6 Men Out: White Sox Players That Should Not Be Back Next Season

As the 2011 baseball season winds down, even fans of teams still in the pennant chase can’t help but think about the offseason and what players will be added or subtracted from their team.  For the majority of White Sox fans, even though the team is still alive, they have shifted their main focus to the offseason and what moves need to be made to avoid a repeat of this roller coaster season of disappointment and anguish. 

There are questions whether or not Ozzie Guillen will return for his ninth season as manager of the White Sox, if Jerry Reinsdorf is going to allow general manager Kenny Williams to go on a spending spree like last season and if Adam Dunn will be able to bounce back from his awful 2011 campaign and regain the form that netted him a four-year, $56 million contract.

In order for the White Sox to move ahead some players will need to be left behind.  By getting rid of these six players, the White Sox will put themselves in a better position to compete for the AL Central in 2012 and beyond.

Will Ohman

Will Ohman is living proof that left-handed pitchers stay in the game forever.  He is nothing special, doesn't overpower anyone or leave you in awe of his repertoire of pitches.  Ohman is just another average left-handed reliever that is easily replaceable on the roster.  He had a horrendous start to this season, picked it up in the middle and has been so-so the rest of the way. 

Ohman is signed through 2012 and will make a modest $2.5 million, so it wouldn't be the end of the world if he was with the White Sox to start next season, but my personal preference is to have him be bad somewhere else.

Omar Vizquel

Omar Vizquel's greatest contribution to the White Sox has been his role in the development of Alexei Ramirez as a major league shortstop.  He has been somewhat of a player/coach to Ramirez, who has gone from an extremely talented player with concentration issues to one of the best defensive shortstops in the game.

What Vizquel doesn't do for the White Sox is help them win when he is in the lineup.  At 44, Vizquel might be making his farewell tour around baseball.  His contract is up at the end of this season and it is hard to imagine the White Sox using a roster spot on him when they are all but sure to go younger in 2012.

Vizquel is a consummate professional and in his prime was one of the best shortstops in the game.  If he chooses to do so, he will be able to add to his 23 years in the major leagues as a coach and mentor to young players.

Juan Pierre

Juan Pierre is having another helter skelter season for the White Sox.  For the second straight year he started off as cold as the April weather in Chicago only to pick it up once the calender turned to July. 

Pierre was the fan favorite to be replaced by Dayan Viciedo early in 2011, but Ozzie Guillen stuck by his man and has been paid off for his loyalty.  He has been one of the hottest White Sox hitters the last couple months has been one of the reasons the Sox are still in contention in the AL Central.

But how many times can Pierre turn around a horrible start and salvage his season?  His speed is not what it used to be and he has become more of a liability in the outfield than ever before.  His days of being a successful everyday player are coming to an end and he is another White Sox player whose contract is up after this year.  The White Sox should let Pierre sign with another team and find his replacement at the top of the batting order. 

Alex Rios

Alex Rios might be the most frustrating White Sox player of the last 2.5 seasons.  The highly debated wavier wire acquisition in 2009, Rios came to the south side with a hefty contract and minimal production.  He hit under .200 in his 41 games with the Sox that year and it appeared Kenny Williams' gamble was not going to pay off.

Then, in 2010, Rios found his groove at the plate and put up numbers similar to those that made him a two-time all-star with the Toronto Blue Jays.  He was the best hitter on the team behind Paul Konerko and played solid defense in center.  Rios was being counted on to produce in 2011 like he did the previous season and help anchor the offense with Konerko, Adam Dunn and Carlos Quentin.

But 2011 has not been kind to Rios.  He has appeared lackadaisical both in the field and at the plate, drawing the ire of many Sox fans.  His bat has disappeared again this year, and adding to his struggles has been his poor defensive play.  Rios has routinely taken bad angles on balls hit in the gaps, has shown poor judgement with his throws and hasn't done a good job at reading the ball off the bat. 

Rios is owed $37 million over the next three years of his contract, making him almost impossible to move.  The White Sox will have to eat a large portion of the contract to even have a chance at clearing him from the team. The hope of White Sox nation is that Williams will work some kind of miracle and find a suitor for Rios.

Gavin Floyd

There are quite a few reasons for the White Sox to trade Gavin Floyd in the offseason.  He has peaked in terms of his success, is still young enough and productive enough for the Sox to get a couple of good young prospects in return and he is the most expendable arm in the starting rotation.

Floyd was considered a failed draft pick by the Philadelphia Phillies when the White Sox traded for him before the 2007 season.  Since joining the Sox, Floyd has posted a record of 51-47 with a 4.17 ERA.  His best season came in 2008 when he won a career-high 17 games and helped the White Sox reach the postseason.  In the three seasons since, Floyd is a game under .500 with an ERA over four.  He will never be a front-of-the-rotation guy and Kenny Williams should find a deal for Floyd while his market value is still high.

There are also other priorities on the White Sox pitching staff, namely Mark Buehrle and John Danks.  Buehrle is the ace of the staff and a work horse that hasn't pitched fewer than 200 innings since his rookie season in 2000 when he worked out of the bullpen. The White Sox should work on keeping him around for as long as he wants to continue pitching.

Danks is the ace of the future for the White Sox.  He has the nerves to pitch in the biggest of games and the stuff to be a 20-game winner.  He is a couple years younger than Floyd, and since his contract is up after this season the money owed to Floyd ($7 million in 2012) would be better spent towards locking him up to a long-term deal.

Then there's also the young arms in waiting, i.e Philip Humber, Zach Stewart and Chris Sale.  Humber was arguably the Sox's best pitcher the first half of the season and Stewart has the pedigree to be a solid arm for the next four to six years. 

Sale is the biggest wild card of the group.  He has been lights out in the later innings this year but the plan all along has been to transition him to the starting rotation.  If he pitches as a starter like he has as a reliever, then the White Sox will have a special kind of player to run out there every five days.

Carlos Quentin

The oft-injured slugger for the White Sox was one of the hottest names at the trade deadline this season.  When healthy, Carlos Quentin can carry a ballclub offensively.  He was the front-runner for the AL MVP in 2008 before he broke his wrist late in the year and was one of the few bright spots in the White Sox lineup the first half of this season.

But staying healthy has been a problem for Quentin his whole career.  He has cracked the 130-game plateau only twice and has landed on the DL in each of the past four seasons.

Then there is that guy named Dayan Viciedo.  The Cuban phenom was moved from third base to right field to fast track his climb to the majors.  "The Tank" has a major league bat and has seemed to learn some plate discipline, something he was lacking during his 2010 call-up with the Sox.  He has the talent to be a middle-of-the-order guy, hitting for average and power and playing good enough defense to make him a valuable player for years to come.

As good as Quentin has been for the White Sox, his time on the south side needs to come to an end.  He cannot be relied on to play a full season and is going to get a handsome contract offer from a team in need of a right-handed power hitter.  The Sox will be looking to save money in 2012 while getting younger and still competing and bringing back Quentin doesn't help them on any of those levels.