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Sox likely to stand pat


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NEW ORLEANS -- For the first time during Kenny Williams' four-year tenure, White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf has joined the team's general manager and his staff at the Winter Meetings.

Reinsdorf will meet with the White Sox affiliates during his stay in the Big Easy, but it also was suggested to Williams that his boss was just a moment's notice away if he had to make a call to talk about a trade.

 

"You are assuming there will be any phone calls to make this weekend," said Williams with a laugh.

 

Williams did not arrive in New Orleans until early Friday night, after his flight was delayed out of Chicago and he dealt with traffic and a long and winding cab ride to the hotel where the meetings are taking place. But the White Sox general manager didn't seem overly worried about missing out on any big moves during the first day of the weekend session.

 

 

There's a good reason behind Williams' calm and cool approach. There's a very real possibility the White Sox will not make a move in New Orleans, aside from the requisite three or four blocks walk from the hotel to Bourbon Street, even with the constant talk of the salary crunch under which they have been placed by the contracts of seven or eight veteran players.

 

"Absolutely," Williams responded when asked if he could leave town without the White Sox making a move. "As I sit here today, the most likely scenario is that we are standing pat.

 

"We would rather stand pat than do something that doesn't make sense and [doesn't] make us a better club. If something presents itself, we will act on it. But understand that a lot of our groundwork is done way before these meetings start. If there were something out there that made sense, it already would have been done.

 

"We are in a holding pattern, waiting to see what other clubs are deciding and presenting to us," Williams added. "To date, there's not anything out there that makes us better."

 

That statement includes a reported three-way deal involving the Yankees and the Dodgers. Pitcher Kevin Brown would have moved from Los Angeles to New York, pitcher Jeff Weaver would go to the White Sox along with cash and prospects, and White Sox first baseman Frank Thomas would then be sent to the Dodgers.

 

Thomas has a no-trade clause in his contract, but also would receive a $2 million bonus if he was traded -- a situation that partially could influence him to agree to the move. Even with Thomas' lofty career numbers in a White Sox uniform (a .300 average and more than 400 home runs and 2,000 hits), Williams would not be adverse to moving the Big Hurt if it helped his team.

 

It was not something Williams believed played out with this particular scenario.

 

"What was presented to us in the only case, and I speak on this because it was made public from the two cities involved, it just doesn't make sense," Williams said. "If it makes sense as a whole and makes us better, then I'm not afraid to do something because it's the nature of the business.

 

"But don't spend too much time on that [Thomas] front. I don't believe anything will come of it."

 

Williams hoped to land free agent Miguel Batista to help round out his starting rotation, but the Blue Jays signed the right-hander Friday to a three-year, $13.1 million deal. Williams mentioned that the White Sox, who were one of the final four teams in the running for Batista, came up short in terms of the number of years offered.

 

Before leaving for New Orleans, Williams met with an agent in Chicago that he said had nothing to do with the bullpen help he's trying to provide after losing Tom Gordon and Scott Sullivan to free agency. He had no meetings scheduled for Friday night, although he reiterated that he is not really a meetings-type of general manager.

 

The White Sox could leave New Orleans without making a move, but it doesn't rule out a move after the Dec. 20 non-tender date or sometime in January or February. Even if other teams believe the White Sox are in the market, Williams refuses to rush to action just for the sake of making news.

 

"Out of all the teams in our division, I would think the White Sox will be most active," said Minnesota general manager Terry Ryan. "They lost Gordon and Sullivan and [Roberto] Alomar and [Carl] Everett and [bartolo] Colon -- a lot of good players. But there's still a lot of good players available."

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Just calm down and wait until Opening Day before getting all upset.  There should be some real deals by then and if not, the farm system has some good players to fill in the roster with.

Nah, wait for the all star break. If we're in it and the fans are coming out (it's always our fault) JR is certainly going to open the checkbook.

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This is just standard KW posturing and keeping his cards close to his chest.

Last year he said they weren't in the Colon hunt...yet at the winter meeting he met with Omar Minaya and laid the groundwork for the trade in January.

 

Last summer he said the Sox might not make any significant moves before the All Star Break and trading deadline...Here comes Everett and Alomar.

 

Every team knows he wants to trade, he can't go down there acting like he'd take anything.

 

We would rather stand pat than do something that doesn't make sense and [doesn't] make us a better club. If something presents itself, we will act on it.

 

You want him to trade Mags for a prospect? Just so he made a move? Or do you want to get the MOST in return and really help this ballclub. We know he is NOT afraid to pull any trigger to make a deal.

 

Calm down and wait. This Fantasy Baseball mentality of "Sign this guy, then this guy and this guy and trade this guy for this guy and everyone will agree to the terms you set" is not how it is done in the real MLB.

 

 

Unless you are the Yankees, but they haven't won in few years.

 

look at the players and trades the Mets made...signing the top FAs and trading for tons of poeple...They didin't fair well.

 

Calm down.

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KW could just be posturing. If other teams know he must get rid of players right away, he could never get any value in return.

That was my thought when I read that, too.

KW doesn't want to come off like the ugly girl sitting in the corner at the prom, praying for someone - ANYone - to ask her to dance.

So he's playing hard-to-get, hoping that other GM's will be "intrigued" by his apparent indifference.

 

I really hope he is able to get something sensible done, although I will say that I'm glad he didn't give Thomas away for that career underachiever Jeff Weaver.

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I really hope he is able to get something sensible done, although I will say that I'm glad he didn't give Thomas away for that career underachiever Jeff Weaver.

 

Me too...or would this move have silenced his critics on this site who are clammering for him to make ANY move??

 

It would have made them angrier, I think.

 

There is a sense of frustration, but if KW had an extra 30 million to work with like Jim Hendry then he would be making some moves, I think.

 

Theo Epstein is genius says Gammons. Five me 100 + million budget and I'll put together a good team too and take on A-Rod contract.

 

KW is handcuffed and he will make the best deal he can.

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Good thing the Sox are "standing pat"...it's not like we need pitching or anything. Let's hope that Buehrle, Loiaza and Garland can start 50 games apiece, cuz we don't have anyone else.

 

Can any of you pitch? Willing to work cheap? Don't need a 3+ year contract? Call Jerry and KW, they'd love to hear from you.

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pitching has to be the trickiest position to fill. Anyone want to guess if Maddux will be healthy and playing in 2006? Even with position players it can be a crap shoot. Look at Pudge, Hawk wasn't totally wrong in trying to switch him to the OF and he becomes an ageless wonder.

 

It is easy to spend $60,000,000 and get value for 2004. There has to be some responsibilty towards the 2005 and 2006 payroll as well. That is where the better teams excell.

 

Giving almost any pitcher a longer than three year deal is risky at best.

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Good thing the Sox are "standing pat"...it's not like we need pitching or anything. Let's hope that Buehrle, Loiaza and Garland can start 50 games apiece, cuz we don't have anyone else.

 

Can any of you pitch? Willing to work cheap? Don't need a 3+ year contract? Call Jerry and KW, they'd love to hear from you.

I'm frustrated at what the team has lost, but I don't expect a fix by the end oof the winter meetings. Whe signed Colon in January last year. We didn't announce the Lofton signing the year before until the Saturday of SoxFest. The Wells and Ritchie deals were all completed after the winter meetings.

 

That said, if we go to ST with anything resembling the half-team we have now, I'll be ticked.

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This is just standard KW posturing and keeping his cards close to his chest.

Last year he said they weren't in the Colon hunt...yet at the winter meeting he met with Omar Minaya and laid the groundwork for the trade in January.

 

Last summer he said the Sox might not make any significant moves before the All Star Break and trading deadline...Here comes Everett and Alomar.

 

Every team knows he wants to trade, he can't go down there acting like he'd take anything.

 

 

 

You want him to trade Mags for a prospect? Just so he made a move? Or do you want to get the MOST in return and really help this ballclub. We know he is NOT afraid to pull any trigger to make a deal.

 

Calm down and wait. This Fantasy Baseball mentality of "Sign this guy, then this guy and this guy and trade this guy for this guy and everyone will agree to the terms you set" is not how it is done in the real MLB.

 

 

Unless you are the Yankees, but they haven't won in few years.

 

look at the players and trades the Mets made...signing the top FAs and trading for tons of poeple...They didin't fair well.

 

Calm down.

thank you....im with you 100% on that one. I'm not going to get all upset until i see what the opening day roster looks like. Of course i want them to make some moves like everybody else, but im not going to get all pissed about it if its not done in right away. :headbang

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