White Sox Acquire Ken Griffey Jr.

yeah kind of an odd add to the lineup, maybe they will try Quentin at center.

This deal seemed to come out of the blue. If he stays healthy, that offense will be even better... provided they have somewhere to put all the guys.

Maybe Griffey can play 1B. Maybe Griffey plays LF and Quentin moves to 1B. Maybe Griffey plays RF and Dye moves to 1B. Maybe Griffey and Thome swap off time at DH and 1B. Who knows. Maybe the Sox don't even know, but if you can get a bat that good you get it and worry about where to put him later.

Why can't Griff still play center? Their up the middle D is pretty solid with Cabrera and Alexei. Dye is an above average RF. I say Griff plays CF.

Putting Griffey in CF would give the White Sox, hands down, the worst OF in major league baseball (Worst and slowest).

You do not want Griffey in CF. He was the worst CF in the majors by far the last time he played it. He isn't even a good RF now, and honestly I think Dunn is better in LF then Griffey would be as well.

Put Griffey in CF and you negate any offensive production that he'd provide plus I believe he'd be injured inside two weeks.

I would play Griffey at DH...failing that he would play LF...but since its Griffey he won't play any OF position other then RF, took the Reds a few years just to get him out of CF.

Hate to say it but Griffey really isn't that great a bat any more either. Though he has been hitting better here lately.

Kenny would not give up Lance Broadway for Griffey. As far as I know, they are still in the running for Street. They are certainly going to need him for Street.

Maybe there's another move coming. Thome & prospects to the A's for Street?

What everyone said pretty much, I don't see an opening for regular play time for Junior on White Sox, would probably have to rotate people through the corner spots to make this work, seems weird.

Chicago radio has been talking about moving Swisher to first and benching Paulie and his .212 BA for a few weeks now.

My money is on Griffer, Quentin, Dye...for LF,CF, RF, Thome DH, Crede 3b and P-Kon on the bench.

I could see Kenny packaging Thome or P-Kon, but you'd have to include Josh Fields which depends on re-signing Crede, a Boras client which probably won't happen until the offseason, so I bet they stand pat. After the deadline I bet they pick up a bullpen arm, but that's about it.

For?

I think they move Griffey to 1B because Konerko is having a miserable year.

Beane already has the Sox prospects from the Swisher deal. I don't see Street coming to the Sox. As far as Griffey, it is a decent move. They need a stick. His best days are long behind them, but he can't hurt...unless he gets hurt. Putting him in CF would be a DL stint in waiting. Plus, those CF days are long gone. The name is not the same player. He does fit into what the Sox are built for this year though and I think it helps. This is an aging, home run hitting club, little speed, mixed with a couple younger guys. I would guess PK is given days off more often.

Thundersticks: Why would the A's want Thome? Don't they have that already in Thomas? Unless its a "take Thome off our hands and we'll sweeten the prospect pot" type deal. Cust is a defensive liability in LF, which is why he's DHing.

Wonder what ChiSox gave up. I assume this has something to do with benching PK and moving Swisher to 1B. Griffey's defense isn't anything to write home about either.

"I dont know why the hell Oakland would want Thome when they're wishing they could get rid of Thomas. Hmm..."

Huh? The As are paying Thomas the prorated minimum. Even they could eat that by DFA'ing him.

One comment, one question:

Jr's instincts are a problem because he still thinks he's 25 out there. He's misjudged several balls this year in critical points in the game, especially coming in on the ball. He dives late and misses or comes up short. He's living in the past out there...and that's in right field.

Also, any news on what's coming back Cincy's way?

Hey White Sox Fans, thanks for taking an old, slow, at the end of his career has been, who can't even bat .250 anymore. I'll take a lb of sand from US Cellular Field for Griffey!

Jr. your dad was great, but you just didn't pan out. Please leave Cincinnati while you can!

5 minutes...

1) depending on who the pale hose gave up, this could be a good deal.

2) reddsredsreds, jr griffey is a has been that didn't pan out? 608 home runs seems to disagree with you. Just cuz the Reds can't build a winning team to save their lives, doesn't mean griffey is to blame.

This deal makes no sense. Kenny better have something else up his sleeve. Jr is a DH at this point in his career and nothing else. Would rather have Brian Anderson and his defense in CF. Sox need speed and pitching. Don't need another one dimensional HR hitter

Sox fans are missing the big picture; Griffey to the Sox means Konerko to the bench. Does this make the Sox better?? Yes.

"I'm personally getting sick and tired of everyone bashing Griffey, especially these "Reds fans" who think trading Dunn AND Griffey are the solution to our problems. Griffey's defense may have not been as good as it once was mainly due to him not being as aggressive to stay healthy and not risk injury. You guys are never happy, either Griffey is always hurt or his defense is horrible. Cut the winning and crying.

Griffey has been hitting much better as of late, specifically after the All-Star break raising his average from the .230s

Pre-All-Star break: .235
Post-All-Star break: .318
Last month: 15r 5hr 17rbi .271"

Yeah, and it raised his overall year average to a whopping .245! I know that's worth 16 million! Look, Griffey is a cancer in that clubhouse. He's lazy and it wears off on people like Dunn and Phillips. He doesn't hussle, he doesn't seem to care about anything but himself. Every single year he has been in Cincinnati, he has underperformed. I am thrilled to see him go. I don't care what we get in return from the ChiSox as long as it isn't Konerko or Thome...

Well, I hope the reds get anderson in this deal, all the talent and no clue how to use it. Reds fans will be crying to get griffey back if that is the case.

Well, just as I predicted, the Reds didn't get much in return for Griffey, but I would've traded a rosin bag and pine tar just to get rid of him, his attitude, and his salary.

Obviously it would take more than Masset...but maybe he's a piece.

As long as the Reds don't have a .240 under 20 homers and barely 50 RBI guy batting in the 3 SPOT, I am happy.. He killed the entire lineup, If Dusty would have had the balls to bat Griffey 6th or 7th, this would be a completely different season.

right now clearly the only spot fro griffey is left field and move quentien to center he can play first b/c i hope u havent forgotten paul konerko and thome is dh so the only place i can see him playing right now is left field

"As long as the Reds don't have a .240 under 20 homers and barely 50 RBI guy batting in the 3 SPOT, I am happy.."

Exactly. Thats why this is a great deal for the Sox. Junior wont be batting 3rd in Chicago, but will be batting 6th. No matter what he does, Im sure it will be better than the crapfest which is known as Paul Konerko.

Kenny Williams does some strange stuff, but this is pretty far out there. I guess he thinks Griffey's name is more important than his production. He's already got Konerko, Swisher and Thome producing sub-par numbers, I guess he thought he needed to add another sub-par bat to his lineup. If Konerko is the guy that hits the bench due to Griffey coming to the team that would probably not be a good thing. I would guess Konerko has a better chance of "snapping out of it" so to speak than Griffey does, since KGj is just old and in decline.

Anyway, I can't see how this helps the Sox at all, other than making Williams feel good about himself in some strange way.

I'm not sure what Kenny's up to. I don't mind losing Richar, as I think he is overrated. Losing Masset is a little more troubling. I guess we either make another move in the next 3 hours or Paulie is gonna sit the bench. I'm glad we didn't trade Paulie, though I understand if we need to put him on the bench and write off this season, allowing him to really recover from his injuries. I don't understand bringing Griffey in, but I trust Kenny sees something we don't. After all, while most of us were caught up in the dead-end pursuits of Hunter and Fukodome, Kenny was quietly picking up Carlos Quentin and Alexei Ramirez. He usually knows what he's doing.

hey tim,
i'm kinda with you on this one. i don't know exactly how he fits in on the south side. seems to be similar to the predicament of the angels regarding their outfield. that seems to be sorted out but this move puts a greater number of positions into question (all 3 OFs, 1st, 3rd, DH). ozzie will figure it out.
regardless, when yahoo! finally reported that junior agreed to the trade, their "Big League Stew" blog was updated with a nice link to your coverage of the trade.

I don't really think Griffey will be much of a downgrade in center. It's not exactly like Swish was tearing it up out there.

I like Danny Richar a lot but there is really no need for him now as it looks like Ramirez and Gordon Beckham will be the middle infield of the future. Nick Masset was solid out of the bullpen, but had been struggling a lot lately, which is steadily climbing ERA indicated. DJ Carrasco has been stellar since coming up, and took the long relief job anyways, making Masset expendable.

Love the deal.

ALL YOU REDS FAN STOP HATING CAUSE WEEEEEEEEEE GOT OUR SELVES A 600 HOME RUN HITTER!

he's on a 12 game hit streak and is batting 324 with 3 homers and 10 rbi's on that trip

i dont care what you red fans say but Griffey's a hall of famer and all we need him for is this last half of the season to make it to the post season

Dave, i like your thinking, Paul Konerko needs to be moved our benched for a bit and then platoon Griffey, Quentin, Dye and Swisher when Konerko gets his head out of his ass and starts playing

I just don't see how Griffey fits in. He can't play center anymore, I don't care what anyone says, Swish is probably still better than Jr is now. You can't put him in the corners, as you have 2 MVP candidates there. I don't see Quentin playing CF. You don't DH him because Thome is hitting better than he is. Then there's Konerko. Who knows?

I'll make this statement right now. The White Sox will have a lower winning percentage than they have right now with Ken Griffey Jr on their team. Go on to Chicago Ken and teach Alexi Ramirez and Carlos Quentin how a 20 year vet does things. Like you know, never running out ground balls, or never laying down a bunt when the 3B is playing you behind 2B, or never doing what is best for the team like moving a runner from 2nd to 3rd with no one out. He is a cancer and thank goodness he is out of Cincinnati. I was a HUGE Griffey Jr fan for every year he was in Cincinnati except these last 2 when he has become lazy and self centered. Maybe a playoff race or change of scenery will change him because I really think his declining numbers are because of lack of effort more than anything. Anyone who can hit a HR at will on every father's or mother's day seems a little fishy to me...

Deal only makes sense if it leads to unloading some other guys in another deal. Good luck to Ozzie trying to find room for Jr, Thome, Konerko, and Swisher in the lineup

He might be a Type B Free Agent...I like the idea of getting Griffey out of Cincy. He doesn't try, which rubs off on other players (hello, Adam Dunn), and is a gigantic hole in the three spot (why?). The Reds weren't going to compete this year anyways, so why not see what we can get for him?

"To me, it looks like Konerko is going to get the short end of the stick."

Hmm, I wonder if he still has his tools of ignorance?

"Griffey may not have lived up to the HR crown hype, but he has always been a good player."

What? He is one of only 5 players who have hit over 600 HR. I think he lived up to the hype.

"You can't put him in the corners, as you have 2 MVP candidates there. I don't see Quentin playing CF."

Dye has played some CF in his career and still has the range. Why not move him over?

AA, in what world does Dye have range still? I guarantee Griffey probably has a lot more range than Dye. Have you watched a Sox game in the past 2 years? He has looked extremely slow for the better part of this season. He's picked it up a little lately, but if Dye is in CF, the Sox are in HUGE trouble.

"Dye has played some CF in his career and still has the range. Why not move him over?"

I sincerely hope you're joking. Dye has damn near ZERO range at this point in his career. I'm still a fan of the guy, but his fielding is comical.