MLB chicago White Sox

As FanHouse went over in our Footprints in the Snow on the Chicago White Sox earlier on Friday, the Sox aren't expected to be big buyers this offseason after making big moves to land Jake Peavy and Alex Rios last summer. Still, that doesn't mean they won't be making smaller moves to tweak their roster in the coming weeks.

Moves like trying to sign Omar Vizquel to a one-year deal to be a backup infielder as FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal is reporting.

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

The 2009 season was not one with which the Chicago White Sox were pleased. They followed their 2008 division title with a third-place finish in the AL Central and a record of 79-83. When you consider that the team's general manager Kenny Williams is never shy on making big moves when the team does well, there's no telling what he's going to do after a disappointing season.

So it's pretty safe to assume that the White Sox team that takes the field in 2010 will look a lot different than the one Sox fans saw in 2009, and we're not just talking about Jake Peavy and Alex Rios. What changes will be made on the South Side? Nobody can be sure, but FanHouse has an idea of what Chicago's "other" team might do.

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In Advanced Scouting, MLB FanHouse's professional talent evaluator breaks down offseason moves from a scouting perspective.

It hasn't taken long for the Hot Stove to get heated up as we roll past the World Series. Some key players have already been locked up and some high upside trades have already gone down. What do these moves mean for each club involved and how will the players dealt respond to their new homes? Just as significant, how important will the prospects dealt turn out to be?

From Mark Teahen headed to Chicago, to the Carlos Gomez for J.J. Hardy swap, to Bobby Abreu's new deal with the Angels, each move had a distinct impact. Perhaps the most interesting of these, however, was Jeremy Hermida being shipped to Boston. For the price of a pair of young lefties, the Red Sox took a gamble that may prove very worthy.

The champagne is barely dry in the Yankees clubhouse, but the business of 2010 is already well under way. Three trades are in the books, a number of players have already filed for free agency and Bobby Abreu has a new deal with the Angels.

In that vein, three clubs made decisions on contract options Friday as they held on to star players for next year. The Phillies and Diamondbacks both picked up the options they held on ace pitchers Cliff Lee and Brandon Webb, respectively, while the White Sox bought out right fielder Jermaine Dye.

Chicago's World Series MVP in 2005, Dye, who will turn 36 in January, was due to make $12 million in 2010. He'll instead receive $950,000 from the White Sox and hit the open market.

The rumors started early on Thursday morning that the Kansas City Royals had agreed to trade Mark Teahen to the Chicago White Sox for Chris Getz and Josh Fields. Neither team would confirm the deal throughout the day, but 24 hours later it has become official.

Teahen and cash will be heading to Chicago for Getz and Fields. While it can't be known for sure, odds are the amount of cash the White Sox will receive from the Royals for the arbitration eligible Teahen is what kept the trade from being completed for 24 hours.

The Chicago White Sox have no chance of getting to the playoffs this season as the AL Central is only a two-horse race between the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins. They do have a chance to play a deciding role in who will win the division, though, since they have a few games remaining against the Tigers.

One of those games came Saturday night as Ozzie's team blew a 5-0 lead and gave up 12 straight runs to the Tigers, who were able to pick up the come-from-behind win and maintain their two-game lead on the Twins. While the loss itself didn't bother manager Ozzie Guillen all that much, the fact that his players were watching college football in the clubhouse immediately after the game sent the Sox manager on a tirade.

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
That Brad Lidge problem is back again.

Lidge on Wednesday blew a save for the 11th time -- most in the NL in 11 years -- as the Phillies lost 7-6 to the Marlins.

He entered for the bottom of the ninth, after Ross Gload's leadoff double, got two outs. But Hanley Ramirez walked, Jorge Cantu singled and Brett Carroll singled to hand Lidge the loss.

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As a whole, the baseball season in Chicago has been a disappointment. The Cubs were expected to contend for a World Series title only to be thrown off track by injuries and Milton Bradley, while on the other side of town the White Sox have failed to exceed expectations. As is usually the case when this happens to large-market teams, wholesale changes are made.

The White Sox parted ways with Jim Thome and 2005 World Series hero Jose Contreras, and it's likely other players such as Jermaine Dye, Bobby Jenks and Paul Konerko could be following them out of town this winter. Still, that doesn't mean everybody in the White Sox organization is leaving.

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
That the White Sox may be out of the playoff race, but Jake Peavy still gave them something to get excited about. Peavy made his much-anticipated White Sox debut, pitching five effective innings to beat the Royals.

Peavy gave up three runs and his command was shaky, but he consistently threw his fastball in the low 90s. He threw 73 pitches, only 20 in his last two innings.

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When White Sox general manager Kenny Williams pulled off a late shocker minutes before the MLB trade deadline back on July 31 to land injured starter Jake Peavy, he had two motives in mind. One was that adding Peavy, who is signed through 2012 with a club option for 2013, to his team's rotation leaves the White Sox set to contend in the AL Central for years to come. The other was that should Peavy be able to return from his ankle injury quick enough, he might be able to help the White Sox reach the playoffs this season.

Well, seeing as how it's the middle of September and the White Sox are 5 1/2 games behind the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central, it's probably too late for Peavy to make a playoff push. Still, the team isn't giving up and White Sox fans can get a sneak peak at the team's future this Saturday in Chicago when Peavy makes his White Sox debut.