Tons of articles today about the plans of Kenny Williams and the Chicago White Sox.
Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune speaks of a rumor involving both Mark Buehrle and Jermaine Dye going to the Mets for prospects. This one may have originated on ESPN. Or maybe it’s a contortion of Saturday’s Newark Star-Ledger rumor. When you see a rumor like that, a red flag should go off. Why would Williams trade both in a package deal? Maximum value is extracted with separate deals.
Both van Dyck and Buehrle himself give much credence to this particular trade talk. Buehrle wants to stay, but chances are slim because he’s looking for a five-year contract. He deserves it, but it’s not the White Sox way. Five years, $70MM sounds appropriate. Poor guy’s got a kid coming soon; I’m sure he’d rather not go through this.
Van Dyck also reports that GMs have been "circling Williams like vultures." At least publicly, Williams is saying that he has not yet decided whether to wave the white flag on the 2007 season. The Sox are 10.5 games out in the AL Central and 9.5 games out of the wild card. It would take a miracle. Williams, Ozzie Guillen, and Paul Konerko met yesterday to discuss the current club and came up empty on fresh ideas. If Scott Podsednik and Darin Erstad don’t spark the lineup when they return later this month, the Sox will likely officially give up.
Williams has more to offer than his future free agents (Buehrle, Dye, and Tadahito Iguchi.) He’s also receiving interest in some of his relievers. Perhaps Mike MacDougal or Matt Thornton could be sent packing.
