight year old who's been struggling to get past the third inning, can't go an inning without at least two men on, and can't hold a runner on base if his life depended on it, to come off the disabled list to revive the situation. O.K.!
Not to mention our 'Feerless Leader', Ozcar the Grouch, has been handling pitching moves like Bambi handled the ice.
I really hope these starters can right the ship real fast.
Javy: Your walks are an automatic 'Go to Home Plate; do not pass Go, do not collect 200 dollars, go directly to Home Plate'.
Denks: You gotta give us eight; seven or less pulls the rug out.
Floyd: Down, down, down! And if you can't do that, at least keep it down.
Buehrle: If I wanted a roller-coaster ride, I'd have gone to Gurnee. Come on Mark, you're better than that!
Contreras: Don't they have Social Security in the Dominican Republic?
Bring it home boys, we only need three in October.
Can anyone say Zambrano, Dempster and Harden.
I can, and I'd like to say Danks, Floyd and Buehrle on the other end.
Juan:
Please, don't compare Griffey to Edmonds. It's not fair to Junior. Edmonds can still play center. He is a clutch hitter and always has been. Junior can't run. If he falls, he gets hurt. And is not a clutch hitter.
Edmonds broke my heart when he signed with the Cubs (I'm a Cardinals fan), but he is doing for the Cubs what he did for the Cardinals for several years and two trips to the World Series.
Junior has done nothing like that in ... in... well, forever.
He is a DH. Putting him in center is foolish -- especially every day. If he drives in 60 RBI for the Sox and provides good protection for Quentin and Dye in the middle of the order, then he adds value. But only as a hitter. Every time he steps on the field, he is an accident waiting to happen.
That's sad to say, because he once was a gifted outfielder. But those days are long gone -- like in the last century gone.
Just read Mariotti's typically negative column about Griffey and the White Sox.
He must be getting nervous. Jay knows that if the Sox make the playoffs he'll have to jump on the bandwagon, (his usual move) and he remembers the taste of that crow he ate back in '05. It has to be making him sick to his stomach.
Junior will help but this team needed arms. The ERA of the bullpen since the All Star Break has been brutal (6.98) Even though DJ Carcasco has pitched well, he is not going to get it done in the long run. Wasserman no way and Linnebrink has a bum shoulder.
If the Sox do not beat themselves like they did in Minnesota and the Bullpen comes around, this team should win their division.
In case you missed it, KGJr accounted for 3/4 runs last night. What did I tell you earlier? He's been doing his damage early & late for much of the year. Last night was the same. That's exactly what this team needed.
As for CF, he won't be playing there everyday. There will be matchup's coming up that favor Konerko. He's not hitting .213 vs every pitcher in the AL. When Konerko plays, Jr won't be in CF. He'll likely sit unless a matchup goes vs Thome.
Likewise, there will be games when the Sox jump all over a team. Jr will come out early then.
If you must worry about something, worry about the Twins. They are on fire again with Lariano soon to join the rotation.
Yay, Ricky's back! Smart talk can resume!
It's a shame that Swisher and Griffey aren't going to switch positions anytime soon. I believe Swisher has actually vocalized his discomfort in center field, so I don't think we can expect to see the optimal lineup anytime soon. Baseball Prospectus has Nick Swisher at -1 FRAA for the season. That does include time at first base, where his glove is an extreme plus, but you're right, there's no way that he's as bad as people think he is. He does take poor routes to the ball sometimes, but it's a tad overstated compared to his athleticism.
Gus - Any team that has a good shot at the division title has a shot at the AL Championship. I can cite multiple times that the worst playoff team in its respective league has made the World Series. (Hint: You don't have to look back too far!)
You just added another older, injury prone player.
Well, if you get exited about big name over the hill players then yeah big deal. Otherwise, this does nothing to improve sox, pitching weaknesses are just going to get worse. Now griffey, thome and konerko can all compete for most hrs that are meaningless. Should keep fans happy for awhile, looks like major deal but is really small beer.
What the hellup is going on over there?
Now the Weekend Team cant even get posts up in a timely manner...
Was there a comic book convention in town or something?