Two Moves the White Sox Should Have Made... And One They Still Can Make

It has been an unexpectedly busy offseason for the Chicago White Sox. Trapped in between contending and rebuilding, Jerry Reinsdorf put his money where his mouth was and allowed Kenny Williams to spend big dollars on the club competing early. Its a welcome change as the South Siders have been notorious over the years for trapping themselves in relatively high payrolls (always in the top third) while the General Manager crys poor. One of the most fun games Sox fans get to play, every year, is the "which position will Kenny Williams gamble and pin its success on a rookie / AAAA player or washed up veteran" game. Dont get me wrong, this game has resulted in some memorable players over the years.

Think of rookie Brian Anderson's flame-out in 2006/2007, where we were reminded that being a high draft pick doesn't matter if you can't hit big-league pitching. Or how about AAAA (professional minor-leaguer) Dewayne Wise's legendary but unearned chances in 2009, where he hit a high point in making "The Catch" to save Mark Buehrle's perfect game, but also failed to hit at the plate. And who can forget Mark Kotsay, holding down the "washed-up veteran" position as he became our primary DH and backup First Baseman last year, and proceeded to become an out-machine. I think I need a drink now, having relived some of those memories.

This year, however, we have a big-time major league DH in Adam Dunn and brough back Paul Konerko after he had a career season with the club last year. The only achilles heel for the White Sox right now can be summed up in three words: Peavy and depth. The White Sox entered the 2010 season with a focus on pitching and defense based solely on the lack of big-time bats in the lineup and a solid starting rotation of Peavy, Buehrle, Danks, Floyd and Freddy Garcia, with Daniel Hudson in AAA but percieved as major-league ready. Over the course of the season, Freddy outperformed expectations and Peavy underperformed largely due to suffering an injury that - to date - has never happened to a big league pitcher before. Hudson was traded for Edwin Jackson in an attempt to land Adam Dunn, which backfired and left us with a high-ceiling high-pay pitcher going into a contract year, and minus one long-term cheap home-grown starting pitcher. This season, since we're going "all-in", most of the club's big moves have already been made and its time to make some moves to shore up the club since - as always - there is no help coming from the minor leagues this year. Below are some players the Sox should have pursued, and why, as well as a couple of names of players who could still help out the Pale Hose as they contend through the seasonm, listed by player and role.

Should've, but didn't...

Jeremy Hermida, Fourth Outfielder
As I'll address in a forthcoming post the roll of "Fourth Outfielder" - the guy who comes in and gives other players a rest / takes over while a player is on the Disabled List (DL) - is crucial, especially given Carlos Quentin's health history. Hermida is a bit of a failed uber-prospect, a player of whom great things were expected but who has not delivered on that promise. He can, however, be passable in all three outfield positions and while he can't hit left-handers he makes good contact against right-handed pitching. He'd be a good compliment to Mark Teahen, and the White Sox would essentially use Teahen / Hermida as a platoon Fourth Outfielder as the situation warrants. Hermida signed up on a minor-league contract with the Cincinnati Reds, and the White Sox have invited Lastings Milledge - a similarly geared underperforming uber-prospect to fill the role.

Justin Duchscherer, Fifth Starter
If you Google "Duchscherer" and "White Sox", you'll see that the club's attempts to trade for "The Duke" are longstanding and varied. At the moment, the Sox are entering into the season with their fingers crossed that Peavy will recover from his bizarre and potentially career-ending injury, with few options to cover the role of "ace" or "stopper" as the season drags on, a player with potentially filthy stuff and the head on his shoulders to use it. It sounds like they could use a low risk (cost), high reward pitcher and Duchscherer would've fit the bill perfectly. His contract demands seem to have been simple: he wants to be a starting pitcher, at all costs. Which would've been perfect for the Sox, a total win-win. If the Duke stayed healthy and excelled the Sox would've had options to maximize or move another pitcher, like Edwin Jackson or Buehrle, or kept him as Peavy insurance or even a six-man rotation. If he had a repeat of his 2010 performance - strong start followed by a season-ending trip to the DL - his low priced contract would've made it worthwhile but not prohibitive and the Sox would've won a few more games than if they go with a AAA or AAAA pitcher. The point is moot, however, as he signed with the Orioles on a $700,000 base contract with incentives.

Could still...

Jeremy Bonderman, Fifth Starter
Bonderman is a bit of a long-shot, mostly because he can still command a respectable salary in 2011 which wouldn't be a great fit for the White Sox's need for a warm-body pitcher. He does, however, bring familiarity of pitching within the division and is exactly the kind of reclamation project that Kenny Williams and White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper like. If the price is right, bring on the Bonderman, until he breaks again.

Scott Podsednik, Fourth Outfielder
Pods isn't the same guy that he was in 2005. Injuries have piled up, and the years of reckless running are having their effects, but Podsednik turned down a $2 million option year from the Los Angeles Dodgers and while frequently rumored appears to be struggling to find a home. Should he still be jobless at Spring Training, and is willing to accept a minor-league invite, Scotty would be more than welcome to come back to the South Side again. It's probably just a pipe-dream, though, since Pods will probably be signed by the strangely desperate Angels who might as well trade for Alfonso Soriano and make thier nightmarishly overpriced-outfield complete.

February Book Experiment - Tales from Chicago

I've decided to try something new, this month. My daily commute can last anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half, each way, which leaves me with a lot of time on my hands. Most of the time I fill it by reading, listening to the iphone or watching a show on netflix (via iPhone!). This month, however, I'm going to try something different and read books only set in or about Chciago. I did an informal poll with some friends, and have a vague list of books that should provide some interesting insights into the city I grew up next to and now live in. Here's my list so far...

Michael Lesy, "Murder City: The bloody history of Chicago in the 1920's"
Mike Royko, "Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago"
Alex Kotlowitz. "There Are No Children Here"
Reymundo Sanchez, "My Bloody Life"

And I'll probably have to wing it for something to read in the last week.. I've already finished the Lesy book, review to come shortly.

What extending Alexei Ramirez means...

For the past few years Alexei Ramirez has been one of the most frustrating and entertaining young players to watch. A Cuban defector, Ramirez profiled as a plus defender and plus bat at shortstop and second base, both premium positions. When he first made his introduction to White Sox fans, Ramirez played a strong defensive second base while Orlando Cabrera held down the shortstop position. After Cabrera's less than graceful exit from the ranks of the South Siders before the 2009 season, Alexei assumed ownership of the shortstop position and had one of the most frustrating seasons we've seen as it set the trends of performance that we'd continue to see from him throughout his tenure: namely inconsistency.

Offensively, Alexei is notorious for an incredibly poor start in April and May, linked to his background and the fact that he's never had to live or play in cold weather before. Once the temperatures inch back into the 70s, his bat heats up and he becomes an entirely different player. Defensively he is well known for his ability to both make flashy, difficult plays while failing to complete some of the more routine, boring tasks handed to him.

The most important factor in extending Alexei might concern the state of major-league shortstops in general. The position is one of the thinnest - if not the thinnest - positions in the major leagues as there are very few "bat plus glove" shortstops in the league. In almost every other case, unless the player is developed internally or the club can afford to pay top dollar the smaller or mid-market teams will pay for a "glove", or defensively strong, shortstop such as JJ Hardy, Brendan Ryan or Ryan Theriot. Alexei averages out to being a plus glove and bat shortstop, not quite in the same league as Troy Tulowitzky or Hanley Ramirez but definitely within the top 5 in the bigs.

If Dave Cameron from Fangraphs is correct, the average team will pay $1 per win over replacement. According to fangraphs, Alexei has been worth 6.9 wins above replacement for his career, which translates to the idea that if he was being paid what he was worth he would've made a little over $30 million - and he's only earned $4 over that time period. In average, Alexei's contract offers the White Sox a guarantee of 2 years further control over a strong player, with an option for a 5th year at a market value that is very team friendly. Definitely worth the shot.