What are they thinking?

So another week has past and the White Sox have finally made an off season move! One that I would personally rank as absolutely horrible! They traded Jon Garland, one of the White Sox’s most consistent starting pitcher for a shortstop. The shortstop that they received is Orlando Cabrera from the Anaheim Angels. Yes he is one of the best defensive shortstops in the game, but the guy is 33 years old and the White Sox really need to improve their bullpen. The White Sox did receive cash in the trade, but like I just said, they really need pitching. I honestly don’t know what they were thinking! They said away one of their best in a position that needs some help all around, for a position that they already have. Within the last two weeks of this trade, the White Sox signed their shortstop Juan Uribe to a one year deal. Now my question is, why would they sign a guy for one year and then go out and trade one of our best players (Jon Garland) for a guy who they don’t have a spot for and who is getting a little old. Now granted, Cabrera will start over Uribe or should at least, but what do you do with Uribe? He really isn’t that good, so you wouldn’t get much of a trade out of him. What I think the White Sox should do is trade one of their two shortstops. I would personally keep Cabrera because he is an awesome shortstop and is much better than Uribe. Like I stated before, the only bad thing about trading Uribe is that you won’t get much for him. It would have been smart for the White Sox to just have released Juan Uribe rather than take on his salary and just hope that someone is willing to trade for him. So my next question is, if the White Sox can not trade Uribe what he is he going to do? He is not a player who I would think that you would want to put him in to pinch hit because he is not the best hitter to say the least. I mean they could use him once every so often to give Orlando Cabrera a break, but I honestly think that it would be just a waste of a salary. I hope that Kenny Williams knows what he is doing and is hopefully getting ready to make a blockbuster trade in the up and coming off-season months. Hopefully it can be for a great centerfielder, since the Torii Hunter deal fell through, when Hunter unexpectedly signed with the Anaheim Angels.

Thank Goodness for Thanksgiving

In a couple of days, it will be the wonderful holiday of Thanksgiving. This is when you head home, eat too much food, and watch as the members of your family fall asleep while watching football. It doesn't really get much better than that. Unless of course all you care about is baseball.

The Cubs have recently released their spring schedule which begins with a game in Scottsdale on February 28 against the Giants. Check out the full schedule. So if you are sitting at home not caring about the Detroit game, you can fantasize about the Cubs upcoming season and the success that they are sure to have.

There will be another member of the Cubs family missing next season: team President John McDonough. He has been associated with the Cubs for 24 years and became the President in October 2006. He replaced Andy MacPhail after a 96-loss season.

"The purpose of why I've been asked to do this job is for the Cubs to win the World Series -- not win the Wild Card or win the division or win the pennant," McDonough said when introduced as interim president last year. "It's time to win. It's time to win the World Series."

Under his reign, the Cubs didn't make it to the World Series but by winning the NL League, they greatly improved their performance during regular season. McDonough will now become the President to the NHL Chicago Blackhawks.

So just because football dominates the Thanksgiving holiday, it doesn't mean that there aren't happenings in baseball. Go home, have a great meal and visit with family, and don't forget about baseball.

Now Hiring

Wanted:
Right Fielder who can hit, stop baserunners from gaining extra bases, and costs between $120-$125 million.

If Cubs' general manager, Jim Hendry, took out a want ad for a player his team needs, it might look like the above. Last week, Craig Monroe was traded to Minnesota and now, Hendry is in the market for a new outfielder. He's looking for someone more athletic and who can do the job at the plate and by raising the amount of money he's willing to pay for such a player, there are bound to be some who are interested.

"We certainly have a fair situation no matter what the final number is," Hendry said. "And we feel confident we can add two or three pieces to the puzzle."

Getting rid of Monroe was a good decision the way I see it. He hit .204 with one home run and four RBIs after being acquired from Detroit in August. He was even left off the postseason roster. The Cubs need another outfielder like Alfonso Soriano. He's not perfect by any means, but he's fast as a defensive player and can usually squeeze out a hit or even home run when it's needed.

Hopefully Hendry can find someone to fulfill the open position soon. I would think that the main priority would be to find someone who can hit. Of course, they need to be a good defensive player as well, but we all know that the Cubs could use another power hitter. Or even someone who can squeeze out some hits in the clutch. For $125 million, I'm sure the GM will find someone suitable.