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07/02/2003 Archived Entry: "MLB News: White Sox Acquire Alomar, Everett"
MLB News by Eric Gartman
The Chicago White Sox made two major moves today, picking up Roberto Alomar from the Mets, and Carl Everett from the Rangers. The Sox, trying to move into first place in the AL Central, boosted their chances by significantly improving both their offense and defense. What can the Sox expect from these two? Well, they can expect a huge improvement over Alomar's anemic .262 batting average this year. Alomar never got going in New York. Its not totally clear why, but the Mets weak hitting was surely part of it. Playing on a stronger hitting Chicago club, he will most likely provide a major spark to the offense. Everett, on the other hand, probably will not improve on his torrid pace (18 homers, 51 RBIs), since he is going to a bigger park and leaving an offensive juggernaut in the Rangers. Still, he should put up solid numbers, while playing centerfield. It may be enough to put the Sox over the top in a weak division.
Meanwhile, the Mets finally started overhauling an underachieving team. In exchange for Alomar, they acquired three minor leaguers, the most important of which is 22-year-old Ricky Ring. Ring had already had 19 saves in Double-A ball. Its a good start for the Mets, but they need to offload all their veterans that can fetch young prospects, including Roger Cedeno, Jeromy Burnitz, and even Mike Piazza himself. I don't think that trading Glavine or Leiter is out of the question either. As we approach the July 31 deadline, I expect a lot of deals from the Mets. Similiarly, the Rangers have decided to rebuild. They have too much old, expensive hitting, and no pitching whatsoever. Everett was having a good season, but was expensive, and unlikely to resign after this year. The Rangers practically have him away. GM John Hart tried to move Juan Gonzalez last week, but he vetoed the deal. Hart is also trying to offload Chan Ho Park, but so far there are no takers. Rafael Palmeiro may be another story. He still swings a potent bat, and some team will most likely take him before July 31. The Mets and Rangers are both bloated, underachieving teams, but at least they have finally taken the first step on the road to recovery.
