The rumors were true: The White Sox did indeed place a waiver claim on Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Alex Rios. Now, Rios is coming to the South Side for nothing more than the value of his contract. Toronto gets zilch in return, other than salary relief.
Rios, 28, is having a down season by his standards. He's hitting .262 with 14 homers and 62 RBIs. He has $59.7 million remaining on his contract, and he is signed through 2014.
I'm stunned by this move. You don't often get a player of this talent level without giving up something in return. The Blue Jays must have been desperate to unload that salary, after they failed to trade ace pitcher Roy Halladay at the July 31 non-waiver deadline.
You have to like this from the Sox perspective. Rios can play center field, which has been a gaping hole on the South Side for the last three and a half seasons. This move helps for the stretch drive this season, and it will help for years to come.
Much like the acquisition of Jake Peavy, this is hardly a rent-a-player situation. Even if the Sox fail to qualify for the postseason here in 2009, this is an acquisition that can help them get back to the top of the American League in 2010.
Rios, a two-time All-Star, is a lifetime .285 hitter. Coming into this season, he had hit .290 or better and driven in 79 or more runs for three consecutive years. This guy can hit the ball AND play defense, which is a combination the Sox haven't had in center field in a long, long time.
Once Rios joins the team, it will be interesting to see how manager Ozzie Guillen juggles his lineup. The Sox have Rios, Scott Podsednik, Jermaine Dye, Carlos Quentin for three spots in the outfield. Against left-handed pitching, you figure Quentin will DH and Jim Thome will rest. Against right-handed pitching, Guillen will have to make a tough choice somewhere.
I think Rios has to play, because he will shore up the Sox leaky defense. Podsednik has to play, too, because he has solidified the leadoff spot in the batting order. That means Quentin and Dye are going to be getting a little more rest in the days to come.
I like this for a few reasons. First off it gives us a good fielding CF who is actually going to start. Secondly, it gives us more speed in our line up, which we need and finally even though he's in a down year he's going to play home games at U.S. Cellular Field which should improve his hitting by a good margin.
I'm just glad Kenny shook it up by adding Peavy and Rios. The mediocrity we've seen all season is unacceptable. I don't know whether they'll win the division this year, but they increased their odds with these moves. They certainly were not going to win by standing pat.