Ozzie Guillen on Twitter, White Sox in Realty TV Series

Guess who’s on Twitter now? Sports Illustrated reports that Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has a Twitter account, an ideal platform for his colorful commentary. Guillen promises that his comments will only be personal, not breaking news about the club’s moves. Still, General Manager Kenny Williams isn’t pleased with the idea and will likely be following Guillen’s tweets closely.

Twitter is the perfect forum for Guillen who has no problem reaching out to fans. He’s been known to read e-mails from fans and occasionally responds to them. If the Sox are smart, they will allow Ozzie to keep his Twitter account, so he can express himself on his terms without interference from the team.

The Sox are also going to be the subject of a reality TV show called “The Club,” which will air on the MLB Network beginning July 4. The show will follow Guillen, Williams, owner Jerry Reinsdorf and other members of the staff as they face the challenges of running a professional sports team.

This is a surprising move in some respects as Williams and Reinsdorf tend to keep things close to the vest where team decisions are concerned. Still, as a lifelong Sox fan, I’m looking forward to watching the show to see what the team is like behind closed doors.

Peavy Deal Makes a Splash

White Sox GM Kenny Williams sure likes to make a big splash at baseball’s trading deadline. Last year, for example, he picked up Ken Griffey, Jr. in a deal that left many fans scratching their heads.

This year, in a last-second deal, the Sox acquired Jake Peavy from the San Diego Padres in exchange for four young pitchers, including lefties Clayton Richard and top prospect Aaron Poreda.

Peavy refused to waive his no-trade clause two months ago in Chicago’s first bid for his services, but a lot has changed since then. The Padres have since fallen well out of contention in the NL West, and the Sox are in second place, 1 ½ games out of first place in the AL Central. It didn’t take long for Peavy to figure out that it was a waste of his time and talent to stay in San Diego.

At first glance, the deal looks very risky. Peavy has been on the DL with an ankle injury since early June and may not be available to pitch for the Sox until Sept. 1 at the earliest, if at all. In the meantime, the Sox have a gaping hole in their starting rotation with Richard gone to the Padres. The Sox will need to fill that hole with either middle reliever D.J. Carrasco or bring up someone from the minors. They have some tough series ahead, including a bear of a road trip at the end of August that takes them through Boston, New York and Minneapolis with a final stop at Wrigley Field for a make-up game against the Cubs. If the Sox can stay close to the Detroit Tigers in the divisional race and if Peavy can return to the mound by the end of August, things could get interesting in September.

The Sox also took a risk financially. Even Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf hesitated to sign off on this deal because of concerns about Peavy’s salary -- $8 million remaining for this season and $52 million between 2010 and 2012. As contracts for Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko expire in the next couple of years, the Sox might get a little more breathing room with their finances to take on Peavy’s salary.

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal says the risk may be worth it, especially for the long term. If this deal pans out, the Sox rotation could be set for the next two years at least. Imagine a rotation that includes Peavy, Mark Buehrle, John Danks and Gavin Floyd. That’s a lineup that can compete with any team in the major leagues.

Buehrle Signed, Sealed and Delivered

Just how close was White Sox GM Kenny Williams to trading starter Mark Buehrle before the two parties agreed to a four-year deal worth $56 million? In an interview with Comcast Sports Net, Williams admitted that he had “two or three legitimate offers” on the table. If Buehrle had passed on the Sox’ final offer, a trade was a phone call away. But the two sides were able to agree on a deal that will keep Buehrle on the South Side for at least another year or two. It is a good faith gesture, a move that clearly showed that Williams wasn’t about to sell out the team -- at least not yet.

Sometimes the best deal is the one you don’t make.

Buehrle, Sox Close to Extension

It’s amazing what a two-game winning streak will do. After being swept by the Cubs this past weekend and losing 22 of their last 27 games, the Sox were rumored to be oh-this-close to trading starter Mark Buehrle to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. But Kenny Williams and Buehrle may have had a change of heart while in Tampa Bay this week while the team faces the Devil Rays. The two sides seem to be more willing to get together to agree on a contract extension which could be finalized as early as the end of this week, according to today’s Chicago Sun-Times. Of course, the Times is also the same newspaper that broke the news that Buehrle may be traded to Boston, so who knows what we should believe?

If the extension does happen, that opens the door for other possible trades, most likely starter Jose Contreras whom the New York Mets are interested in.

Keeping Buehrle would be a smart move. If you are going to rebuild a team, you do so around the key guys on the team. The Sox already have first baseman Paul Konerko locked in for several years and will rebuild their offense around him. Buehrle, who came up through the Sox system, is the leader on the Sox pitching staff. If the Sox deal him, I don’t see anyone else among the Sox pitchers who can step into that leadership role. It may be easier to deal Contreras or Javier Vazquez, even though the Sox may not get as much in return. Also, Buehrle is a popular player among his teammates and fans. If the Sox trade him, Kenny Williams would be making a huge PR mistake and could risk losing a lot of fans.