The White Sox Lose Again

A 3-1 win for Texas on Saturday night marked the seventh loss in eight games for the slumping White Sox. It makes you wonder how long, if at all, Ken Williams will take to pull the trigger on a trade to bring some sort of pitching relief to the Sox. At the time, adding the aging Jeff Nelson seemed to be a low-risk maneuver, something which could have brought the team big benefits, but wouldn't kill them if he, for some reason, got injured (he is currently on the 15-day DL). The Sox then went out and acquired David Riske from the Boston Red Sox, another subtle move which didn't cause much of a stir within the baseball community.

What has happened to Ken Williams over the last couple of months? In the off-season he was the most aggressive GM in the game at a time when it could have been argued that standing pat would have been just fine. Now that the team actually needs some help, Sox fans are made to read articles such as this? Williams claims that no one in the AL is willing to help them improve. I'm confused, because I thought there were another 16 teams that play in this league that we call the NL. In fact, the Mets recently proposed a deal that would have sent Freddy Garcia to New York in exchange for relief pitcher extraordinaire Duaner Sanchez and the Sox actually turned it down.

Yes, you might argue that Garcia has a 10-4 record, but anyone who has watched him recently has noticed that he can no longer throw the ball over 85 mph, something which an ERA close to 5 might indicate. His winning record is simply a reflection of a good team behind him and does not represent the nasty stuff which he once possessed. I think that the Sox need to call Omar Minaya, GM of the Mets, and ask if the deal is still on the table. Brandon McCarthy could easily fill the void in the rotation left by Garcia and with this trade, the shaky bullpen would appear to be somewhat solidified.

Also, questions about closer Bobby Jenks and his ability to perform at a high level over the course of an entire season are sure to be brought up in the coming days, especially if Williams does not secure any help for the bullpen. Last night, in the 9th inning, Jenks walked three batters and allowed the second and third runs to cross the plate. Remember the Angels released Jenks not because he didn't have good stuff, but because he wasn't dedicated to getting himself in the type of shape that would allow him to be successful for the whole season.

Comments and opinions are always welcomed. Any ideas in regards to potential trade scenarios?