Over the last month of the off-season the White Sox have not done as much as they had earlier.  But before they report for spring training on Wednesday I figure I better give an update as to what has gone on in the last month.

(Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images North America)

On January 25th, MLB revealed their list of top 100 prospects in baseball.  And to no one’s surprise that is a true White Sox fan, their worst fears came true:  they have the worst minor league system in baseball.  While there is some talent there such as:  Nestor Molina (acquired from Toronto in the Sergio Santos deal), Simon Castro (in the Carlos Quentin deal), Trayce Thompson Eduardo Escobar, and Jared Mitchell; there is not a lot there.   The brightest spot by far was the lone White Sox player who made the Top-100 list at #100, Addison Reed.  Many believe, as I do, that Reed will be the closer for the White Sox by the end of the season.  Reed, 23, did make he debut in the majors last season as a September call-up.  He appeared in a total of 7 1/3 innings over six games having an ERA of 3.68 while allowing 3 runs on ten hits.  But his biggest upside was striking out 12 batters.  And with the need for a new closer and a 98-mph fastball in tow, he has huge potential.  At least it is one thing that White Sox fans will be able to look forward to as the season progresses.

On February 3rd and 10th respectively, the White Sox signed two free agents to minor league deals.  Former Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Dan Johnson and ex-USC Quarterbak Mitch Mustain.  I see Johnson playing in the minors for now, but the 32-year old does have experience.  And he could be a good insurance policy if Adam Dunn plays like he did last season or God forbid, Paul Konerko would get hurt.  As for Mustain, WTH?!?!  Yes he is 23, and I guess it is low risk for the Sox, but really Kenny?  This move makes you look silly and is not even worth my time to comment on.

Lastly, on  Valentine’s Day, Kenny Williams signed former Chicago Cub (and Cleveland Indian) Kosuke Fukudome for some outfield insurance.  Fukudome will likely platoon all the outfield spots and be a left-handed bat who will be able to spell Dayan Viciedo, Alex Rios or Alejandro De Aza at times.  Fukudome also has experience batting leadoff.  With Juan Pierre gone (Philadelphia) this will help.   He has a .262 average against right handed pitchers  in his career.  It is a cheap deal for the White Sox as well.  Fukudome will earn just 500,000 this season.  And the White Sox hold a team option on him.  If he performs well, they will pay him 3.5 million next season.  If not they will buy him out for another 500,000.  So either way he will earn 1-million this season and be gone, or over a 2-year span he will earn 4-million dollars.   In his 4 years in MLB he is a lifetime .260 hitter with 42 home runs, 191 RBIs, 262 runs scored and 299 walks in 572 games with the Cubs and Indians.

Now to wait for pitchers and catchers to report…

Last time I wrote a blog post the White Sox had just decided to sign John Danks to a long term extension leaving some of the fan base scratching their heads as to what Kenny Williams and his staff were up to.  Are we rebuilding or not?  Kenny insisted that it was not a full-bore rebuild but somewhere in the middle.  They are hoping that guys that had down years:  Adam Dunn, Alex Rios and Gordon Beckham will have a bounce back year.  They hope that they are still able to compete for the division this season.  Yet they are not blind to the fact that the farm system needs improvement if the team is to compete in future years.  Thus getting younger and trading away pieces for value.  Sergio Santos, traded for prospects.  Mark Buehrle, let go in favor of what the team hopes is a younger version of Buehrle in John Danks.  So what happened next?  More trades for prospects.

In a move that did not surprise myself or I believe most White Sox fans Carlos Quentin was traded.  On New Year’s Eve to the San Diego Padres for right-handed pitcher Simon Castro, 23-years-old, and left-handed pitcher Pedro Hernandez, just 22.   This move gets more young arms in the White Sox organization and also gives White Sox fans what they have been asking for which is a chance to have Dayan Viciedo up in the majors.  Viciedo will most likely take over the job in right field.  Alex Rios will probably start in center and Alejandro De Aza in left with Brent Lillibridge being a utility outfielder/infielder.

Simon Castro (seen on the right), pitched at 2010 All-Star Futures Game and was considered one of the top pitching prospects in San Diego’s system.  He did struggle a bit last season, posting a  7-8 record with a 5.63 ERA and 94 strikeouts over 115 innings in 22 combined starts for Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A Tucson in 2011.   Pedro Hernandez (left), was 10-3 with a 3.49 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 116 innings combined through Single-A, Double-A and Triple-A as he rose his stock in 2011.

One day later, on New Year’s day, Kenny Williams made another move sending Jason Frasor back to the Blue Jays in exchange for right-handed Minor League hurlers Myles Jaye and Daniel Webb.  This was clearly a money move.  Frasor is 34-years-old and had no long term future with the Sox.  He struggled with them, with a 1-2 record and 5.09 ERA in 17 2/3 innings since being aqurired in a deal on July 27th of last season.

Miles Jaye is just 20-years-old and posted a 3-3 record with a 3.00 ERA for Rookie level Bluefield of the Appalachian League in nine starts.  In the 13 appearances he made he struck out  49 batters in 54 innings, while holding opponents to a .239 average.

Daniel Webb, 22, had a 4-5 record with a 5.59 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 66 innings and 18 games for Class A Lansing. Twelve of those 18 games came as a starter.  Since joining the Blue Jays in 2009, Webb has produced a 5-12 record with a 5.11 ERA in 34 games (27 starts).

So now with these new arms added what is next?  More deals?  Perhaps.  Gavin Floyd and Matt Thorton are still rumored to be on the block if the right deal comes along.  As for now it seems that only Kenny Williams knows for sure what will happen next.

The rebuilding phase has begun on the South Side of Chicago.  Last season they went “All-in” and went “bust” in spectacular fashion.  Just like a big poker player who accumulates a big bank roll and gets high expectations put upon them by everyone at the table, and by everyone watching live or on television and then fails miserably, the White Sox did just that.  They had a reported 127-million dollar payroll, had enormous hopes to win it all, and went bust in style.  That payroll was the highest in the history of their franchise.  So when you spend that kind of money, you expect to be able to get something from it.  For the White Sox organization and their fans it just never happened.

So what do you do now?  You almost have no other alternative but to tear it down and start all over.  We could see the workings of it begin at the end of last season when with just a few games to go in the season, Manager Ozzie Guillen announced that he would be managing his final game for the White Sox.  Then in the off-season the White Sox made their first move on October 6th and announced that former White Sox third baseman Robin Ventura would take over the ball club.  Although many didn’t expectVenturato be the one that was hired, we knew a change had to be coming.  What transpired next however may have been a surprise to many loyal White Sox fans.

GM Kenny Williams hates to use the phrase “rebuilding.”  In fact, this off-season may have been the first time many have ever heard him use the words.  On December 5th the White Sox staff arrived at the winter meetings prepared to make some changes amongst its team.  There had been rumors for weeks that they were shopping many of their players including:  John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Matt Thorton and Carlos Quentin.  They were also looking to get rid of the big contracts of Adam Dunn, Alex Rios or Jake Peavy if anyone would be dumb enough to take them off their hands.  And there was also a high probability that free agents Mark Buehrle, Juan Pierre and Omar Vizquel would not return.  But what followed was what officially began the rebuilding phase on the South Side of Chicago.

On December 6th the White Sox announced that they had traded closing pitcher Sergio Santos to the Toronto Blue Jays for 22-year-old right handed pitcher Nestor Molina.  This came as a surprise to many fans because he was never even rumored to be on the market. Santoshad just signed a new contract with the White Sox and was under control for up to the next six years.  But when you trade a young and talented arm like his that saved 30 games for you last season for unproven talent, you are all but announcing your team is rebuilding.  Then came the announcement.  In a press conference later that day GM Kenny Williams said:  “It is the start of a rebuilding,” said Williams, upon acquiring right-hander Nestor Molina in theSantosdeal. “Now, is it the start of falling domino rebuilding? No. Absolutely not.”  But for many this was a sign that the rebuilding had began.   There were no other moves made at the Winter Meetings but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

The next big move by the team would be watching one of their favored sons walk away to another team.  Mark Buehrle, signed a 4-yr, 58-million dollar deal with the Miami Marlins and was reunited with former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen.  It was a heart-breaking move for many White Sox fans including myself.  Over the years I have come to say that Buehrle had become my second favorite White Sox player behind Frank Thomas.  Watching him pitch for the team since 2000 and seeing may great moments such as:  a perfect game, a no-hitter, 11 seasons of having 30 or more starts, 10 or more wins, 200-plus innings each season, three straight gold gloves, 4 all-star appearances and leading the White Sox staff to a World Series win in 2005, it was hard to see him go.  But alas it is a business.

Fans now waited for the next cog to be traded off.  Then yesterday they got a mixed message.  I heard it on the radio on 670 The Score on my way toIllinoisfor the holiday.  The White Sox re-signed John Danks to a 5-yr, 65-million dollar extension.  It is the largest deal for a pitcher in White Sox history.  The deal caused a lot of confusion on the South Side.  So are we rebuilding or not?  Will we trade anyone else, or are we now going to try and keep the rest of the “tradable” pieces?  Some have said that Kenny Williams tried to shop Danks and wanted too much for him in return.  It is possible I suppose that Danks will be more tradable with a long contract if the White Sox struggle next season.  That remains to be seen.  There are a lot of unanswered questions remaining on this team.  I guess no one knows where it will go quite yet…

Here they go again.  Both the Minnesota Twins and the Cleveland Indians are making moves that are consistent with their franchise history.  One good, the other questionable at best.  Meanwhile the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox are staying pat so far, while the Kansas City Royals are trying to rebuild…again.  This week the Minnesota Twins did what they do best, signing two free agents that will fit their system.  Those scrappy players that will make contact with the ball, get on base and cause havoc and play solid defense along the way.  They will be “pariahs” as Ozzie Guillen called them.  Those two players are Jamey Carroll and Ryan Doumit.

Carroll, a great defender, was signed to a 2-year 6.75 million-dollar deal, and will compete for the starting shortstop job.  At the very least he will be a great utility player who is able to play multiple positions and be a White Sox killer, as he always has done.

Doumit signed a 1-year deal worth 3 million dollars.  It is a great value for a guy who will be insurance for Joe Mauer.  Mauer has had some injury issues recently and even played first base quite a bit last season.  Doumit has been in Pittsburgh his entire career and I am sure will be hungry to be on a winning franchise.  It is a solid inexpensive deal for a team that knows how to get things done.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Indians seem to again be making moves that make no sense.  Earlier this off-season, the on-again off-again injured Grady Sizemore, was let go by the team.  Now they want to bring him back?  Why?  I know they are talking a 1-year deal, but you are once again going to put yourself in a spot where the guy will play 60 games and get hurt again.  It will probably be a low budget deal with incentives added in if he performs well as that would be the only deal that would make even a little bit of sense.  Over the past three years, Sizemore has had 5 operations which include both knees, two sports hernias, and one on his left elbow.  Those injuries have lead him to play just 210 of the teams 486 games over the last 3 seasons.

They Kansas City Royals are trying to rebuild again as they made a trade back on November 7th they made a trade that will hopefully help their franchise for the long hull.  They traded outfielder Melky Cabrera to the San Francisco Giants, a team that had a ton of pitching depth and was in need of outfielders who can hit, for starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez and minor-league left-handed pitcher Ryan Verdugo.  Sanchez had a solid season in 2010 when the Giants won the World Series, but had a down year last season coming off a left ankle sprain.  I think he will be a solid 3rd starter for the Royals, as it was a good trade for both teams.  Verdugo is only 24 years old and could be a starter or come out of the pen.

The Tigers did bring back former catcher Gerald Laird who used to be a starter for the Tigers in 2009.  He spent last year as a backup for the World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals.  This season, Laird will backup the guy he used to start in front of Alex Avila.

Meanwhile the White Sox haven’t done much.  That is what a big payroll that you cannot get rid of does to you.  They added pitchers Deunte Heath and Charlie Leesman to the club’s 40-man roster yesterday protecting them from the Rule-5 draft.  They will both get a shot in the spring to make the team.  While this protects them, Jordan Danks, John Danks brother was left unprotected.  Danks has been said to be the  best defensive outfielder in the White Sox system, yet has not been able to make it to the big leagues yet.  The two moves leave the White Sox with 4 spots open which will allow for trades, free agents, or the Rule-5 draft to add to the roster.

Are the Houston Astros really going to move to the AL?  According to Bud Selig they are.  On a Twitter post on Monday he said, “For a 15/15 realignment, Houston would be the team moving to the AL West.  It would create more fairness in baseball…15 teams in each league would necessitate Interleague play every day, but it would be a better schedule overall.” Multiple sources are saying that for approval of the sale to Jim Crane, the MLB owners who need to give at least a 75% vote of approval, have mandated that if the sale is approved Crane must move the Astros to the AL.  This move would not take place till 2013 since the schedule for the next seasons are already in place.  This would cause some time zone issues for Houston now being in the AL West, but Major League Baseball seems determined to do it.

This would be one step loser to baseball being able to realig to add another Wild card playoff spot and this is their way to do it.  They would then get rid of divisions all together and just have two separate 15-team leagues where they all play one another and the best 5 teams in each league make the playoffs.  This would mean that Interleague play would go on throughout the season.  Umm what?  Although we would get less Yankees/Red Sox games during the year.  Ok.

There is a lot of things that hinge on this vote today.  So be sure to keep an eye on it.  It would change baseball as we know it.  Is it good or bad?  I have yet to decide.  But I will be tuned in to see what happens.

The Los Angles Dodgers have had ownership issues in the recent past, yet that has not prevented them from throwing around a lot of money apparently.  It is being reported that Matt Kemp is being offered a 8-year, 160-million dollar deal, the largest in team history.  Wow.  I think that this would be an interesting move to say the least.  I love Matt Kemp as a player.  In his six seasons in the majors the guy has been as solid as any player in the league.  The 27-year old Kemp should have a lot of good season left, but do you really want to give him an 8-year deal?  His homer and RBI totals have steadly increased and his defense is solid, we are talking in the top 10 in largest baseball deals.

1.  Alex Rodriguez 10 yr/275-million in 2008 with the Yankees

2.  Alex Rodriguez 10 yr/249-million in 2001 with the Rangers

3.  Derek Jeter 10 yr/189-million in 2001 with the Yankees

4.  Joe Mauer 8yr/184-million in 2011 with the Twins

5.  Mark Teixeria 8 yr/180-million in 2009 with the Yankees

6.  C.C. Sabathia 7 yr/161-million in 2009 with the Yankees

7.  Manny Ramirez 8yr/160-million in 2001 with the Red Sox

And then tied with Manny would be Kemp’s deal if it goes through as proposed.  If so, Kemp would be one wealthy man.  So is he worth it?  Well, apparently to the Dodgers, he is.  For his career he is a .294 hitter, averages 20-plus homers a season and 76 RBI.  And over the last 3 seasons those averages have been even better averaging 30 homers and 105 RBI.  Kemp also won his 2nd Gold Glove this past season, the first being in 2009.  And let’s face the facts, the guy sells tickets.  Is he worth it.  That remains to be seen, but I would do it.

The Marlins have offered a 6yr/90 million dollar deal to Jose Reyes.  Now this I wouldn’t do, but it fits Ozzie’s style of ball.  I would be standing pat on giving Reyes that long of a deal like the Mets seem to be doing.

And this guy won the AL Cy Young by a unanimous vote.  Was there any doubt?

The White Sox are certainly looking to add young talent for the future.  After the “All-In” effort from last season did not work as planned, there have been reports that Kenny Williams may sell off some veterans if he can get some young talent in return.  Left-handed starter John Danks, right-handed starter Gavin Floyd, outfielder Carlos Quentin, and left-handed reliever Matt Thorton have all been rumored to be up for trade if the right situation comes along.  Danks and Quentin will become free agents at the end of the 2012 season and are expected to get raises in their final year of arbitration.  Floyd is due 7-million in 2012 and has a 9.5-million dollar club option in 2013.  While Matt Thorton is due 12-million over the next two seasons and has a 6-million dollar club option in 2014.  Williams could choose to unload some major salary if he is able to get back some young major-league ready talent in return.  That will not prevent Williams from searching for young talent that can help him now.  Thus the two moves below.  The White Sox added two left-handed relievers on Thursday adding  27-year old Donnie Veal and and 22-year old Jose Quintana to the 40-man roster.

(Photo from Getty Images)

Veal has already had some major-league experience on his resume, appearing with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 19 games in 2009 posting a 1-0 record with a 7.16 ERA.  He finished last season in AAA for the Pirates and in 140 total minor league games has a 28-33 record with a 3.86 ERA.

Jose Quintana, the 22-year old from Columbia, had a 10-2 record with a 2.91 ERA in Class-A Tampa in the New York Yankees system.  He had 14 starts, 20 total appearances and 88 strikeouts.  He was 6-1 with with a 2.83 ERA as a starter.  Kenny Williams is happy to add both young players to a staff that has 7 pitchers on its staff of 11 over 27 years of age.  So they clearly need to think of the future and get younger.  And a salary dump wouldn’t hurt either.

What do you do during the off-season?  Well for me baseball is a never-ending joy.  During the off-season I am doing many things to enjoy the game I love:

1.  I am constantly on mlb.com and insider.espn.go.com checking to see if there were any signings, trades, or rumors going on with the major leagues and the team I love:  The Chicago White Sox.

2.  I am playing the latest version of MLB:  The Show.  I am finishing Spring Training for the White Sox now and ready to begin the 2012 season.

3.  I am watching baseball movies or MLB Production videos of games.  Recently I watched the movie Cobb staring Tommy Lee Jones as the infamous Ty Cobb.

4.  I am reading baseball books.  Currently I am reading the book Game of Shadows by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams.

Do you have a favorite off-season baseball activity?  A favorite baseball video game, movie, or book?  These things bide some time during the long winter.  As Rogers Hornsby said:  ”People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball.  I’ll tell you what I do.  I stare out the window and wait for spring.”

I was at Opening Day 2011 in Cleveland.  I was optimistic about the “All-In” season that was ahead for the White Sox.

With the addition of Adam Dunn and a 127 Million dollar payroll, I thought the White Sox were clear favorites to take the AL Central.  That optimism quickly turned to pessimism as the White Sox began the season with a 11-22 start.  The hitting was terrible.  The acquisition of Adam Dunn looked like one of the worst moves in baseball history; and it would haunt them all season.  Alex Rios looked like he didn’t care to be on the field, Juan Pierre looked like age had finally caught up with him, and Greg Walker, the hitting coach, had no answers for why his players could not hit.

As the season wore on, the  White Sox tried to get back in the hunt, but never were able to overcome the hurdles.  Injuries began to add up.  Jake Peavy was never able to be fully healthy, Ramon Castro was lost for the year, and other injuries throughout the season didn’t help.  But that is not excuse.  Injuries happen to every team.  In fact, players like Phillip Humber and Tyler Flowers stepped up and both had solid season.

Players like Omar Vizquel and Juan Pierre finally seemed to be getting old after drinking from the fountain of youth for years.  And even though Pierre had a decent season in the end, both are now gone and give way to younger players such as Dayan Viciedo, Brent Morel, and Brent Lillibridge to make an impact.

Matt Thorton also had a rough start and lost his closer job early in the season.  This move ended up being great for the White Sox as he went back to a familiar bullpen role and Sergio Santos stepped into the closer role.  He ended up having a great season and was one of the few bright spots for the South Siders picking up 30 saves in 36 chances.

The slow start did not prevent Ozzie Guillen and his crew from fighting.  By the end of June the Sox were close to getting back to .500 and were on a roll.  And I was headed to Wrigley Field for the first time to see the White Sox play.  It was July 1st and Edwin Jackson was on the mound.

The White Sox won 6-4  behind a game winning triple by Juan Pierre in the 7th.  As my friend Ryan and I  (seen above) were heading home we listened to the day game on the radio.  It was another win for the Sox over the Cubs and the White Sox were finally back to .500 for the first time since April 16th.  At 42-42 the optimism returned.  Maybe this team could overcome a disastrously bad start?

(Photo by Getty Images)

Heading into the All-Star break the White Sox were 44-48 and had begun losing again.  Despite Carlos Quentin and Paul Konerko being named to the AL All-Star team, as a whole the White Sox were a model of inconsistency.  Soon after the All-Star break on July 27th Kenny Williams tried to shake up the team and make one final push to get back in it.

(Photo by Getty Images)

In a 3-team deal the White Sox sent Edwin Jakson to St. Louis and Mark Teahen to Toronto as the White Sox received reliever Jason Frasor and starting pitcher Zach Stewart from Toronto.   Relievers Octavio Dotel and Marc Rzepczynski and outfielder Corey Patterson also joined Jackson in St. Louis along with cash.  While outfielder Colby Rasmus, left-handers Brian Tallet and Trever Miller and right-hander P.J. Walters went to Toronto to join Teahen.  The trade didn’t help the Sox a whole lot down the stretch, unlike St. Louis who would end up winning the World Series.

(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The South Siders would end the season at 79-83 and finish 3rd in the AL Central behind the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians.  The Tigers (95-67) surged at the end of the season to win this division behind AL Cy Young winner and MVP candidate Justin Verlander and the Cleveland Indians finished at 80-82 despite an early division lead with a 30-15 start.

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Despite the disappointment there were some bright spots for the White Sox in 2011.  Paul Konerko was the MVP of this team.  He finished the season first on the team in homers with 31, 1st in RBI with 105, 1st in walks with 77, 3rd in hits with 163 and batted .300 on the year with a .388 OBP, and a .517 SLG.  His season defining moment came on August 23rd he collected hit #2,000 for his career.

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Along with Santos becoming the new closer for the Sox, Chris Sale became a great setup man and has put himself in consideration for a starting spot in 2012.   Mark Buehrle continued to be the model of consistency for this starting staff  having one of his best seasons in a while.  He finsihed the year with a 13-9 record and a 3.59 ERA and won his 2nd straight Gold Glove.  But what was more impressive was his 11th straight season with at least 30 starts (he had 31), 200-plus innings, and double digit wins.  This may be his final year in a White Sox uniform as he should be highly sought after in the free agent market.  The promise of Dayan Viciedo, the surprise of Philip Humber and the defense of Brent Lillibridge and Brent Morel are other positive things to look forward to 2012 with a sense of excitement.  But that doesn’t mean there aren’t questions going into next season.

Will Adam Dunn and Alex Rios still suck?  How will new skipper Robin Ventura do in place of the beloved Ozzie Guillen?  Will Jake Peavy, John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Gordon Beckham recapture those talents that we know they have shown in the past?  Who will be the leadoff man?  Will the White Sox go to a 6-man rotation?  These and many other questions are ahead of the team as the off-season is now underway.  Now comes the long wait till spring…

Predictions: ALDS: Rangers over Rays and Tigers over Yankees. NLDS: Phillies over Cardinals and Brewers over Diamondbacks. ALCS: Rangers over Tigers. NLCS: Phillies over Brewers. World Series: Rangers over Phillies. Losers of the last two World Series respectively will both return to the Fall Classic. Everyone loves redemption stories right? These two teams have made major changes in the offseason and during it as well. They want to be victorious this time. So who will win? Well as often happens, the best team never does. So I am going with the slight underdog here: The Texas Rangers. But what do I know…

A recap of the White Sox season will be coming soon.