JR. AGREES, NOW A WHITE SOX
The Chicago White Sox acquired outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. and cash from the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Nick Masset and infielder Danny Richar.
What does it give the Chicago White Sox
He's not the slugger he once was, but Griffey, who hit his 600th home
run earlier this year, still swings a big stick. He's still never
played in a World Series, and the chance to do that with the
Central-leading White Sox convinced him to waive his "10 and five"
no-trade rights; it should also give him added motivation down the
stretch, and along with Carlos Quentin, Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome,
gives the team one of the most intimidating meat-of-the-order groups
in the AL. Precisely how Chicago will reshuffle their lineup is still
up in the air, but initial beliefs are that Griffey will return to
centerfield for the first time since 2006, sending the slumping Nick
Swisher to first base and the struggling Paul Konerko to the bench. Griffey will probably head elsewhere whenever the season finishes (he'll
definitely be bought out, at least), so he and the club can hope he'll
have some new jewellery on his ring finger before then. It's a bold
move for the White Sox, who have led the division since May but find
themselves threatened of late by the Twins and Tigers.
What does it give the Cincinnati Reds
Given that they were unlikely to exercise his $16.5 million dollar
option next season and might have lost Griffey, the Reds did well for
themselves here (though reportedly, they are still paying half of his
remaining salary this season, plus a portion of a $4 million buy-out).
Danny Richar looks ready to contribute at the major-league level, and
still has good power/speed potential for an infielder. He probably
would have got another shot to start for the White Sox if rookie
Alexei Ramirez didn't steal the second base job first, so instead has
been playing every day in Triple-A. Unfortunately, he might just have
similar depth chart problems with the Reds, where Brandon Phillips has
a lock on second. If either one can make the difficult move to
shortstop, the Reds' infield could get a boost next season. Nick
Masset is also a fine add, and gives Cincy some options. He could join
their bullpen immediately, or they can try to work him back into a
starter's role. Reds' fans will be sad to see the local favorite
leave, but can be content that they got good value for Junior.
Fantasy impact
