The Cubs had solved their outfield situation with the acquisition of Kosuke Fukudome but it was up in the air what the Sox were going to do about their outfileld problem… until today.
The White Sox sent three prospects to the Oakland A’s for the services of outfielder Nick Swisher. The three prospects are pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Fautino De Los Santos and outfielder Ryan Sweeney.
I have always liked Swisher. To me, his style is a throwback to generation ago. On a good day, he reminds me of Jeff Burroughs (before he sorta petered out) and on his bad days he’s like a Rob Deer. He has potential for power though last year he only mustered 22 dingers. One plus for Nick… he’s not afraid to take a walk.
By the way, switch-hitting Swisher is a Big Ten alum. He hails from Ohio State. Don’t hold it against him, Illini fans.
If I were a Sox fan, I might be a little concerned about letting Gio Gonzalez go. The White Sox acquired Gio in the Freddie Garcia trade with the Phils. Back then, I heard that Gonzalez was the real deal just that needed some time. Since then, he’s been tearing up AA and only getting better. Maybe some Sox fans might want to chime in with their opinion on that.
Does this put the Sox back on the right track for 08? Well, it’s a good start. Just don’t give up the farm.
Wait a minute! Of course Nick Swisher is a good major league ballplayer, and it’s nice to see him added to the roster. But the cost seems way too high!
Gio Gonzalez was a White Sox #1 draft choice who was sent to the Phillies along with Aaron Rowand for Jim Thome. It seems as though this trade was the start of the downfall. I was all for this move at the time, but hindsight is 20/20. In retrospect keeping the Big Hurt and Aaron Rowand was the way to go. But Kenny Williams was somewhat able to right his wrong went he traded injured Freddy Garcia to the Phillies to get back Gonzalez. I think sending Tadahito Iguchi to the Phillies for a Class-A minor league relief pitcher was payback to Philadelphia.
Now stay with me here. The White Sox traded centerfield prospect Chris Young to Arizona, along with Luis Vizcaino, for Javier Vazquez. Young batted leadoff and played CF for the Diamondbacks, two holes the Sox are trying to fill.
Then we traded minor league switch hitting centerfielder Aaron Cunningham to the D*Backs for secondbaseman Danny Richar. We might not have needed Richar if we’d hung onto Iguchi.
We signed SS Juan Uribe, but then traded one of our good young pitchers Jon Garland for Orlando Cabrera, a 33 year old shortstop, who’ll be a free agent soon. But we’ve still got Uribe, in case Richar is no more than a utility infielder, or if we end up not keeping Cabrera. Pitchers like Garland are hard to come by. It seems as though we’d have been better off keeping him and dealing him during the season to a team trying to get into the playoffs, or keeping him in the unlikely event that we are competing for a playoff spot.
Then we again traded another prospect to Arizona. Minor league firstbaseman Chris Carter was sent to the D*Backs for oft-injured outfielder Carlos Quentin. Arizona packaged Aaron Cunningham and Chris Carter to the A’s in a deal that brought the Diamondbacks Ace Dan Haren.
So now former White Sox prospects Gio Gonzalez, Fautino De Los Santos, Ryan Sweeney, Aaron Cunningham, and Chris Carter are now with the A’s. Chris Young is with Arizona and the Halos have Jon Garland.
But we’ve got Orlando Cabrera, Nick Swisher, and Carlos Quentin. And we picked up on the cheap, Cuban Alexei Ramirez. My head’s starting to hurt! And why did we let Magglio Ordonez go again?
At least we won it all in 2005, although that memory seems long ago, and is fading fast.
The fact that now Jerry Owens will most likely not be our starting center fielder lets me sleep nice long nights.