The general idea in Major League Baseball is, whatever or whomever the New York Yankees want, they get. Apparently, someone forgot to inform Chicago White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams of that notion.
With not many pitchers set to be traded prior to the trading deadline, Freddy Garcia was coveted by several teams, most noticeable the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. However, it has been the White Sox in recent weeks that have continued to communicate with the Seattle Mariners in hopes of working out a trade, and it was the White Sox that successfully completed the trade and acquired Garcia.
Just over a week later, on the night that Garcia was to make his home debut at U.S. Cellular Field, Garcia signed an extension that will keep him in Chicago for another three years.
To the not so humble White Sox fans of Chicago, the Garcia trade and extension could not have come at a better time. Two main issues have surrounded the White Sox this season thus far: Magglio Ordonez and his apparent departure from the team, and the dire need for a fifth starter. While the signing of Garcia is a great move for the White Sox, it has not solved the rest of the questions and problems with the team.
In order to acquire Garcia, Williams sent three players, starting catcher Miguel Olivo, minor league outfielder Jeremy Reed, and minor league infielder Michael Morse to Seattle. At the present time, none of these three individuals are household names, yet all three are expected in some capacity, to blossom into good players. The White Sox also received catcher Ben Davis from Seattle.
"I'm really glad to have him, but we are going to lose one of my favorite players in Olivo," says manager Ozzie Guillen.
While White Sox fans and the organization are sad to see Olivo, Reed, and Morse leave town, one cannot stay down long once realizing how much Garcia will mean to the Southsiders.
Just how important is the acquiring of Garcia to the White Sox? Through this season, the White Sox have rotated the fifth starter position among minor league potential, which brought no success, considering they started the season 0-8 whenever the fifth guy did start.
The situation got worse as their forth starter, Scott Schoeneweis, has been on the disabled lis with a sore elbow. The White Sox now should have a solid five-man rotation, when all are healthy, that will include last year's 21-game winner, Esteban Loaiza, Mark Buehrle, Jon Garlund, Schoeneweis, and Garcia.
Garcia's numbers in Seattle this season are not great, yet when you consider the poor run support he has had, you have to assume he will prosper with the White Sox. Having said that, the White Sox have a strong lineup when everyone is playing to their full potential, and General Manager Williams is taking the stance that his team needs to win now, not later.
Following the Garcia trade, Williams appeared on several talk radio shows, including ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike in the Morning, ESPN Radio's GameNight, Sporting News Radio, and ESPN Radio 1000's (WMVP-AM Chicago) Mac, Jurko, & Harry.
With every radio appearance, Williams repeatedly stated that it has been too long since the White Sox have won a World Series, and his ultimate goal is to bring one to the fans of Chicago. Williams wants to win now. Williams needs to win now.
With contract talks rumored to be going sour between the White Sox and rightfielder Magglio Ordonez, White Sox fans have at least a little something to feel good about, when the team announced earlier this week that they had reached an extension with Garcia. Williams knows that he needs to do anything he can do to win now.
With a cheap owner in Jerry Reinsdorf, who never has been one to pay the highest mighty dollar to keep his star players, Williams realizes he needs to make the best of what he has now. The White Sox are in a weak American League Central division, with only the Minnesota Twins likely to be contenders along with Chicago. Having Garcia may be just enough to give the White Sox a slight edge over the Twins.
Two weeks ago, after the White Sox took two out of three games from the Chicago Cubs, and the White Sox acquired Garcia, the White Sox then swept three games from the Minnesota Twins. While Chicago has had poor luck in the postseason, most recently in 2000 while being swept by Seattle, maybe, just maybe, this year can be different.
The White Sox are now concerned with Frank Thomas, and his sore ankle which he re-aggravated last week. The general concern is that Thomas will need surgery, which would force him to sit out for approximately six weeks. Surgery will depend if the cortisone shot that Thomas received on Wednesday will have any effect on his ankle. At the time of this writing, the effect of the cortisone shot is not yet known. This situation comes just as the White Sox have re-activated Ordonez from the DL, who is set to play as the DH this weekend.
The White Sox and their fans also are worried about how much longer closer Shingo Takatsu will be effective. Signed from Japan during the offseason, many major league players are unfamiliar with him, and yet have been unable to really hit off of him. Takatsu does not have a fast speed. The general concern is what happens once other teams are able to figure him out?
Acquiring Garcia is indeed a great move for the White Sox. But it certainly is not the final solution to a team that still raises many question marks. Team owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who also owns a share of the Chicago Bulls, has stated in the past that he would trade all six NBA championships for one World Series championship. Reinsdorf, however, has not exactly shown the amount of dedication to his baseball team, as he claims to have.
In the early 1990s, the White Sox had a strong lineup from the likes of Tim Raines, Joey Cora, Jack McDowell, Robin Ventura, Albert Belle, Ozzie Guillen, Lance Johnson, Steve Sax, and Frank Thomas. In 1994, the White Sox had a great team and were poised to make the playoffs and had potential to go far. However, according to who you talk to in the city of Chicago, it was Jerry Reinsdorf who adopted the attitude that he was going to be a "hawk" in relations to the labor situation between the players and owners.
One of Reinsdorf's biggest critics, Jay Mariotti of the Chicago Sun-Times, claims it was Reinsdorf who sided with Bud Selig, and pushed for a work stoppage. Now I necessarily don't believe everything Mariotti claims, but I have to believe him to a certain extent. It has not only been Mariotti since 1994 that has claimed Reinsdorf played a small role in the work stoppage that took place.
How nice is that? His team is poised to go far in 1994 and the owner is more worried about the labor situation in the league, more so because that will effect how much money he makes long-term.
The situation proved to hurt the public relations of the White Sox in a bad way. In the early 1990s, the new Comiskey Park (now U.S. Cellular Field) was booming and the White Sox were the number one baseball team in the city. The 1997 season didn't help the White Sox, as that will forever be remembered as the year the White Sox "gave up" with plenty of time left in the season. The Sox only trailed the Cleveland Indians by three and a half games.
Prior to the trading deadline, the White Sox out of nowhere traded away Wilson Alvarez, Danny Darwin, and Roberto Hernandez, all impact players on the team. The White Sox, in return, received from the San Francisco Giants four pitchers and two position players, all of whom were minor leaguers. That will forever be remembered as the infamous "white flag trade." No excuses for that move.
While 2004 has potential to be a promising year for the Southsiders, the future remains in question, if the White Sox are unable to pull off anything special this year.
Reinsdorf is continuing to play games with star rightfielder, Magglio Ordonez, whose contract expires at the end of this season. Ordonez, a home-grown talent of the White Sox, wants to stay in Chicago, yet is demanding top dollar for his services.
Cutting to the chase, "Mags" is worth the money. Magglio apparently wants a five-year deal, approximately worth $70 million. The White Sox, according to various reports, offered him that kind of deal. The catch is, any typical Reinsdorf contract always includes hidden clauses, meaning Ordonez won't receive the $70 million straight up.
If the White Sox lose Ordonez in free agency, what kind of message does that send to the fans? The White Sox are not the Oakland A's or the Kansas City Royals. The White Sox, for years now, have acted like a small market team, while crying poor. Reality is, the White Sox are in a big market, the third largest, I may add, so they should start acting like it.
If winning is what Reinsdorf really wants, then signing Ordonez should not be such a big issue. Reinsdorf can easily afford to pay Magglio the money he deserves. Unfortunately for the White Sox, if Ordonez doesn't get what he wants in Chicago, he will certainly receive it elsewhere.
Esteban Loaiza is a free agent at the end of this season. While Loaiza hasn't been throwing his best lately, assuming he doesn't suffer a huge downfall, he is going to demand at least $8 million a season, if not more. A 21-game winner and two consecutive years on the all-star team will raise one's value. The White Sox will have to debate whether or not Loaiza is worth the money.
So while the signing of Freddy Garcia is a great move for the White Sox, it does not solve every situation that has evolved with the team. The impact of Magglio Ordonez leaving town has the potential to leave a devastating effect on the team, with the players, and the fans. The White Sox are not the favorite team in town. That honor belongs to the Chicago Cubs.
The White Sox have all the potential to be a winning franchise and bring a World Series to Chicago. As long as Jerry Reinsdorf continues his wacky tactics, the White Sox will continue to play second fiddle to the Chicago Cubs. The future of the Chicago White Sox will show little promise, and in two or three years, the White Sox will be back to square one, and that will be to rebuild.
As the White Sox slogan back in 2000 claimed, "the kids can play." While the kids can play, it generally is solid veterans and star players who not only play ... but win.
Any questions or feedback may be e-mailed to [email protected], or using the comments section below. For more about Martin, please visit his personal website.
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