The Status of Chicago Baseball

With the trading deadline only a few days away, the Chicago White Sox have already made a trio of moves to improve their ballclub to contend with the top teams in the American League, while the north siders on the other hand are looking to make moves to build for the future and beyond. 

Lets start with the Chicago White Sox.  The White Sox as of yesterday made an interesting move to bolster their rotation in acquiring Fransisco Liriano from their division rival, Minnesota Twins.  You ask me my opinion of this trade...I believe it would be a pretty helpful move for their rotation.  Pitchers like Chris Sale having arm fatigue problems and others such as Gavin Floyd and John Danks having injury issues as well, this was a move Kenny Williams almost had to make.  Given the fact that Liriano hasn't been stellar this year with a 5.30 ERA, he can be dominant as the White Sox saw last year when Liriano no hit them last May.  Their is talk that the White Sox will go with a six man rotation, I believe that could only work for a few weeks because pitchers are a creature of habit and the littlest things by giving a pitcher an extra day can throw everything out of whack.  If the White Sox do go with a six man rotation, the only way it's going to work is if they go with it short term.  Other moves of significance that Kenny has made in acquiring Youkilis and Myers were and will be very good pickups.  Youkilis fills in at a position where they were getting absolutely nothing from and Myers helps a bullpen where they needed a veteran arm to take the load of the rookies in the back end of that bullpen.  It ought to be interesting the last few months on the South Side of Chicago to see if this will lead them in the playoffs and beyond.

Now onto the Cubs.  The Cubs have been playing better baseball recently, with a record of 18-10 and 17-10 with Rizzo in the lineup.  Yes those records are leaving Cubs fans very optimistic but it shouldn't steer them away from what Theo and Jed came in here to do and that is to build for the future.  Yes Cubs fans, that means Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza need to be traded in order for the Cubs to continue their plan of getting younger.  Just recently, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer all but completed a deal that wouldve sent Ryan Dempster to the Atlanta Braves for one of their top prospects in Randall Delgado.  HOLD IT!! Ryan Dempster has 10 and 5 rights which means he has been in Major League baseball for 10 years and 5 years on one team so he is able to control where he wants to go in the market.  This left Cubs fans, including myself, very disappointed because they were to have acquired a 22 year old Top 50 prospect in baseball but now are unable to because of Dempster's rights.  Dempster has earned that decision as a player in this league and just like any other employee in the work world would have done, was do what was best for him and his family.  Hopefully with only a few days left, Theo and Jed are able to find a suitor without having to cave and just give Dempster away.

Well that's the thoughts now on Chicago's baseball teams and we will see what happens the next few hours to see what goes down up until 3 pm eastern Tuesday afternoon. It should be very interesting leading into the dog days of August.