To trade, or not to trade

That is the question that is facing my team, the Chicago White Sox. Just two very short years ago, they were celebrating their first World Series victory in about 500 years. Okay, I exaggerated that a little bit, but come on, anything over 85 years is unbearable....right Cub fans?

Now, thanks to a failing bullpen, a team batting average barely above the Mendoza line, and a bunch of youngsters that just may not be ready yet, we are in a bind. Anyone that follows the Sox knows that GM Kenny Williams is a wheeler and a dealer. He isn't afraid to make a trade, and he doesn't care who it is, as long as he thinks it's beneficial to the teams future. When he traded Freddy Garcia for Gavin Floyd and Gio Gonzalez, a lot of people didn't like the trade. I liked it, we got two young pitchers who could be in the rotation next year, or this year with the way things are going. He then traded "future stud" Brandon McCarthy for Jon Danks and Nick Masset. Brandon is 4-4 with an ERA of almost 6 this year. Meanwhile, Danks is 3-6 with a 4.30 ERA and Masset has struggled along with everyone else in the Pen this year.

I still believe those trades will prove to be beneficial for us in the long-term. So the question now becomes, what do we do at the trade deadline?

Mark Buehrle is a free agent at the end of this year, as well as Jermaine Dye and Tadihito Iguchi. Buehrle and Dye, if Kenny makes them available, could return some top talent from a team that wants to win this year. The Sox need a SS of the future, as I am sure they don't want to pay Uribe his $5 million dollar option next year. They also need a 2nd baseman, and a catcher. One place to look might be the Angels as they have both Brandon Wood and Erick Aaybar at SS, and Sean Rodriguez who has been playing SS, 2nd and 3rd.

The Sox are set at 1st with Konerko, 3rd with Josh Fields, but the middle infield needs some serious upgrades. I am not usually one who wants to blow up a team, but I have to be realistic. Buerhle probably isn't re-signing after this season. He wants to play in St. Louis, and I would be really surprised if he didn't end up there. Dye is great, but his career is winding down and re-signing him next year would just hinder players like Owens and Sweeney, that need time at the major league level.

I guess what I am saying is this: It will hurt, but I am willing to trade these guys to get some future prospects back. Our team needs some young offensive talent, and we have the bargaining chips to go get that talent. Buehrle has long been one of my favorites, so it will be sad to see him go.

Don't get me wrong, I am not bailing on this season. Buehrle is 3-3 with a 3.69 ERA, and Dye is batting .226 with 11 HR's. I have confidence that those numbers can be replaced with people in house. These guys have the history though, Dye is a World Series MVP, Buehrle is as consistent as it gets....and any team in the race would be better with them.

The trading deadline is about a month and a half away, so things are going to start getting really interesting. I'm ready Kenny, ready for the rumors, ready for the prospects. I'm ready for you to pull the trigger. We have no depth on the middle infield, and it's killing us. So go ahead, be bold, make a trade, and lets re-load this team.