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The Chicago Tribune's Dave Van Dyck reports the Chicago White Sox will not make a bid for free-agent OF Barry Bonds (Giants), whose San Francisco career appears to be over after 13 years. "I grew up with Barry in the Bay Area," White Sox general manager Kenny Williams said. "I played against him in high school and we maintain a friendly relationship. He is very nice to my kids. And I would just as soon keep it that way."

QUOTE(Soxman72 @ Dec 5, 2006 -> 12:58 PM) You could look at it this way - Maybe this deal really is flying under the radar because it is not being picked up by everyone. There are a number of deals that get done and the big boys (ESPN, FOX, SI...) do not pick up on them until they are announced. I would think a deal of this size would be reported asap. Then again it could just be garbage. I am not a big fan of Bruce, but he has been known to be right sometimes. Too many moving parts here to keep quiet with Boras involved, lots of $$$$, ARod, and then just the size of the media for this to stay quiet.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Dec 4, 2006 -> 10:31 PM) Vernon Wells is great, but if the White Sox get him, its for 1 season. He'll be in Boston or LA or NY or with the Cubs or Texas in 2008. Again, I don't think this is anything more than a rumor, but, if true, can't we say the same thing about Freddy Garcia ?

Chicago Tribune Story I'm going to guess that this is probably just the Tribune fishing for a story here.....

QUOTE(Leonard Zelig @ Dec 2, 2006 -> 08:06 PM) One of my biggest frustrations are people who are acting like this off-season is already over, or who are judging trades that have not even been made yet. I agree with the first part of your comment - it's definitely still early. Obviously, some of the impatience comes from the Cubs spending a lot of money, and the White Sox sitting back early on. On your 2nd part, we're fans. If there's a rumor that's gaining steam, and is being reported on the Score/LA Times like the Figgins/Santana rumors, I don't have a problem with fans commenting on the rumors.

My biggest frustration has been with the White Sox (aka Kenny Williams) acting surprised that free agency is out of control, and it sounds like the purse strings aren't really open to upgrade the team that route, basically only through trades, and then you hear the Crede may be available because he may cost too much too sign. Wasn't there a new CBA recently signed ? Where are some of these other teams getting the $$$ to make some of these signings ??? This is not a Wiliams bashing - I do trust his judgment to make the right decisions, and I don't want to spend $136 million on Soriano...this is more just frustration that even if we trade a starting pitcher, it's probably going to be for nice young players who may not be able to fully help the team win next season.

QUOTE(dmbjeff @ Dec 1, 2006 -> 11:36 AM) This is the smartest thing said on these boards in a long while. Correct - Dave Roberts had a better '06 season, but why anyone would rather have him on a 3 year deal is beyond me. Pods' has 1 year to prove himself or he's gone. He'll also have Sweeney or possibly Fields breathing down his neck should he struggle early.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Nov 25, 2006 -> 01:04 PM) Plenty of people will tell you we don't need to upgrade Anderson, and I don't believe we have to upgrade Uribe, either. Sorry. I'm not saying we should give up on Anderson - I think we're fine with him playing good defense in CF, but does need to pick up the hitting. If he has another year similar to this past one, we will be looking for a replacement after next season - even now, I wouoldn't be shocked if they have Sweeney in CF to start the season.

QUOTE(Jimbo @ Nov 25, 2006 -> 12:51 PM) We needs a upgrade at CF, LF and SS....oh brother Again, though, do you really want to overpay (most likely significantly) for a free agent player ? The off-season is early - I think Kenny is going to make at least one trade involving a starting pitcher, but I wouldn't be surprised if he brings in another veteran OF for some competition...then again, it seems like Ryan Sweeney is their guy.

I think it's become rather obvious that Williams isn't going to make any significant moves in free agency. Can we all agree on that ? I wouldn't normally call signing Dave Roberts a significant move, but he's going to be a starting lead-off hitter, most likely for the Giants, and he'll probably get an overvalued deal for his services. I think at best, Kenny will add a backup catcher, maybe just resigning Alomar at some point, and that could be as much as they do in free agency. Their remaining bullpen spots will be filled either inhouse candidates or through a trade of a starting pitcher. I think it's a safe bet to assume one of the starters will eventually be traded, most likely for prospects on the verge of being ready for the majors. As far as the OF is concerned, Dye's in RF obviously, I think Anderson/Pods (should be be back) will end up just being part of some rotationg system with Sweeney, and possibly Fields, and they're let the play of these guys sort itself out.

QUOTE(daa84 @ Nov 24, 2006 -> 05:42 PM) i agree that pods stinks...but personally id rather not trade something from our team/farm for any marginal upgrade that we will get from figgins, a guy who cant hit, throw, or catch, and only barely steals better than podsednik....same goes for dave roberts who will get a ton of money probably in the wake of the pierre deal...now if the sox want to try to get a guy like jose guillen or jay payton cheap...those are much better options...but i dont wanna do something stupid like trade for a podsednik type player when we can resign pods cheap Good Posting - I'm glad to hear someone who doesn't want to overpay for a free agent or in a trade because of overreaction to other moves being made. I trust KW, and will give him the benefit of doubt on anything he does - he's earned that much, but I'm hoping that he holds still and doesn't sign Roberts to an overpriced deal or trade a player like McCarthy away. QUOTE(chitownsportsfan @ Nov 24, 2006 -> 08:43 PM) Scott Podsednik plays relatively the easiest position on the field, a position where good defense isn't worth that much relative to good offense. While doing this he hits 261/330/353! Not only that, but he plays terrible defense. So he can't hit and he can't field and he's going to cost more than the minimum and he can't stay healthy as well. Why does anyone one want this guy back? Wny does anyone want him back ? Because we won't have to give players for Figgins, who I like, but looks to be pretty similar to Pods. I also don't want to give Roberts a 3 year deal. Pods is coming off a bad year - he has something to prove. Whether he gets the job done is to be determined, but, like I said in an earlier post, he wasn't the only player who sucked in the 2nd half - and I don't want to get rid of them either.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Nov 24, 2006 -> 04:28 PM) There are a few options. 1st, you look at Roberts. I dont have much of a problem giving Roberts a big deal as long as its for 3 years. Any longer, and its no deal. A 3 year deal isn't going to wreck the franchise. If that doesnt work... 2nd, you look to Figgins. From everything I have seen, he is on the block. I have a hard time beleiving that Anaheim things a Figgins for Crede swap straight up is fair, so if he can be had for less than that,you see what you can get. You get Figgins on board, Mackowiak becomes expendable(he pretty much is already,and I like Mack) and you can get possibly another bullpen arm or something for Mackowiak. No go on that... Maybe you look at Crisp. I have a feeling with Manny being shopped a little, they might not move Crisp, but im sure he can be had, so you look at Crisp. That doesn't work out... You look at Sweeney/Fields, and find a leadoff hitter in another position. Look at Rollins/Furcal/Young. See what it will take to pry them away. All of those are realistic options,(or somewhat realistic) and I didnt even go down the Manny route. Figgins would be a nice acquistion, but I'm not sure he's an everyday LF - I like him more for Mackowiak's role in that he could rest guys all over the field (2B, 3B, LF specifically). I wouldn't trade Joe Crede to do that though. I'm against Dave Roberts in any form. The guy is no better than what we have. He's coming off a nice year, but I'd rather just sink or swim with Sweeney/Pods, and allocate the $$$$ elsewhere. I agree with you on Crisp - he'd be perfect for what we're looking for in CF, but I tend to think he'll be staying in Boston with Manny possibly on the move. Going back to Figgins, I wonder if a Mackowiak/minor league pitcher isn't enough to get a deal done. Figgins didn't have a great year, I'm not sure if he'll have a position next season in Anaheim or if he'll be moving around, but if they're looking for a guy who's content to be ulitilty player, Mackowiak could fill that role. Obviously, the pitcher would have to be at least a B level prospect.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Nov 24, 2006 -> 02:27 PM) It's easy to have "upside" when you were that bad the previous season... So, who do you want to play LF next season ? You want to get into a bidding war for a free agent OF ?

QUOTE(fathom @ Nov 24, 2006 -> 02:47 PM) I guess people forget that Pods can't hit, steal, throw, or catch. Besides that, he's a pretty toolsy player. I hate the injury excuse for Pods also. If anything, he seems like a player struggling to get his body back to the level it used to be. I'm not a huge fan of Pods', but I'd rather have him back than signing a Dave Roberts type to an overpriced contract. Are you going to apply the same criteria that you are using on Pods to other players who didn't amount to much this past season ?

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Nov 24, 2006 -> 01:43 PM) People WANT this guy back? What the... Do any of these people who want him back remember how detrimental he was to the offense in the second half? I don't think they do. He was bad, no doubt about it, and I would love to upgrade, but I don't think KW is going to overpay for a free agent, and I also don't know that he'll do that in a trade for a Carl Crawford. If you're going to also point out who else crapped themselves in the 2nd half, I'm not interested in getting rid of Bobby Jenks (5.72 ERA in the 2nd half), B.McCarthy (5.25 ERA), M.Buehrle (6.44 ERA), or Contreras (5.40 ERA) either. Point is, Pods' wasn't good, but there were a number of players who flat out sucked at different parts of the season. I'm not overly confident that Pods' will produce for us next season, but I also dont' want to overpay for a free agent (KW doesn't either, so far at least), and I'm not sure trading McCarthy, etc. is going to be a good move either - that's debatable.

QUOTE(Chet Lemon @ Nov 24, 2006 -> 10:06 AM) I agree, look at Sarge JR (10mil a yr. this offseason), teams wouldn't hesitate to trade for a Roberts at his price. I don't doubt that you are correct about this - Roberts will get a nice deal because teams overpay in free agency, and a lot of teams can use a lead off hitter, which Roberts has done a nice job recently. I say, let him go to the Cubs, or whoever else wants to overpay for him. The guy had a nice season. I'd rather take a chance on Pods' coming in motivated at saving his job, and trying to rebound from a bad season. Will he be the answer ? No idea, but we have Sweeney right behind pushing him, and if Pods' does start bad, or Sweeney outperforms him, then maybe we have our solution inhouse. QUOTE(SEALgep @ Nov 24, 2006 -> 10:13 AM) First off, Pods has been an every other year producer. He's on track to have a decent season this year. Secondly, KW will not necessarily have failed if doesn't find a new leadoff hitter. There are very little options out there, and signing Matthews, Pierre, Soriano under the deals they received would have been dumb for us. There still may be some possibilities, but I'm hesistant to have KW force something that isn't ideal for our future as well. Unless you're willing to significantly overpay for free agents, or trade away Brandon McCarthy (amongst others) for a player like Crawford, it's going to be tough to find another lead off hitter. Watch a lot of those teams who are making these signings - give them a year or two, and they will be trying to get out from under those contracts.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Nov 24, 2006 -> 08:21 AM) You sign Roberts to a 3 year contract and IF he comes up big next season, he can always be traded as long as they don't give him a no-trade. It may be worth the gamble. Please. The guy lost his burst. If he can't steal, he's worthless. He hasn't been very good for at least a year and a half. If we sign Dave Roberts to a 3 year deal (why???) and he does have a great season in the leadoff role, we wouldn't trade him. That's a hard role to fill as we saw this past year. If we find a fit, we're not going to move him. Note - I don't want Dave Roberts. He's a nice role player, but I'd rather stick with Pods for one more season than overpay for Roberts.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Nov 23, 2006 -> 09:11 PM) .......... PLEASE don't even suggest leaving the team as it's currently structured. It seriously aggrivates even to think about such a scenario. Why exactly would Williams find it necessary to rearrange his ballclub after winning a World Series, yet the following season - when his team misses a playoff birth- leave everything as is? I understand the 2005 Chicago White Sox were unlikely to repeat if no changes occured, but similarily, neither will this ballclub. It's lazy general managing to pat himself on the back and suggest, "well, this team just didn't click. I'm going to set back and revel in the beauty of my creation. No further moves are necessary." Williams decides not to tamper with the offense? Fine. It's understandable. But this pitching staff needs McCarthy within it and someone removed; preferably for a generous package including SP prospects. It's just no reasonable to expect Williams to sign contracts to every upcoming FA. For example - If a team were seriously considering overpaying for Dye, I'd pull the trigger in a heartbeat. No way in hell he's signing another contract here if his numbers are anywhere close to last seasons. I appreciate what he's done in White Sox uniform; but considering his performance last year, his impending FA, and what he could provide in a trade - I'd be open to discussions. Although, to be clear, I wouldn't move him for anything less than an absolute killing. Tizzle - I am not opposed to making changes, and I'm sure Kenny is going to do something here in the weeks before Christmas, but they don't need a makeover - they can use another relief pitcher, another veteran OF would be nice, and some resolution on the starting pitching - besides that, I'm not really in favor of overspending on the free agent market. Would you agree that they don't need to make drastic moves ? Would you agree that they need to improve their bullpen still ? As far as the offense is concerned, the reliance on the home run is bothersome, and I'm hoping they can find another leadoff hitter, as well as get the bottom of the order more consistent. I don't want Dave Roberts for what he's asking, I love C.Figgins's versitility, but he a definite upgrade over what we have in LF ? As far as trading a starting pitcher, I can deal with that to some extent - what I'm not sure I'd be interested in doing is trading a proven MLB pitcher for prospects - yeah, I know prospects are young, full of potential, and that's great, but I want to win next season, not lessen my chances by trading a Garcia for someone who may/may not help in a year or two. If that means McCarthy has one more year in the pen, he'll have to deal with it. Saying all this, I do believe Kenny will move one of these guys for the prospect deal you mention with the possibility of keeping at least one of the players they get back on the roster to hopefully upgrade the bullpen. As far as Dye is concerned, and I've said this before concerning Crede, let's act like the large market team we are, and get them locked up before they leave. We're not the Pirates, and yeah, we're not the Yankees either, but there's no reason our best offensive player should be leaving. (Note - this is of course dependent of Dye asking for fair market value - not market value + a few more millions).

I am actually in favor of bring Pods' back at this point, as well as leaving the team as is. Could we use help in the OF ? Yes, but the White Sox, one year ago, were extremely high on Brian Anderson, and going into his season, love Ryan Sweeney. If Pods' can come into camp in great shape, perhaps the White Sox can rest him more often and rotate the 3 players in LF/CF. I think the biggest focus this off-season needs to be resigning Dye, Crede, and other players not far off from free agency - the White Sox don't want to get involved in the free agent market - I can't blame them for that. They also seem intent on improving their minor league depth, and that could improve by not trading away minor league talent for immediate help in the majors. This team won 90 games last season not reall clicking. We've seen what playoff runs do to pitching staffs the folowing season and we have Minny and Detroit in the division - I expect these teams to come down to earth as well.

Where does the rumors have Shannon Stewart going ? Back to Minny ? He'd be a good signing for the Sox - they could probably get him at a bargain deal (in free agent terms), he has a lot to prove considering that he can't stay healthy, but he'd get to work with Herm here, who has the good reputation for getting guys on the field. If he plays 130+ games, great, he'll do well, would be a non-HR guy who can help manufacture runs, and if we do have to rest him, or DL him once in awhile, a young guy like Sweeney could step in and get experience - I like this option.

I took the article to mean the Angels would be sending Santana, as part of a package to the White Sox for Garcia. Maybe the deal is expanded to include Figgons from the Angels, and the White Sox include one of their young of's not named Sweeney ????

QUOTE(VAfan @ Nov 17, 2006 -> 09:57 AM) So far, this offseason is not looking good for the Sox moving back to the top of the AL Central. I suppose the best news is that Liriano is out next year. But there don't appear to be good answers to any of the following questions: 1. Starting pitching. Everyone wants to trade at least one of our top 5 starters, but which one? Garcia? Well, for all his troubles, he went 17-9, and was probably our second most consistent starter behind Jon Garland. Sure, Jose had a better ERA and was lights out early, but he won only 13 games. Buehrle, on the other hand, ended with an ERA of almost 5, and Vazquez was a mental midget, breaking down in the 6th inning of EVERY game. Meanwhile, Brandon McCarthy didn't exactly give me comfort that he would be a reliable and consistent replacement. Sure, he had one nice start once we shut Jose down for the year, but he also came in and surrendered the long ball too many times to count. That's always been his weakness. Plus, we still don't know if he can pitch 200 innings in a season without breaking down. 2. Left field. The universal opinion around here is that Scott Podsednik has to be done after last year. He couldn't hit lefties at all, couldn't get on base, and had only one decent stretch the entire season. Plus his defense, never great, went totally in the crapper. But who do we replace him with? -- Juan Pierre?? No thanks. This guy never walks, gets caught stealing a ton, and is way overpriced. -- Dave Roberts?? This guy is at the age where he's going to keep breaking down. He's not the answer. -- Alfonso Soriano?? Great option, but not at the price he's going to demand. -- Gary Matthews, Jr.?? Is he a one-year wonder? -- Josh Fields?? Not even close to being ready yet. -- Rob Mackowiak?? Should have spelled Pods last year, at least against righties. But he can't hit lefties at all. -- Carl Crawford?? Will the Rays even trade him for McCarthy/Fields?? Would you make that deal? -- Bobby Abreu?? I just put this in here b/c this is the guy we should have traded for last year. -- Ryan Sweeney?? Can we afford Uribe/Anderson/Sweeney in the lineup? I don't have the answer. Oddly enough, because the other options seem so bad to me, part of me is starting to think that with Pods' habit of alternating good/bad/good/bad seasons that next year he might put up another decent season. I'd take his World Series year again over just about any of the other options that have been put forth. 129 507 80 147 28 1 0 177 25 47 75 59 23 .290 .351 .349 .700 3. Bullpen. Neal Cotts for David Aardsma?? This doesn't exactly get me excited. What if Cotts comes anywhere close to reverting to his 2005 form?? It seems to me we will have 3 reliable arms in the bullpen -- Bobby Jenks, Mike MacDougal, and Matt Thornton. Behind them, it is a total crapshoot. I suppose Aardsma is seen as taking David Riske's spot without upgrading it. And we have a bunch of arms available: Charlie Haeger, Boone Logan, Sean Tracey, etc. But all we have right now are question marks. 4. Hitting lefties. This really killed us last year. This was our batting line against lefties last year. .262 .329 .413 .742. Against righties we hit .290 .349 .491 .841. And it wasn't just an overall problem. For most of the year, Iguchi couldn't hit lefties, yet Ozzie had Pods/Iguchi/Thome lined up so that teams could use their lefty out of the pen to mow down 3 guys in order late in ballgames. Plus, we had other right handers who couldn't hit lefties very well -- Uribe and Anderson -- and no reasonable sub for Pierzynski. By the end of the year, Thome slugged under .400 against lefties. What is the solution? Again, it is not going to be an easy fix. We could use a left fielder and lead off hitter than can hit both lefties and righties, though the choices are not good. We can hope that Brian Anderson will hit better this season, and Uribe will finally learn to hit more consistently. We could swap Ross Gload's roster spot for a DH/1B sub that can kill lefties and use him to sit Thome down for 30-40 games. We need a right handed catcher who can hit. Trouble is, the guy we have in the system, Chris Stewart, can't hit at all. I don't have any good answers here either. 5. Center field. Brian Anderson is ++ defensively. And if his were the ONLY bat that was weak, I would be happy to carry him again and hope his hitting comes around. But we also have too many other outs in the lineup, especially against lefties -- Pierzynski, Uribe, Pods, even Iguchi. And we can't afford the defensive drop-off that comes by using Rob Mackowiak to sub for him. One choice might be to bring up Sweeney and let them fight it out. At least Sweeney is less of a defensive drop off than Mack is. But can Sweeney hit big league pitching? Will platooning Anderson and Sweeney stunt both of them? Are we ready to make a trade of Anderson already, then watch him blossom as a hitter with a new team?? I'm not ready to give up on Anderson. I think a trade would be a HUGE mistake. On the other hand, if we don't fix other spots in the lineup, we can't afford to carry BA's bat every game next year either. 6. Shortstop. Today's rumor is that we've offered Alex Gonzalez $15 million for 3 years. I hope not. He's Uribe without the power. My belief is we need to keep Juan through the length of his contract and work on his hitting. Like Crede, he has shown months where he has gotten it and been off-the-charts good. It took Crede quite a few years before he gained consistency. I sure want Juan on our team if he finds that same success. Still, I recognize that another year like last season is going to hurt us. But we do have Alex Cintron, who is a decent backup. Well, that's enough for now. I think this has to be KW's most challenging offseason. Everything is overpriced again. There are a lot of tough choices, and not many good options. Good post - I don't agree with some of your points - espeically that it's been a bad off-season (one week in with one move made), but can respect a thought out post. I really hope the White Sox aren't the team interested in Gonzalez.....i know he's a stud defensively, but I don't want a guy tied up for 3 years who can't hit in an offensive league.

Given that mediorce pitchers are the free agent market are going to be getting long-term contracts for big money, I would expect Kenny Williams to be able to get a boatload of top prospects for a guy like Garland who is signed to a reasonable deal for a few more seasons.

I also don't see Toronto trading Wells for Garcia/Anderson.

I would not trade Cotts - the guy had a bad year last year, but he's a lefty, still young with a lot of upside as he showed in the World Series year.