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appliedscience · 04-25-2008, 08:47 PM

Week One
1/1/08 through 1/6/08

1/2/08: The Boston Red Sox trade first baseman Kevin Youkilis to the Milwaukee Brewers for starting pitcher Jeff Suppan and minor league outfielder Anderson De la Rosa.

1/2/08: The Chicago White Sox trade first baseman Jim Thome and outfielder Jermaine Dye to the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Randy Winn, outfielder Dave Roberts, and starting pitcher Matt Cain.

1/5/08: The Chicago White Sox signed first baseman and outfielder Mark Sweeney to a one-year contract.

1/5/08: The Cleveland Indians trade catcher Kelly Shoppach and minor league starting pitcher Steven Wright to the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Cliff Floyd and minor league shortstop Neil Walton.

1/7/08: The Cincinnati Reds trade third baseman Edwin Encarnacion and minor league shortstop Rafael Sanchez to the Cleveland Indians for shortstop Jhonny Peralta and minor league starting pitcher William Delage.

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Needless to say, the fans were shocked and even appalled to hear that not only was Jermaine Dye out of a White Sox uniform, but so was Jim Thome. The two were extremely popular in the Chicago area, and for good reason. Dye had been with the team since their championship run in 2005. He had two extremely productive seasons in a row before seeing his numbers fall off last year. Dye batted .254/317/.486 with twenty-eight home runs and seventy-eight runs-batted-in over 508 at-bats in 2007. Thome, 37-years old, was a powerful cog in the Sox lineup the past two seasons. He hit seventy-seven home runs and knocked in 205 runs over the 2006 and 2007 seasons. In return, the White Sox received the highly-touted 23-year-old pitcher Matt Cain and outfielders Randy Winn and Dave Roberts. Cain, part of the young gun duo with Tim Lincecum, has a 3.73 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over 437 innings-pitcher in his career. He has stuck out 372 while walking 185 and giving up thirty-six home runs. He typically throws a 94-96 mile-per-hour fastball, as well as a slider, curve, and change-up. He is expected to be an ace in a few years. Winn, 33-years-old, is an underrated talent who has often been overshadowed by Barry Bonds. He can play all three outfield positions well, run the bases well, and gets on base at a good clip. Last season, Winn batted .300/.353/.445 with fourteen home runs, forty-two doubles, and fifteen stolen bases. Dave Roberts, a throw-in on the deal, is a speedy 35-year-old outfielder. Roberts stole thirty-one bases in 2007 and forty-nine in 2006. He is known more for his defense and speed than his bat, having only batted .260/.331/.364 last season.

Overall, in this deal we lose a good amount of power, but we also lose a good amount of strikeouts. Our defense improves, as well as our speed on the base paths. With the signing of Mark Sweeney, Paul Konerko can play as a designated hitter against righties, even furthering our defensive skill. I believe the lineups ability to get on-base and move runners along will negate the loss of the long ball. Most importantly, our rotation has gained a very solid pitcher. Cain will be our third starter and we will have to wait and see how he adapts to the American League and how he develops in general. If he comes as advertised, we may have the best one-two-three punch in baseball.

04-25-2008, 08:47 PM	#2
appliedscience Bat Boy Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 4	Week One 1/1/08 through 1/6/08 1/2/08: The Boston Red Sox trade first baseman Kevin Youkilis to the Milwaukee Brewers for starting pitcher Jeff Suppan and minor league outfielder Anderson De la Rosa. 1/2/08: The Chicago White Sox trade first baseman Jim Thome and outfielder Jermaine Dye to the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Randy Winn, outfielder Dave Roberts, and starting pitcher Matt Cain. 1/5/08: The Chicago White Sox signed first baseman and outfielder Mark Sweeney to a one-year contract. 1/5/08: The Cleveland Indians trade catcher Kelly Shoppach and minor league starting pitcher Steven Wright to the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Cliff Floyd and minor league shortstop Neil Walton. 1/7/08: The Cincinnati Reds trade third baseman Edwin Encarnacion and minor league shortstop Rafael Sanchez to the Cleveland Indians for shortstop Jhonny Peralta and minor league starting pitcher William Delage. --- Needless to say, the fans were shocked and even appalled to hear that not only was Jermaine Dye out of a White Sox uniform, but so was Jim Thome. The two were extremely popular in the Chicago area, and for good reason. Dye had been with the team since their championship run in 2005. He had two extremely productive seasons in a row before seeing his numbers fall off last year. Dye batted .254/317/.486 with twenty-eight home runs and seventy-eight runs-batted-in over 508 at-bats in 2007. Thome, 37-years old, was a powerful cog in the Sox lineup the past two seasons. He hit seventy-seven home runs and knocked in 205 runs over the 2006 and 2007 seasons. In return, the White Sox received the highly-touted 23-year-old pitcher Matt Cain and outfielders Randy Winn and Dave Roberts. Cain, part of the young gun duo with Tim Lincecum, has a 3.73 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over 437 innings-pitcher in his career. He has stuck out 372 while walking 185 and giving up thirty-six home runs. He typically throws a 94-96 mile-per-hour fastball, as well as a slider, curve, and change-up. He is expected to be an ace in a few years. Winn, 33-years-old, is an underrated talent who has often been overshadowed by Barry Bonds. He can play all three outfield positions well, run the bases well, and gets on base at a good clip. Last season, Winn batted .300/.353/.445 with fourteen home runs, forty-two doubles, and fifteen stolen bases. Dave Roberts, a throw-in on the deal, is a speedy 35-year-old outfielder. Roberts stole thirty-one bases in 2007 and forty-nine in 2006. He is known more for his defense and speed than his bat, having only batted .260/.331/.364 last season. Overall, in this deal we lose a good amount of power, but we also lose a good amount of strikeouts. Our defense improves, as well as our speed on the base paths. With the signing of Mark Sweeney, Paul Konerko can play as a designated hitter against righties, even furthering our defensive skill. I believe the lineups ability to get on-base and move runners along will negate the loss of the long ball. Most importantly, our rotation has gained a very solid pitcher. Cain will be our third starter and we will have to wait and see how he adapts to the American League and how he develops in general. If he comes as advertised, we may have the best one-two-three punch in baseball.