White Sox Trade Rumors

"Officials from commissioner Bud Selig's office contacted the White Sox on Tuesday to discuss the team's controversial display of two inflatable dolls in their clubhouse over the weekend in Toronto, but no punishment is expected to be handed down, according to team and Major League Baseball sources."

"The final word in any -- and all -- coaching changes, however, belongs to manager Ozzie Guillen. And the fifth-year skipper made it very clear that the villagers should put down the torches and go back to their homes because hitting coach Greg Walker's job is safe. ''That's not going to happen,'' Guillen said of a possible coaching change to try to remedy the slumping offense. ''To be honest with you, I don't think we need coaches. Look at the lineup. Everyone is a veteran, everyone knows what they're doing, everyone has experience, everyone went through it."

"As the White Sox's batting average chills, e-mail and electronic chats about Greg Walker's status heat up. But so does manager Ozzie Guillen's defense of his hitting coach. "That's not going to happen," Guillen said of suggestions that Walker should be replaced. "To be honest with you, I don't think we need coaches. Look at the lineup. Everyone is a veteran, everyone knows what they're doing, everyone has experience, everyone went through it. I think you can ask the players. "I'm not going to blame Walker about it. Greg is not a babysitter. Greg gives the best information and works hard, works harder than anybody."

"Keep in mind, he's 38, has put on weight, has a tendency to get hurt, and isn't what he used to be, but he's still Junior Griffey, hit 30 homers last year, and you stick him in the middle of the lineup on either side of Chicago and he's going to be a postseason presence."

"General manager Ken Williams silenced any thought of trading Paul Konerko last January, and now the White Sox first baseman has complete power to reject any trade."

"But how would the vocal Guillen fare if he worked under New York Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner, who recently suggested that young pitcher Joba Chamberlain would be better served in the starting rotation instead of the bullpen?"

"Crede also said that, unlike A-Rod -- who is in town with the New York Yankees starting today -- he has no plans to stray from Boras' advice and try to negotiate a deal himself to stay with the team he claims his heart is with. In November, Rodriguez opted to negotiate with the Yankees without Boras present, about the same time that then-free-agent pitcher Kenny Rogers made headlines when he fired Boras."

"Mark, count me as one of the many fans who believes that the White Sox would be foolish to give up Joe Crede, who has the unique ability to play great defense and hit with power in the clutch. Yes, Josh Fields is a great prospect, but other teams recognize that also. "

"The White Sox and the agent for Gold Glove shortstop Orlando Cabrera have agreed not to discuss a new contract until after the 2008 season."

"Paul Konerko vowed in spring training to not discuss contracts. And he's keeping his word. So when the subject was brought up after Joe Crede's heroics against the Twins, the White Sox captain cut it off at the pass."

"All indications this offseason were that third baseman Joe Crede had played his last game at U.S. Cellular Field as a member of the Sox. He was coming off season-ending back surgery, his agent Scott Boras had turned down the idea of talking about a contract extension, and there were all sorts of trade rumors floating around."

"The two teams who have shown the most consistent interest in Coco Crisp are the Cubs and White Sox, according to a major league source familiar with both teams."

"General manager Ken Williams wouldn't address the possibility of reopening negotiations with third baseman Joe Crede, who can become a free agent after this season."

"In acquiring Cabrera from the Los Angeles Angels for pitcher Jon Garland, the Sox did so knowing that he would be in his walk year. Williams said at the start of camp that the goal was to lock up Cabrera with a multiyear deal this spring, but the talks continue."

"The White Sox figure to wait as long as possible to make a decision at third base, and that works in Joe Crede's favor. If they can't move Crede in a trade, Josh Fields has nowhere to go but Class AAA Charlotte. Juan Uribe might have been put on waivers last week to gauge any trade interest, but he has played well enough in the Cactus League to earn the bulk of the playing time at second base."

"Trade talks haven't materialized in the manner general manager Ken Williams envisioned five weeks ago. "I've had very few conversations this spring," Williams said Friday. Most of the attention has centered on third baseman Joe Crede, who can become a free agent after 2008."

"The San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers both appear to be obvious trade partners for Crede, but Williams said his phone has been quiet. Crede is coming off back surgery and is eligible for free agency at the end of the season."

" The Giants' interest in trading for Joe Crede has cooled to the point that the White Sox didn't feel the need to showcase their third baseman. He made the trip to Scottsdale but didn't start."

"Castillo entered spring training vying for the starting third base job with Jorge Cantu, but indications are he is in more direct competition with Jason Wood for the final roster spot. The Marlins reportedly have placed Castillo on waivers, but that's not necessarily a precursor to his release. The Marlins might be testing trade interest, such as the White Sox did with Juan Uribe recently before pulling him back."

"Manager Ozzie Guillen vowed Wednesday that his Opening Day roster will be finalized by next Thursday when the White Sox leave Tucson and work their way toward their first game March 31 in Cleveland. But Juan Uribe, the leader for the starting second base job and 2005 World Series hero, might not even be part of the traveling squad. According to a major-league scout, Uribe has been placed on waivers in an apparent attempt to measure his value to teams seeking an infielder. "

"General manager Ken Williams' plan entering spring training was to lock new shortstop Orlando Cabrera into a multiyear deal that would keep him in a White Sox uniform past the 2008 season. But as of Wednesday, no deal was in place -- at least not one that anyone was willing to comment on."

"Third baseman Joe Crede has timing issues that aren't limited to whether the White Sox trade him before the start of the regular season. And those concerns need to be resolved soon because it's becoming increasingly likely that Crede rather than Josh Fields will be the team's starter on Opening Day."

"Aaron Rowand, the biggest booster of a Joe Crede-to-his Giants trade, isn't confident a deal with the White Sox will crystallize."

"Ken Williams was walking a fine line Sunday. On one hand, he didn't want to discount the latest comments from his manager as simply ''Ozzie being Ozzie.'' On the other hand, he's so used to doing ''Ozzie Guillen damage control'' that at times it seems to get old for the White Sox general manager."

"General manager Ken Williams seemed unfazed about Ozzie Guillen raising the possibility of a managerial change if the Sox fail well before his contract expires in 2012."

"This time around, Guillen didn't wait until the start of the season, raising the bar even higher concerning his future on the South Side. ''Trust me, if this thing takes the wrong direction early on like it did last year, I swear to God, if it reaches that point, I'm going to [board chairman] Jerry [Reinsdorf] and saying: 'Look, don't let my contract make it so I'm holding you hostage; we can talk about something different. You can rip up my contract and do a new one, less years. You won't have to pay me for this,''' Guillen told the Sun-Times on Saturday."

"Might the Orioles wind up sending Brian Roberts to the White Sox, not the Cubs? They reportedly are looking at veteran middle infielders, including Juan Uribe. Roberts would be a great addition in the attempt to build a contender on the fly, but it's not clear if the Sox have any high-level prospects with which to tempt Baltimore GM Andy MacPhail."

"No wonder the White Sox have backed off the Giants' trade offers for Joe Crede. One report claimed the Sox could only scoff at the mention of Scott Williamson, Randy Messenger and Dave Roberts, adding that general manager Kenny Williams wants either Jonathan Sanchez (no chance, now that Noah Lowry is down) or some of the Giants' top young prospects..."

"The usual suspects in a possible Crede trade have been rumored to be the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers, but as Williams pointed out, Crede still has one more year left on his contract with the Sox."

"Not many players who train in the Phoenix area actually beg for a one-day trip to Tucson, but the Giants' Aaron Rowand did. That gave him a chance to visit with old teammates Saturday, including longtime friend Joe Crede, whom Rowand has endorsed as a future Giant."

"Rowand's attention now turns to playing for the Giants. And if that means continuing to beat the drum for a Joe Crede-to-the- Giants trade, so be it... Now that the Los Angeles Dodgers have shown interest in Crede, Williams can sit back and wait for the best offer."

"Veteran Jeff Cirillo (Providence High of Burbank), a free agent, remains unsigned. Meanwhile, there are at least three experienced third basemen - Philadelphia's Wes Helms, Detroit's Brandon Inge and the Chicago White Sox's Joe Crede - whose clubs are known to be either actively looking to unload them or at least open to the possibility."

"All Nick Masset is sure of is that he is scheduled to pitch in four more days. That he is out of minor-league options, is on the outside looking in for a spot in the White Sox' rotation and is the subject of trade rumors, well, ''whatever is going to happen is going to happen.''"

"There are very few days since he set foot in camp this spring that Crede's immediate future with the Sox hasn't been brought up. Even after connecting on his first home run of the spring Saturday, questions quickly turned to the fact that scouts were in the stands -- specifically San Francisco Giants scouts."

"Uhlaender was one of nearly a dozen scouts who watched Crede, and the Giants could use a seasoned third baseman like Crede."

"The home run didn't have enough juice to travel all the way to the San Francisco area, but you can bet that the Giants at least heard about it. After an 0-for-2 showing in his Cactus League debut Thursday, third baseman Joe Crede collected his first hit Saturday, and did so in impressive fashion."

"Keep an eye on Coco Crisp -- the Cubs and White Sox certainly have been watching. Crisp, who lost his starting job in center field last October to promising Jacoby Ellsbury, arrived at the Boston Red Sox' camp and announced he'd rather be traded if that meant finding a starting job elsewhere."

"Two weeks into spring training, Aaron Rowand still is trying to add ''general manager'' to his resume. Speaking with a Sun-Times reporter Thursday, the former White Sox outfielder and South Side cult hero again petitioned for his new team, the San Francisco Giants, to acquire Sox third baseman Joe Crede."

"Bobby Jenks settled for a $100,000 raise after his second All-Star season. His next contract could earn him another zero behind the $550,000 he will receive this season."

"Agent Jeff Berry continued to make a standard spring-training procedure interesting. For the second time in eight years, a Berry-represented player refused to sign off on his one-year contract, forcing the White Sox to renew the deal and set the 2008 salary by next week. Third baseman Josh Fields chose that path Wednesday, the same one first taken by pitcher Mark Buehrle."

"Crede, playing in front of two major-league scouts, can become a free agent after this season and could be traded this spring. He seemed worn out from questions about his future... Talks with San Francisco could accelerate because shortstop Omar Vizquel will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery. "

"While Orlando Cabrera didn't want to start talking contract extension on his first day of camp, the new White Sox shortstop did say Thursday that the ''basic interest is there for both sides.''"

"So when Guillen was asked about the Tuesday night report from Impactodeportivo.com that the White Sox had reached an agreement with free-agent right-hander Bartolo Colon on a one-year deal, the manager was his usual honest self."

"John Danks and Gavin Floyd have a combined 55 major-league starts—well shy of Bartolo Colon's 306. But for now the White Sox intend to stick with youth over a 34-year-old former Cy Young Award winner with a history of arm problems."

"Coco Crisp said yesterday that he would rather be traded than lose the starting center-field job to Jacoby Ellsbury. Eventually, he’ll get his wish."

"Jim Thome's storied career is reflected in his milestones. But the White Sox slugger politely declines to dwell on his future with the team, as it could be dictated by numbers. Specifically, plate appearances will decide whether his $13 million option for 2009 will become vested."

"While Thome sounded a bit nostalgic Monday, that doesn't mean he already has a fishing hole and old-folks home picked out just yet. His contract runs through this season with a $13 million club option for 2009, and he hopes to play out both of those seasons on the South Side."

"Joe Crede made a favorable impression Saturday in his first workout with the White Sox since undergoing season-ending back surgery. But his future remains unsettled, especially after general manager Ken Williams revealed agent Scott Boras rejected his overtures to sign Crede beyond 2008 late last season."

"On Saturday, however, Crede sounded much different. Maybe it's because he will be eligible for free agency after the season, and it's offering up a hard smack of reality. Maybe it's that Boras wasn't thrilled with Crede's comments back then and spoke to him about it."

"Is the White Sox' aggressive GM bracing himself for another round of blows? If Williams decides to make a move involving standout third baseman Joe Crede, more fur is sure to fly."