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| Ken Griffey Jr. has stated that he will not retire in the offseason, and that he would enjoy playing for the White Sox next year, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "It was a great ride. A lot of fun. I've had more ups than downs. The city, the fans, it's been great for me. This team fought all year. They were fun to be around. We'll see what happens," he said. |
Our View: Griffey did not have a strong year, and his days of being a fantasy stalwart appear over. Nonetheless, if he can accept playing a part-time role, he would have use somewhere as left-handed pop off the bench. |
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| Chicago shortstop Orlando Cabrera is almost certainly not going to be re-signed by the team when free agency begins, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. |
Our View: The issue wasn't with Cabrera's play, as he turned in a solid season, hitting .281 with 57 RBI and 19 steals. The problem was in the clubhouse, where he did not mesh with his teammates. |
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| Orlando Cabrera went 0-for-4 on Monday night to finish his 2008 playoff experience with a .125 batting average after going just 2-for-16 against the Rays. |
Our View: Certainly not the type of effort Cabrera was looking for heading into an offseason of change. Overall this year he hit .281/.334/.371 to almost exactly match his career performance (.274/.322/.721), and he also finished the year with his third straight effort of 90 runs and 19 steals. |
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| Paul Konerko hit his second home run of the playoffs on Monday night though it wasn't enough as the Sox fell 6-2 to the Rays to end their season. |
Our View: Unfortunately for the Sox Konerko produced only two RBI in the four games. Konerko will enter 2009 undervalued because of his down overall numbers (.240-22-62) though he would appear to still have some thunder left in his stick. |
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| Gavin Floyd lasted just three innings on Monday night as he allowed the Rays to scored four runs as the White Sox were eliminated from the playoffs. |
Our View: Floyd was taken deep by B.J. Upton twice in the outing as he regressed to the merely average hurler he was for most of the month of September before that great final outing against the Tigers. Floyd just didn't have it tonight, but that doesn't detract from a truly solid campaign (17 wins, 3.84 ERA, 1.26 WHIP). |
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| Carlos Quentin (wrist) took BP on Monday for the second straight day and even did some light throwing, according to the Associated Press. “Yesterday it felt great and today I threw long before BP, and it felt really good,” he said. |
Our View: The majority of Quentin's fly balls fell short of the wall on the warning track, but the fact that he is swinging as well as throwing is a great sign that his wrist has greatly improved. Still, he hasn't played since September 1st and wrist injuries are notorious for sapping hitters pop, so it remains to be seen if he will be activated should the Sox move on. |
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| Jermaine Dye could end up being traded this offseason as the White Sox will likely look to get a bit younger and more athletic, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. |
Our View: Dye is coming off a .292-34-96-96 effort and is under contract for $11.5 million next season with a $12 million mutual option in 2010. If the Sox do indeed decide to go in another direction, Dye would certainly be an attractive option for a team looking to add some pop to their lineup. |
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| Carlos Quentin could be ready for the ALCS if the Sox can get past the Rays, according to the Chicago Tribune. He looked good while ripping line drives Sunday in pregame batting practice. |
Our View: He is recovering from a broken right wrist, which is still painful, but would try to play through it if the Sox advance. He would provide a boost as he hit 36 homers over 130 games in the regular season prior to going down. |
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| The Star Tribune indicates that shortstop Orlando Cabrera is on the Twins' list of off-season targets. |
Our View: He has won two Gold Gloves, but will turn 34 in November. The Twins like his intensity, and letting him go would allow the Sox to move Alexei Ramirez to shortstop. The source suggests the odds of him heading to Minnesota are 5-1. |
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| Manager Ozzie Guillen is leaning toward starting Mark Buehrle in the event of a Game 5 against the Rays, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. |
Our View: Guillen wants to employ as many left-handed pitchers as possible against Tampa Bay, as they have several dangerous left-handed hitters, such as slugger Carlos Pena. Chicago currently trails 2-1 in the best-of-five series, and are set to go with Gavin Floyd in tonight's Game 4 at U.S. Cellular Field. |
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| The Chicago Sun-Times suggests that Clayton Richard could crack Chicago's rotation out of spring training in 2009. |
Our View: If Jose Contreras is healthy enough to return, he could work as a reliever, giving his rotation spot to Richard. The youngster held a 6.04 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over 47.2 innings with the Sox this season. |
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| Dewayne Wise had a hit, scored a run, stole a base and knocked in two batters in the White Sox 5-3 victory in Game 3. |
Our View: Wise has been a key member of what the Sox are trying to do in the absence of slugger Carlos Quentin as he has infused the lineup with some speed, a little bit of defense, and the ability to play "small ball" to help the club score runs. |
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| Bobby Jenks picked up his first save of the post-season on Sunday as the White Sox defeated the Rays 5-3. |
Our View: Jenks was throwing hard and meant business from the first pitch despite that terrible looking goatee. Look for him to be in the game late if the score is close as the Sox will need to win the next two games to move on. |
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| John Danks allowed three runs over 6.2 innings against the Rays to lead the Sox to a 5-3 victory in Game 3. Danks gave up seven hits and three walks in the outing, though he also struck out seven batters. |
Our View: Over his last two must win appearances the young lefty is 2-0 with a 1.84 ERA. Danks may or may not pitch again this post-season, but he has clearly shown that he has the heart of a winner which is something to keep in mind for next season. |
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| Ken Griffey Jr. told Chicago writers that he would like to play three more seasons, according to the New York Times. |
Our View: Griffey has 611 career home runs, and with his recent pace, getting to 700 homers seems highly unlikely. |
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| Jermaine Dye is doing his part for the struggling Sox, as they currently trail the Rays 2-0 in the ALDS, according to MLB.com. Dye said, "No matter if it's a playoff or a regular-season game, anytime you do well and your team loses, you still feel like you failed. We just try to find a way to win, no matter what. We win or lose as a team. There are no heroes on this team. We're all together. If we lose, I feel like I didn't do enough to help the team win."
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Our View: Dye is hitting 5-for-9 over the two losses at Tropicana Field, and is more than halfway towards matching his career-best hit total for a postseason series, and he's been in 10 of them over his career. Dye will try to pull Chicago back into the series Sunday at U.S. Cellular Field in Game 3.
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| The Rays got to Mark Buehrle in the eighth inning of Friday night's ALDS matchup. Octavio Dotel allowed all the inherited runners to cross home plate and Buerhle was credited with allowing five earned runs and ten hits in seven innings. |
Our View: Buehrle was working at a good pace as usual but battled location problems late in the game. Manager Ozzie Guillen probably left him in there a little to long on Friday. |
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| Jermaine Dye was 4-for-5 with four singles on Friday against the Rays in Game 2 of the ALDS. One of his "hits" was a liner that was dropped by the shortstop, thrown across the diamond where Dye was tagged on the back. The umpire was in poor position which resulted in a poor call and Dye was ruled safe. The Sox lost the game 6-2. |
Our View: Unfortunately the rest of his lineup couldn't knock him in even once. The Sox left their clutch hitting in Chicago as they left runners on base all night. |
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| Paul Konerko was 1-for-5 and left six runners on base in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Rays in Game 2 of the ALDS. |
Our View: Konerko was big for the White Sox in August and September but he was off on Friday. He hit a home run in Game 1 and should get back on track in Game 3 in Chicago. |
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| MLB.com reports that Nick Swisher is starting in Game 2 of the ALDS with left-hander Scott Kazmir starting for Tampa Bay. He replaces Dewayne Wise in the outfield on Friday. |
Our View: It's easy to see what manager Ozzie Guillen is thinking by sitting his lefties, but Swisher has been terrible from the right side of the plate this season as he just hit .197. Just six of his 24 home runs came as a right-handed hitter. Swisher has three hits in 21 career at-bats against Kazmir. |
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| MLB.com reports that Dewayne Wise, who homered in Game 1 of the ALDS, will not be in the starting lineup for Game 2 on Friday. Ozzie Guillen is going to a right-handed heavy lineup with lefty Scott Kazmir on the mound. Nick Swisher takes Wise's spot in the outfield. |
Our View: Wise could be inserted later in the game, likely as a defensive replacement. Expect to see this platoon as long as the White Sox are in the playoffs. |
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| MLB.com reports that Ken Griffey Jr. will be out of the starting lineup tonight against lefty Scott Kazmir in Game 2 of the ALDS. Brian Anderson takes over in center field. |
Our View: Griffey is not hurt so don't be surprised to make a pinch-hitting appearance should Tampa Bay turn to a right-hander later in the game. |
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| One day after White Sox slugger Carlos Quentin said it was possible he could return if the team made it to the ALCS, manager Ozzie Guillen shot that report down, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "Not going to be easy for him. When you get a pin in your body and you're going to hit, that's why I say I don't expect him to play until next year in spring training," Guillen said. |
Our View: Quentin said his broken wrist was still painful, but that he would try to play through it. Right now, the Sox need to worry about beating the Rays, who took down Chicago in Game 1. |
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| Dewayne Wise went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer in Thursday's 6-4 loss to Tampa Bay in Game 1 of the ALDS at Tropicana Field. |
Our View: He started in left field over Nick Swisher. He hit his first homer since September 19, when be collected two against the Royals. |
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| Javier Vazquez was rocked for six earned runs on eight hits over a mere 4.1 innings in Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Rays in Game 1 of the ALDS at Tropicana Field, with one walk and six strikeouts. |
Our View: Vazquez was unstable in the regular season with a 12-16 record and 4.67 ERA, and is off to a poor start in the playoffs. The White Sox won the World Series in 2005 with dominant pitching, but Vazquez did not join the team until 2006. |
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| In one of the most tiring traditions in sports, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley bet St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard on who would win the playoff series between the White Sox and Rays, according to the Tampa Tribune. Daley bet polish sausages, and assorted food and drink items from the Chicago area, such as peanuts from Fisher Nuts. The three Florida mayors also bet local food items such as oranges, along with locally made cigars. The two cities also pledged to donate sporting goods (Chicago) and beach wear (St. Petersburg) to 150 children in the Boys and Girls Club. |
Our View: We wonder if the winning mayors will be taxed on these items, as they could certainly be construed as profit, right? |
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| Trading John Danks to the White Sox for Brandon McCarthy still pains Rangers owner Tom Hicks, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Our staff made the judgment that Danks was two years away, and they were absolutely wrong. The comforting thing for me now is we have a new leader, and if Nolan had been there, we never would have done [the Danks deal]. And we will never trade a No. 1 pick, a left-handed pitcher again," Hicks said. |
Our View: Nolan Ryan is now the team president, and Texas general manager Jon Daniels is basically powerless, the paper reports. Trading young pitching to "win now" is almost never a good idea, and though it works sometimes, there are too many examples where it went wrong. Just see St. Louis trading Dan Haren for Mark Mulder, or the Mets trading Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano for two quick examples. |
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| White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin said he is feeling good enough that he believes he will be ready to go if the team makes it to the ALCS, according to the Chicago Tribune. |
Our View: Quentin has been out with a broken right wrist since September, and though some pain resides, he thinks he might be able to play through it. |
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| Carlos Quentin has been left off the White Sox playoff roster according to the AP. |
Our View: Quentin led the AL in home runs when he broke his right wrist on Sept. 1 after slamming it on his bat in frustration. He has not given up on playing again should the White Sox advance in the postseason, and was hitting off a tee. |
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| Javier Vazquez will throw in Game 1 of the ALDS against Tampa Bay on Thursday according to the Boston Globe. |
Our View: Over his last three starts, he is 0-3 with a 13.50 ERA. He is a risky play to throw Game 1 but Ozzie Guillen did not have much choice after having to throw his other starters on short rest over the past four days. |
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