Chicago White Sox Blog Fan Site and Schedule with MLB News » white

Chicago White Sox 2012 Spring Training Schedule

NeurdyAntenue — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:47:00 +0000

The 2012 Chicago White Sox Spring Training schedule is out and these games should give fans an early look at what the team might do this year. It looks to become a re-building year for the White Sox, but there is always hope that the team can compete for an American League Central title again. It all gets started on Monday, March 5 against the Los Angeles Dodgers and works up to Opening Day on Friday, April 6 against the Texas Rangers.

Full Chicago White Sox 2012 Spring Training Schedule

Monday, March 5

Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago, 3:05 p.m. ET

Tuesday, March 6

Chicago at Los Angeles Angels, 2:05 p.m. ET

Wednesday, March 7

Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago, 3:05 p.m. ET

Thursday, March 8

Chicago at Texas Rangers, 3:05 p.m. ET

Friday, March 9

Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox, 3:05 p.m. ET

Saturday, March 10

Texas at Chicago (SS), 3:05 p.m. ET

Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago (SS), 9:05 p.m. ET

Sunday, March 11

Chicago at Colorado Rockies, 4:10 p.m. ET

Monday, March 12

Oakland Athletics at Chicago, 4:05 p.m. ET

Tuesday, March 13

Chicago at San Diego Padres, 4:05 p.m. ET

Wednesday, March 14

L.A. Angels at Chicago, 4:05 p.m. ET

Thursday, March 15

Chicago at Cleveland Indians, 4:05 p.m. ET

Friday, March 16

Chicago at Arizona Diamondbacks, 4:10 p.m. ET

Saturday, March 17

Seattle Mariners at Chicago, 4:05 p.m. ET

Sunday, March 18

Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs, 4:05 p.m. ET

Monday, March 19

Cincinnati Reds at Chicago, 4:05 p.m. ET

Wednesday, March 21

Chicago at Seattle, 4:05 p.m. ET

Thursday, March 22

Kansas City Royals, at Chicago, 4:05 p.m. ET

Friday, March 23

Arizona at Chicago, 10:05 p.m. ET

Saturday, March 24

Chicago at Milwaukee Brewers, 4:05 p.m. ET

Sunday, March 25

San Francisco Giants at Chicago, 4:05 p.m. ET

Monday, March 26

Chicago at L.A. Dodgers, 4:05 p.m. ET

Tuesday, March 27

Cleveland at Chicago, 4:05 p.m. ET

Wednesday, March 28

San Diego at Chicago (SS), 4:05 p.m. ET

Chicago (SS) at Colorado, 4:10 p.m. ET

Thursday, March 29

Chicago at L.A. Dodgers, 4:05 p.m. ET

Friday, March 30

Chicago at Kansas City, 9:05 p.m. ET

Saturday, March 31

Colorado at Chicago, 4:05 p.m. ET

Sunday, April 1

Chicago at Cincinnati, 4:05 p.m. ET

Monday, April 2

Milwaukee at Chicago, 3:05 p.m. ET

Tuesday, April 3

Chicago at Houston, TBA

Wednesday, April 4

Chicago at Houston, TBA

Source:

White Sox Main Site

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Thanks for visiting our blog =).

White Sox’s Danks gets 5-year, $65M deal

HarelocatretInsend — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 09:22:34 +0000

New Chicago White Sox ace John Danks on Thursday agreed to a five-year, $65 million contract through 2016. The 26-year-old left-hander will earn $8 million next season and $14.25 million in each of the final four years of the deal.

A 15-game winner in 2010, Danks slumped last season and was 8-12 with a 4.33 earned-run average.

White Sox general manager Ken Williams said Danks’ signing means the White Sox will do some, but not wholesale, rebuilding for 2012.

“We are still in win mode,” he said. “But at the same time you’re in win mode you can be in a little bit of a rebuilding phase.”

– The Internal Revenue Service is suing New York Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner over what it calls an “erroneous” tax refund of more than $670,000.

The suit was filed Tuesday in federal court in Tampa, Fla.

The dispute dates to the 2001 tax year and involves a refund the IRS paid in 2009. The IRS said the refund claim was filed too late and has sued Steinbrenner and his wife, Christina, to recover $670,493.78.

Yankees spokeswoman Alice McGillion says Steinbrenner’s representatives hadn’t received prior notices regarding the matter from the IRS.

GOLF

Lehman is senior player of the year

Former University of Minnesota golfer Tom Lehman, who won three Champions Tour titles in 2011 and claimed the Charles Schwab Cup points title, was voted senior player of the year by the Golf Writers Association of

America.

Luke Donald was the overwhelming choice as male player of the year.

Donald, who won four times around the world and became the first player to win the money title on the PGA Tour and the European Tour in the same season, won 88 percent of the vote to easily beat Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson and Rory McIlroy.

Yani Tseng received 94 percent of the vote as the female player of the year after winning 12 times worldwide, including two majors.

The winners will be honored at the GWAA annual awards dinner April 4 in Augusta, Ga.

MISCELLANEOUS

Mariucci Classic opens today

Niagara, Northeastern and Princeton will join the Gophers in the 21st annual Mariucci Classic men’s hockey tournament, which runs today and Saturday at Mariucci Arena.

The tournament opens with Northeastern playing Princeton at 4 p.m., followed by Minnesota and Niagara at 7 p.m.

Saturday’s games are scheduled for 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

– St. Paul native Lindsey Vonn finished 18th in a World Cup slalom in Lienz, Austria, but retained the lead in the overall World Cup standings.

Austria’s Marlies Schild won the event; American teenager Mikaela Shiffrin finished third.

Gotta run!.

White Sox Give Pitcher John Danks $65 Million…

UkrPost — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:07:44 +0000

The Chicago White Sox agreed to
terms on a five-year, $65 million deal with pitcher John Danks,
a 26-year-old left-hander who has a 54-56 record over five Major
League Baseball seasons.

Danks had an 8-12 record with a 4.33 earned run average in
27 starts for the White Sox last season. After losing his first
eight decisions, Danks went 8-4 with a 3.69 ERA.

Danks, who broke into the major leagues with the White Sox
in 2007, will receive $8 million in 2012, which would have been
his final season of arbitration eligibility. He’ll get $14.25
million each season from 2013 through 2016, the White Sox said
in a statement on their website.

Danks went 15-11 during the 2010 season and ranks fourth
among American League left-handed pitchers with 48 wins over the
past four years, trailing Jon Lester of the Boston Red Sox, CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees and former teammate Mark Buehrle, who signed with the Florida Marlins as a free agent in
December.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Erik Matuszewski in New York at
matuszewski@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at
msillup@bloomberg.net

Thanks for visiting our blog =).

White Sox sign Danks to $65 million deal

optiordDiet — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 02:12:06 +0000

Dec 29 (Reuters) – The Chicago White Sox have agreed
to a five-year, $65 million contract extension with starting
pitcher John Danks, the American League team said on Thursday.

Danks, 26, will receive $8 million in 2012 and $14.25
million in each of the next four seasons up until 2016, the
White Sox said in a news release.

The left-hander posted an 8-12 record with a 4.33 earned run
average and had 135 strikeouts in 27 starts for the White Sox
last season.

(Reporting By Gene Cherry in Salvo North Carolina; Editing by
Julian Linden)

Leave your comments on the news below.

White Sox re-sign John Danks, but should have kept…

xsuvhvxpxs — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:58:54 +0000

The Chicago media is reporting that the White Sox have agreed to pay John Danks $65 million over the next five years.That’s a lot of money for a pitcher who was 8-12 last year, has a losing career record and an ERA over 4.00. But it’s also the going rate for pitchers who have averaged 12 wins and 195 innings pitched the last four years, especially left-handed, 26-year-old pitchers. So I sort of like the White Sox signing Danks to that extension.

But not if that means, as the Chicago Tribune reported, that it is then likely that the White Sox will trade Gavin Floyd. Gavin Floyd has also averaged 12 wins and 195 innings pitched the last four years and has a similar WHIP (1.326 hits and walks allowed per inning to 1.304 for Danks) and strikeout totals to Danks. He is two years older, at age 28, right-handed to Danks’ left-handed and has a career ERA almost half a run higher at 4.50. In other words, he’s not quite as good as Danks. But he only costs about half as much ($7 million next year, with a team option for $9.5 million in 2013).

I’m all for trading Floyd if you can get more for him, but my hunch is the White Sox could have gotten more for trading Danks, if nothing else because Danks is left-handed.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Chicago White Sox’s Mark Buehrle pitches against the Cleveland Indians in the first inning of a baseball game on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011, in Cleveland.

Worse, the White Sox let their best pitcher walk. Mark Buehrle has won at least 10 games and pitched at least 200 innings for 11 seasons in a row. He’s still relatively young at age 32, four years older than Floyd and six older than Danks. Not a single one of these three pitchers has improved in the last three years, which is a big reason why the White Sox have made the playoffs only once since winning the 2005 World Serie. But while Floyd and Danks have actually gotten a little worse, Buehrle has held steady. Last year he had his lowest ERA (3.59) since that 2005 World Series year. Mark Buerhle’s ERA for the last five years is the exact same as his career ERA (3.83). He also signed for less overall money than Danks: four years, $58 million.

The percentage move for the White Sox, who do need to rebuild a little and cut salary from an aging and bloated $130 million payroll, would have been to keep their most reliable left-handed pitcher and trade their left-hander with the most trade value. John Danks is a tantalizing prospect. He always seems like he could be so much more than he is. That’s why the White Sox wanted to keep him. But it’s also why others would have wanted him.

If the Sox were going to completely rebuild, I say move all three. But if they are going to do it only halfway, they should have kept their best pitcher (Buehrle) and their cheapest of their three mainstays (Floyd) and shopped their biggest trade chip (Danks).

What they did do is OK. Not good. Not bad. OK. Sort of like how the White Sox have played for the last six years now.

Thanks for visiting our blog =).

Top 11 in 2011: White Sox name Robin Ventura new…

svaaqv — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 07:22:42 +0000

KSBY Sports continues its countdown of the top 11 local sports stories of 2011. Our second nominee is the Chicago White Sox decision to hire Arroyo Grande resident Robin Ventura as its 39th manager in club history.

The news broke on October 5 and culminated with an introduction in the Windy City on the 11th. The Righetti High graduate returned to a White Sox uniform, sporting number 23 like he did for the first ten seasons of his 16 year Major League career. Tuesday, the 44 year old officially the 39th manager in franchise history. “Being where I was and being able to do this for a franchise that I love and for people that are in the organization that I love, I’m confident and I’m excited about being able to do this,” said Ventura. “Obviously I’m overjoyed about the opportunity to wear a White Sox uniform and to be the manager is an honor and I’m humbled to be able to do it.”

The press conference came barely four months after Robin was hired as a special advisor to the team that ended his six year absence from the major leagues. Ventura spent that time with his family living in Arroyo Grande. Robin sees his break as a strength because he is able to look at the game from the outside. “I’ve lived life and I’ve enjoyed it. But I’ve also enjoyed baseball and I think that helps me to be able to see beyond whether a guy got a hit or not,” added Ventura.

White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams said Robin was always at the top of his list because of his integrity, character and knowledge for the game. Despite this being Ventura’s first managerial job, the six-time gold glove third baseman is confident he can go from the hot corner to the hot seat.

Ventura is the 17th former White Sox player to become the team’s manager. The White Sox went 79-83 last season and are six years removed from a World Series title.

The White Sox open the 2012 season April 6 at the home of the Texas Rangers.

KSBY will unveil one story every day. Once all eleven nominees are announced, the public will be allowed to vote on the top local sports story of 2011.

TOP 11 STORIES OF 2011
- Meteoric rise to the Major Leagues by 22 year old Lompoc native Danny Duffy
- Chicago White Sox hiring of Central Coast resident Robin Ventura as team’s manager

Leave your comments on the news below.

White Sox Rumors: Chicago Holds Private Workout…

Enconopedtretry — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:41:43 +0000

Read More: Carlos Quentin (RF – CWS), Alex Rios (CF – CWS), Juan Pierre (LF – CWS), Sergio Santos (P – TOR), Alexei Ramirez (SS – CWS), Dayan Viciedo (RF – CWS), Aroldis Chapman (P – CIN), Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox have had a relatively quiet offseason so far outside of trading Sergio Santos to the Toronto Blue Jays, but they’re showing some interest in Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. According to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, the White Sox recently held a private workout with Cespedes in order to get a closer look at the hyped center fielder.

Cespedes, reportedly 26, defected from Cuba recently in order to gain residency in another country and sign a contract to play in the United States. He’s considered an elite prospect in the international community, and the rumors have him potentially landing a deal worth more than the $30.25 million that the Cincinnati Reds spent to sign lefty pitcher Aroldis Chapman in January 2010.

For the White Sox, interest is fairly understandable. They’ve spent big in the past on Cuban defectors like Alexei Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo, they could use some outfield help with Juan Pierre departing and that’s before factoring in a possible trade of Carlos Quentin. Signing Cespedes could allow Chicago to trade Quentin and slide Alex Rios over to right field, improving outfield defense and giving the team some upside.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on theChicago White Sox be sure to visit South Side Sox. Visit Baseball Nation for more news and notes around the league, and check out MLB Daily Dish for off-season rumors and reports.

Gotta run!.

Julio Vinas to Manage Intimidators in 2012

jos — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:50:43 +0000

December 15, 2011 – South Atlantic League (SAL) Kannapolis Intimidators
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (December 15, 2011) – Former Chicago White Sox draft pick Julio Vinas has been named manager of the Kannapolis Intimidators, Class A Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, for the 2012 season. Vinas joins pitching coach Jose Bautista, hitting coach Robert Sasser, athletic trainer Scott Johnson and strength and conditioning coach Tim Rodmaker as the field staff for the 18th season of baseball in Kannapolis.

Julio Vinas Vinas, 38, returns for his second season as a minor league manager for the White Sox. The Florida native managed the Class A-Advanced Winston-Salem Dash to a 69-71 record in 2011. Prior to joining Chicago’s minor league staff, Vinas spent 10 years with the Baltimore Orioles, including six years as the team’s minor-league hitting coordinator from 2005-2010.

The White Sox drafted Vinas in the 33rd round of the 1991 free agent draft, and he played 11 minor-league seasons with the White Sox, Orioles, Red Sox and Indians organizations, hitting .264 with 84 home runs and 504 RBI over 896 career games.

Jose Bautista Pitching coach Jose Bautista returns to Kannapolis for his second year on the Intimidators coaching staff. Bautista guided Intimidators pitchers to the third-lowest ERA (3.67) and fifth-lowest walk total (399) in the South Atlantic League in 2011. Bautista, 47, enters his fifth season with the White Sox organization, having served as the Latin Roving Instructor from 2009-2010 and the pitching coach for the Advanced Rookie Bristol White Sox in 2008. Before joining Chicago’s minor-league staff, Bautista was a minor-league pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals for seven years (2001-2007).

Robert Sasser With six seasons as a hitting coach in the White Sox system already under his belt, Robert Sasser joins the Kannapolis Intimidators staff in 2012. A 13-year veteran of minor league baseball, Sasser began his coaching career as the hitting coach of Double-A Birmingham in 2006. He also served as hitting coach for Great Falls in 2007 and 2011 and for Winston-Salem from 2008-2010. Sasser enjoyed a cup of coffee in the Major Leagues, appearing as a pinch-hitter for Texas against the White Sox in 1998.

Scott Johnson Scott Johnson returns for his second season as the Kannapolis head trainer and his 24th with the White Sox. Prior to joining the Intimidators in 2011, Johnson spent the previous 13 seasons with Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate – 12 years with Charlotte and one at Calgary.

Tim Rodmaker Tim Rodmaker returns to the Intimidators as the Conditioning Coach after spending the last two seasons with Advanced Rookie Great Falls. Rodmaker, 29, enters his seventh year as a conditioning coach with the White Sox organization. He served as Kannapolis’ Conditioning Coach from 2007-2009.

The Intimidators open the 2012 season – the 18th year of professional baseball in Kannapolis – at home on Thursday, April 5, 2012 against the Hickory Crawdads. The Intimidators drew 138,487 fans in 2011, setting a new franchise attendance record. For 2012 ticket information, please call the box office at (704) 932-3267 or visit www.IntimidatorsBaseball.com .

• Discuss this story on the South Atlantic League message board…

• Digg this story

• Add to Del.icio.us

• Atlanta Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez Headlines 2012 Hot Stove Event – Rome Braves

• Julio Vinas to Manage Intimidators in 2012 – Kannapolis Intimidators

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

Quincy Herald-Whig | Illinois & Missouri News,…

veitejalkjear — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:31:25 +0000

SEATTLE (AP) — Former Quincy University pitcher Josh Kinney is one of 11 players to signed a minor-league contract with the Seattle Mariners and will receive a non-roster invitation to spring training.

Last year, the 32-year-old Kinney went 6-3 with 14 saves and a 2.77 ERA in 49 appearances for Triple-A Charlotte , as well as 0-0 with a 6.62 ERA in 13 games with the White Sox. The 32-year-old right-hander pitched in 45 games in relief for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2006-09, including seven postseason appearances during 2006 when St. Louis won the World Series.

The Mariners announced their first wave of minor league contracts on Tuesday. Along with infielder Luis Rodriguez and former San Francisco outfielder Darren Ford, Seattle signed eight pitchers: Matt Fox, Steve Garrison, Jarrett Grube, Sean Henn, Jeff Marquez, Scott Patterson and Phillippe Valiquette. The Mariners also signed catcher Guillermo Quiroz.

Rodriguez played in 44 games at four positions last season for the Mariners. Ford played in 26 games with San Francisco. Garrison and Marquez got limited major league experience as well.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

White Sox Rumors: John Danks Not Worrying About…

apertDrenHemn — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:52:36 +0000

Read More: John Danks (P – CWS), Chicago White Sox

White Sox lefthander John Danks’ name has come up a lot in various trade rumors this offseason as general manager Ken Williams is actively shopping a number of players on his roster in an effort to remake the team. But Danks hasn’t been sent anywhere yet, and he told the Sun-Times‘ Joe Cowley in an interview that he’s “not losing an ounce of sleep” over the situation. He’s also heard about the king’s ransom Williams has been asking teams in return for Danks:

“More than anything, this is the business of baseball,’’ Danks said. “I don’t blame Kenny for trying to get as much as he can. I took that as him being early in the process. I took it as him throwing feelers out there.’’

It’s still possible for Danks to stay in Chicago for the long term, though he says the White Sox have yet to get serious about a contract extension.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago White Sox be sure to visit South Side Sox. Visit Baseball Nation for more news and notes around the league, and check out MLB Daily Dish for off-season rumors and reports.

That’s all the news for today.

Former White Sox Linchpins Ozzie Guillen And Aaron…

naktrousoutrava — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:48:11 +0000

The new look Miami Marlins have made flashier moves this off-season, but one minor signing the club made today is sure to make White Sox fans nostalgic for the recent past. Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported that Aaron Rowand will (possibly) be rejoining his former manager Ozzie Guillen in Miami after signing a minor league deal.

Rowand and Guillen, of course, helped the White Sox to a World Series title in 2005.

It’s a shock that Rowand would even sign with the Marlins given this little nugget:

If Rowand is added to the 40-man roster, he’ll receive the major league minimum $480,000, which would be offset from the $12 million owed in the final season of $60 million, five-year deal the Giants released him from in September.

The White Sox reportedly had interest in bringing Rowand back, too. As the Sox have showed this offseason, if you aren’t going to contend, at least make the fans happy.

For more on the White Sox, keep it locked to SB Nation Chicago and our team blog, South Side Sox.

Thanks for reading! .

Top Five Second Basemen in Chicago White Sox…

azalkmarforever — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:27:00 +0000

Qualifiers: players will be classified under one position even if they played at more than one. They must also have at least two seasons as the team’s primary starter at the position.

Eddie Collins:

One of the greatest offensive second basemen in Major League history, Hall of Famer Eddie Collins starred for the Chicago White Sox from 1915 to 1930. Collins demonstrated phenomenal contact skills, plate patience and speed en route to career totals of 3,315 hits, 741 stolen bases, 1,821 runs scored and 1,499 walks in 25 Major League seasons. He remains one of three White Sox position players with more than 60 WAR (wins above replacement) and totaled 126.7 WAR in his career, the tenth highest of all-time. Collins, who led the White Sox to the 1917 World Series Championship and won two others with the Philadelphia Athletics, ranks second in both batting average (.331) and on-base percentage (.426) in White Sox history.

Nellie Fox:

Hall of Fame second baseman Nellie Fox was an elite contact hitter and defensive great for the White Sox from 1950 to 1963. Fox stepped to the plate more than 10,000 times in his career and struck out only 216 times; he owns the sixth lowest strikeout rate in MLB history with just one in every 42.7 at-bats. He sits second in White Sox history with 2,470 hits, shares the team record with 104 triples and ranks fourth with 42.7 WAR. Fox won the 1959 AL MVP while leading the White Sox to the World Series. He went to a dozen All-Star Games and earned three Gold Gloves.

Ray Durham:

Two-time All-Star Ray Durham gave the White Sox great production from the leadoff spot for eight years. After his 1995 rookie season, Durham batted .280 with a .356 OBP, 105 OPS+ (league average is 100) and averages of 15 homers and 30 steals per year for the White Sox. He racked up 1,246 hits with the Sox and 2,054 in his 14-year career. His impressive output from a typically light-hitting position netted him an average of 3.2 offensive WAR per year in Chicago.

Jorge Orta:

Former All-Star second baseman Jorge Orta spent the first-half of his career in Chicago’s infield in the 1970s. Orta was an above-average all-around hitter for 990 games with the White Sox. He batted .281 with a .338 OBP, .418 slugging percentage and 112 OPS+. His bat averaged 2.5 WAR per year and peaked at 4.2 in 1974. Orta twice batted over .300 and totaled 1,002 hits over eight seasons in Chicago.

Jackie Hayes:

Jackie Hayes played out the prime of his career in the White Sox’s infield in the 1930s. Hayes was a well regarded defensive player at second and a pure contact hitter with little pop. He batted as high as .312 in 1936 and regularly walked more than he struck out, drawing 266 walks against only 188 strikeouts in 809 games. He maintained a .264 average and .324 OBP in Chicago.

Sources:

Chicago White Sox Team History & Encyclopedia, Baseball-Reference.com

Sox Trade Santos To Blue Jays

RxonTTqa — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:27:39 +0000

DALLAS (AP) — The Chicago White Sox traded closer Sergio Santos to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, sending him back to the organization where he spent three seasons trying to make the majors as a shortstop.

Toronto gave up pitching prospect Nestor Molina to acquire the 28-year-old Santos in a swap made at baseball’s winter meetings.

Santos had 30 saves in 36 chances this year, going 4-5 with a 3.55 ERA in 63 games. The 28-year-old righty is a strikeout pitcher, fanning 92 in 65 1-3 innings. He made a major league-record 25 straight scoreless appearances on the road to start the season.

Santos was golfing when Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos called to tell him about the trade. The deal caught Santos by surprise — a few days after the season ended, he signed an $8.25-million, three-year contract with the White Sox.

“I think he expected to be in Chicago,” Anthopoulos said.

Santos was in Toronto’s minor league system from 2006-08 as a shortstop. He converted to pitching in 2009 while in the White Sox organization and made his big league debut the next year.

Anthopoulos was the Blue Jays’ assistant GM when Santos was in their organization. The team asked Santos if he wanted to take a try on the mound, but he wasn’t interested.

“He didn’t want to pitch. He believed in himself as a shortstop,” Anthopoulos said.

Santos made it as high as Triple-A as an infielder. He was a career .248 hitter with 72 home runs in the minors, starting out in 2002 in the Arizona system.

The Blue Jays really wanted him back and were willing to trade Molina. The 22-year-old starter has excelled in his minor league career, going 27-7 with a 2.21 ERA overall. He was a combined 12-3 with a 2.21 ERA in Double-A and Class A last season.

Anthopoulos said Santos’ contract situation and “electric stuff” made him especially attractive, given his arm hasn’t endured a lot of wear because of his late switch to pitching.

Toronto’s saves leader last season was Frank Francisco with 17. Santos immediately inherited the role.

“He’s got the ninth inning for us,” Anthopoulos said. “We think he’s got a chance to be an elite closer.”

Chris Sale was second on the White Sox last season with eight saves. Chicago had planned to move him into the rotation next year.

Asked who would be the Chicago closer in 2012, new manager Robin Ventura wasn’t sure.

“I knew yesterday,” he said. “But obviously, you know, right now you’re going to wait and see how the rest of this week goes and figure it out from there.”

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Blue Jays acquire right-hander Sergio Santos from…

kejplideksous — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 06:03:27 +0000

DALLAS – The Toronto Blue Jays acquired closer Sergio Santos from the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, bringing the pitcher back to the organization where he spent three seasons trying to make the majors as a shortstop.

Toronto gave up pitching prospect Nestor Molina to acquire the 28-year-old Santos in a swap made at baseball’s winter meetings.

Santos earned 30 saves in 36 chances this year, going 4-5 with a 3.55 earned-run average in 63 games. The 28-year-old righty is a strikeout pitcher, fanning 92 in 65 1-3 innings. He made a major league-record 25 straight scoreless appearances on the road to start the season.

Santos was golfing when Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos called to tell him about the trade. The deal caught Santos by surprise — a few days after the season ended, he signed an US$8.25-million, three-year contract with the White Sox.

Santos said he’s “glad to be back” with the Blue Jays.

“I’m excited to be moving to a new team and (one that’s) going in the direction that Toronto is going in,” Santos said on a conference call.

Santos was in Toronto’s minor league system from 2006-08 as a shortstop. He converted to pitching in 2009 while in the White Sox organization and made his big league debut the next year.

Anthopoulos was the Blue Jays’ assistant GM when Santos was in their organization. The team asked Santos if he wanted to take a try on the mound, but he wasn’t interested.

“He didn’t want to pitch. He believed in himself as a shortstop,” Anthopoulos said.

Santos made it as high as triple-A as an infielder. He was a career .248 hitter with 72 home runs in the minors, starting out in 2002 in the Arizona system.

Anthopoulos said Santos’ contract situation and “electric stuff” made him especially attractive, given his arm hasn’t endured a lot of wear because of his late switch to pitching.

Toronto’s saves leader last season was Frank Francisco with 17. Santos immediately inherited the role.

“He’s got the ninth inning for us,” Anthopoulos said. “We think he’s got a chance to be an elite closer.”

Chris Sale was second on the White Sox last season with eight saves. Chicago had planned to move him into the rotation next year.

Asked who would be the Chicago closer in 2012, new manager Robin Ventura wasn’t sure.

“I knew yesterday,” he said. “But obviously, you know, right now you’re going to wait and see how the rest of this week goes and figure it out from there.”

If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it.

Could Orioles get Floyd or Quentin from White Sox?

Liffcipsemofs — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:25:51 +0000

By Dan Connolly

5:46 p.m. EST, December 6, 2011

DALLAS—

Do the Orioles have a chance to land Gavin Floyd or Carlos Quentin from the Chicago White Sox?

Absolutely. Or maybe not at all. It really depends on whom you ask.

The sides have definitely talked — and there is no question the Orioles would love to bring Floyd, a Mount St. Joseph alum, back to Baltimore. They also would be a decent fit for outfielder Carlos Quentin, whom the White Sox would consider moving to make room for Dayan Viciedo.

But there are some conflicting signals coming out of Chicago.

The White Sox traded their closer (Sergio Santos) today for a minor league pitcher (Nestor Molina) who wasn’t even on Baseball America’s Top 30 list in the Toronto Blue Jays’ organization last year.

So that’s a sure sign that the White Sox are in seller mode.

But earlier today, their GM, Kenny Williams, told reporters that although this may be the start of rebuilding, he expects to hold on to his veteran pitchers — Floyd and John Danks — because the offers from other teams just aren’t good enough.

Maybe that’s posturing. Maybe that’s his stance.

But the truth is the Orioles don’t have much to give up. The White Sox want to get younger and cheaper, and the Orioles don’t seem to want to unload any of their young pitching except maybe Brad Bergesen, whose name apparently has been floated around the Hilton Anatole.

So they are likely one of the teams that simply haven’t offered enough.

Leave your comments on the news below.