Found this from a Twins Blog,
Which brings us to the trade the White Sox just made.
One minute before the trade deadline, the White Sox sent starting pitcher Esteban Loaiza to the New York Yankees for starting pitcher Jose Contreras and cash. It was almost immediately hailed on Twins bulletin boards as a "White Flag" trade, meaning the White Sox were giving up on this year. After all, the White Sox were trading one of their more reliable starting pitchers for an unproven 32-year-old sporting a 5.64 ERA.
However, it turns out that it isn't a White Flag trade for two reasons. First, because White Sox GM Kenny Williams says it isn't. And second, because a White Flag trade is supposed to enhance, as opposed to cripple, a team's future.
Williams was interviewed on ESPN radio within one hour of the deal being completed, and claimed that he had upgraded his pitching staff. By all accounts, Contreras has better "stuff" than Loaiza, but just hasn't had success. Williams claimed that Contreras has been tipping his pitches with the Yankees, and the White Sox coaching staff should be able to straighten him out. The obvious follow up question ("Umm, if the whole league is hitting Contreras because he's tipping his pitches, why wasn't every team trying to trade for him?") wasn't asked.
Gambling that one can turn a sow's ear into silk is fine, provided the cost isn't outrageous. But in this case the cost is prohibitive both over the next two months and over the next two years.
First, the White Sox are going to have to invest twelve starts in Contreras during a pennant race, instead of relying on the more stable Loaiza. Considering how much they're already gambling on this season and the ground they need to make up, any struggles he might endure could be the last nail in the coffin of Chicago's playoff hopes.
What's more, Contreras isn't just an unproven, aging prospect with a live arm. He's an unproven, aging prospect with a live arm that is guaranteed to make somewhere around $17 million over the next two years. That's almost exactly what they will pay their new ace, Freddy Garcia. And it's several million dollars more than Esteban Loaiza will probably demand when he signs as a free agent. But most importantly, it's money that can't be offered to retain Magglio Ordonez during the offseason.
Williams has pulled off some very nice moves in his tenure, like stealing Bartolo Colon for spare parts. What's more, he's almost always favored veterans over prospects when competing for a playoff spot. So why would he make a move that looks likely to hurt his team in the short and long term? Ther are at least two legitimate reasons that a GM would do that.
It's About the Cash
For some reason, Williams really wanted the cash that the Yankees included. Perhaps he expects a key player to be waived over the next month and he thinks he can use the cash to claim him.
Desperation Has Set In
Drastic times call for drastic measures. At the time of the trade, the White Sox were limping four games behind the Twins and without their two best hitters. Williams can't give up on the season - too much has been invested already - but didn't see much hope either. Without much offense, Loaiza's mediocre starts were likely to result in losses, so why not trade him for someone that might catch lighting in a bottle?
I suspect that the reason is more the latter than the former. If so, the White Sox fans are sniffing the same glue. Check out this poll on one of the more popular (and better) White Sox fan sites. Apparently going 78 years without a championship leads to mass delusion.
Either way, it's great news for Twins fans. Any player that is waived outright is more likely to hurt the White Sox chances in 2005 than he is to help the White Sox this year. And if this is all born of desperation, it shows that White Sox management evaluates their chances as being "slim" or "none"..
Regardless of the reasoning, they White Sox look like they just downgraded their starting rotation while reducing their ability to compete in the future. Unless Contreras, against all odds, becomes a savior in Chicago, we might soon hear Terry Ryan describe Chicago's predicament as "unfortunate".
