Moves by the White Sox?

[catman]

Here are a couple of rumors from ESPN:

White Sox shopping Swisher

Nick Swisher | White Sox
According to the Chicago Tribune, White Sox GM Ken Williams is actively shopping Nick Swisher at the GM meetings, apparently because he wants to upgrade the team's speed.
One source told the Tribune that Rockies center fielder Willy Taveras is a target, although the Rockies would rather take a pitcher in return, like Lance Broadway.
Swisher, acquired last year from Oakland, had a disappointing season, hitting only .219 -- .133 over the final 27 games. He is owed $21 million over the next three seasons.
Cuban third baseman on Sox radar

The bidding will soon begin for young Cuban third baseman Dayan Viciedo, and the White Sox are expected to be at the front of the line, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The White Sox have a vacancy at third baseman since Joe Crede, who's a free agent, is likely to sign with another team. Plus, the White Sox have a good track record with Cuban players, first with Jose Contreras and then last year with Alexei Ramirez.
Viciedo, 19, is considered the best player from Cuba since Omar Linares.
''[The Sox] have shown a lot of interest,'' Viciedo's agent, Jaime Torres, told the Sun-Times. ''It seems they have done a lot of research. To be honest, they do have an edge having Alexei and Jose."
White Sox looking to deal Vazquez

Javier Vazquez | White Sox
A source told the Chicago Tribune that the Mets have expressed interest in right-hander Javier Vazquez. According to the newspaper, the source did not know what the Mets were offering, but speculated it would not be a lot if New York is willing to take on all of the $23 million Vazquez is owed over the next two seasons. "There are some things in preliminary discussions, but I don't expect anything to materialize. ... I'm going to explore all the possibilities to win." Vazquez has struggled in big games, a fact manager Ozzie Guillen was not shy about pointing out late in the season. He went 0-3 with a 13.50 ERA in late-season games. Vazquez, who has a no-trade clause to West Coast teams, was fourth in the American League in strikeouts, but his only winning season in the last four was 2007, when he finished 15-8. He also had winning records in Montreal in the early 2000s when current Mets GM Omar Minaya worked there.

[love_that_reefer]

I think Taveras is a great option for a lot of teams. The Yankees should be looking into him for his stolen base ability. White Sox could definitely use him and Swisher could help replace Holliday if traded. He's is good backup option if Helton goes down again. My feeling is the Rockies would want more than just Swisher for Taveras.

[catman]

I would agree with that. Swisher appears to be less than the White Sox thought he would be when they traded for him last winter. The Sox have a few other kids to sweeten the deal if they want to include them.

[Dam8610]

I think Taveras is a great option for a lot of teams. The Yankees should be looking into him for his stolen base ability. White Sox could definitely use him and Swisher could help replace Holliday if traded. He's is good backup option if Helton goes down again. My feeling is the Rockies would want more than just Swisher for Taveras.

You'd be surprised how much Kenny can suck at trades sometimes.

Anyway, from those rumors, it's looking like the moves are "suck, suck, and suck some more", letting Crede go isn't a good idea, and you can't expect to catch lightning in a bottle twice grabbing another kid defecting from Cuba, Alexei Ramirez is a very rare type of player in that he was immediately able to make the jump to MLB, and the fact that they're going after a young 3B from Cuba tells me all I need to know about Josh Fields. The only positive I see there is they're looking to trade away Vazquez, if they can get a team to pay anything close to what they paid for him, that would be a step in the right direction.

[NYgiantsfan5689]

The idea of the Yankees signing Willy Taveras was brought up to Peter Abraham, and he made an excellent point. Taveras has a career .331 OBP. His only worth is his speed. I'd rather pay Brett Gardner $300,000 to be good defensively, not hit very well, and steal a lot of bases. I don't want Taveras

[love_that_reefer]

Taveras can hit but whatever.

The Chicago Tribune reports that the White Sox "have strengthened efforts to deal" Nick Swisher.
Unlike Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko and Javier Vazquez, Swisher doesn't have no-trade rights. He's signed through 2011, but hit just .219/.332/.410 in 588 plate appearances while losing his starting job last season.

Since the Reds and their fans loved Adam Dunn so much, maybe they should get Swisher. Swisher is Dunn with less power and more youth.

[Dry1313]

His OPS has been significantly below the league average and he only hit 1/3 years.

Something tells me it's an anomaly and not for par when he hit .320

[love_that_reefer]

His career BA is nine points above the league average. He can hit. And of course his OPS would be below average. He's not a power hitter nor tries to be.

[love_that_reefer]

The White Sox are asking teams for a young starting pitcher plus additional players for right fielder Jermaine Dye. The Mets, Rays and Phillies are among the teams balking at such a price.

Dye, earning $11.5 million in the final year of his contract, amounts to a one-season rental. He can block trades to six clubs, most of which are in the northeast, according to a major-league source.

One potentially interested executive said his team was concerned that Dye batted only .210 with runners in scoring position and two outs last season — 36 points below the American League average.

Damn, the Rays having Dye for one year would have done them a lot of good.

[Dam8610]

Well, at least the White Sox aren't going to take whatever trash any team wants to give them, that's a good sign.