Sox Sign Ramirez

No, not Manny. The White Sox sign Alexei Ramirez, the Cuban defector, to a four year deal. Does this solve the center field issue? Only time will tell. Alexei is also a second baseman by trade.

From the little info I can find about him, he's a switch hitter. Hopefully with Jose Contreras still in a Sox uniform, that will help Alexei's transfer to the major leagues less stressful.

He played for Cuba in the World Baseball Classic in 2006. His team won the gold in Athens at the 2004 Olympics.

Could he be the lead off guy the Sox are looking for? Hopefully. We shall see what Kenny and Ozzie do with him in 2008. Maybe this is the beginning of another round of tradings/signings for the White Sox.

Whatever it signals, welcome to Chicago, Alexei. You'll love it here.