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Chicago White Sox News

Former Cubs skipper Mike Quade has some advice for new Sox manager Robin Ventura
February 3
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Mike Quade, fired with a year left on his contract after his first full year on the job with the Cubs in 2011, has some words of advice for Robin Ventura, who walks into a similar situation as a rookie manager in Chicago in 2012. It's the same thing Lou Piniella told him when he replaced Piniella. "When Lou left, he came into the office and said, 'The media, Mike." Chicago isn't known as a cut-throat media town, but its media muscle comes in numbers. Piniella had no other concerns for Quade. "You'll handle the rest of it,'' he said."
Sox pitching 'Appreciate the Game'
February 3
Chicago Tribune
 
"In the past, we have had "Grinder Rules," which fit perfectly for a 2005 World Series championship. And we had "The Kids Can Play," which wasn't all that bad, and, just a year ago, "All In." Oops. So how to follow up the much-mocked (like "All Out" or "All Dunn In," etc.) White Sox slogan? How about a nice safe one, staying away from any hints of expectations or rebuilding? Sort of a soft-sell low-key one, just like new manager Robin Ventura — and fans' expectations. This season it's "Appreciate the Game.""
Sox to play exhibition for Christina-Taylor Green memorial
February 3
Chicago Tribune
 
"For a second straight spring, the Chicago White Sox will play a charity game in Tucson, Ariz., with proceeds benefitting the Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Foundation. The game against the Los Angeles Dodgers will be played March 23 in the former spring training home of the White Sox."
Insufferable White Sox plight could push Paul Konerko to retire
February 2
Yahoo! Sports
 
"The end is near, as far as a playing career goes, for Chicago White Sox slugger Paul Konerko. He said as much over the weekend at his team's fan fest. Konerko, who turns 36 in March, has amassed 396 career home runs, an .858 OPS, five All-Star appearances and one World Series ring in parts of 15 seasons. He is signed through 2013 and told reporter Chuck Garfein of CSN Chicago that two more seasons might be enough: "No doubt it could be," Konerko said in an interview with Comcast SportsNet. "Yeah, in all reality I would see it ending after next year or maybe another year. I mean, at some point you got to go home and be around your kids and have other things to do.""
Sox increase presence in Latin America
February 2
Chicago Tribune
 
"The Chicago White Sox have reinforced their recent commitment to acquiring talent in Latin America. A team source confirmed that scouting director Doug Laumann was headed to the Dominican Republic to attend a tournament and scout players eligible to be signed during the international signing period that starts July 2."
Rays hero Johnson grateful for shot with Sox
February 2
Chicago Tribune
 
"Dan Johnson played a heroic role in one of the most memorable nights in Major League Baseball history. Now Johnson gladly would settle for a contributing role with the White Sox after agreeing to a minor league contract. "I sense there's an opportunity there," the left-handed-hitting Johnson told the Tribune on Wednesday. "With that said, it's one of those things where I got the opportunity to come back.""
Sources: Playoff expansion has issues
February 1
ESPN.com
 
"Baseball commissioner Bud Selig continues to talk confidently about expanding the baseball playoff field in 2012. But sources tell ESPN.com efforts to make that happen remain bogged down, all because of one thorny little complication: the details. Wednesday was supposed to be the day the commissioner's office finished a proposed schedule for the 2012 postseason and shipped it to the players' association for consideration. But sources told ESPN.com that deadline wasn't going to be met -- not because talks have broken down, but because fitting two extra wild-card pieces into the postseason puzzle has proven to be more involved than the commissioner has been willing to acknowledge. The new"
Six teams eye Cespedes
February 1
CSN Philly
 
"Yoenis Cespedes will finally be able to sign with an MLB team and there is considerable interest in the Cuban slugger. At least six are bidding on Cespedes, tweeted Jim Bowden of ESPN (Yahoo! Sports has the story). The former Cuban citizen (current citizen of the Dominican Republic), has plans to visit the United States to meet with clubs. Only five of the six "seriously negotiating" with Cespedes are known: The Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers."
Parent intent on establishing White Sox Way
February 1
Chicago Tribune
 
"During his first stint with the Orioles in 1992, backup catcher Mark Parent learned the "Oriole Way'' from organizational legend Cal Ripken Sr. "It's something that needs to be done here," Parent, the White Sox's new bench coach, said of the uniformity of fundamentals that was stressed throughout the Orioles organization and helped make the club perennial postseason contenders from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s. Those teams were taught by longtime teachers like manager Earl Weaver and the late Ripken."
Yoenis Cespedes signing before spring training
January 31
Yahoo! Sports
 
"Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes is now free to sign with any team he would like and his agent, Adam Katz, told Fox Sports Monday that his client is expected to do just that before spring training camps open in a few weeks. "We are aware of the (spring-training) dates," Katz told Fox. "We expect him to be in camp with one of the clubs." Of course, Katz may have a lot of sifting to do before then. The word has been that pretty much everybody who has seen Cespedes pick up a bat has some interest in signing the 26-year-old. Katz termed the market for Cespedes as "meaningful and aggressive" to Fox."
Dawson likes Marlins' new Chicago flavor
January 31
Chicago Tribune
 
"The Miami Marlins will have a new ballpark and several new faces familiar to Chicago baseball fans. New Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen will be joined by former White Sox starter Mark Buehrle, former Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano and Sox bench coach Joey Cora. Hall of Fame outfielder Andre Dawson, who starred for the Cubs from 1987-92, returns as a special assistant to the president of the Marlins."
White Sox embrace underdog role after failed season as favorites
January 30
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"White Sox manager Robin Ventura will be learning on the job. We don't know who his Opening Day starter is or who his closer will be. In between, three pitching jobs are up for grabs. And to think, pitching will be considered the strength of this team. What's more, there are bigger ifs, starting with the mysterious ways of Adam Dunn and Alex Rios, and to a somewhat lesser extent Gordon Beckham and Jake Peavy. The aforementioned foursome will earn $44 million this year — more than 40 percent of the expected team payroll — after disappointing seasons (although we'll cut Peavy some slack for health reasons) that defined the Sox' failure of 2011."
White Sox banking on youngsters to come through this season
January 30
Chicago Tribune
 
"Three years ago, no one told then-19-year-old Dayan Viciedo to check the bulletin board to notify him of cardio work he was scheduled to perform after one of his spring trainingworkouts. And last spring, Chris Sale had trouble familiarizing himself with the layout of Camelback Ranch practice fields. "I won't be walking out any wrong doors this spring," Sale said with a smile as SoxFest concluded Sunday with plenty of optimism surrounding rebound years from several veterans."
GM Ken Williams faces the music at SoxFest
January 29
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"A year ago, Ken Williams ­received an ovation when he walked into a restaurant. "Do you get that a lot?" his girlfriend asked. Lately, yes, Williams said, but see what happens if things go south. We all know how that story ended. High-priced players tanked, making Williams look like a reckless spender, and the Sox finished four games below .500. Williams took his punishment for it at SoxFest on Friday night. He got booed. "It kind of comes with the territory,'' Williams told a small group of reporters afterward. The majority of Sox loyalists who paid good money to attend the opening ceremonies applauded Williams, but the boo-birds were heard loud and clear. They had their say and were"
Sox trust that Chris Sale can come through as a starter
January 29
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"If Opening Day were today, the White Sox rotation would be John Danks, Jake Peavy, Gavin Floyd, Philip Humber and Chris Sale — with an order to be determined. The wild card in the group is Sale, 22, who has the stuff to be a 15-game winner, but is untested as a starter. He has pitched nowhere near 200 innings and thus will be brought along slowly. "It's uncertain because he hasn't done the role,'' pitching coach Don Cooper said. "But he has pitched as a starter [in college and the minor leagues]. There's going to be uncertainty in any guy's first year starting in the big leagues because it's a huge challenge.''"
Hidden Sox assets: Adam Dunn and Alex Rios
January 29
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"The way Adam Dunn sees it, the White Sox added two key players this offseason: Alex Rios and Adam Dunn. Those former All-Stars contributed almost nothing last season, so you see where Dunn is going with this. "We made two pretty good moves," Dunn said Saturday at SoxFest. "That was hopefully getting me and Alex back. That's the way I'm looking at it. We pretty much have the same team. We lost a couple of key players [Mark Buehrle, Carlos Quentin, Sergio Santos]. We have guys capable of stepping in and filling that role and do a little better. That's what we're expecting." Looking healthy, rested and somewhat lighter — although he couldn't say how much because he doesn't step on a scale —"
Ventura knows there's more to life than baseball
January 29
Chicago Tribune
 
"On the most hopeless days of his childhood, when chemotherapy sapped Billy Rivard's energy as he lay cooped up in his Orland Park home, he found strength dreaming of playing catch again with idol Robin Ventura. Amazing how real the friendship between the boy and the former ballplayer remains 14 years later. "Sitting in a room with nothing to do, thinking that Robin was out there and cared, it gave me a feeling, 'You know, there's an outside world you still can be a part of,' '' recalled Rivard, now a junior at Western Michigan University. Their two worlds first intersected through the Make-A-Wish Foundation in 1998 when Billy was an 8-year-old suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia,"
Dunn believes he and Rios can turn things around
January 29
Chicago Tribune
 
"Adam Dunn arrived Saturday at SoxFest appearing leaner than his 6-foot-6, 285-pound frame suggests. And, typically, the embattled White Sox slugger looked optimistically to the future. "We made two pretty good moves this off-season," said Dunn, who last season struck out a franchise record 177 times, batted .159 and failed to hit 38 home runs for the first time since 2003. "That was hopefully getting me and Alex (Rios) back. That's the way I'm looking at it. We lost a couple of key players. We have guys capable of stepping in and filling that role and do a little better. That's what we're expecting.""
At crossroads or not, Beckham has positive attitude
January 29
Chicago Tribune
 
"Toward the end of his miserable 2011 season, Gordon Beckham was aware White Sox general manager Ken Williams had acknowledged it wasn't too early to suggest Beckham's career was at a crossroads after only three years. Through all the high hopes, disappointments and suggestions for a successful rebound, Beckham remains a member of the Sox, determined to revert to the form that made him the eighth overall selection in the 2008 draft and helped him reach the major leagues within a year. "It's not my place (to comment)," Beckham said in regard to Williams' comments. "He has an opinion like everyone else. And you know what? He has had faith in putting me out there, and his faith will be"
Sox slugger amused and flattered he's considered managerial material
January 28
Chicago Tribune
 
"Paul Konerko was amused when he found out general manager Ken Williams said he had considered him as a candidate to manage the White Sox despite having two years left on his playing contract. "It's a compliment," said Konerko, who said Williams never spoke to him about the job that went to Robin Ventura despite Ventura's lack of experience. " "I guess that means besides playing the game that I hopefully pay attention to it and that I follow the game." Konerko expressed his dry sense of humor in sharing another theory, saying Ventura's one season as an unpaid volunteer high school coach compared more favorably to fans than his lack of coaching experience. "(People could say), well, it was a"
Williams takes jeers with cheers
January 28
Chicago Tribune
 
"What rebuilding process? What payroll slashing? Aside from some boos during introductions during Friday's opening ceremonies at SoxFest, general manager Ken Williams came away relatively unscathed — especially at a seminar where fans had the opportunity to ask directly about his motives in parting with ace Mark Buehrle, slugger Carlos Quentin and closer Sergio Santos and a payroll that could be cut by as much as $20 million. During the question-and-answer session, one fan praised Williams for constructing the Sox's 2005 World Series champions and told him he got a free pass for life. Williams did accept the chilly reception he received during introductions that didn't include embattled"
Selig expects two one-game playoffs for this fall
January 28
Chicago Tribune
 
"Baseball appears ready for an extra round of wild-card playoffs by this fall, according to commissioner Bud Selig. "I really believe we'll have the (extra) wild card for this year," Selig said Friday at SoxFest. "Clubs really want it. I don't think I've ever seen an issue that the clubs want more than to have the extra wild card." The extra round would be one-game elimination in both the National and American Leagues to the teams who would have missed the playoffs as they are set up now. Some have argued for a best-of-three, but that appears impossible with the scheduled all but set for 2012."
Robin Ventura wants White Sox to use last year as motivation
January 27
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"What a difference 79-83 makes. SoxFest 2011 was "All in" and a contract extension for Ozzie Guillen. SoxFest 2012 is "Appreciate the game" and first-time, laid-back manager Robin Ventura. He played alongside the ruffled and riled Guillen with the White Sox 20 years ago, but his personality couldn't be more different. The Sox are in a semi-rebuilding phase because their $127 million payroll finished four games under .500 last season. How their "show me some wins before I show you my money" fan base is digesting all of this will be revealed at the annual fan convention, which opens today (4 p.m., CSN) at the Palmer House Hilton."
Ventura hopeful for bounce-back seasons
January 27
Chicago Tribune
 
"New White Sox manager Robin Ventura is eager to see many of his players for the first time when SoxFest opens Friday, regardless of a potential negative reception for some of them over last year's lackluster performance. "There seems to be a feeling they are out to prove last year was an aberration," Ventura said Thursday during a conference call."
Beckham vows to help Sox's rebound efforts
January 26
Chicago Tribune
 
"As he enters the final month of a healthy off-season, second baseman Gordon Beckham spoke confidently about helping the Chicago White Sox bounce back in the American League Central despite Detroit's acquisition of slugger Prince Fielder. "If we can come back and do what we're capable of doing, I can't see why we can't be in this race," Beckham said Wednesday night at Hub51 restaurant, where he was hosting a benefit to raise money for the National Parkinson Foundation."
Thornton hopes to regain closer's role
January 26
Chicago Tribune
 
"After wondering about his future this offseason, Matt Thornton hopes to maximize an apparent second chance to seize the White Sox's closer role he quickly lost in 2011. "I'd love to get another shot at it," Thornton said Wednesday from his Phoenix-area home. "I don't like the way I lost it last year. Part of it was bad luck, and part of it was bad timing, especially at that time in my career." As of now, Thornton is ahead of rookie Addison Reed for the role vacated when Sergio Santos was traded to the Blue Jays."
Ex-Cub, Sox minor leaguer Ward suspended 50 games for amphetamine
January 26
Chicago Tribune
 
"Daryle Ward, an 11-season veteran who hasn't played in the major leagues since 2008, has been suspended for 50 games after testing positive for a banned amphetamine under the minor league testing program. Ward spent last season in the minor league systems of the White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks. He batted .318 with two homers and 18 RBIs in 28 games with Double-A Mobile in the Diamondbacks system. He currently is a free agent."
Cespedes is a free agent, and bidding can begin
January 25
CBSSports.com
 
"The bidding for Yoenis Cespedes can finally begin. The 26-year-old Cuban outfielder has established residency in the Dominican Republic, and Major League Baseball told teams on Wednesday that he is now officially a free agent. But where will he go, how much will he cost, and how fast could he make an impact? First, the where: Cespedes himself told reporters in the Dominican that the Cubs have shown the most interest in him, with the Marlins, Tigers, White Sox and Orioles also involved. The Nationals have also shown interest in Cespedes, and the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies scouted him, although it's believed that none of the three will be among the top bidders. The Marlins have made no"
MLB allows retired Tony La Russa to manage in All-Star game against Ron Washington
January 25
Dallas Morning News
 
"Tony La Russa will come out of retirement to manage the National League team for the July 10 All-Star Game at Kansas City. La Russa will go against Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington, who will handle the American League team for the second consecutive season. La Russa retired shortly after St. Louis defeated the Rangers in the seven-game World Series."
Looking ahead, Dunn forgetting recent past
January 25
Chicago Tribune
 
"Adam Dunn admits it has been difficult to forget his miserable 2011 season. "During the first week, I was OK," Dunn said Tuesday in a telephone interview from his Houston-area home. "But I couldn't shake it for a while." Now, about one month before the start of spring training, the White Sox slugger believes he has purged the memory of his franchise-record 177 strikeouts and a .159 batting average. "I'm ready to go," Dunn said in a confident tone. "I don't need another month.""
Cespedes gains residency in the DR
January 24
MLB.com
 
"The bidding is about to begin. Cuban outfield prospect Yoenis Cespedes has established residency in the Dominican Republic and is now waiting on approval from Major League Baseball to be declared a free agent, his representative Edgar Mercedes said. Cespedes, who just finished a stint with Aguilas Cibaenas in the Dominican Winter League, recently said the Marlins, Cubs, White Sox, Orioles, Tigers, and Indians have expressed the most interest in signing him. He is expected to command a contract greater than the one received by Cuban left-handed pitcher Aroldis Chapman, who signed a six-year, $30.25 million deal with the Reds in January 2010."
Power rankings: No. 23 White Sox
January 24
Chicago Tribune
 
"Ozzieball was always a misnomer. Taking their lead from the guy in the manager's office, White Sox marketing types and some of their more casual fans romanticized the Ozzie Guillen era as one of in-your-face baseball — aggressive baserunning, hard slides and pitchers knocking back batters. That was never how Guillen's teams won. Nor was it why Guillen was generally a very solid manager during his eight seasons on the South Side."
Sale confident he can make move from reliever to starter
January 24
Chicago Tribune
 
"In searching for tips to make the transition from a reliever to starter, Chris Sale sought advice from the pitcher he will be replacing in the White Sox's rotation. That would be Mark Buehrle,who signed a four-year, $58 million contract with Miami last month. "I don't like to get caught up in accolades and meeting standards," Sale said Monday during a conference call. "It's good to set goals, but he's done a lot of things in his career and to be looking forward to stuff like that is kind of crazy right now. A few years down the road, maybe.""
SoxFest represents fresh start for Dunn
January 22
Chicago Tribune
 
"In what can be classified as either one of the bravest moves ever or one of self-flagellation, Adam Dunn will appear at this weekend's SoxFest. Given that anyone who is 6 feet 6, weighs somewhere on either side of 300 pounds and usually has a big scruff of beard is hard to disguise, White Sox fans certainly will know their villain. And they are expected to let him know about it, as if he already hadn't heard enough last summer. But, hand it to Dunn, he's not backing away — at least that's what the pre-Fest publicity sheets tell us — from fans who gave him plenty of chances last year."
Ozzie Guillen comes out firing on Twitter
January 21
ESPN.com
 
"Ozzie Guillen has put the world on notice: He isn't amused at criticism of his tenure as former Chicago White Sox manager and will retaliate harshly. In a series of four messages on his Twitter account Friday over a five-minute stretch, the current Miami Marlins manager let it be known that he is aware of negative comments regarding his final season with the White Sox and has threatened to "kill peoples fellings no mercy." In order, all messages as written, the four tweets were as follows: • "When i get to chitown lets make one thing clear what happen last day whit the sox stay tune" • "Iam out the country now but i never quit in anything yes be ready when i talk going to be fun" • "I will"
Dayan Viciedo pitches White Sox to fellow Cuban stars
January 18
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"The White Sox need to draw on everything at their disposal to ­attract Yoennis Cespedes. Dayan Viciedo is doing his part. The Sox' promising Cuban outfielder reached out to Cespedes and Jorge Soler, the coveted Cuban soon-to-be free agents. Cespedes, a 26-year-old power-hitting outfielder who reminds scouts of Bo Jackson, might be in line for a multiyear, $50 million contract, which would seem to take him out of the Sox' plans."
Viciedo valuable as Sox's recruiter
January 18
Chicago Tribune
 
"Not only could he be a valuable replacement now in the White Sox outfield, but Dayan Viciedo could be a valuable recruiter for the future as well. Viciedo admitted he actively tried to sell highly-sought Cuban outfielders Yoennis Cespedes and Jorge Soler on the merits of playing for the Sox some day. The two are in the Dominican Republic, awaiting approval from Major League Baseball to sign after leaving Cuba."
Cubs and Sox poised to make big splash with Cuban prospects
January 15
Chicago Tribune
 
"Very quietly, while you were stockpiling New Year's Eve provisions or watching your favorite directional state university in the Go Daddy.com Bowl from Progressive Insurance Stadium, the Cubs struck a preliminary blow on baseball's new battleground. They signed a pair of young Cubans — 19-year-old center fielder Yasiel Balaguert and 20-year-old right-hander Carlos Martinez. Don't feel badly if you haven't heard much about them. They are inexpensive lottery tickets who may or not translate into significant prospects. Balaguert and Martinez have played on Cuban junior teams alongside 19-year-old Jorge Soler, who like the more widely advertised fellow center-fielder Yoenis Cespedes is"
Peavy levels more criticism at Guillen
January 15
Chicago Tribune
 
"Taking his repeated offseason criticism of his former manager even further, pitcher Jake Peavy wondered "who quit on who" during an interview Saturday on WSCR-AM 670. It's no secret Peavy and Ozzie Guillen didn't end the season as friends, especially after Guillen was left out of a decision to shut down the $16-million pitcher after Sept. 6. During a Tribune interview in December, Peavy said Guillen's departure "needed to happen, for both sides. … Things needed to change with the way we did things. We're all to blame. It wasn't just Ozzie." Saturday, he said, "I know he had a hard time, saying I quit on him, which couldn't be further from the truth," Peavy said. "I would never quit on a"
Six teams eye Yoenis Cespedes
January 14
ESPN.com
 
"Yoenis Cespedes' much-awaited debut in professional baseball didn't go as expected, but the Cuban prospect remains optimistic about his future as he revealed the six teams which have expressed interest in his services. Cespedes, who is awaiting word from Major League Baseball on his status as a free agent after defecting to the Dominican Republic, has worked out for most teams, but he said the most interest has come from the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins. It has been speculated that Cespedes could command a signing bonus similar to the $30 million fellow Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman received from the Cincinnati"
Sox sign Venezuelan righty Martinez
January 12
Chicago Tribune
 
"The White Sox have signed Venezuelan righty Luis Martinez for $250,000, the organization's most expensive international signing in recent years, according to Baseball America. The 6-4 Martinez, who turns 17 on Jan. 29, gets good downhill angle on an 88-91 m.p.h. fastball that has hit 92, an increase from the 84-88 mph velocity he was showing last summer."
White Sox trade Jason Frasor back to Blue Jays for two minor-leaguers
January 2
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"The White Sox' payroll trimming and replenishing of their farm continued Sunday with the trade of right-handed reliever Jason Frasor to the Toronto Blue Jays for right-handed minor-league pitchers Myles Jaye and Daniel Webb. It was the second salary-reducing trade in two days by general manager Ken Williams, who unloaded All-Star outfielder Carlos Quentin to the San Diego Padres for two pitching prospects on Saturday. The New Year's weekend salary savings total about $11 million, dropping the Sox' payroll for 2012 to an estimated $105 million, $22.8 million less than last season's franchise-high $127.8 million. Frasor, 34, was 3-3 with a 3.60 ERA with the Sox and Jays last season. The Oak"
Sox trade Frasor to Blue Jays for two minor league pitchers
January 2
Chicago Tribune
 
"Continuing to pare payroll and stockpile young pitchers, the White Sox traded reliever Jason Frasor back to the Blue Jays for a pair of Class A pitchers. It completed a strange journey for Frasor, the south suburban native who joined the Sox with young starter Zach Stewart last July in a trade with the Blue Jays for Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahen. So the Sox now have Stewart, plus Sunday acquisitions Myles Jaye and Daniel Webb, in the double-dealing with Toronto. In the mix for the fifth starter spot with the Sox, Stewart threw a shutout against the Twins in September. Over the New Year's weekend, the White Sox have acquired four minor league pitchers for two veterans, Carlos Quentin and"
Quentin and cost shipped to Padres
January 1
Chicago Tribune
 
"Call it rebuilding, retooling or maybe even reinvesting, but this is your White Sox offseason so far: They have lost No. 1 starter Mark Buehrle and starting left fielder Juan Pierre to free agency, and closer Sergio Santos and starting right fielder Carlos Quentin in trade. Of course, they also lose their potential $34 million or more in salaries as the Sox try to trim a $127 million payroll. In return, so far, they have received three inexpensive minor league pitchers with potential — big right-hander Simon Castro and lefty Pedro Hernandez from the Padres on Saturday for Quentin and Nestor Molina from the Blue Jays. Still to come is a supplemental draft choice for Buehrle."
It's make-or-break time for Viciedo
January 1
Chicago Tribune
 
"Dayan Viciedo, this one's for you. The Carlos Quentin trade puts the 22-year-old Cuban front and center in the White Sox's 2012 plans. The upcoming season, and probably the long-term viability of the Ken Williams reign, is dependent on Viciedo replacing Quentin's production or either Adam Dunn or Alex Rios making a run at Comeback Player of the Year. Forget semantic questions like whether the Sox are rebuilding or merely paring payroll. The only thing that matters is whether a stripped-down roster can win enough to keep fans coming to U.S. Cellular Field. Williams made a short-term move when he locked up John Danks for five years after his worst season — a surprise after he allowed"
White Sox unload 'excited' Carlos Quentin for minor leaguers
January 1
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Sergio Santos, gone. Mark Buehrle, gone. Carlos Quentin —he gone, too. By trading Quentin to the San Diego Padres for two minor-league pitchers Saturday, the White Sox have said goodbye to their closer, their Opening Day starting pitcher and their cleanup man. Are they making room for Cuban center fielder Yoennis Cespedes? For now, call it a long shot, but the Sox recently scouted Cespedes, who should be granted free agency soon. For what it's worth, they have two Cubans — shortstop Alexei Ramirez and right fielder Dayan Viciedo — to make recruiting pitches. "What I will say is that there are some doors now open for us that were not open just yesterday because of savings of dollars,""
Sox trade Quentin to Padres for two minor league pitchers
December 31
Chicago Tribune
 
"The Chicago White Sox traded outfielder Carlos Quentin and his potential $8 million salary to the San Diego Padres for a pair of pitching prospects. The Sox received right-hander Simon Castro and lefty Pedro Hernandez, neither of whom has appeared in the big leagues. Castro, 23, went 7-8 with a 5.63 ERA in 22 starts between Classes AA and AAA. He is 29-33 in six seasons in the Padres' organization. Two seasons ago, Castro not only started the minor league All-Star Futures Game, but was named Padres pitcher of the year while going 10-6 wityh a 3.33 ERA. Hernandez, 22, went 10-3 with a 3.49 ERA in 28 games at three different minor league levels. He has split time between starting and"
Former White Sox star Minoso will receive Holtzman Award
December 31
Chicago Tribune
 
"Minnie Minoso has been selected to receive the 2011 Jerome Holtzman Award from the Chicago Baseball Museum. Dr. David Fletcher, president and founder of the organization, made the announcement Friday regarding the former White Sox star outfielder. The award is named after the late Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times Hall of Fame baseball writer Jerome Holtzman, and is presented annually to "the person who has made the most significant contribution to the promotion of local baseball and the preservation of its history and tradition," according to the organization's release."
John Danks' deal demonstrates White Sox are in 'win mode'
December 30
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"John Danks was surprised that his deal got done. "It came out of nowhere,'' he said. "My agent [Jeff Berry] called me, and we were both surprised and happy, and it went fairly quick.'' The White Sox made what was leaked Dec. 21 official, announcing the five-year, $65 million extension for the left-hander who figures to be the team's Opening Day starter now that Mark Buehrle is gone. Danks, 26, will receive $8 million in 2012, which would have been his final year of arbitration eligibility, and $14.5 million in each of the 2013-16 seasons. He reportedly has a no-trade clause in the first year and a limited no-trade in the next four."