Jerry Crasnick likes the deal

[Ishmookie]

World champions add Thome's bat

 

 

 

Jerry Crasnick

 

for White Sox for Phillies

The Move: The Chicago White Sox acquire first baseman Jim Thome and cash from Philadelphia for center fielder Aaron Rowand and minor-league pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Daniel Haigwood.

 

Upside for Chicago: Thome averaged 47 homers a season from 2001-2004 before back and elbow injuries limited him to seven homers and 30 RBI in 59 games this year. The White Sox think he'll be fine physically, and he should be invigorated by the move to Chicago, which is closer to his family home in Peoria, Ill. If the White Sox can re-sign Paul Konerko, Thome will provide some serious protection as Chicago's DH and No. 5 hitter. And if Konerko signs elsewhere as a free agent, White Sox general manager Kenny Williams won't have to scramble as hard to make up the lost production.

 

Upside for Philadelphia: Trading Thome resolves GM Pat Gillick's most nettlesome dilemma -- finding a spot for 2005 NL Rookie of the Year Ryan Howard. Rowand brings some passion to a laid-back Phillies clubhouse, and his all-out style of play should be a hit with Philadelphia fans. He gives the Phillies some speed and is a fine defensive center fielder, a necessity considering that he's playing between the relatively immobile Pat Burrell and Bobby Abreu. The addition of Haigwood and Gonzalez brings a couple of promising left-handed arms to a farm system that had grown a bit thin in recent years. Haigwood and Gonzalez went a combined 27-9 in the minors for Chicago this year.

 

Downside for Chicago: Thome is 35 years old, and even though the $22 million the White Sox received in the trade minimizes their risk, it remains to be seen if he has three big power seasons left in him. Rowand, with his ultra-competitive nature, was an integral part of Chicago's clubhouse mix, and his teammates will miss him. The White Sox plan to give his spot to Brian Anderson, with prospect Chris Young (26 homers for Double-A Birmingham) next in the pipeline. The White Sox project Anderson as a .280-25 homer-20 stolen base guy, but he's still young and will experience some growing pains in 2006.

 

Downside for Philadelphia: After hitting 24 homers two years ago, Rowand regressed to 13 longballs this year. His slugging percentage took a huge dip from .544 to .407 in the process. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel is giving some thought to hitting Rowand second in the order behind Jimmy Rollins. But Rowand, with 207 strikeouts and only 62 walks the past two years, might be better served hitting further down the order. The success of this trade will ultimately hinge on how Howard responds to playing full-time. The biggest question is whether Howard can get the job done against lefties. He batted .148 (9-for-61) in limited duty against left-handers this season.

 

Big Picture: Both general managers deserve some credit here -- Williams for refusing to accept the status quo after a World Series victory, and Gillick for thinking boldly enough to resolve a logjam that most people figured would linger until spring training. Now both men can turn their attention to their prime free-agent targets, Konerko in Chicago and Billy Wagner in Philadelphia.

[wsox08]

Good deal for us. Good luck in Philly, Aaron...