Since the winter meetings ended in early December, the White Sox have been making very little noise in the hot stove market. That's just how general manager Ken Williams likes it.
The Sox are still listening to offers for outfielder Jermaine Dye, but they are not in a position where they have to do anything else. And while Sox fans have grumbled a bit, Williams is not apologizing for the way he and the organization have conducted their business this offseason, especially in overhauling the farm system and promising a youth movement. "I'm not trying to sell it," Williams responded, when asked about the youth movement taking place. "That's the point people are missing. The whole 'trying to sell it' point is not part of the equation. I've learned over the years that no matter what we do, there's a certain amount of population who are not going to like it.
"We are a little bit unorthodox in what we do, but it works. It has worked. We've had one year (2007) in the last how many years that was a long, suffering season. We don't want to go through one of those again. But if you don't take certain steps along these lines to get yourself to a point ... let me tell you something, that window of poor performance is going to be a hole that's so deep. You can look at teams right now that have been in that hole for 10 or 15 years."
Williams is insisting that he won't be one of those teams. And for him not to, he is trying to blend talented youth with proven track records. What looks like a dangerous game to some is Williams showing faith in his scouting department to put the right players in place at the right time.
In the club's estimation, that's why it now seems that Dye's time could be up.
"I don't have any timeframe, any timetable to do anything," Williams said. "We are in the fortunate position to where we have good young players, we've acquired more depth. We've also not taken our eye off some of the veterans that could make themselves available to us on the marketplace. My guys are under instruction to listen to deals and potential deals whether they go along the prospect lines or the veteran lines."
What Williams emphasized several times -- and is counting on -- is a glut of free agent talent in the pitching department and outfield department that remains homeless. Considering the present economic state around the majors, moving Dye doesn't mean Williams is done.
In fact, moving Dye could clear the way to go after a free agent outfielder, as well as adding a veteran pitcher to the rotation on the cheap.
