From
the Daily Herald:
To add some more fire to the hot stove, let’s throw out a few names the White Sox might be discussing at the winter meetings.
The Sox are looking to upgrade in center field, and Ryan Sweeney just might get a chance to supplant Brian Anderson during spring training.
But if the White Sox are looking for a more established player, how about Darin Erstad, who was not offered arbitration by the Angels?
We've heard some sketchy suggestions about how the Sox can improve their center field situation (
Gary Matthews Jr. and
Juan Pierre), but this one takes the cake as the Worst Idea of the Offseason to date. May I present to the court:
Exhibit A:
EXHIBIT A
| EXHIBIT B
| EXHIBIT C
|
| 2006 line | Games Played | OPS vs. LHP |
Darin Erstad:
.221/.279/.326
Brian Anderson:
.225/.290/.359
| 2003: 67 (played CF)
2004: 125
2005: 154
2006: 40 (played CF)
| 2003: .746
2004: .647
2005: .614
2006: .646
|
Wow. To re-hash an old favorite,
where would he play? Put him in center, and he'll get hurt. If by a miracle he stays healthy, he won't hit better than Anderson or Sweeney. He also plays first, but so does Ross Gload, who's as able with the glove and a superior hitter. He'll also cost more than all of the above.
This whole diatribe isn't to single out a writer, but just an attempt to stamp out any kind of life this idea might have.
Furthermore, I don't know why Kenny Williams would want any part of Erstad considering Erstad might've ruined his career had Williams not been saved by the Angels. A year after Erstad's career season in which he made a run at George Sisler's single-season hit record before tailing off later in the year, Kenny tried to get him for Jon Garland and Chris Singleton.
That was Kenny's biggest problem in the earlygoing -- buying high, selling low. Erstad's 2000 season was his
only real above-average year; meanwhile, Garland was coming off a
slightly underwhelming start to his career, even though he entered the big leagues at a very young age.
Williams did the same thing when he acquired
Todd Ritchie and
Billy Koch -- he paid dearly for career years while giving up on young talent. But Erstad's contract (four years, $32 million) could've crippled the team, because his deal was far greater than either of the pitchers' (2/$10M, 1/$3.5M, respectively). The Sox weren't exactly throwing around money before 2006, and a lot of money would've been tied up in an injury-prone singles hitter.
The deal was approved both by Williams and Angels GM Bill Stoneman, but then-Anaheim team president Tony Tavares axed the deal, thus saving Kenny from himself. It's amazing how much he's grown as a general manager, and Tavares might've indirectly kept him around long enough to learn from his mistakes.