The White Sox have made a few moves this offseason to bring in guys that were at one time good, and at this current time fall somewhere between “ok ” and “retired .”
However, since the Tigers have decided that owning good young players is “soooo last year” and the Twins don’t have the resources to add to their team, the Sox seem to be the favorite in the AL Central for next season.
Even though the White Sox are the favorite right now, they have two glaring spots they need to address. First and foremost, is an outfielder who can bat leadoff. One way Kenny could address this is by trading for the overpriced yet undervalued Juan Pierre.
There were reports of a Scott Linebrink-Juan Pierre swap, but those rumors have seemed to fizzle out. It’s not so much a matter of whom they bring in, it’s more so that they do in fact bring in a guy who can get on base for Beckham and the boys in the middle of the lineup.
The other hole that needs to be filled is the one left by Jim Thome at DH. Thome provided consistent power at the DH position, and without him in that spot the Sox lineup looks more like a club suited to play in Petco park, than US Cellular Field.
There’s been plenty of speculation about a platoon at DH that includes Mark Kotsay, Paul Konerko, and possibly Andruw Jones…no thank you. If Ozzie decides he doesn’t want an everyday DH, fine. But the Sox play in a park that is conducive to the long ball, and if that gets forgotten right now, it will become painfully apparent once the regular season starts.
The Sox sit poised on the brink of playoff contention in the American League. It’s up to Kenny to either push them over the barrier and back into the playoffs, or stand pat and let a winnable division go to waste.
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