July 2006 - Chicago White Sox Wiretap

The White Sox and infielder Alex Cintron agreed Wednesday on a one-year, $1.9-million contract and avoided arbitration.

Mention the name Harold Baines to anyone associated with the White Sox organization, and the words "classy," "dignified" and "low-key" are often used to describe Baines as a person. Now, take this same group of people and ask them to describe Baines' illustrious 22-year-career on the field, and the word "clutch" seems to jump out pretty much universally. "Oh, absolutely," said White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, when asked if Baines was one of the best clutch hitters he ever witnessed. "When the game was on the line, Harold was awesome." That clutch hitting for Baines, who turns 48 on March 15, led to an amazing 1,628 RBIs despite only topping the 100-RBI plateau three times. It's a model for consistent excellence on Baines' part, but the current question is whether this level of excellence will be good enough to get Baines elected to the Hall of Fame. The present ballot marks Baines' first chance after retiring with the White Sox in 2001. He's joined by fellow first-time players such as Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken Jr. and Mark McGwire.

The Rangers acquired right-hander Brandon McCarthy from the White Sox in a five-player deal Saturday in which the Rangers gave up their 2003 first-round pick. John Danks, the ninth overall pick three years ago, and fellow right-handers Nick Masset and Jacob Rasner were sent to Chicago for McCarthy and outfielder David Paisano. The 23-year-old McCarthy already has 65 major league appearances, and is 7-9 with a 4.39 ERA. He has 117 career strikeouts while walking only 50 batters in 151 2-3 innings. McCarthy worked primarily out of the bullpen for the first time last season, and was 10th in the AL with 75 1-3 innings worked in relief. The Rangers plan to use him as a starter.

The Royals and relief pitcher David Riske agreed Wednesday to a one-year contract worth about $2 million. Riske split last season between the White Sox and Red Sox, going 1-2 with a 3.89 ERA in 41 appearances. The 30-year-old right-hander is 18-14 with 16 saves and a 3.59 ERA in 328 career games spanning seven seasons, his first six with the Indians.

The White Sox have found the player that will help keep A.J. Pierzynski fresh. The White Sox on Sunday agreed with catcher Toby Hall on a two-year contract with a club option for the 2009 season. Hall will receive $1.75 million in each of the next two seasons, while Chicago holds an option for 2009 valued at $2.25 million with a $150,000 buyout.

The Kansas City Royals have acquired left-handed-hitting first baseman/outfielder Ross Gload from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for left-handed pitcher Andrew Sisco. "Gload is a tough-minded hard-nosed baseball player," Royals Senior Vice President-Baseball Operations/General Manager Dayton Moore said. "He is a versatile and talented player who will be a solid contributor to our team." Gload, 30, is a career .298 hitter in parts of five seasons in the Majors, the past three with the White Sox.

The White Sox avoided arbitration with Scott Podsednik on Friday, agreeing to a one-year, $2.9 million contract with the outfielder. The 30-year-old Podsednik batted .261 with three home runs, 45 RBI and 40 stolen bases in 139 games with the White Sox last season.