Fire Sale in Chicago: Contreras traded to Rockies, Thome to Dodgers, with possibly more deals to come
The reeling Chicago White Sox trade Jim Thome to Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Chicago White Sox have lost eight of their last nine games. They have fallen into third-place in the American League Central, and, at six games behind the division-leading Detroit Tigers, have fallen out of playoff contention. Because of this underachievement, their outspoken manager Ozzie Guillen expressed his disappointment–to put it kindly–with their season-long play and hinted that the players responsible had to go.
The White Sox ownership listened. They reportedly “distributed a memo”, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney, “to a number of teams in the league informing them that a number of Chicago veterans are available in trade.” Two of those veterans, future Hall of Famer and longtime White Sox Jim Thome, and the woeful Jose Contreras, were traded; Thome to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Contreras to the Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers and Rockies acquired their respective players before the clock struck midnight, thereby making both available for the postseason, that is if the teams live to see October.
I like the deal for the Dodgers, as they receive Thome, who has 23 home-runs and a .372 on-base percentage this season. He’ll give them the pop of the bench they have long desired, and I am sure, despite being used to a starter’s role, he will gladly adjust to a minor role if it means contending for a championship–at title would be the first of his illustrious career. He’s 39 years old and his production is in serious decline, but he’s a darn good one-to-two month rental.
The Rockies acquisition, unlike the Dodgers’, puzzles me to no end. Contreras, as he has shown this season, has nothing to offer. His repertoire is ineffective, and even when he has flashes of brilliance, he cancels out the positives with his incessant wildness. Colorado, in not only the hunt for the Wild Card, but the division as well, would be mad to insert him into the rotation. They may have an intention to do so, but even if they don’t, using him in any way is risky.
The White Sox unloading of Contreras was not just a cost-cutting move; they wanted to be rid of him and his mediocrity before the 3-year, $29 million contract they gave him in 2006 ran out. Given Contreras supposedly had “negligible trade value,” in the words of Foxsports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, I am amazed they received such a talent as Brandon Hynick in return. Hynick, a 24-year old righthanded pitcher, was Colorado’s eighth-ranked prospect entering the 2008 season. He managed to throw a perfect game this year for their Triple-A affiliate and has a 3.86 ERA in 26 starts altogether. He, along with Single-A infielder Justin Fuller, whom Chicago acquired for Thome, should benefit their currently mediocre minor league system.
Along with Thome and Contreras, other veterans such as outfielder Jermaine Dye, relievers Scott Linebrink and Octavio Dotel, first baseman Paul Konerko, and center-fielder Scott Podsednik appeared to be on the chopping block as well. Any of the five remaining available players could still be traded this season, but even if they aren’t, their availability alone shows what dire straights the White Sox are in.
