Sox’ Call to Arms

When the White Sox traded pitcher Freddie Garcia several weeks ago, many fans in Chicago were upset that the Sox had traded away one of their best starters for two no-name, unproven players. This trade was not unexpected, and certainly Garcia was expendable. He was projected to make more than $10 million next season and would become a free agent. Garcia himself said last summer that he expected to be traded in the off season. Trading Garcia was the only way the Sox could make room for their top prospect Brendon McCarthy.

But that was several weeks ago. Now fans really have a reason to be upset with the trade of Brendon McCarthy to the Texas Rangers for three pitchers, including John Danks, a first round draft pick in 2003 that the Sox have been drooling over. At first, I was as upset as everyone else. Why would you trade away the one player that you claimed to be “untouchable” after you just made room for him in your starting rotation?

That answer is clear when you look at all the moves collectively that Kenny Williams has made this off-season. In the heat of anger and confusion, fans forget that the one problem area the White Sox had in 2006 was the bullpen. Williams is making these trades to add more pitching depth to the bullpen as well as their farm system. He understands the importance of keeping the pipeline filled with young pitching talent. And whoever does not make the team after spring training can be traded for an outfielder, which the Sox also desperately need. People also forget that the Sox still have a strong starting rotation with Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, Jon Garland and Javier Vasquez, which means they only have one starting position to fill. So the Sox may sacrifice some quality in the starting rotation, but their bullpen will likely be stronger in 2007 than it was in 2006.

As with any trade, it will be a matter of time before we find out who really benefits the most from this deal – the Sox or the Texas Rangers. The Rangers have more immediate pitching holes to fill to remain competitive with the Oakland A’s and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and McCarthy can step in right away and be an impact player. The White Sox appear to be building for the long term by stockpiling pitching. I had similar misgivings when the Sox traded Carlos Lee to the Milwaukee Brewers for Scott Podsednik before the 2005 season, and that deal worked out fine for both teams, at least in 2005. I may not always agree with the workings of Kenny Williams, but I have to trust that knows what he is doing in this case. Let’s hope things do work out well for the White Sox, so they can remain competitive with their division rivals Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins.