His first order of business will be monitoring the 15-day free agent filing period -- although no surprises are expected there. Orlando Cabrera will not be returning, with the Sox opting to take the compensation picks they will receive in his departure. Chicago will move Alexei Ramirez to shortstop from second base.

Cabrera's one season on the South Side after he was acquired from the Angels for Jon Garland was interesting to say the least. He instantly put himself in manager Ozzie Guillen's doghouse by taking a "me-first" attitude, leading to the two of them having a closed-door meeting at the end of May.

The veteran seemed to buy what Guillen was selling after that sit-down, but then he captured headlines again late in the year when he threw his teammates under the bus for not playing with what he considered a winning attitude.

If there even were a final straw left, that was it.

Williams doesn't have a ton of wiggle room because of the current makeup of his team and the contracts that go along with it, having 13 players making $97 million for 2009. With a budget that isn't expected to top $115 million, Williams will have to get creative, which he's no stranger to. That means trading salary, as well as adding a few free agents.

The Sox did hold a $2.25 million club option on reserve catcher Toby Hall and a $16.5 million option on Ken Griffey Jr., but they declined both on Oct. 30. Hall could still be in their plans, however, for a less expensive price tag, and he seemed hopeful for a return.

"Two years ago when I signed this contract, we knew that's just the way the deal was set up," Hall said. "There's no reason for them to give me that kind of raise (from 2008). They know I love Chicago, and obviously I feel at home here, so we'll see what happens."

They could also look to bring back free agent-to-be Juan Uribe as a key infield reserve or possibly a starter at third as they transition top prospect Gordon Beckham from shortstop to third base.

Like Cabrera, Joe Crede is also going to be allowed to walk to the free agent market with very little resistance.

The one thing about Williams and the Sox, however, is they are always full of surprises, and this offseason will be no different.