The Trade Deadline and Pitching Needs

I feel there is much talk about trades surrounding the White Sox. And most of it serves no purpose other than to aggravate me. Much of the talk is surrounding Prince Fielder, Adam Dunn, etc.

What the Sox really need is a quick fix for the Peavy Problem. As many of you know, I am the most skeptical person in the world. And the matter of Daniel Hudson is no exception. If Daniel Hudson’s numbers applied to the Major Leagues, his numbers would have been fantastic. He posted 166 Strike-Outs in 26 games in 2009, at various levels of the Minors. His WHIP was a tiny .943. He went 13-4 in his career at AAA. But, since these numbers are just minor league numbers, they are simply solid. There is a huge adjustment to be made when a player moves from the Minors to the Major, whether in AVG or ERA, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the results would ultimately put Hudson in the 5-6 ERA range. In my opinion, if you’re THAT good, the buzz around you will be much greater. I’ve said it before, and I’ve said it again: The Sox farm system is essentially a place for rehabilitation.

And I promise the Sox will need an experienced pitcher when, inevitably, someone goes through a tired arm period, or John Danks goes into his second half slump, or Freddy… does something. We need a real 5th starter for when any of the other pitchers have a rough week. If the Sox want to keep their 3.5 game lead or even break away further from their division, they will need strong pitching. After all, weren’t Peavy & Floyd’s respective resurgences a great part of why we went on the ridiculous rampage against every team we faced in June?

Alas, if the Sox WERE to trade for a pitcher, who would this person be? And, more importantly, who would they give up? What are the odds that we could obtain Cliff Lee for Mark Teahen and Tony Pena? Not too favorable, I’m guessing. No one else is expandable.

For now, let’s enjoy our divisional lead, and here’s to playing more terrible teams!