--SS Orlando Cabrera talked a good game going into the postseason, calling out his teammates the final week by saying, "The one thing we're missing, a team that wins so many ballgames is missing, is we don't come out every night as the winners. We come out hoping to win a ballgame. I don't think that's the right attitude. This is a team that has so many stars and so many good players. The other team should be afraid of facing us. I think we should show that face every night, and win ballgames before they even start at 7 o'clock." Considering Cabrera ticked off teammates early on in the year, often the last one into the clubhouse and the first one out, while the message was correct, the deliverer was the wrong guy. Then Cabrera went out and hit .125 in the first-round loss to Tampa Bay. The Sox are not only poised to let Cabrera walk in free agency, but they will get multiple compensation picks, which they'll accept gladly.
--3B Joe Crede's future on the South Side has all but ended, with both sides ready to split. Even if Crede's back problems weren't a concern, the Sox are not willing to pay Scott Boras' asking price. Josh Fields is the heir apparent to take over at third, but he will have to make a commitment to improving his defense this offseason. --LHP John Danks finished the season 12-9 with a 3.32 ERA, and he was the only Sox pitcher to get a win in the AL Division Series against the Rays. More important, he has emerged as a future ace for the club, as big things will be counted on for him in 2009. "I definitely feel like I have solidified myself a little bit where I'll feel a lot more comfortable going into spring training," Danks said. "I'm real pleased with the strides I took this year, after coming off a hard year last year and having a respectable year this year. I'm definitely not completely satisfied. I feel there is still plenty of room for improvement, but where we stand right here after my second year, I'm very pleased."
--RHP Gavin Floyd -- like LHP John Danks -- took huge strides toward emerging as a go-to starter for the White Sox in the future. He led the Sox with 17 wins, after having a total of eight wins in his previous four major league seasons. Three of those years came in Philadelphia, where Floyd was a first-round pick but feel on hard times. "The past three years have been pretty rough for me, and I was finally able to find some confidence," Floyd said. "For the White Sox to trust in me, I actually fed off that and started to have some fun."
--OF Carlos Quentin will now be slowed down in his rehab from a fractured right wrist, with the White Sox's playoff hopes ended. That doesn't mean the All-Star's work is done, however. Quentin will continue strengthening the wrist area through October after having surgery to put pins in the wrist in early September. The Sox expect to have him back at 100 percent for the spring.
BY THE NUMBERS: 235 -- Home runs hit by the White Sox this season, to lead the major leagues. Since 2000, the Sox have 1,970 homers, also the most in the majors.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Hey, it was a rough season for me, there is no doubt about that. That's kind of the fuel of the fire I will use this offseason to get myself ready for next year. I feel like I'm kind of putting on a fake smile right now." -- OF/1B Nick Swisher on his first season with the Sox, which was a difficult one for him.
