White Sox Agree To Terms With Bartolo Colon

Deja Vu is happening again.

Good signing

I don't know about this. Hopefully he pans out but Colon is old and I do not see him helping the team all that much. If they got him for cheap it won't be to bad. We will see

watch out pizzarias

He was solid for the Red Sox last year, until he threw out his back hitting. Good signing, IMO.

Good pickup, he really helped the Sox last year when Dice-K was out.

He was solid for the Red Sox, until he injured himself and refused to come back and help out the team since he wouldn't be a starting pitcher, and was eventually dropped.

That speaks to the guy more than his weight, oh and the weight problem.

I wouldn't want him on my team in any shape or form.

if colon showed half as much desire to pitch as he does to eat, this could be a good signing.

"Great, now we can sign Freddy Garcia and we will have a solid #5. Why can't we sign a decent pitcher? Ben Sheets anyone? Is this our big splash? Oh yeah, I forgot we signed Nix, I almost jizzed in my pants on that signing. Give me a break Kenny, this is not gonna bring people to the park. Go get me Abreu and Roberts."

lol. no. just no.

I hope none of you actually think he'll last a whole season...

"Give me a break Kenny, this is not gonna bring people to the park. Go get me Abreu and Roberts."

KW has always had a competitive team without big marquee signings. How have those big name signings helped the yankees in the past 7 years?

Oh yeah thanks for Lillibridge, he should be good too. I can't wait to see this hitless wonder play in pinstripes in 09. I just creamed my pants again. Kenny get a clue. Go get us some speed. We want Roberts and an OBP guy like Abreu. That is what those 2 big name marquee guys will bring tschram!! We haven't upgraded anywhere.

Roberts and Abreu, in my opinion, are all wrong for us. Getting younger and shredding payroll are the owner's objective here. Signing two aged guys like that are completely contradictory to what they White Sox are preaching.

I guess it's better than signing Sweaty Freddy. I guess.....

"Colon will compete for a spot in the White Sox rotation, which lost Javier Vazquez to free agency"

Wow! Here's a tip Rosenthal, baseball is played in areas outside of the northeast - you can't just make stuff up - Vazquez was traded.

"He was solid for the Red Sox last year, until he threw out his back hitting. Good signing, IMO."

Yeah, just make sure he understands that it is OKAY for an AL pitcher to strike out looking in interleague play. He was doing well as a back-of-the-rotation guy before that incident.

"Wow! Here's a tip Rosenthal, baseball is played in areas outside of the northeast - you can't just make stuff up - Vazquez was traded."

Isn't that the truth Rosenthal.

I don't agree with all the Brian Roberts nay-sayers. He is the missing piece. Someone tell me how the youth movement of Owens, Anderson, Getz, Lillibridge, Nix are going to help us in 2009? Who is added here that will bring us speed? yes, Owens is fast, but you can't steal first base. Roberts is proven who can hold it down until Beckham is ready. I also like Hudson, but he doesn't steal bases.

"Hahahaha the White Sox are in for a long year..."

Yeah signing a low risk back end of the rotation pitcher like Colon is terrible.

Get a clue.

Rosenthal should join Soxtalk, he would fit into that fountain of misinformation and know-it-alls well.

I'd like to respond to the poster who keeps saying how we need Roberts and Abreu. Where are we going to put Abreu? He's not DH'ing or 1B, those are taken. His position RF is taken by Dye. LF is taken by CQ. CF is a maybe, but can Abreu even play CF? Negative. The sox need speed. Which means Jerry Owens or Anderson in center. Roberts could maybe be feasible, but the problem is this. Alexi at short, Dayan Viciedo at 3B, you have Getz and Betemit. Roberts would be nice, but we'd have to trade a top tier starter, namely Gavin Floyd, an up and coming star who won 17 games last year, for Roberts, who is in his contract year. This makes no sense at all.

I don't see why people continue to bag on Owens. He shows real potential to be solid. I think he wins the center job and with the opportunity to play in the majors every day, he could turn out to be a solid leadoff man. He needs to work on taking walks, but he certainly has the potential to hit .280 - .300.

Lillibridge shows serious promise and could end up stealing the second base job. Living here in NC I know a lot of braves fans who were upset about losing him in the Vazquez trade.

Getz has proven that he is capable of getting on base when it counts, and has enough speed that he could fill in leading off in a pinch.

Anderson has had some issues with the bat, but if the rest of the lineup is hitting well, its worth having him on the team just for his defense.

I don't disagree that it would be nice to have Brian Roberts, but it doesn't make sense to give up what it would cost (Floyd) to get him.

At this time last year, nobody (including KW) could have predicted the silliness that became Carlos Quentin. There were those who thought he would do well, but keep in mind, he wasn't even expected to break camp with the major league squad, much less be an all star and a serious MVP candidate. There's no telling what this group of young players will become. That's the risk you take with young players. Maybe Owens or Getz will become a Brian Roberts type leadoff man. They both have speed similar to or greater than Roberts. Who knows. That's the beautiful thing about baseball. Nothing is a sure thing. Just ask the Detroit Tigers who at this time last year had already won the 2008 World Series.

Later,
Aaron

123456789. Now where have I heard that before. Hmmmm. Oh yeah last year. The bullpen is avg? Huh? Last time I checked home runs score runs also. I am not saying they are a favorite but the Sox have plenty of good pieces.

So we just settle for mediocrity this year go white sox? tdogg, have you ever heard of sign a player and offer an extension? I also believe Roberts could be a very nice DH once Beckham arrives. I am proposing Abreu only if Dye leaves to get us a marquee player. Sorry I didn't make that clearer. And yes, I think Abreu would be nice even if we have Dye, Thome, and Konerko. This means we can have Abreu or Dye play some 1st when Konerko has another brain fart this year. OR if we get tired of seeing Thome strike out in clutch situations, Abreu can spell him. I am tired of just getting by....I want some stability. I want a MLB ready pitcher. As a ticket holder, I think this is the least Kenny can do for me.

I am a season ticket holder also and what you say makes no sense. WTF Roberts as a DH? You don't need to sign Roberts (he wouldnt anyway) to a extension. You have help on the way. Scouts think Beckham might be ready by July.

Would of rather signed Pedro Martinez or Freddy but wtf.. better than nothing. Sox need to trade Konerko for anything, sign either hudson/garland/sheets. theres many ways to make this team a favorite in the division but just need one trade and good fa signing.

2b-orlando hudson
ss-alexai ramirez
lf-carlos quentin
dh-jim thome
rf-jermaine dye
1b-josh fields
c-aj pierzynski
3b-lillibridge/betemit (not good)
cf-owens/anderson/wise

sp-buehrle/danks/floyd/garland/colon/richard
bp-jenks/linebrink/dotel/thorton/carrasco/

Aaron ummm okay, you want info?
Owens career OPS+ 66. In 07 his most ABs he had a ops under .650. Good God man that's horrible. In the outfield he has no great range and a popcorn arm. Is that enough info?

Several stories reference it in the rumors involving Roberts. You can google it.

Sickels rates him a B+ an advanced prospect who would be a A next year. Its not a stretch to think he arrives this year.

OPS is not nearly as significant a statistic for a leadoff hitter as OBP alone. He's not trying to hit doubles and triples. Now, given, that's still low, but to measure him by that stat alone is foolish. Jacoby Ellsbury had an OPS of .729 last year and he was a rookie of the year candidate leading of in the exact same role as Owens would fill.

As for his "lack of range" and popcorn arm, he has tons of speed, which can be trained into range, and his arm can be strengthened.

I'm not saying the kid is going to be an all star next year, I'm just saying that to write him off saying he "sucks" is inaccurate.

Later,
Aaron

enough cracking jokes, i dont exactly love this signing but whatever i trust KW.

Not necessarily tdogg. What we needed from the outfield was a leadoff hitter at spring training last year. We were hoping to get that from Owens. Everything I read up until the day Owens got hurt was that the outfield was going to be Owens in left, Swisher in center, and Dye in right, with Anderson on the bench. Whether that would have changed once the season had started has nothing to do with what I was talking about. The bottom line is that even people who really were behind Quentin last year could not have predicted he would have the season he had last year. It's not BS, its the truth. It's easy to disagree in hindsight, but go back and read the archived articles.

"Alexei Ramirez is available to start in center field, as are Carlos Quentin and Brian Anderson, both of whom will make the team due to Owens' injury. " (from the press release about Owens' injury).

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080325&content_id=2457534&vkey=spt2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

Later,
Aaron

So his numbers aren't as good as a rookie of the year candidate and an established veteran in the field. That means he sucks? Wow, if that's the comparison then half the major leagues suck. The bottom line is his numbers aren't that far from the numbers that Pods put up in 2005 when we won the world series, and nobody was saying that Pods sucked then. If Owens is healthy, then I think he turns the corner this year. Before he got hurt last spring he was hitting somewhere around .360. He is capable of leadoff type hitting. His defense needs work, but that's what coaches are for.

Later,
Aaron

We went round and round about Owens last year on South Side. My point is, yes he was slated to start but...

A) He never stays healthy.
B) Quentin was always more talented and if his shoulder was healthy would make his way out of the minors or off the bench and into the lineup.

Owens is just not a good player. Im sorry that hurts your feelings, but facts are facts.

"Small. Sample. Size."

People his career minor league OPS is .718. He's 27. This is not a discussion.

Now to the original article.

1. Great signing by the Sox. Low risk, high reward.

2. Can a Sox fan explain to me the reason why people aren't so high on Poreda sticking as a SP and possibly becoming a closer? Does he lack the plus pitches?

Rex. I don't disagree about the Sickels. I just said what I read.

"He's not MLB ready, or even close to it."

I don't know if I buy that. The Sox were pretty impressed with Gordon in the AFL. He might get an opportunity this year and will definitely arrive in 2010.

Rex,

The concern with Poreda is that he only has a couple of pitches beside his very good fastball. He would probably need to develop another offspeed pitch in order to fit into a starting role. I think he will make the pen this year, and work on developing a pitch or two during his side sessions.

He certainly has the fastball to be a strong setup man or closer.

Later,
Aaron

I don't have a problem with Anderson in CF. I just want production offensive or defensive. Where are you seeing Owens +13?

The team will know more about Poreda this spring, but the Sox are still very much looking at him as a starter. Outside opinion keeps mentioning reliever long term. His secondary pitches do need work however.

Aaron-

Thanks for info. Obviously, Poreda is much more valuable in the rotation than in the pen. If Sox brass thinks that he could cut it as a starter, he needs to be starting in AAA.

It will be much easier for him to develop, refine, and incorporate that pitch into his repetoire if he's doing it in Charlotte as opposed to developing the pitch in side sessions in the Sox bullpen.

Again, I don't see how keeping a prospect in the minors longer so he can refine his skills is a bad idea. The upside of Poreda as a starter is worth it IMO. And, starter to reliever conversions almost always work out better than reliever to starter conversions.

Regarding Beckham. I guess we'll see huh.

Tdogg, you are very defensive. Aaron you make very good comments, keep it up, you too rex! However, Owens is not good. He basically played a full year a couple years back and we saw a terrible OBP and lack of plate discipline.

Back to Roberts...tdogg you are being too one dimensional to respond to my comments. I agree fully that Floyd for Roberts is a mistake. However, we must have some prospects to make the O's happy. I say sign him to an extension and have him DH in the future when Jim "I clog bases" Thome is gone. That way you now have a basestealer, OBP guy as your DH for once. DH doesn't have to be a power guy.

Also, Beckham has NEVER been slated as ready by July. This will not happen, mark it down, you heard it here.

Since you are so smart tdogg, tell me how the White Sox have resolved their need for speed? Exactly, they haven't. Yes, they may have gotten a bit younger....with players that wont be here in 2 years (Lillibridge, Owens, Getz, Nix, etc.) But, if you want my Stadium Club 300 Level VIP passes let me know, because I think I will be selling them.

Amen Aaron....finally some sense on this board. I saw Pods signed a minor league deal today....I think I would have at least invited him to spring training for a crack at the team. Perhaps an upgrade to Owens.

Im not defensive, just realistic. You dont extend Roberts to be a DH, regardless if Beckham is close to ready or not. And have you paid attention to rumors surrounding Roberts for the past 2+ years? Crackhead nation for what they want for Roberts.

Speed only matters if its somewhat talented. The Cell is not turning into Petco Park. I want people that can get on base. Period. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with Getz this year.

So we haven't resolved the speed issue that was clearly a problem last year. Ok, I gotcha. I can give Getz some time, but I don't like Owens. Roberts isn't the be-all end all. Let's get creative and get some scrappy guys in here that can run the bases though. So far I haven't seen that. Bottom line....not much has been done to get excited on the South Side.

Since Roberts is a hot topic, how about Roberts for Poreda + Lillibridge?

Actually the guys who hit before the middle of your order (you're RBI guys) usually come up to bat four or five times a game. That's significantly more than once.

Any team that hits the ball in the Cell is going to hit a lot of home runs. What made the Sox a small ball team that year in comparison with other years was that they played strong defense, hit when they needed to hit, bunted well, and pitched well. If that team had played anywhere else, they would have been considered a small ball team.

Later,
Aaron

Right now, yes Floyd has more value. However, looking to the future of the rotation, Floyd projects as at best a #3 rotation guy. Give Poreda a couple of years and he could be an ace. I'm not saying he will be, but the possibility is there. He is hands down our number one pitching prospect, and likely a future 1-3 rotation pitcher. We don't have another guy like that in the farm. We have tons of 3-5 guys.

Later,
Aaron

Sigh.

There are plenty of lineup studies available. Again your fixation on lead off is overstated in regards to speed.

Strong defense has nothing to do with small ball offense. They did not bunt well and their RISP OPS was a grand total of .02 than the season total.

The 05 team was built on pitching and defense with an occasional (actually probable) long ball.

Decent signing. People please stop overrating Aaron Poreda.

And I'm glad I'm not the only one hoping for Sheets.

Leadoff hitters don't have to be fast. It's a bonus, but not a necessity. There are two important things to a leadoff hitter. OBP and smart base running. If your leadoff man has good speed, then going from first to third on a single becomes a possibility for example.

Small ball is all about aggression and getting runs however possible, so as not to have to rely on the long ball. Bunting is part of that, as is aggressive baserunning, and timely hitting, all of which the Sox focused on in 2005. In comparison to any other year, the 2005 Sox were a small ball team. In a pitcher's park, they would have been a small ball team.

You're example of RISP OPS actually supports my point. Look at their RISP batting average. They weren't after the extra base hit. You put too much emphasis on OPS.

Pitching and defense are obviously not part of small ball offense, but they make it much easier to succeed as a small ball team (or any kind of team for that matter). Ozzie and Williams have always believed that, and that particular year it showed.

Show me a lineup study that says the number 1 hitter is not important. With the way modern lineups are setup, the numbers 3-5 spots tend to be the guys relied upon to drive in runs. If there is nobody on base for them to drive in, then they can't do their job.

Later,
Aaron

Aaron what are you talking about? Their BA difference was .03

I never said leadoff is unimportant. I said you overstate speed in regards to it. Of course OBP is what matters.

The teams that understand OBP don't get caught up in this small ball garbage.

I give up goodnight.