'Twas bad defense that caused Sox to make deals
Contrary to popular belief, White Sox GM Kenny Williams did not surrender Monday night when he moved Jim Thome and Jose Contreras.
Williams, unlike some others in the organization, never throws in the towel, and it's not like those two players were going to do much to help the cause the rest of this year.
No, if there was a mild concession, a time to consider equally both 2009 and 2010, that probably occurred with the trade for an injured Jake Peavy, who was unlikely to help the Sox a lot this year but will be the unquestioned ace next year.
Still, Williams always has an eye on the future, and the retooling actually began last November when Williams started tinkering with a team that made the playoffs in 2008.
He subtracted $36 million in veterans and considered what he might also do with the likes of Thome, Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye and others.
The Sox GM has been very good at trying to win and plan ahead, hardly an exact science and a tricky business when attempting to sell season tickets.
And though the Peavy move puts the Sox' rotation in a pretty good place for 2010 - with Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd and John Danks - they'll still need to address why they couldn't handle a weak division this year.
That begins with a horrendous defense and a shaky bullpen.
Yes, there have been times they didn't hit, but the Tigers have been worse than the Sox offensively most of the year.
And we'll grant you that Bartolo Colon and Contreras didn't help, but the Sox' gloves are the biggest reason they are where they are.
They're dead last in the A.L. in defense, and only two very bad teams - Arizona and Washington - are worse in all of baseball. Not surprisingly, the Sox also have given up the most unearned runs of any team in baseball not residing in Phoenix or D.C.
You have to believe they'll find a way to get Gordon Beckham to short and either move Alexei Ramirez (17 errors) back to second, to third, or out of town.
You could see Ramirez at second and Williams finding himself a third baseman in free agency or through trade, where San Diego's Kevin Kouzmanoff might be available.
As for the bullpen, the Sox were at least one big arm short and probably two.
Of all the teams competing for a playoff spot, the Sox have by far the lowest number of holds with 42, and the Sox' 15 blown saves are too many for a team that doesn't have any margin for error.
Contreras and Thome didn't live up to billing in 2009, but at their respective ages (37 and 39), what did you expect?
And they leave having given the Sox plenty.
The Sox would have never won the World Series without Contreras, and they wouldn't have made that incredible run to the postseason last fall without Thome, who averaged 37 homers and 98 RBI his first three years here.
His 23 homers and 74 RBI were good for second on the team this year, so it's not like he disappeared, but he sure was struggling to find the finish line.
In any case, here's hoping the future Hall of Famer finds a ring elsewhere.
His place in big-league history, and perhaps a run at 600 homers, is yet to be determined, but in Sox fans' hearts he'll always own a warm spot for a cold night last September when he blasted a mammoth, game-changing home run in Game No. 163.
Off the field, you'll not come across a finer gentleman in pro sports, or a more genuine personality.
He never lost his small-town demeanor or his yearning for that way of life, and this Paul Bunyan-sized man brought a little boy's joy with him to the park every day.
It may not sound like much, but you can count on a hand or two how many pro athletes today understand words like "manners" and "respect."
But Thome always remembered a name and offered a smile and a handshake.
Decency in this world is awfully hard to find, and Jim Thome is as decent as they come.
That vision, not some nondescript trade, is how Thome will be remembered here.
brozner@dailyherald.com