Time To Answer, Shappy

Maybe White Sox GM isn't the idiot that he was portrayed by A's GM Billy Beane in the greatest baseball book I've ever read, Moneyball. Yesterday, The White Sox absolutely fleeced the Angels when they dealt average at best starting pitcher Jon Garland over to the west coast for SS Orlando Cabrera. Take it from the baseball elite, this was a steal. Cabrera had a monster year in 07, hitting .301 with 86 RBI and 20 steals, all while playing gold-glove caliber shortstop. Meanwhile, Garland is a career 92-81 pitcher with a 4.41 ERA. He is the consumate innings eater, tossing over 191 innings in each of the past six seasons on the South side. He has never been spectacular, yet makes $10 million a year. The White Sox meanwhile, upgraded perhaps their weakest spot, replacing Cabrera with the free-swinging .220 hitting Juan Uribe. They can plug Cabrera into the two hole and leave him there all year and know they are getting a consistent performer. Shockingly enough, the Chicago Sun-Times Jay Mariotti doesn't like the deal.

Meanwhile, the Sun-Times today reported that Free Agent Center Fielder Torii Hunter will be a White Sox within the week. Per Sox beat writer Joe Cowley: According to one source, Hunter had met with the Sox twice in the last two weeks, getting the financial details of what was being offered in that second meeting. While an agreement had not been reached as of Monday afternoon, the source said that “the climate’’ was there for a deal to be announced soon, unless another team comes in at the last second and blows Hunter away with an offer.

If that happens, look at the upgrades on paper. Torii Hunter and Orlando Cabrera instead of Jerry Owens and Juan Uribe. You can't tell me those two don't instantly make the Sox better. You've still got Mark Buehrle and Javier Vazquez at the top of the rotation and Bobby Jenks at the back of the bullpen.

Time for Tribe GM Mark Shapiro to make a counter move. Paging Miguel Cabrera.