White Sox GM Williams Gambles On Griffey

For the last few days Kenny Williams sat and waited; with his arms crossed and his sunglasses on he kept telling White Sox fans not to expect much.  But just when you think all his cards are on the table, Trader Kenny throws down the old ace in the hole.  Well, I don’t know if a 38-year old future hall of famer with 15 home runs and an incredible knack for getting injured really counts as an ace in the hole.

Let’s use a different poker metaphor for the White Sox impending acquisition of Ken Griffey Jr.  Kenny Williams has set himself up for straight draw, or maybe even the nut flush.  If things go right with Griffey, and there are a few big ifs out there, then the Sox could be heading into October with the most feared lineup in baseball, including two possible future first ballot hall of famers.

I’ll admit when I woke up and read the story this morning that I had to double-check the calendar.  I wondered if perhaps I had gotten out of bed and it was somehow July 31^st 2005 and the Sox finally found the big left handed bat that had eluded the franchise since the retirement of Harold Baines.

This move would make more since back then. With no real dominant DH, Griffey could step right in and slug the White Sox to postseason glory.  This season the situation is vastly different.  The White Sox have a DH, and a left handed one at that, in Jim Thome.  Despite a slow start Thome has come alive of late and has been productive.

Assuming a Thome trade isn’t in the works (you never know now that Trader Kenny is back in action), there is no spot for Griffey at DH.  Additionally there is no pressing need for a huge left-handed bat.

The situation gets even more complicated when you try to find a place for Griffey to play every day.  Jermaine Dye and Carlos Quintin are both having MVP type seasons and are entrenched at the corner outfield positions.  That means Griffey, if he indeed is going to be an everyday player will have to spend the bulk of his time in center.  Forget the fact that he hasn’t played center for two seasons and forget the fact the White Sox have switch hitting, power hitting Nick Swisher in center field.

With Griffey in center Ozzie Guillen has to decide whether he wants Swisher coming off the bench as some kind of super utility, outfielder/infielder, of if he wants Swisher to move to first.  That move would land the struggling team captain Paul Konerko on the bench.

Considering that since the All-Star break Griffey is slugging close to .600 while Konerko is, if you can call it slugging, at a rate of .238, the addition of Griffey certainly makes the lineup a lot scarier.  Swisher isn’t exactly killing the ball since the break either.  His .184 batting average is the lowest on the team.  So whether on any given day Griffey replaces Swisher or Konerko, the lineup is better in theory. 

Here is the gamble:  if Griffey can’t actually play center everyday then the deal makes little to no sense because it will be tough to get him on the field.  Then again, it’s not like they gave up the world to get him.  Because the Sox play in US Cellular it is not as if Griffey would have a huge center field to cover.  As long as he can catch what comes to him and hit the cut off man the Sox shouldn’t be in too much trouble.  Moving Swisher to first improves the all around defense of the infield and may give Swish a chance to focus on hitting.  The falloff from Swisher to Griffey in center isn’t that significant anyway, as Swisher lacks the range of a true center fielder.             

            So assuming Griffey doesn’t kill the Sox in the field, and that his bat improves the offense, the question becomes what effect the addition of this high priced, high profile player will have on the chemistry of the club.  Pessimists will point to the fact that clubhouse leader Konerko will be on the bench and that Griffey's ego may hurt the clubhouse. 

The problem with those theories is that Griffey has never been known as a me-first guy, and that captain or not, Paul Konerko’s bat has been killing the Sox for the last few weeks.  Paulie has been around this team a while and hopefully sees the bigger picture.  He is still under contract for two more years and both Griffey and Thome will be gone next year.  If he sacrifices a few at-bats this year for another championship he can come back next year to prove he is indeed a star in this league. 

The true upside to this deal is the potential positive impact Griffey can have on the clubhouse.  Here is a guy whose career may be winding down and it may be winding down without a championship.  He has a few months to prove that he still has it, and a legitimate chance to grab that elusive ring.  With that type of hunger to win, and the desperation to prove he has a few more seasons left in him, Ken Griffey Jr. may be the spark the White Sox need to return to post season glory. 

Could you imagine the terror in the eyes of the right-handed pitchers who will have to get Griffey and Thome out in the playoffs?  If those two guys got hot and start to sniff that trophy, watch out John Lackey, watch out Mike Mussina, watch out Carlos Zambrano (its not gonna happen flub fans). 

In a few short hours the deadline will pass and Trader Kenny’s cards will be on the table. White Sox fans can only hope that he hits the straight flush on the river and that those fireworks once again light up the Bridgeport night come October.