Sox' Williams has long shopping list
So much for a quiet off-season.
On the first day of the winter meetings in Orlando, Fla., White Sox general manager Kenny Williams barely had time to fire off an e-mail.
"I'm a little busy now,'' Williams said on Monday night. "This is crazy here.''
It figures to get crazier, since the Sox have an excess of the one thing (starting pitching) most teams want.
The first order of business is shortstop Juan Uribe. The White Sox have until Wednesday to decide whether to pick up his $5 million option, but Williams said the club won't make a decision until the deadline hits.
Williams isn't tipping his hand in regard to Uribe's future on the South Side, but it is believed the 29-year-old shortstop is finished with the Sox. While his waistline expanded over the last three seasons, Uribe's batting average and on-base percentage declined.
If the White Sox do indeed cut ties with Uribe, they would be looking at filling another hole. Here is a look at the players they are likely to be pursuing this winter:
Shortstop: With Edgar Renteria off the market -- he was traded from the Atlanta Braves to the Detroit Tigers right after the World Series ended -- the pickings are much more limited.
Don't be surprised if the Sox make a trade for Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson, while the San Diego Padres' Khalil Greene is also a possibility.
If the Sox opt for the free-agency route, David Eckstein is the logical candidate.
Center field: Williams loves free agent Torii Hunter. So does White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and just about everyone else who has ever watched a baseball game.
But as Guillen often said toward the end of the 2007 season, the Sox are going to be very hard-pressed to come up with the $72 million the 32-year-old Hunter wants over five years.
In addition, Aaron Rowand also appears too pricey to return to the White Sox.
Looking for dark horses? Milwaukee's Bill Hall is one, and free agent Corey Patterson would be another if Scott Boras weren't his agent.
But the 28-year-old Patterson, who batted .269 and stole 37 bases for the Baltimore Orioles in 2007, is the type of "younger'' player at which the Sox are looking.
Second base: If the Sox decide Danny Richar is not the answer, they have several possibilities on the free-agent market.
In addition to bringing back Tadahito Iguchi, other second basemen available are Marcus Giles, Kazuo Matsui and Tony Graffanino.
Bullpen: The Sox are looking for multiple relief pitchers, as are most teams. One name to file away is Japan's old Hitoki Iwase.