Now comes the hard part.
The White Sox face more hard questions than you might think. The answers point to the sudden departures of some players you just got to know, and perhaps one you wouldn’t suspect.
The off-season movement, certain to be built around the idea of improving the fielding and finding the next Cal Eldred, could even include a trade of Paul Konerko for pitching or a Gold Glove-type middle infielder. Charles Johnson is a goner, and the jury is out on Jose Valentin.
While the Sox shocked the American League with 95 victories this year, they may find that making it to the playoffs for the first time was easier than joining the ranks of the truly elite teams.
Twenty teams have reached the playoffs in the six seasons of the current three-tier system. But during that time, only five have reached the World Series and just three got parades.
It was a great achievement for manager Jerry Manuel to take the Sox to the playoffs with a team that was 21st in payroll (and 20th in attendance).
But because they buried the Cleveland Indians in May and June, their expectations grew beyond a postseason cameo.
Feeling the bravado of a comfortable lead, General Manager Ron Schueler set the highest of standards for his unproven team. His goal is to win a World Series, not to simply make regular trips to the playoffs.
“Until you win a World Series,” Schueler said, “your plans aren’t completely successful.”
Until you find a way to get outs when you absolutely have to have them, when your hitters are being neutralized by the quality arms you run up against in October, you don’t win a World Series. You probably don’t even get to a World Series.
Teams can hit their way to the playoffs, as the White Sox did this year. But it is a risky proposition to try to outslug the opposition in the playoffs. Boston did it to Cleveland last year, but ask the Texas Rangers how well it works.
Texas had one of the league’s most productive lineups during playoff seasons in 1996, ’98 and ’99–and all it wound up with was one measly postseason win. The Rangers played New York Yankee teams built around pitching and defense and produced only 18 runs in 10 games.
When Manuel arrived in Chicago three years ago, he preached athleticism, speed and defense. In chronological order, his three teams have ranked 13th, 13th, and 12th in fielding percentage. This year’s team made more than its share of big plays, but it also allowed 88 unearned runs, the second most in the AL.
While the shaky fielding didn’t prevent a Central title, there was no margin for errors in the series against Seattle, which was the league’s second-best fielding team. Valentin, arguably the catalyst for the 20-game improvement this season, said the Sox played “great” in the field against the Mariners.
For the most part, he’s right. He and Ray Durham did make some terrific plays. Magglio Ordonez threw a strike to the plate to nail a runner. Carlos Lee made a leaping catch at the wall.
But the Sox had costly letdowns in the middle infield.
Valentin’s errant toss to Durham led to an unearned run in Seattle’s 5-2 victory in Game 2. Both of the Mariners’ runs in their 2-1 victory in Game 3 would have been unearned had the official scorer not given Durham the benefit of the doubt when he couldn’t backhand Stan Javier’s grounder. And when Kelly Wunsch threw wildly to first in the ninth inning, Durham was not backing up the play.
Something’s got to give up the middle. And because Durham doubles as the leadoff man and Valentin will be a free agent, the easier thing to do is replace Valentin with a sure-handed shortstop.
Don’t even mention Alex Rodriguez. He would be one-stop shopping, all right, but unless Jerry Reinsdorf strikes oil during the remodeling of Comiskey Park, Rodriguez’s salary would also take up at least 40 percent of the payroll. It is unlikely to rise above the $45 million level, leaving no room to pursue even a luxury like Johnson.
But Rodriguez could play a major role in Sox’s plans. If A-Rod leaves Seattle, he could trigger a domino effect that sends somebody like Rey Ordonez or Neifi Perez to the White Sox. If not, a free agent like Mike Bordick would be a good fit.
Valentin wants to stay, but 36 errors are too many. He was the fifth most productive at the plate among the major leagues’ regular shortstops. Only Nomar Garciaparra, Rodriguez, Barry Larkin and Derek Jeter had a higher OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage).
Yet if the Sox can get a glove man, they should do it.
No organization has as many talented young pitchers as do the White Sox. But they can’t afford to get younger. They need to add at least one–and preferably two–established pitchers who will give them what Eldred did before his elbow gave out.
Don’t expect Schueler to use the free-agent market to fill all his needs either. He has plenty of trading power if he dips into his stockpile of young pitchers or shops Konerko or Durham.
Konerko has proved he’s a run-producing hitter. But he joins Frank Thomas, Carlos Lee and Ordonez to give the Sox four right-handed sluggers in the middle of the lineup. Another, third baseman Joe Crede, is coming fast.
Class AAA first baseman Jeff Liefer, a left-handed hitter, has 42 homers and 135 RBIs in 174 games at that level. Harold Baines wants to come back and won’t drive a hard bargain.
The Sox have flexibility at first base/DH and needs elsewhere. The ball’s back in Schueler’s court.
