It turns out that the rumors are true. The White Sox have claimed Alex Rios off of waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays.Can the White Sox take on a contract this big? What does this mean to the future of the team? Will this make the Sox a non-player in the off-season?
All I can be sure about, st this point, is that this pretty much spells the end of the Jim Thome era on the South Side. Konerko and Dye may not be far behind, unless the Sox suddenly have money to burn and can play the same lineup shift games that Boston apparently does.
Rios is signed until 2014, and is set to make close to seventy million dollars between now and then. This is a player who fell far below expectations this year. Maybe a change of scenery will do some good. I just hope that Rios performs up to these lofty expectations in Chicago.
Kenny Williams has a good track record with these things, but this and the Peavy deal are real gambles. If they work out, Kenny looks like a genius. If they don't, this will make Todd Ritchie seem as harmless as Andy Gonzalez. It looks like an albatross ready to hang around the neck, but I'll wait to pass judgement until I see him play for the White Sox.
