Rios acquisition another big piece for White Sox

White Sox general manager Kenny Williams says he just didn't start scanning the waiver wires and all of the sudden outfielder Alex Rios' name popped up.

The Sox did claim Rios, a two-time all-star with the Toronto Blue Jays, off waivers before Monday night's game against the Mariners in Seattle.

But Williams was eyeing the 6-foot-5, 215-pounder before that.

"We've been in trade discussions with Toronto before the (July 31 nonwaiver trade) deadline to try to get this guy," Williams told reporters in Seattle. "We had targeted him as a guy that could not only help us in our quest for the division now, but in future seasons as well."

Williams first started inquiring about Rios in June, but Blue Jays counterpart J.P. Ricciardi apparently was more interested in simply dumping Rios' guaranteed salary, nearly $60 million over the next five seasons, in addition to roughly $2 million this year.

So in the end, the White Sox got Rios without giving up any players.

"Since we did the contract (in April 2008), so many things have changed in the game economically in the last year, little over a year, and this allows us to get out from under a contract and enables us to do more to address our club going forward," Ricciardi told reporters in New York on Monday before Toronto played the Yankees.

When Williams acquired ace starting pitcher Jake Peavy in a July 31 trade from the San Diego Padres, he said the White Sox were equipped to compete with "the big boys."

Peavy (ankle) is scheduled to start a rehab assignment with Class AAA Charlotte and join the Sox later this month, most likely Aug. 28 against the Yankees at New York.

Williams repeated the same "big boys" line when speaking of Rios, who batted .264 with 14 home runs and 62 RBI in 108 games with the Jays this season.

Williams expects him to join the Sox today but most likely debut Wednesday night against the Mariners.

Toronto's first-round draft pick in 1999, Rios broke in as a 23-year-old rookie in 2004 and batted .283 with 81 homers and 395 RBI over the past six seasons.

"It was a little emotional to say bye to your friends, to the people you came up with," Rios told reporters Monday night. "But like I said before, you have to move on. It's a new team and I just have to keep doing what I was doing here, go out and play hard and just try to help the new team win."

When he does join the White Sox, Rios is likely to spend most of his time in center field, his natural position. He mainly had been playing right field with the Blue Jays, who have Vernon Wells in center.

But Sox manager Ozzie Guillen told reporters Monday he will find playing time for Rios, left fielder Carlos Quentin, center fielder Scott Podsednik and right fielder Jermaine Dye.

"It was great news," Guillen said of the Rios addition. "I already had a meeting with a few guys and everybody's going to have playing time. It's a pretty good headache. Between me and (bench coach) Joey (Cora), we'll figure it out.

"I'm going to go with my best lineup. I don't want long faces. I don't want people to feel they're being left out because we're here together and we're here to win."