Thome dealt to Dodgers, Contreras to Rockies
MINNEAPOLIS - Kenny Williams tried giving the White Sox a playoff boost.
On July 7, he acquired relief pitcher Tony Pena in a trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
On July 31, he acquired 2007 National League Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy from the San Diego Padres, even though the 28-year-old righty still hasn't been able to pitch because of a bad ankle and now an elbow injury.
On Aug. 10, Williams claimed outfielder Alex Rios off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays.
After each move, Williams talked about how the White Sox were prepared to "play with the big boys," ostensibly the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.
Opening an 11-game road trip at Boston last Monday, the White Sox lost three of four to the Red Sox and three straight to the Yankees.
Most likely, Williams decided his club didn't measure up after the Yankees outscored the Sox 23-5 over the weekend.
After the White Sox went down quietly again Monday night - 4-1 to the Twins at the Metrodome - Williams traded 39-year-old designated hitter Jim Thome and cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor-league infielder Justin Fuller.
Williams also traded traded 37-year-old starting pitcher Jose Contreras and cash to the Colorado Rockies for minor-league pitcher Brandon Hynick.
Both deals were announced late Monday night after the Sox had exited the Metrodome.
Thome, a future Hall of Famer, was in a 1-for-15 slump that dropped his batting average to .249. The left-handed slugger, who ranks 12th all time with 564 home runs, batted .249 with 23 HR and 74 RBI this season.
Thome, eligible for the Dodgers' postseason roster, no longer plays first base. Since there is no DH in the National League, he apparently will be a full-time pinch hitter with Los Angeles.
Contreras was 5-13 with a 5.42 ERA in 21 starts this season. The right-hander is 70-63 with a 4.66 ERA in 184 career games (173 starts) with the New York Yankees (2003-04) and the White Sox (2004-09).
Fuller, 24, hit .254 with 4 home runs and 17 RBI in 56 games this season with Class A Inland Empire.
Hynick, also 24, was 10-9 with a 3.83 ERA and 2 complete games in 26 starts this season with Class AAA Colorado Springs.
The White Sox are 1-7 on a road trip that ends Thursday against the Cubs in a makeup game at Wrigley Field. They remain 6 games behind the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central, but they've dropped 21/2 games behind the second-place Twins.
"The way our offense is right now, it's going to be very hard," Guillen said of making a run. "It seems like a dead team. Maybe because when you're not hitting, the team looks dead. I don't see any energy."
And now Guillen won't be seeing Thome or Contreras.