Less than 12 hours after I muse about the possibility that Joe Crede's ongoing contract negotiations with the Twins is just a devious ruse orchestrated by puppet master extraordinaire Ken Williams, does Sports Illustrated and Twins blogger La Velle Neal report that now the two sides seem to be agreeing a whole lot more. No surprise that Crede would have to accept a little less than the guaranteed $7 million he was looking for.If Joe indeed signs with the Twins, I certainly hope it doesn't tarnish his legacy with the Sox. No, he never quite lived up to the hype, but was an above average hitter, an excellent defensive third baseman, and when the lights shined brightest on the White Sox, he brought his A game. He slugged .622 during the 12-game play-off run in 2005, 180 points above his career average. He hit 4 home runs, drove in 11 runs, and easily could have been named ALCS MVP.
Shockingly, Joe only played 4 full seasons in Chicago. He didn't win the job until 2003, after the Sox released Royce Clayton and Jose Valentin shifted back to shortstop. It seemed like a lifetime, from his pair of minor league MVP awards and coronation as the next Robin Ventura to the bitter contract dispute that irreversibly damaged the relationship between the team and its third baseman.
Thanks for the memories, Joe. Thanks for the World Series. If you sign with Minnesota, I'll wish you the best of individual luck, but I hope you finish dead last every year.
UPDATE: Mid-post, Mark Gonzales is reporting that Crede and the Twins have agreed to a deal. Get your tickets for April 10!
Elsewhere, the Fort Worth Star Telegram again revisits the Danks-McCarthy deal, apparently, just to twist the knife a bit more on Ranger fans. This trade has been so ludicrously one-sided now, I feel bad for Brandon McCarthy. I wonder how athletes deal with being that level of a disappointment on a personal and organizational level. That said, I don't mind the Sox being on this side of these deals.
A great post at South Side Sox exploring the "Masset Theory," which states that no matter how much you rid yourself of expendable bullpen arms, there's always plenty to be had. Good for a laugh as well as a brief introduction to several names you'll likely utter in disgust when they serve up a late-inning homer.
Despite the seemingly endless barrage of trade rumors, Jermaine Dye still enjoys playing in Chicago and even went so far as to say he'd "like to finish his career here." Not sure how likely that situation is to play out, Dye is probably going to have to take a hometown discount to stay with the Sox, but with Jim Thome's $13 million coming off the books after 2009 and Paul Konerko's $12 million coming off after 2010, there might be extra money Dye, especially if he's willing to become a full-time DH. Specifically, Jermaine noted that he likes playing for Ozzie.
Finally, if you're in a betting kind of mood, Bodog.com, one of the largest online sports books released its pre-season odds for all sort of futures stakes in the 2009 MLB season. As for the Central division? Currently the odds are:
- Twins, 7/4
- Indians, 2/1
- Tigers, 7/2
- White Sox, 4/1
- Royals, 14/1
