Despite the White Sox finally being on the right end of a 1-0 game, the biggest news for the day came from the trade mill, as the Sox acquired All-Star 3B Kevin Youkilis from Boston in exchange for Zach Stewart and Brent Lillibridge.
But before we dissect that deal, let’s take a look at what I thought were the biggest two take-aways from Sunday afternoon’s rubber match agains the Brewers.
– Jose Quintana continued to dazzle, as his 8 shut-out innings moved his ERA down to an unbelievable 1.25 Buehrle…I mean 1.25 ‘mark.’ During the broadcast, Hawk Harrelson noted how he and the rest of us fans are waiting for Quintana to do something wrong, but he just doesn’t. He’s now pitched in 8 games, totaling over 43 IP, while only allowing six earned runs. He is hitting his spots and changing speeds, reminding us that you don’t have to throw hard to be a successful pitcher. He lets up hits, but gets out of jams. He does everything that a soft-tossing starter needs to do to have consistent success.
While I doubt we are going to see him keep up this pace, there’s no reason to believe he can’t continue to be a valuable piece to the Sox’ rotation. It seems like every time he goes out there, he gives the team a good chance to win, and that’s really all you can ask for from the rookie. Really, the only flaw is that he has only picked up two wins to this point, but that’s obviously not his fault, as the lineup has just not produced for him. It’s just too bad Eduardo Escobar’s RBI on a drive to left-center field couldn’t have come earlier to help get Jose the win.
– Since the White Sox took 2 out of 3 games from the Mariners a couple weeks back, the offense has been pretty inconsistent, at best, and was a big part of the team losing 5 consecutive series. We’ve recently seen Jake Peavy take two losses and Quintana take two no-decisions in games that they should have won with ease. But all in all, I’m not concerned about the offense. With the addition of Youkilis, the lineup goes from looking pretty good on paper to looking great. I’m not sure what Robin Ventura will do with the order, but my guess is that “Youk” will hit 6th, behind A.J. Pierzynski and ahead of Alex Rios. But I wouldn’t rule out RV slotting him 9th to keep any unnecessary pressure off of the scuffling veteran. I expect the first-place offense to pick it up in the near future now that there really isn’t any holes that you can point out.
But without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the trade that went down just a couple of hours ago.
“Yooooooouuuuuuuk…”
The south siders gave up RHP Zach Stewart and utility man Brent Lillibridge for my new favorite bald man. Considering Stewart has been a huge bust since coming over from Toronto last year and Lillibridge, as a bench player, can be replaced by the likes of Eduardo Escobar and Jordan Danks, the team really is not losing much.
Photo courtesy newsobserver.com
Stewart had already lost his spot on the roster to veteran Brian Bruney, who picked up the win on Sunday, so I really don’t think he played in to the team’s future. And while Lillibridge has been a great defender and base stealer, his mighty struggles at the plate have made it tough to find him regular playing time. But Escobar can play 2nd, 3rd, and shortstop and Danks can play all three outfield spots (both with great skill), so like I said previously, there really isn’t much being lost.
Orlando Hudson will likely move to a bench role, giving the Sox another backup infielder that can play 2nd or 3rd, while giving you a veteran bat if it’s ever needed in a big moment.
So already it seems like a good deal for White Sox GM Kenny Williams, and we haven’t even touched on the return: “Yoooooouuuuuuuk,” as Boston fans loved to cheer.
Since being one of the most consistent and well-rounded hitters in the league from 2007-2010, Youkilis has battled injuries, only playing in 102 games last year and 41 so far throughout this campaign. It seems like he’s fully healthy now, so the White Sox should be getting a guy that they can rely on in a couple ways, first and foremost.
Kevin is a very hard player, one that fits with the “grinder” mentality that fans have loved to see since the title in 2005. He plays hard every day, loves to compete, and is on a mission to prove critics wrong. But as far as statistics go, he’s as rock-solid as they come at getting on base. Even with a .258 batting average last year, he still got on base at a .373 rate. Not to mention, he’s been a big-time run producer throughout his entire career, and his numbers even had him on pace for about 30 HR and 90 RBI last season.
If he hits as well as we all know he has the ability to, this deal will be a huge steal and could easily be the push the team needs to solidify themselves as a contender. But even if Youkilis hits, say, .240 with a decent amount of production, we’re talking about a 60-80 point boost in the batting average category from our previous third basemen, Morel and Hudson. Not to mention, someone who will get on base about 10% more often.
So let’s keep it conservative and say Youk ends up somewhere in the middle. That would be a huge improvement and a great boost for the team, considering they aren’t really losing much.
In a short amount of time earlier this afternoon, the Sox had a walk-off hit from rookie Eduardo Escobar, jumped back in to 1st place in the AL Central, won their first series in what felt like years, and acquired an All-Star third baseman in Kevin Youkilis. And it sure was fun. Let’s hope the good time’s keep rollin’.
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Posted by Founder and Managing Editor of GSB!, @zach_gropper. Go, go White Sox!