Guillen, Sox face week of key decision-making
TUCSON, Ariz. -- For White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, the worst week of the season has arrived.
Like just about everyone else in the organization, Guillen can't wait for the end of another long, laborious spring training. But the 44-year-old skipper is dreading the thought of trimming the roster to the 25-man limit before camp breaks Thursday.
The Sox are carrying 32 players, so seven more have to go. Two of the decisions -- Joe Crede or Josh Fields at third base and the final outfield spot -- are going to be particularly difficult.
Barring an 11th-hour trade or two, here's how the final roster should shake out.
Rotation: Mark Buehrle and Javier Vazquez are a solid 1-2 punch at the top, and John Danks, Jose Contreras and Gavin Floyd fill out the starting five.
Outside of big left-hander Aaron Poreda, the Sox' first-round draft pick last year, there isn't much help in the system. And Poreda, who pitched at Advanced Rookie Great Falls after the draft, appears to be at least a year away.
Should Danks, Contreras or Floyd falter, the White Sox are going to be in big trouble. Last season the trio was a combined 17-35.
"The pitching staff will be fine,'' general manager Kenny Williams said. "The key will be offensively, how much we fight on an at-bat to at-bat basis.''
Bullpen: This was a glaring weak spot last season, but the White Sox are confident veterans Scott Linebrink and Octavio Dotel will get the job done in the seventh and eighth innings and get the ball to all-star closer Bobby Jenks.
Matt Thornton has been throwing the ball well all spring, and Mike MacDougal hasn't allowed an earned run over his last six outings.
There's one more spot after Boone Logan, and it's up for grabs between Ehren Wasserman, Nick Masset and D.J. Carrasco. Give it to Wasserman, who came up from Class AAA Charlotte last July and got the job done.
Masset is out of options, so don't be surprised if he lands with another team, maybe his hometown Tampa Bay Rays.
Infield: Paul Konerko is set at first base, and newcomer Orlando Cabrera is the shortstop.
The White Sox figure to wait as long as possible to make a decision at third base, and that works in Joe Crede's favor. If they can't move Crede in a trade, Josh Fields has nowhere to go but Class AAA Charlotte.
Juan Uribe might have been put on waivers last week to gauge any trade interest, but he has played well enough in the Cactus League to earn the bulk of the playing time at second base.
Jim Thome returns as the designated hitter, and Pablo Ozuna and Alexei Ramirez are solid reserves.
Outfield: It's Jermaine Dye in right field, Nick Swisher in left, and Jerry Owens is going to get a chance to prove he can start in center and handle the leadoff job.
After that, the Sox have a tough call to make between Carlos Quentin and Brian Anderson for the backup job.
Quentin entered camp as the obvious favorite, but he's still trying to make a full recovery from October shoulder surgery.
Anderson has been great in the Cactus League (.357), but his poor play with the Sox the past two seasons has hurt his overall stock.
Given Quentin's health issues, let's give the final spot to Anderson.
Catcher: A.J. Pierzynski reported to spring training in great shape, which is a good thing for the White Sox. Toby Hall is the backup, but he missed half of camp strengthening the same right shoulder he injured last spring.
Hall was 0-for-3 against the Cubs on Saturday and he's hitless in 11 at-bats this spring.