Sox Machine: Chicago White Sox blog

Mas ¡Profundo! (updated)

Well, at least my ¡Profundo! t-shirt is good for one more year.  Per Scott Merkin:


By now we're all aware of Juan's various flaws -- the low OBP, the swing-from-the-heels approach, the little bit of a weight problem, the occasional baserunning blunder.  But at the same time, I think we're all in agreeance that a one-year deal for Uribe is miles better than any multi-year deal for David Eckstein.  Not that I'm happy a guy has back problems, but at least something dissuaded Kenny from going in that direction:


According to that same Phil Rogers blog entry, Omar Vizquel is not an option either.  Vizquel is at 2,598 hits and needs some more to boost his Hall of Fame case, so he wouldn't accept a bench role over a starting job anywhere. 

The $4.5 million price tag seems a little steep for a guy who doesn't seem to take conditioning as seriously as he should, but it shouldn't be prohibitive to other moves.  The only real issue is that it's been six months since the Sox were out of contention, and there hasn't been one move that indicates a different team will be taking the field next year.  Williams hasn't necessarily made any mistakes yet, but it's easy to dread deja vu.

I'm still pushing for Ben Zobrist.  He's never posted an OBP below .400 at any minor-league level, but his OBP in the big leagues is .234 over 280 at-bats.  He'll be 27 next year, and he's already behind two shortstops in Tampa, with big-time prospect Reid Brignac coming up through the system as well.  The Rays may have to give him another shot due to defensive woes at the position last year, but it seems like they're trying to avoid it.

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The one bonus of having Uribe back is that it makes defense at third base a little less crucial.  He even helps out left fielders with his ability to track pop-ups.  Unfortunately, the Sox may still find a way to screw up that situation:


Or, they could play Fields in left, then switch him back.  For all the hang-wringing over whether Fields could handle a utilityish role, he only made one error after returning to third base in late September -- and that was in the last game of the season, which was his seventh game back.  It's not like the return to the hot corner locked him up.

I don't have a dog in this fight; I just support whichever plan has Ozzie Guillen putting the most major leaguers out on the field.  Having two fourth outfielders competing to see who can make more outs at the plate while Fields toils in Charlotte is really an unfathomable thought after what happened in 2007.

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I'm in this week's issue of USA Today's Sports Weekly.  If nothing else, I'm hoping my interview is the only one to use the word "sex."  And I didn't even say it!

The most interesting question Devin Clancy (the reporter) asked me: What is your second-favorite White Sox moment?

Personally, I was torn between the road trip to glory in 2000, and an event that happened almost exactly a year after -- when Kenny Williams purchased Jose Canseco's contract from the Newark Bears on June 21, 2001. 

In the end, I decided not to embarrass myself, but I'm curious as to what you guys and gals would pick for your second greatest White Sox memory.

Second verse, same as the first

Weeding through more rumors at the GM meetings:

Miguel Cabrera:


Thinking out loud:  Now this is a rumor.  I don't think the Sox can outbid other teams for Cabrera's services (the Yankees will be involved, for one), but I'd rather hear about trying to get a Cabrera-like talent than settling for second-tier, declining semi-stars or, worse yet, grinders.  I'd give up Gio Gonzalez and Josh Fields for Cabrera if I wasn't concerned that Cabrera would eat himself off third base in the near future (he's at 250 pounds), but I suppose having second thoughts is a sign of a fair trade.  Too much is made of the Cabrera-Ozzie Guillen connection, though, because it's not like Cabrera is trading himself.


Thinking out loud:  Good.  Tejada's OPS has dropped for four straight years, and he's 31.  "Down" is not a direction the Sox should favor, and Gio should have more value than that.

The Mitchell Report:


Thinking out loud:  This is what I was getting at yesterday with Jose Guillen -- if, indeed, these pharmacy busts and increased testing serve as a deterrent for players thinking about using steroids, it's going to make the aging process far less predictable.  That, in turn, could lower contract demands for second-tier players like Guillen and Torii Hunter, whose entire games are predicated upon physical skills like swing speed instead of strike zone judgment.

I tend to doubt either will happen, but it might give the ownership a little more leverage when dealing with a player who, like Jason said a couple days ago, will get paid to get worse.

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The Sox were shut out of the Gold Glove awards for the ninth consecutive year.  Call it the Curse of Robin Ventura.

Out of the entire Sox roster, I would've pegged Jon Garland as the most deserving.  Not only does he cover ground around the mound, but he held basestealers to two swipes in eight attempts, unreal numbers for a right-hander.  Compare that to NL Gold Glove winner Greg Maddux, who allowed a Freddy Garcia-like 37 steals in 39 tries.

He also bested AL Gold Glove winner Johan Santana in that category (6-for-11).  And Justin Verlander, who is considered by some to have the best pickoff move for any righty, allowed four steals in five attempts.  That's with Ivan Rodriguez catching, not A.J. Pierzynski.

But this is a subjective award to begin with, and no position is harder to judge than the pitcher.  Santana's a fine pick in his own right, and Garland's probably not considered to be the best defensive pitcher on his own team.  I'd give him the nod over Mark Buehrle, myself.

This isn't the first time I've talked about Garland's defense, but I only have a short time to laud it before he's fielding bunts for another team.  And even if you don't think he's anything special, it would've been fun to read the Joe Cowley article had he won.

On a good note, it's nice to see Aaron Rowand earn his first for the Phillies.  This should be his second, since Hunter stole the award in 2005 while playing only 98 games.  Hopefully this is the start of a run where he'll earn one more than he should based on his reputation, just to be fair.