Garcia's price could be just right

[greasywheels121]

Garcia's price could be just right

Trade helps potency, depth of rotation

Mike Bauman

 

CHICAGO -- Whenever Chicago White Sox general manager Ken Williams was asked this season about obtaining a fifth starter, Williams would respond that if he traded for a starter it was not going to be a marginal pitcher, but a "top of the rotation guy."

Williams wasn't kidding. When the Sox traded for a pitcher on Sunday, that pitcher was Freddy Garcia of the Seattle Mariners.

 

With one stroke, the White Sox transformed their rotation from one in which they were perpetually searching for somebody to fill in the back end to one which was a position of strength. Mark Buehrle and Esteban Loaiza are already a combined 15-5. Jon Garland has displayed legitimate promise. Scott Schoeneweis was fine before his elbow began to bother him, and he should be back after the All-Star break. Felix Diaz looked like a Major League pitcher on Saturday as he beat the Cubs.

 

Viewed in context or on its own, getting Freddy Garcia is a big-time move. It is the move of a team with aspirations to not only win its division, but make some noise in the postseason.

 

In a city in which the White Sox perpetually play second fiddle, this move -- combined, of course, with their taking two out of three from the Cubs over the weekend -- put the Sox at Sears Tower height.

 

"This shows White Sox fans and [reporters] that we're for real," manager Ozzie Guillen said.

 

It does. Any doubts in that area were dispelled by this trade. At the very least, this trade says that the White Sox are trying as hard as they can to be for real.

 

But you don't get something for nothing, and the White Sox, along with giving up two prospects in this deal also dealt a rare and valuable commodity: a promising young catcher, in this case Miguel Olivo.

 

"We had to pay for this," Williams said. They did indeed, with a 25-year-old genuine defensive catcher, a player whom the team liked both personally and professionally.

 

Williams described the conversation in which he told Olivo of the trade as "the hardest conversation I've ever had with a player. It was as though I was telling one of my sons something disparaging."

 

The White Sox get back a catcher in this trade -- Ben Davis, who was something of an enigma to the Mariners. Seattle wanted to install Davis as its regular catcher this season, but his performance instead got him sent to the minors and replaced on the Mariners by Pat Borders.

 

The White Sox will go, for at least the short-term future, with a trio of catchers, Williams indicated. Veteran Sandy Alomar Jr., remains a steadying presence, although at age 38 he is unlikely to increase his workload. Alomar has started 30 of the White Sox's first 72 games. At least initially, Davis and current backup Jamie Burke will be in the running for the rest of the playing time.

 

The two minor leaguers in the deal are outfielder Jeremy Reed, currently at Triple-A, and infielder Michael Morse, currently at Double-A. The Sox made a sacrifice here, too. Reed, 23, was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in the Sox system entering the 2004 season. He has hit for high averages in his previous minor league stops and he has excellent speed.

 

But you don't get a Freddy Garcia by offering chopped liver in return. With the Mariners falling out of contention early, with Garcia eligible for free agency after this season, this front-line pitcher was available. And the price would be steep; the White Sox were hardly alone in their pursuit of Garcia.

 

"Boston wanted him, New York wanted him -- I'm glad we have him," Guillen said.

 

"There was no doubt that he was the most coveted [pitcher] on the market," Williams said. "But I thought we had a chance to sign him to an extension."

 

And this may be the trump card for the White Sox. For this deal to work long-term, it has to be more than a rental of Freddy Garcia.

 

"He's my best friend in Venezuela," Guillen said with a smile.

 

Williams was asked what the chances were for a long-term deal involving Garcia. Williams smiled and responded that Garcia's "best friend" thought there was a very good chance.

 

So the White Sox may be well-positioned to eventually retain the services of Garcia.

 

But just consider the rest of this summer and early autumn: the White Sox have Freddy Garcia, a winner over his career (76-50), a pitcher who is healthy, a pitcher who is doing well this season (3.20 ERA) and a pitcher who is, still, just 27 years old.

 

The White Sox this season have been a hitting club first. They lead the Majors in runs scored, even with Magglio Ordonez disabled. The hitting has been good enough to keep the Sox in the hunt, even though it took until late June for a White Sox starter in the No. 5 spot to win a decision.

 

Now the White Sox have added another bona fide starter. And just as Ken Williams suggested, he is not some marginal commodity to be sent to the mound every fifth day on hopes and/or prayers. Instead, he is Freddy Garcia.

 

The White Sox paid dearly to get him, but he looks exactly like what they needed to get from here -- second place -- to there -- the postseason.

[hi8is]

great artilce... this guy gets it

[soxman352000]

great artilce... this guy gets it

Couldn't say it better myself

[bulokis]

Its good to have Freddy pitch for us early in July instead of getting him during the trade deadline. I know we gave up too much but Im hoping Freddy does stay with us.

[YASNY]

"He's my best friend in Venezuela," Guillen said with a smile.

 

Williams was asked what the chances were for a long-term deal involving Garcia. Williams smiled and responded that Garcia's "best friend" thought there was a very good chance.

 

 

That sounds promising.

[DABearSoX]

very interesting, very interesting indeed

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

Its good to have Freddy pitch for us early in July instead of getting him during the trade deadline. I know we gave up too much but Im hoping Freddy does stay with us.

Had we waited till then I think the price would have been much higher. Glad we got him now.