The White Sox picked up the contract options on pitchers Freddy Garcia and Matt Thornton Tuesday afternoon.

Garcia figures to be the No. 5 starter next season. The option is for $1 million, with a possible $2 million in incentives. Thornton's option is for $2.25 million.

Both of these moves are no-brainers. Both contracts are very reasonable. Thornton, in particular, is a bargain given that he is the Sox best relief pitcher. And Garcia is reasonably priced as a back-of-the-rotation starter.

Now that the easy moves are out of the way, what will the Sox do about Jermaine Dye's $12 million option? Almost certainly, they'll decline it. The question is whether they'll consider bringing Dye back at a reduced rate.