There hasn't been much to celebrate this season.

Once hailed the savior of the White Sox, Gordon Beckham has suffered from the dreaded “sophomore slump” in 2010. In 430 at-bats as a rookie, Beckham put up a slash line of .270/.347/.460. In the off-season, Beckham was shifted to 2nd base, where he was expected to make a bigger impact with both his bat and his glove. While Beckham has provided value with his glove in 2010, as a hitter he has completely collapsed. Beckham’s current slash line of .206/.283./252 has left many White Sox fans wondering about the future of their former top prospect.

A look at the advanced metrics reveals some troubling trends. Beckham’s solid walk rate has dropped from 9.5%-8%, while his strikeout rate has risen from 17.2%-19.6% in 2010. His swing rates reveal that Beckham has chased pitches out of the zone with more frequency in 2010. His O-Swing% (or percent of pitches he has swung at outside of the zone) has risen from 24.7%-30.4% this season. While Beckham has actually made more contact with pitches out of the zone in 2010, they are leading to an increased number of infield flies. Beckham’s 16.1% infield fly rate is currently the 11th highest rate in baseball. Also troubling, is Beckham’s poor 15%  line drive rate. While BABIP is typically a good indicator of luck, in Beckham’s case, it’s hard to argue he’s been unlucky. Beckham’s current BABIP of .250 would typically suggest improvement, but with such poor line drive and infield fly rates, it’s hard to imagine a big improvement if his rates stay the same.

During the season, some Chicago writers have suggested that Beckham may be pressing after experiencing failure for the first time in his career. While I cannot assess the mental state of Gordon Beckham, his current rates are so out of line with what we would expect that, as a fan, you have to wonder if Beckham is pressing. Last season, Beckham slugged 14 home runs in 430 at-bats. This season, his slugging percentage is actually lower than Juan Pierre’s (.258-.272). Another troubling aspect of 2010 is Beckham’s inability to hit a fastball. Beckham feasted on fastball’s last season, hitting them for 4.8 runs above average (per FanGraphs). In 2010, that number has plummeted to -5.7, meaning that batters are able to blow their fastball by Beckham. Looking at Beckham’s pitch values is quite depressing. As a rookie, Beckham hit four types of pitches for a positive value (fastballs, sliders, change-ups, and curveballs). In 2010, Beckham has a negative pitch value rate against every one of those pitches. While his struggles against fastballs are the most pronounced, his ability to hit sliders and change-ups have dropped substantially as well.

Are these the symptoms of a player struggling to cope with failure for the first time in his career? While the answer to that is unclear, this has certainly been a “lost” season for Beckham’s development. His numbers, particularly his infield flies, home runs, and complete loss of pitch recognition seem to suggest a complete breakdown in 2010. In the same way that Alex Rios’ numbers last season were not an accurate reflection of his true ability, it’s fair to say that 2010 has not been an accurate reflection of Gordon Beckham’s true ability. Unfortunately, there isn’t much the White Sox can do to rectify the situation right now. The Sox are hesitant to send Beckham down to AAA, and would prefer that he work out his issues at the major league level. Unless Beckham can rebuild his swing and regain his confidence, Sox fans might have to wait until 2011 before they see “the real Gordon Beckham” again.

"Time to Nut Up or Shut Up"

Thank goodness, yes! Tomorrow, four MLB teams will see their first game action since early October. For many fans, Spring Training is the first opportunity to start forming opinions about their team. How will ____  fit it with the team? Is ____ going to experience a resurgence? How will ____ recover from last years injury? Is _____ finally ready to break out? Fans of every team ask these questions each year. Take me for example, I would answer the previous questions: Juan Pierre, Andruw Jones or Alex Rios, Jake Peavy, and Tyler Flowers. Each year, however, analysts advise against forming opinions based on Spring Training stats. In some ways, it makes a lot of sense. Players don’t always face the top competition in Spring Training. Often times, context is the key. That said, what can you actually take away from Spring Training?

Context, context, context

For almost every player, context is essential to determining whether a player is actually experiencing a breakout. For example, if Cameron Maybin hits 5 HRs in Spring Training you might be tempted to think he is ready to explode this season. The big question is, did he hit them off Joe A-Baller or did he best Johan Santana? The same rule applies for pitchers. If Jason Marquis racks up a bunch of Ks in his first start, you need to dig deeper into the facts. Did he face a team at full strength, or was it a split-squad team? Did he rack up those Ks against Mark Reynolds, or Dustin Pedroia? Context is the key for more Spring Training stats. There are, however, a few other things to look for in the Spring.

Reyes' steals are a key factor in his draft slot

Players coming off injuries

Oddly enough, the Mets seem like the best place to start here. Both Johan Santana and Jose Reyes are former fantasy studs that suffered through poor seasons in 2009 because of injuries. Reyes injured his hamstring, which sapped much of his SB value. In order to properly evaluate his health, look at his SB vs CS totals in Spring Training. If he is healthy enough to swipe a few bases, you can probably move him up your draft list. The same goes for Johan Santana. If he comes out pitching well, and eventually shows he can go deeper into games, you might be able to expect a rebound in 2010. Although he wasn’t really injured in 2009, if David Wright hits a bunch of HRs in the Spring, you can bet he becomes a top 10 pick by the time your league drafts.

Take (most) cliches with a grain of salt

Every year, every player comes to camp in the best shape of his life. Fat players have lost 20 pounds in the off-season. That guy that never seemed to care…he dedicated his entire off-season to baseball. Yes, the off-season is a magical time where every player gets exponentially better. More often than not, these stories are just fodder. There are, however, one or two of these cliches I pay more attention to each Spring. The first is: ____ had Lasik eye surgery in the off-season. To my knowledge, no one has done the research to back up how much (if at all) Lasik eye surgery actually helps a player. It makes sense though, better vision probably leads to seeing the ball better, which probably leads to hitting the ball better. From the brief research I have done, it appears that Denard Span had Lasik before his breakout season. It also seems that his teammates Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer also had the surgery performed last off-season. Coming into 2010, Brian McCann had a second surgery to fix his troublesome eyesight.

Cliche number two

____ is working on a new pitch. Being a White Sox fan, I’ve seen both Esteban Loaiza and John Danks benefit mightily from the use of a cutter. Sometimes, a new pitch is all a pitcher needs to complete their repertoire. Keep tabs on the pitchers who claim to be throwing a new pitch during the Spring. If the results are promising, you might want to draft the guy and hope for an improvement. Once again, context is the key. Some coaches will make their pitchers focus on throwing the new pitch exclusively in one start. Repetition is the easiest way to learn a new pitch, but relying on one pitch is a way to get knocked around. This practice at least shows that the coaches are serious about the pitcher mastering a new pitch.

Closer battles are at stake

In doing my fantasy rankings, I have come up with nine closer situations that are less than desirable. In each of these cases, a poor Spring could lead to a diminished role in the upcoming season. The Toronto Blue Jays, for example, have three pitchers that might actually close this season. If Kevin Gregg jumps out to a poor Spring Training, and Jason Frasor performs well, you may have a dark horse closer on your hands. This is also beneficial for oft-injured closers. Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano might perform well when healthy, but these guys always end up in the trainers room. Spring Training gives you an opportunity to see which players will slide into the closer role when injuries strike.

There you have it, Spring Training isn’t entirely worthless. As a matter of fact, there’s actually quite a few things you can take away from Spring Training. While some of the  players’ gains might be marginal, there always seems to be one or two players that seem to carry that breakout into the regular season. Using context, and some of the clues above, you might be able to spot that one player that makes the difference for your team in the upcoming season.

We finally move out of the infield, and into the fantasy outfielder rankings. While most infield positions don’t offer too much depth, the outfield offers a lot of bargains to players who wait. If you need speed late in a draft, you can find cheap steals in Michael Bourn or Juan Pierre. If you want power, you can usually find Jason Kubel or Jay Bruce pretty late. Even if you need a little bit of both, you can take a chance with Alex Rios or Nate McLouth. Since most leagues start 3 outfielders per team, Matt and I have each ranked the top 35 outfielders. Let’s jump straight into it.

Fantasy Baseball Outfielders 2010
Chris Cwik	Matt Montgomery
1. Ryan Braun	1. Ryan Braun
2. Matt Kemp	2. Matt Kemp
3. Carl Crawford	3. Matt Holliday
4. Justin Upton	4. Grady Sizemore
5. Matt Holliday	5. Carl Crawford
6. Grady Sizemore	6. Justin Upton
7. Adam Lind	7. Jacoby Ellsbury
8. Jason Bay	8. Jason Bay
9. Ichiro Suzuki	9. Jayson Werth
10. Jacoby Ellsbury	10. Adam Lind
11. Adam Dunn	11. Curtis Granderson
12. Jayson Werth	12. Andre Ethier
13. Curtis Granderson	13. Nelson Cruz
14. Nelson Cruz	14. Carlos Lee
15. Bobby Abreu	15. Adam Dunn
16. Ben Zobrist	16. Nick Markakis
17. Carlos Lee	17. Ben Zobrist
18. Josh Hamilton	18. Carlos Beltran
19. Nick Markakis	19. BJ Upton
20. BJ Upton	20. Andrew McCutchen*
21. Andre Ethier	21. Manny Ramirez
22. Shin-Soo Choo	22. Ichiro Suzuki
23. Carlos Beltran	23. Shin-Soo Choo
24. Andrew McCutchen*	24. Bobby Abreu
25. Adam Jones	25. Shane Victorino
26. Torii Hunter	26. Michael Bourn
27. Hunter Pence	27. Josh Hamilton
28. Carlos Quentin	28. Alfonso Soriano
29. Carlos Gonzalez*	29. Chris Coghlan*
30. Shane Victorino	30. Adam Jones*
31. Manny Ramirez	31. Carlos Gonzalez*
32. Nate McLouth	32. Raul Ibanez
33. Raul Ibanez	33. Hunter Pence
34. Alex Rios	34. Carlos Quentin
35. Jay Bruce*	35. Torii Hunter
* Denotes Sleepers

Monty’s Thoughts on Individual Players

Ranking the outfield position has been the most difficult, by a wide margin, of all the offensive positions. I say this because ranking specialists like Bourne for their SB ability, Dunn for his HR power, Suzuki for his BA change drastically based on what you need during your draft. A lot of players on this list are 20+ HR, 20+ SB players, e.g. Kemp, Sizemore, Granderson, Upton, Werth, even McLouth and Gonzalez. I’d recommend taking one of those types of players for your team.
Curtis Granderson- Granderson hit 30 HR and had 20 SB last season as a Tiger. Now he is a Yankee, playing in the new Yankee Stadium, and he has every opportunity to hit 30 HR and steal 20 bases again. He isn’t that different than Grady Sizemore, and hitting in a better lineup and ballpark make me consider him higher than Sizemore, but I won’t go that far. He did have a poor BA last year, but I attribute that to having an unlucky BABIP more than anything. If he has a .300 BABIP, which is league average, his BA should be around .270, his career BABIP is .323. He could go .290 with 30 HR, 100 runs, 80 RBI and 20 SB, which are all numbers he has accomplished in his career. That’s second to third round draft value going in the 5th round.
Justin Upton- Upton may be higher on my board than anyone else’s. He is a real-deal talent and broke out last year with 26 HR, 20 SB and a .300 BA in 138 games. His HR/FB rate probably won’t be sustained from last year, but it is reasonable to project 30 HR, 20 SB and a .285 BA, with close to 100 RBI and runs scored. I may overvalue his combined HR and SB totals, but the only players after Upton on my board that have 30 HR and 20 SB potential are Jayson Werth and Nelson Cruz. Werth will turn 30 and Cruz, 29. Upton will be 23 and on the upswing of his career.
Andrew McCutchen- McCutchen is the Pirates only legitimate offensive threat, but he is a real treat to watch. He will hit in the low teens for HR, around 13, but he can steal 30 bases a season, combining his MLB and minor league seasons, he has 30+ SB the last two seasons. He is very similar to BJ Upton, but should hit for a higher average, about 20-30 points higher with about 10 less stolen bases. For those of you, who like BJ Upton, just wait a bit longer and you can draft McCutchen. Finally, his run and RBI totals aren’t that far off from BJ Upton’s.
Alfonso Soriano- I hate Soriano as a fantasy player nowadays. He will be turning 34 this season and he has not stolen more than 20 bases in any of his seasons as a Cub, 2007-present. If he steals more than 15 bases, I will be surprised. So, he doesn’t steal many bases, his batting average should be around .260-.270, so not great, but he doesn’t make up for it in HR, around 25 this season. While 25 HR, with 10 stolen bases and a BA of .265 is ok, I would then ask, how many games will he play? He has played over 135 games one time in the last three years, and he has played in 117 and 109 in the past two seasons. He may be a decent value later on in the draft, if he falls as much as I think he should, but I wouldn’t recommend drafting him ahead of McCutchen.

Chris’ Thoughts on Individual Players

Ichiro Suzuki- In the past, I have been pretty bullish on drafting Ichiro. The problem is, Ichiro is so unique that even some of the best projection systems can’t predict his decline properly. At this point, we just have to accept him for what he is…basically Shane Victorino on crack. The reason Ichiro is so high on my list is the guaranteed .340-.360 batting average he gives you each year. No other player is a lock to hit over .330 expect maybe Albert Pujols. The fact that Ichiro can hit a few home runs and steal some bases is a nice boost too. Drafting Ichiro allows you to ignore batting average for the rest of the draft, and while taking Ichiro gives you poor power numbers, a lot of the cheaper power options have batting average issues. It balances out pretty well.

Bobby Abreu- Here’s another player that gets passed up year after year because of his age. Bobby Abreu isn’t going to hit 30 HRs anymore, but he still has a lot of value. While he is 36 years old, he will still steal around 30 bases, give you 15-20 HRs, and an average around .290. When your other league-mates pass by Abreu, make them pay by getting a great player at a bargain.

Alex Rios- I will end the outfielders by saying that Rios is growing on me this year. Last season, he was absolutely awful. However, he still managed to hit 17 HRs and steal 24 bases. After coming to Chicago, he actually hit lower than the Mendoza Line. While that is not a good sell, it also let’s you know two things. 1. Rios’ season was wrecked before he came to Chicago. Whether it was personal issues or mental issues, Rios was not the same player last season. 2. His terrible average was caused by some bad luck. A player of Rios’ caliber doesn’t hit that poorly over the second half of the season. He will come into this season with few expectations and a clean slate. Based on his draft position, Rios might end up being the biggest riser in the draft after the 2010 season is over.

To open up the off-season, Kenny Williams made a move for a third baseman.  Mark Teahen was acquired from Kansas City for Chris Getz and Josh Fields.  Essentially, Williams moved a replacement level second baseman and a 28 year-old no glove, no bat clogger for a player from the Royals.  Unfortunately, that guy is Mark Teahen.

For years, I have said that Kenny Williams is an overrated general manager.  His last few moves have solidified my argument.

Teahen has been with the Royals full-time since 2006.  The Royals moved him from position to position and tried to find a spot for him defensively.  The call-up of Alex Gordon pushed him out of third base and to the outfield.  His career numbers of .269/.331/.419 wOBA .327, aren’t bad, especially for a utility player that would receive 200 at-bats.

But he isn’t a utility player.

Teahen is slated to make $5M, but hasn’t earned $5M in a season since 2007.  In 2008, Teahen posted a .311 wOBA and in 2009 he posted a .323 wOBA.  Those two performances were worth 0.3 wins.  0.3 wins for $5M.  Great move, Kenny.

That’s not even the worst part.  Williams plans on STARTING Teahen at THIRD BASE.  In over 3,000 innings at third base, Teahen has posted a -10.5 UZR.  Combine that with his wOBA of .316 over the past two years, and Teahen might end up costing the White Sox money.

As bad as the Teahen trade will work out, the city of Chicago has already seen Alex Rios and all of his bad habits.  When Williams bought Rios, he took on the rest of his absurd contract.  In the middle of his prime, Rios has seen his SLG and ISO drop off for three straight years.  He doesn’t walk, has a hole in his swing, and may or may not be able to play center field to boost his value.

Williams followed the Teahen move with an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times.
In the interview, he said “We don’t have that kind of money” when asked about Chone Figgins.

I wonder why, Kenny?  Maybe it’s because you are throwing away $17M in 2010 for two average players that never hit their potential.  Regardless if Figgins is worth the money, the White Sox have plenty of needs going into 2010, and now they don’t have room to add anyone worth value.

In a league where a solid lineup from top to bottom is necessary to win, the White Sox will be starting five players with projected wOBA’s under .340 – Teahen, Scott Podsednik, Rios, Alexei Ramirez and AJ Pierzynski.  To compare, the Yankees had seven over .370.

White Sox baseball is on the fast track to fourth place in 2010, and they can thank the most loved GM in Chicago for that.

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Jake Peavy delivers during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers

The White Sox are mathematically eliminated from this year’s postseason, but it may not stop them from playing spoiler. The Sox could be the key factor in determining the AL Central winner as they play the Tigers five more times before the season ends.

In Friday night’s game the Tigers bats struggled against recently activated starter Jake Peavy. Peavy threw seven scoreless innings, striking out eight. That game could be a taste for the White Sox future. Alex Rios scored on a Gordon Beckham home run, leading the offense, Jake Peavy had a great start, and Matt Thornton closed out the game.

The Sox are 6-7 vs. the Tigers this year, but the Sox have owned the Tigers over the previous five years, so it is very possible for the White Sox to give Detroit trouble down the stretch.

The Twins have won 9 of their last 10 and play the Tigers four more times and the Royals five more times. Although Minnesota trails Detroit by two games it’s very possible that the Twins win the AL Central without Justin Morneau, Kevin Slowey, Boof Bonser and Pat Neshek.

ESPN.com has the Tigers at a 71.7 percent chance of winning the AL Central compared to the Twins 28.3 percent chance.

Finally, Minnesota is 9-5 vs. Detroit this year.

White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen

White Sox lose in 14 innings Thursday Night/Friday Morning to Seattle, and Ozzie Guillen blows up, again. Audio courtesy of 670 The Score In Chicago. It’s not really news if Guillen blows up, it’s just a matter of what did Ozzie say this time. Did he call out a player by name? (Jose Contreras) Any racial slurs? (Jay Mariotti) Or just a bunch of profanity mixed in with his thought? (Other 90% of the time)

This time around it was Ozzie being tired of watching bad baseball and running out of things to say. His quote, “I’m only going to say two things, I’m tired and I don’t have anything. … It was 2 1/2 hours of satisfaction and then 2 1/2 hours of horse [bleep] baseball. Go ask [the players]. I don’t have any more quotes, seriously. What the [bleep] am I going to say? They’re horse [bleep]? Yes, they are.”

Ozzie is frustrated, as well as anyone around this White Sox team right now, for a couple of reasons.

1. They are in a horrendous division, that could’ve easily been won by any team at the beginning of the year
2. The Sox spent a ton of money this year and went out to get Alex Rios and Jake Peavy to push them into the playoffs, which most likely won’t happen
3. Finally, despite their horrific road trip at the end of August, they could still have made a run at Detroit, based on Detroit’s poor play in September.

The Sox are exceeding most statistical projections this year, but that’s not the point. Ozzie sums this Sox season up best here…

“This is a tease, man, it’s like when you have a girlfriend and you are kissing her all over … and she says no. That’s where we are right now. That’s the way we are.”

The White Sox have a 2.4 percent chance of making the playoffs. Those are better odds than when the Bulls  won the NBA Draft Lottery in 2008.

Williams sent DH Jim Thome to the Dodgers and SP Jose Contreras to the Rockies, both teams in playoff races.

For Thome,  the Sox got 26 year old High A Shortstop Justin Fuller (“just a player,” according to Mark Gonzales’ Dodgers source). The White Sox will pay part of his salary and Big Jim will be a free agent at the end of this season. The Dodgers wouldn’t likely offer arbitration to Thome since he can only play DH and would cost them a ton of money. From what I’m reading, Mlbtraderumors and South Side Sox blog, there is a chance the White Sox bring back Thome next season at a reduced rate.

Deal for Dodgers: A. They get Jim Thome for “a guy”, barely pay Thome and get a great left-handed bat off the bench for their playoff run. Even better, if they make the World Series, the Dodgers can DH him.

Deal for White Sox: B-. The Sox still pay for part of Thome’s salary without actually having him, and they get a fringe prospect. Why the B- then? Well, Thome was coming off the books at the end of the year, so they got something for him and might get him back at a reduced rate.

For Jose Contreras the White Sox received Brandon Hynick. Hynick is a command-and-control type who needs a little more of both to have hopes of finding his way into the back end of a major league rotation.  Contreras, similar to the Thome deal, will get oart of his contract paid by the White Sox. Contreras was absolutely awful in August and didn’t appear to have much in the tank. Contreras was going to be a free agent this year, and unlikely offered arbitration.

Deal for Rockies: C. This is based on Jose’s ineffectiveness. Colorado is in the middle of a Wild Card race and pitching Contreras may hurt more than it may help, especially in that park. They also gave up a decent prospect to get Jose. Overall, not the greatest move, but if the Rockies find the right role for Contreras and he pitches well, this could work out ok.

Deal for White Sox. B. White Sox get something, Hynick, as opposed to nothing, letting him play out the rest of this season. Granted, they are still paying for part of Contreras contract, but that’s opposed to paying all of it and letting him walk.

My only concern from the business side of the two deals is the potential impact it has on the White Sox ability to sign Cuban players. After all, the White Sox claimed to have used Contreras as a leveraging tool to sign Alexei Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo. We will see.

I think the only losers of these deals are White Sox fans. Williams asked fans to come out and fill out the seats several times this season. On one awful road trip, 1-7 so far, that decreased their chances of making the playoffs to 5.8%, according to Baseball Prospectus, and Williams decided to sell after aggressively buying all season. The White Sox front office is planning for next season, but is the team?

Final note, how does this impact Jake Peavy and their decision to start him this season?

I want to know why neither Detroit nor Chicago has run away with this division. My original guess was that they were scoring enough runs, but their pitching has been the Achilles’ heel. In fact, Chicago and Detroit are 7^th and 8^th in the majors in team ERA. Not only that, but they are 2^nd and 3^rd respectively among AL teams! Raise your hand if you knew that both the White Sox and Tigers are top 3 in team ERA. Ok, so as a whole, pitching has been a wash.

How bout the bats? Well both teams are major league average. The White Sox at 15^th in MLB in runs scored, the Tigers at 17^th. Chicago has scored 10 more runs this season in one more game. Both teams are relatively healthy on offense now and aren’t expecting any new major bats to contribute down the stretch, so offense isn’t too conclusive, in terms of runs scored.

Ok, how do they compare on team defense? The Tigers, as a team, have a UZR/150 of 5.9, good for 4^th in MLB. (For more information about UZR, UZR/150 or defensive metrics visit fangraphs.com). The White Sox have a -1.9 UZR, which makes them 20^th in MLB. Aha! Defensively the Tigers have a significant advantage over the White Sox, but haven’t been able to pull away in the AL Central.

Tying this back into team ERA, the White Sox are 2^nd in AL in team ERA, but 20^th in defense. In fact, no team in the top 12 in team ERA has a worse defense than the White Sox, according to UZR/150. There is a significant amount of baseball material out there, Bill James, Rob Neyer, etc, that attribute what people perceive as good pitching stats more so to team defense than to the individual pitchers. In that case, this White Sox defense/pitching combination is just weird.

My conclusions are the following, Detroit hasn’t run away with it, because they haven’t scored enough runs, considering their defense and pitching have been strong, and the White Sox aren’t in 1^st place by 10 games because of their defensive woes. Whoever does better in their respective weakness, wins this division.

Finally, some food for thought; the White Sox  added a defensive specialist in Alex Rios 13 days ago and the Tigers traded for left handed bat Aubrey Huff less than a week ago.

Is Alex Rios headed to the South Side?

After months of speculation (and after the Trade Deadline), the Toronto Blue Jays are once again rumored to be making a big move. However, it’s not Roy Halladay that the Jays are shopping. This time around, the Blue Jays put outfielder Alex Rios on waivers. It was announced yesterday that Rios was claimed by an unnamed team. After much speculation, it appears that the Chicago White Sox were the team that put in a claim on Rios. So, what exactly is Kenny Williams playing at here?

Kenny Williams is no stranger to taking risks. Hell, he just acquired an injured pitcher to help the White Sox down the stretch. Now, it appears he is willing to take another risk this season by trying to acquire Alex Rios. After acquiring Jake Peavy, it appeared that the White Sox could not afford to add any more payroll to the roster this season. That may make things more difficult with the Blue Jays considering Rios has a 7 year, 69 million dollar contract. However, the move to acquire Rios shows that the White Sox are committed to winning, both this season and in future seasons. The Sox will most likely have a lot of money coming off the books following this season. Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye, and Jose Contreras’ contracts are all up at the end of the season, and it is likely the White Sox will not re-sign any of the three. This leaves some cash to pay both Peavy and Rios for the following seasons. Hopefully, Williams also saved enough cash to sign pitcher John Danks to a nice long contract as well.

Williams' risks have paid off so far

Williams has truly done a great job re-tooling this White Sox team in the past couple of years. After winning the World Series in 2005, Williams didn’t stand pat. He traded fan favorite, Aaron Rowand, to acquire slugger Jim Thome. The team still won 90 games in 2006, but failed to make the playoffs. However, the team collapsed in 2007, only winning 72 games. However, 2008 put the White Sox back on the map with a division title and another playoff appearance. While Kenny Williams will never admit it, 2008 was a re-building year that went far better than expected. While there were still some old veterans on the team, young players came out of nowhere to lead this team to the division title. In the rotation, both John Danks and Gavin Floyd emerged as future top-mid rotation starters. At the plate, Alexei Ramirez and Carlos Quentin came close to winning the Rookie of the Year award and the MVP trophy respectively. The White Sox were far from the best team in baseball in 2008, but it was truly a brilliant season for Kenny Williams. He realized that the Sox’s aging stars were fading and would not be effective in a few years, yet he also realized that his team had to get younger. He took the same approach in the off-season, acquiring catching prospect Tyler Flowers from the Braves.

The face of the new dynasty?

This year has brought more of the same from Williams. The aging sluggers aren’t getting any younger, but every other position seems to be solidified for the near future. Gordon Beckham has solidified himself as a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate, while Chris Getz has been ok at second base. With most of the veterans coming off the books after this season, Williams has continued to build the next (the first?) White Sox dynasty by acquiring Peavy and potentially Rios for the upcoming seasons. Williams has already taken some big risks this season, but even if they don’t work out in 2009 the Sox are in position to contend in 2010 and in future years.