Photo courtesy of Flickr user mjl816

Happy Valentine’s Day, Sox fans. Kenny Williams got you a gift: Kosuke Fukudome.

Earlier today, the White Sox signed the outfielder to a one-year deal worth $1 million. According to Scott Merkin’s MLB.com article, Fukudome will earn $500,000 this season, and the Sox hold a $3.5 million option for 2013 with a $500,000 buyout.

When I first read this news, I started shouting profanities around my house. I yelled a lot on Twitter. I freaked out.

I freaked out because I knew how he struggled as a Cub. Maybe it was the pressure from being the first Japanese player in franchise history. Maybe it was something else. I don’t know why he struggled, but he did.

» Continue reading “Welcome to the South Side, Kosuke Fukudome”

The White Sox got the ball rolling at the Winter Meetings today in Dallas. While yesterday was more of a “hey how are you?” day, today real business was done. And the Sox made a move.

Kenny Williams sent closer Sergio Santos to Toronto in exchange for right-handed pitcher Nestor Molina. The Sox gave up the 28-year-old closer after signing him to a three-year, $8.25 million deal at the end of the season. That deal included three club options, so now the Blue Jays have potential control of him for the next six years.

Now Sox fans may remember that Santos started out as an infielder before switching to pitcher. Molina, the prospect the Sox got in return, did not start as a pitcher. He played outfield and third base. Marco Paddy helped transform him into a pitcher and is now Kenny’s special assistant in charge of international operations.

According to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo, Molina is now our Number Two prospect. Last season, he split time between Single-A Dunedin and Double-A New Haven, posting a 12-3 record with a 2.21 ERA. It was his first full season as a starter, and he walked only 18 while striking out 148 in 130.1 innings. That’s 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings and an 8.2 K/BB ratio. Williams told Scott Merkin that Molina needs a little time in the minors before he’s ready to make the transition to the majors.

This trade “is the start of a rebuilding,” Williams told MLB.com. This was the first time Williams has ever said the Sox are rebuilding in his 12-year tenure as the White Sox general manager. However, manager Robin Ventura sees this as more of a retooling than a rebuilding.

Williams also told reporters that he has not liked what is being offered for valuable veterans, so for now they are sitting tight and focusing on things to help in 2013-2014. He also said, “As I sit here, I don’t see any deals for any of the other pitchers.”

That’s all for Tuesday at the Winter Meetings. Let’s see what Wednesday has in store for us!

Now that it’s December, I feel that it’s appropriate to do this. I’ve done this every year since 2008 on personal blogs, so what better place to share than with the lovely South Side Hit Girl readers?
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Dear Santa (AKA Kenny Williams),

I’ve been a very good girl this year. Really I have. I didn’t criticize the team as much as they deserved. I didn’t complain as much as I normally do, even though the team deserved it more than they usually do. So I think it would be a nice idea for you to consider my requests. I don’t have many this year. Only four. And one is a repeat from every year I’ve written to you, Santa/Kenny.

1. A World Series trophy
Sure the one in 2005 is nice and I love it very much. But we need an update one, Santa/Kenny. It’s been six years, and as you probably have figured with the lists I’ve written every year since 2008, I’m an impatient person. I want what I want and I don’t want to wait. We have pieces. We have excellent pieces. But since 2005, we haven’t had that whole to put together that championship run. Maybe Robin Ventura is what we need. Maybe we need something else too.

The only thing is I’m not sure how we’d get that something else. You’re paying ridiculous amounts of money on players who weren’t worth it last year. You’re paying $17 million to a broken starting pitcher. I love Jake Peavy, but let’s face it: he’ll never be 2007 Cy Young Peavy again. Especially after detatching his shoulder from…himself. I don’t know if he’ll ever be near what he used to be, but the fact is he’s getting SEVENTEEN MILLION DOLLARS to be broken most of the year.

You’re also paying an awful center fielder $12 million this year. Let me write that out. In caps. TWELVE. MILLION. DOLLARS. For Alex Rios. He’s making that much money, yet he only hit .227 last year and had a -7.0 UZR. AKA he gave up seven runs. And for a team who didn’t score a lot of them, that’s bad, Santa/Kenny. I’m not a fan of this nonsense, but I don’t know a GM in their right mind who would take on this contract. So we’re kind of stuck with him until 2014. Oh man…that long? » Continue reading “Dear Santa”