Pitching coach Don Cooper anticipates that Freddy Garcia and Javier Vazquez will join the White Sox for at least the first week of spring training.
But after Garcia and Vazquez report to their native teams for the inaugural World Baseball Classic from March 3-20, Cooper will have a hard time monitoring their work while evaluating candidates for roster spots, he said Monday.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, especially with everyone’s schedules,” said Cooper, who was relieved that left-handed ace Mark Buehrle had withdrawn from the WBC to join the Sox’s pitchers and catchers on the Feb. 17 reporting date in Tucson, Ariz.
Garcia will play for Venezuela and Vazquez for Puerto Rico. Cooper hopes they can at least build their endurance to pitch three innings before they report for Classic duty “so I don’t have to keep a close eye. But I’ll talk to their pitching coaches.”
In the meantime, the departures of Garcia and Vazquez will free up innings for Brandon McCarthy, Sean Tracey and non-roster invitee Tim Redding, as well as for left-handed relief candidates Paulino Reynoso, Arnie Munoz and Chad Bentz.
But the Sox aren’t finished in their quest to fortify their 2005 World Series roster. They signed left-handers Javier Lopez and Stephen Randolph, both with major-league experience, to minor-league contracts.
They’re also one of six teams interested in signing Jose Macias, who can play five positions and recently won the batting title in the Venezuelan League. Macias batted .254 for the Cubs last season and hit .405 during regular-season play for Caracas.
“The White Sox are an interesting team because Jose respects the manager (Ozzie Guillen), and [third-base coach] Joey Cora has seen him play down there,” agent Bob Barad said.
But the Sox’s main focus this spring will be on pitching, since 40 percent of their projected rotation will play in the WBC and because of the search for a replacement for left-hander Damaso Marte.
Marte limited left-handed batters to a .185 average from 1999 to 2004 but had a 9.45 ERA in his last 14 games and was dealt to Pittsburgh for utility player Rob Mackowiak.
“The Jets had two quarterbacks hurt in one game,” Cooper said. “You have to get everyone ready. I have to find out everyone’s schedules and make it work.”
Cooper said he had yet to discuss plans with the staff, but “my thought going into spring training is to treat McCarthy like a starter as much as I can.”
Last spring McCarthy, 22, pitched effectively enough in spring training that he would have been inserted into the rotation had Buehrle not recovered quickly from a foot injury.
With the WBC scheduled to end no later than March 20, McCarthy would have enough time to adjust to a relief role if Garcia and Vazquez return on schedule and resume a normal workload. Tracey, 25, is a minor-league starter but could land a spot as a reliever.
Lopez, 28, is a submarine-style pitcher who has pitched in 171 major-league games. His best season came in 2003 with Colorado, when he posted a 3.70 ERA in 75 games. Randolph, 31, has a 4.89 ERA in 95 games with Arizona in 2003-04 but has walked 119 in 142 2/3 innings. He struck out 84 but walked 66 in 68 2/3 innings with Triple-A New Orleans and Fresno last season.
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mgonzales@tribune.com
