Come one, come all! Welcome, welcome to the 2010 Sox Sale! Need an underrated power hitting 1B? We got 'em! Or how about a gritty presence behind the plate? You're in luck! And you sir ... can I interest you in a set of middle relievers? Fresh out of the bullpen!
Yes, folks, it seems that Kenny Williams has finally thrown up his hands on this season and decided to sell, sell, sell while he still can. Buster Olney tweeted yesterday that the White Sox front office has acknowledged their trading intentions:
Heard this from multiple executives: The White Sox have made it clear they are open for business, and ready to trade off parts from what has been a very disappointing team. The perception of other teams is that Paul Konerko is available right now, and as we know, Chicago GM Ken Williams is a deal-maker,someone who will move quickly -- as he did with the Contreras and Thome deals last fall.
Now, considering the rather pathetic performance of the White Sox this season and Kenny WIlliams' nature as a free-wheeling GM, this isn't exactly surprising news. Indeed, it's something that has been speculated for a while. However, with the impending 10/5 rights for A.J. Pierzynski and Mark Buehrle on the Sox horizon, this week could see the beginning of the south side rebuilding effort.
The question isn't whether the Sox will be moving players, but when it will occur, and whether Sox fans are in for a repeat of '97, or '06, which worked out surprisingly well for the Sox with the acquisitions of Gavin Floyd and John Danks. South Side Sox hopes for the latter.