Hmm.  Gload for Sisco? Sure. In fact, probably a good move. Certainly not that controversial as it brings a young arm with high upside into the bullpen in exchange for everyone’s favorite bench man.  Best of luck to Ross and I hope he makes the best of this opportunity for increased playing time. That move was just background noise for the blockbuster on the 23rd.

The Maestro, who spent the entire offseason moaning about the escalating cost of mediocrity and exalting the value of young pitching, tossed a hand grenade into Sox fandom by trading McCarthy.  Now, I have been skeptical of the high praise Brandon was showered with for the last season and a half.  Indeed, I’m on the record as saying he might be overrated.  Still, he was the untouchable.  A bird in hand is worth two in the bush, apparently.  KW sends the known quantity, just off his apprenticeship as a Major League reliever off to Arlington for two touted prospects.

I’m extremely wary of this move.  This puts the Sox back into the land of wondering who our 5th starter is, circa 2003-04.  Floyd? Haeger? In either event, unless there’s a deal on its way, I’m nervous.  We took our strength and turned it into a question mark.  Our rotation was staged to be one of the best in the league, but now the gaping hole in the five slot looms large.  If Buehrle and Contreras don’t pitch up to their capability, we’re left with Gar and four unknown quantities.  That’s not a good situation.

Now, they say that the prospects we got from Tex are the "best pitchers in the Rangers organization." Great. Too bad the Rangers aren’t exactly known for drafting and developing great pitchers! That’s kind of like selling Antartica’s best coffee at Starbucks, isn’t it?

As always, we’ll have to wait for the other shoe to drop. Maybe the Maestro can sign a pitcher for the ’07 campaign. Mulder or Weaver are intriguing possibilities. But, both carry "buyer beware" stickers–and that’s one label that McCarthy didn’t have.

It was him all along.  The rumor during the season was that this was Freddy’s swan song. My first reaction was that the Phils certainly got the better end of this deal. That may be true, especially if the kids we got in return never crack the staff.  However, after sleeping on it, my hope is that, in reality, when all is said and done: we’ve traded Freddy for another couple years of Buehrle, Dye, Iguchi, and Crede–all guys that need extensions–and possibly Javy. That, I can live with.  It’s time for McCarthy to step in.

So, here’s to not-so-fast Freddy! Thank you for a World Series and good luck in your new digs.  Say "hey" to Rowand for us.  And, next time you’re in town, drinks are on us. And the next time. And the next time. 

Who knew Machiavelli had something to say about the Winter Meetings.  An interesting quote from the General Maestro in the Some-Times today: "I do know we’ve had a few cases where we’ve asked for some young pitching that we heard was available, and all of a sudden they’re not available to us." Are teams scared of the White Sox? Obviously, no one in the AL is anxious to make us a better team–I doubt we’ll see the Twinkies begging us to take that Johan Santana off their hands.  But, at the same time, Kenny’s no longer the guy that sent two MLB-ready prospects for the heralded Todd Richie or the ‘Moneyball’ whipping boy.  (How many rings does Billy Beane have, now?).

Rather, it appears that lesser GMs are cowering when the Maestro shows up on caller ID.  This is great news because it means that teams believe we are better-situated than they are.  I don’t want to get into a rant on the ins-and-outs of game theory, but, when you are perceived as having leverage, you have it–whether you think you do or not.  This could result in two things: (1) nothing–there could be a boycott and we enter the season with 6 proven starters, or, more likely, (2) a comparatively-desperate franchise loses out on some free agents and gets fleeced by the need to "win now" and appease the season ticket base.  In the end, all the Maesto needs to do is sit tight and wait for the chips to fall where they may: Zito, Schmidt and the second-tier back of the rotation guys (Lilly, Meche, et al.) will set the market and just when a GM is ready to pull out his hair in frustration, the phone will ring.  Whose name will appear? One "K. Williams" from the (312).  "So, tough break there, pal. Say, my guys tell me you’ve got a pretty good…" 

Hold fast, Pale Hosers.

Pods has been re-signed for one year, $2.9 Mil.  This is a good deal.  There really were no alternatives.  Mathews for $10 million a year? Nope.  Noodle-arm Pierre for $9 million per? Don’t think so.  The aging Dave Roberts for $5+ per? Pass.  Certainly, Scotty had a sub-par year last year; his BA and OBA were way too low for a championship-calibre table-setter.  More discouragingly, he turned into a liability in the field because he brought his struggles in the box out there with him.  Hopefully, that is behind him.  Keep in mind, Pods missed all of spring training last year due to injury, so let’s explain it that way and move on.

There’s still a Plan B. If Scotty breaks down or can’t get it together, we’re only out $2.9 as opposed to $9+.  That’s a big deal. Maybe Jerry Owens or Sweeney’ll be ready-for-prime time by the All-Star Break.  If not, Mack is an adequate left fielder.  That is, if he needs to start a couple games a week for his bat, we can still go deep in the playoffs.

In all, tip your cap to the Maestro. Another sweet symphony.