Memo to Kenny Williams: D'Oh Not Trade Jermaine Dye to Cincinnati

There is a hot rumor flying around Ohio that the White Sox have essentially agreed on a deal that would send right fielder Jermaine Dye to the Reds for what would presumably be a package headlined by former Cincinnati first-round pick Homer Bailey.

My plea to Sox General Manager Kenny Williams is simple: Please don't.

Thus far this offseason, the Sox have unloaded outfielder/first baseman/personality Nick Swisher and starting pitcher/doghouse resident Javier Vazquez, with minor league pitchers coming back in both packages.

I can understand both of these trades. Unloading Dye for Bailey I struggle to comprehend.

Swisher had the lowest batting average of all major league batters that qualified for the batting title last year. Vazquez was called out by Ozzie Guillen in an attempt to light a fire under the right hander late in the season. The result: Vazquez melting under the pressure. Neither of these players had earned the faith of their teammates, manager, or front office.

But trade Jermaine Dye?

Since he signed a modest free-agent contract before the 2005 season, Dye has done nothing short of being the team's most valuable player. Last year, when outfielder Carlos Quentin went down with a wrist injury, Dye again stepped up his game to lead the Sox through a three-day span in which they played three sudden-death playoff games to get into the postseason. Since joining the franchise, Dye has been the most consistent player on the team.

For Homer Bailey?

Bailey has underwhelmed in Cincinnati. He was once seen, as little as 18 months ago, as the untouchable crown jewel of the Reds' organization. But since trading Josh Hamilton for Edinson Volquez, and adding Johnny Cueto to their rotation behind Aaron Harang, Bailey has found himself lost in a group of heralded youngsters.

While Volquez had an impressive first season with the Reds in 2008, and Cueto had moments of excellence, Bailey found himself struggling in Triple-A after getting rocked in the few chances he had with the big club.

I will say that Williams has a track record of picking up someone else's garbage and finding riches beyond expectation. He has done that in each of the past two offseasons in the acquisitions of Gavin Floyd from Philadelphia, John Danks from Texas, and Quentin from Arizona.

But this offseason, Williams has already acquired young pitching that could, potentially, replace Vazquez in the Sox rotation. The youngsters acquired from the Yankees and Braves, along with in-house prospects, give the Sox some of the best major league-ready pitching depth in baseball.

So why trade a leader like Dye? That's what I just can't figure out. I know he's due over $12 million for 2009, which might end up being the part of the deal that keeps Cincinnati from making the trade. But the Sox have cut over $23 million from their budget of 2008 with Swisher, Vazquez, and pitcher Boone Logan leaving town via trade.

Keeping the best offensive player the team has had this decade on the roster should mean more to the franchise than saving pennies, especially considering they'll be trying to repeat as division champions next year.

I would encourage Williams to keep Dye around for the final year of a contract for which he has grossly over produced. Without him I fear the Sox would be placing too much faith in Quentin's 140 game resume to carry an outfield without much else to speak of in it.