The Chicago Sun-Times Has Our Back
December 14, 2009 at 6:24 pm | Posted in Juan Pierre sucks, Scott Linebrink | 6 CommentsIt’s like Christmas! Christmas in… well, December. Since the McCourts seem intent on being the Grinches of the season, we at least have Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, who is doing more for us than Santa Claus ever could. I mean, just look at the headline of his most recent story and try not to shed a tear of joy:
Sox Outfield has lots of room for Pierre
Leadoff man/OF would fill need at tolerable price
It’s… *sniff*… just so beautiful. Excuse me, it’s getting a little dusty in here. After a few intro paragraphs explaining the Dodger payroll predicament and how LA would likely have to pick up a majority of the contract, Cowley gets to the heart of the matter…
It would give the Sox the third outfielder they covet, but more important, it would fill the hole at the top of the lineup. Pierre is coming off a 2009 season in which he hit .308 in 380 at-bats, stealing 30 bases and scoring 57 runs.
At 32, he also would be the perfect player to hold down the fort until outfielder Jordan Danks is completely ready to be an every-day player.
Yes! Yes, oh lord yes. This is hardly the first time we’ve discussed moving Pierre, of course, and it’s not even the first time that the White Sox have been the prospective destination. The difference here is that it’s not us wishcasting Pierre off on some other club. This is a writer from another city saying, “you know what? I could see him on our team.” That, my friends, is progress. That is a writer opening doors with the fanbase to make this happen.
Of course, what Cowley neglects to mention is what the White Sox would have to give up in return. We’ve all heard that Ned Colletti is looking for a back of the rotation starter type, and the White Sox don’t have anyone who really fits that mold. However, one commenter on Cowley’s story has the answer: Scott Linebrink.
this could be the one and only chance we have to dump linebrink and his 10 mil. kenny needs to sell this hard to the dodgers even if we have to throw in a minor leaguer. pierre is a perfect fit and we could then resign carrasco.
Now, I’ll admit I was somewhat surprised to see this. I remember thinking that 4 years and $19 million was a silly contract for a middle reliever when he signed it after 2007, but I mostly remember him being one of the top relievers in the NL while with San Diego and had a pretty good White Sox debut in 2008 (124 ERA+, 1.079 WHIP).
Granted, he regressed badly in 2009 (1.661 WHIP, woof), but I can’t let one commenter on a news story convince me that White Sox fans are dying to be rid of him. So I did some research…
The White Sox blog, 9/1/09:
At least Scott Linebrink will stick around long enough for me to perpetuate the nickname I gave him last week via twitter: Scotch Linebrink. Both because he gets into stick situations and because he’ll make anyone watching him pitch want to be an alcoholic.
Speaking of Scotty Linebrink, here’s what I was originally writing when the news started to trickle in:
There’s a picture (MSTI note: shown at right) that Sox bloggers have adopted of late that sums up the games better than any blog post could.
Okay, but that’s just one unimaginatively-named Sox blog. How about one of the top White Sox blogs?
Southside Sox, on September 28th, laying out the rules for selecting who should take the fall for the 2009 season:
You also can’t be someone who has an unmovable contract. So Scott Linebrink will have to wait to take the fall for the 2011 season.
And on August 17, after a bittersweet victory:
The Sox were still giving games away — What other purpose does Scott Linebrink have? — but the Royals have perfected the craft through years of organizational ineptitude.
There might not be a more hollow victory all season.
- Linebrink gets the win after giving up two 2-out walks and a first pitch, game-tying homer to Mike Jacobs
And on July 16th, talking about the good, the bad…
and the ugly (Wilson Betemit, Scott Linebrink, the inability to find a real centerfielder)
Okay, maybe Sox fans do hate Linebrink. (Especially judging by the 19-page thread at SoxTalk about who they could deal him for.) That last quote in particular is a double whammy, since they’re complaining about the lack of a centerfielder. Juan Pierre to the rescue!
It’s true that adding a reliever isn’t as important as adding a starter, and I agree that Colletti should go that route if he can. But if not? Linebrink’s not a terrible suggestion at all. He’s is owed $10.5m over the next two years (he does have a no-trade clause, but those can be negotiated), so that helps bring the price closer to Pierre’s. The best part is, despite how much Sox fans seem to hate him, there’s a lot to like here. Linebrink may have been awful last year, but that was a little misleading. Check it out:
1) His FIP went from 4.21 to 4.63, which isn’t great but also isn’t disastrous.
2) He actually struck out more than a batter per inning more than in 2008 (7.77 to 8.84).
3) Going by BABIP, he was wildly unluckly. His usual rate was between .260-.300 for the last five years; in 2009, it shot up to .372.
4) His home run rate, while still high, was lower than it had been since 2006.
To be fair, his walk rate skyrocketed from 1.75 to 3.70, and that didn’t help him. But for a guy with his history of success who’s apparently fallen out of favor in Chicago, why wouldn’t you want to move Pierre for him? Sign me up.
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You almost had me, Mike. I see that someone else wants Slap and suddenly the sun comes out and it is warm again. Alas, the White Sox have nothing we would want. Sure, Scott Linebrink is better than eating contract, but not by much. Yeah, he could replace Billy Mota in the pen, but I thought that Josh Lindblom or Scott Elbert would get Mota’s innings in ’10.
Now, here is my solution to this stick problem – involve a third team! I have several ideas. Linebrink to the Royals for Meche, but that would mean that the Royals would have to be unhappy with Meche….strike one.
Okay, how about Linebrink to the Reds for Harang. Yeah, Jocketty ain’t eating contract….strike two.
I am desperate now. How ’bout Linebrink to the Mets for John Maine….forget I said it, even Omar Minaya isn’t that stupid….is he? Help me here, Mike, I am crashing in flames.
Comment by grabarkewitz — December 14, 2009 #
I’m all for trading Pierre, but not sure if Linebrink is the guy. Both guys are extremely overpaid for what they do, yet they’re good enough to help a team win. Pierre helps the Dodgers win more than a middle reliever, ’cause we’re already loaded there. If we’re gonna trade Juan, it’s gonna be us getting back a horrible contract of a second baseman or pitcher, or a straight salary dump for a mid-level prospect or two. Those are the only scenarios that make sense for the Dodgers. The third scenario would be to eat almost all of his money and trade him for a valuable prospect, but that’s not gonna happen with this ownership.
Comment by Hamlet — December 15, 2009 #
Pierre for Linebrink is exactly the kind of move Ned Colletti would make. But um, don’t we need a starting pitcher?
Comment by Shmolnick — December 15, 2009 #
I don’t think that would be a very good trade either. As Hamlet said, we are already set in our bullpen and adding another piece, much less that expensive, would be superfluous and unnecessary. Unfortunately, Gil Meche is worth more than Pierre and the Royals know that, so I don’t see that happening unless we throw in prospects and then it just doesn’t seem worth it. Bonderman’s name has been thrown around a lot, and if there’s any evidence that he can come back healthy then I think that could be worth the risk. We’re gonna pay the money regardless and we have better options than Pierre for the fourth outfielder job.
I know this is outside the topic of this post, but I must say something. This isn’t about how we should have got Halladay and more about the Jays messing up and how I don’t want to hate Halladay. As of now, it seems they are getting THREE prospects – a low-A catcher, a AA outfielder, and a AAA pitcher… AND paying $6 million of Halladay’s contract. Ooh ooh, a bonus: the AAA pitcher, Kyle Drabek, has already had Tommy John surgery. I lose the will to complain, but it just doesn’t seem worth it. Yes, it’s more than two picks next summer, but really? They wanted CHAD BILLINGSLEY from the Dodgers…
Comment by Justin — December 15, 2009 #
As I said, I’d prefer Colletti get a starting pitcher than Linebrink. No doubt. But if that’s not doable, I’d rather have Linebrink in the pen than Pierre on the bench.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness — December 15, 2009 #
I would also prefer to see Slap gone, but all Linebrink gives us is a reason to keep Elbert or Lindblom in the minors for another year or two. If given the choice of Slap or Linebrink, I would take Slap. Of course, that keeps Xavier Paul on the farm where he has little to prove.
The more I think about it, the more it looks like Ned is gonna stick us with crap like Tim Redding or Noah Lowry at the back end of our rotation. Right now, I would be very surprised if we do anything worthwhile, including dealing Slap.
Comment by grabarkewitz — December 15, 2009 #