Curious about Kenny Williams’s plans? No more need to guess whether he’ll trade one of his starting five – he came right out and said it:
"While I don’t think there can be an excess of pitching, I do realize that before the start of the ’07 season, with all things staying the same, we’re going to have to find a spot for Brandon. Where or how that shapes up, I don’t know."
Of course, KW is in the catbird seat. He has an excess of the most valuable commodity in baseball, and none of his guys are impending free agents. He may consider dealing one of the five within a couple of months for bullpen help and whatever else he needs, but the Sox will give the current relievers a shot first. They may need reinforcements by May. But the ’pen is not bad, as solid years are expected from Cotts, Politte and McCarthy. Jenks is a bit of a wild card. It’s just that it’s unreasonable to expect this group to match the 2005 performance without some help.
A rundown of each starter’s age and contract status:
Javier Vazquez (29) – $11.5MM in 2006, $12.5MM in 2007. Eligible for arbitration in 2008.
Freddy Garcia (29) – $9MM in 2006, $10MM in 2007
Jose Contreras (34) – $8MM in 2006, $9MM in 2007, $10MM in 2008, $10MM in 2009
Mark Buehrle (27) – $7.75MM in 2006, $9.5MM club option in 2007
Jon Garland (26) – $7MM in 2006, $10MM in 2007, $12MM in 2008
Buehrle is without a doubt the most valuable of the five. Will Walt Jocketty make a play to bring him back home?
P.S. Did Uribe really draw two walks last night? What the?
