Monday, November 19, 2007

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

Shortly after re-signing Juan Uribe, the White Sox traded Jon Garland to the Angels for Orlando Cabrera. Yes, you read that correctly. The White Sox re-signed their shortstop and followed that up by trading their second best pitcher for another shortstop.

Of course, this does make some sense if it gives the Sox some long-term security and a significant upgrade at the position. However, Cabrera brings neither.

Cabrera last reached double digit home runs in 2004 when he hit ten, and his career on base percentage is a paltry .320. Essentially, the Sox have acquired a shortstop who reaches base at an unacceptable level, although he does reach base more often than Uribe, and a player who has less power than Uribe. As for defense, Cabrera has a higher fielding percentage with a lower range factor than Uribe. Basically, the two players are comparatively equal despite having advantages in different areas.

As for being a long-term answer at shortstop, Cabrera definitely does not fit the bill. He is thirty-three years old and has just one year left on his contract. At this time next year, the White Sox will once again be searching a shortstop.

The Angels will be receiving a twenty-eight year old pitcher who has thrown over 200 innings in each of the past four seasons. He was an All-Star in 2005 and was in the top three in the American League in wins in two of the last three seasons. Lest this move be considered a salary dump, he makes less money than the two shortstops combined salary. The Angels came away with a steal.

This move is just another symptom of an overriding organizational problem known as Kenny Williams. Last year, he took the fourth highest payroll in baseball and built it into a team that was never in contention to make the playoffs. This year, he seems determined to give the Royals a shot at getting out of the cellar. Maybe they should hire him and put Sox fans out of their misery. The 2005 World Series is looking more like a fluke every day.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

A Look to the Future

Darrin Erstad and Michael Myers are out of the picture for 2008, which is good news if you are Jamie Lee Curtis. Meanwhile, Kenny Williams is exploring trade options at shortstop, and Hawk Harrelson and Ed Farmer are up for the Ford Frick award. More to come! My son wants some fruit snacks.