Some questions to ponder as the Sox' season winds down
NEW YORK -- On the surface, finishing ahead of the Kansas City Royals in the race for last place in the American League Central appears to be the only carrot dangling in front of the White Sox over the final two months of the season.
Wow, is that going to be exciting.
Actually, there is more on the Sox' to-do list. Much more.
The remaining 55 games on the schedule may be a meaningless exercise as far as the playoff picture goes, but the White Sox can use the time to answer longer-term questions.
Such as ...
•Is Jose Contreras (5-14, 6.60 ERA) going to relinquish his unwanted title as worst starting pitcher in the AL, if not all of baseball?
And if not, what are the Sox going to do about that $20 million salary Contreras has coming in 2008-09?
Banished to the bullpen after Tuesday's awful outing against the Yankees, maybe Contreras can find his niche as a relief pitcher -- a very expensive relief pitcher.
•Is Gavin Floyd ever going to make his mark in the major leagues?
Floyd failed to reach his potential with the Philadelphia Phillies the last three seasons, and he is on a similar track with the White Sox.
With Contreras in the bullpen, Floyd has another chance to step up and prove he can pitch. But his numbers (0-1, 10.05 ERA) in 4 outings with the Sox don't lie.
•Are the White Sox going to sign Jermaine Dye?
After Tuesday's trade deadline passed, Dye sure seemed to think so. And extending the 33-year-old right fielder makes a lot of sense for the Sox.
While they'd prefer a two-year deal with an option for a third season, it would probably take a three-year, $30-million contract to get it done.
Yes, Dye is injury prone, and he's not getting any younger. But for as disappointing as his season has been, Dye still ranked ninth in the league with 19 home runs heading into Wednesday night's game against New York.
Is Danny Richar the real deal?
Yes, the 24-year-old second baseman was 0-for-6 heading into Wednesday after debuting with 2 hits in 3 at-bats Saturday.
But it looks like Richar has a chance to become an impact player, and his athletic ability is already evident.
What about Jerry Owens?
The rookie center fielder was pretty good in July, batting .287 and stealing 10 bases in 13 attempts.
Still, the White Sox need to see more over the final two months, especially when they know established center fielders Torii Hunter, Aaron Rowand and Mike Cameron are likely to be on the free-agent market at the end of the season.
•What about Scott Podsednik and Darin Erstad?
It appears the ship has sailed for both veteran outfielders. Sox general manager Kenny Williams isn't likely to gamble again that Podsednik and Erstad can stay healthy.
•Who is going to be the Sox' third baseman next season?
Joe Crede is confident his surgically repaired back is going to be as good as new in 2008, so he deserves to reclaim the starting job.
Don't be surprised if Josh Fields moves from third to left field -- defensively, he can't be any worse than Podsednik.
If Crede departs as a free agent following the season, Fields can return to third base.
sgregor@dailyherald.com