From Phil Rogers Chris Young article:
[Brian] Anderson, then coming off a strong season in Triple A, was whom the Diamondbacks initially wanted when the Sox general manager called to talk about pitcher Javier Vazquez, who had asked for a trade. Williams, told Arizona he was keeping Anderson, a first-round draft pick, and that led the parties to discuss Young, a 16th-round pick in Double A.
Thanks to Jim's Chris Young post for the pointer. Check out Jim's piece.
Williams knew Young's combination of speed and power made him a diamond in the rough. He didn't expect that he would be an emerging star at age 24.
Lilly didn't think Young could catch up to a high fastball, either. He was wrong, just as Williams was to trade Young.
His minor-league manager, Razor Shines, now the White Sox's third base coach, had said earlier in 2005 that he liked "everything about" Young. But Williams liked him less than he did Anderson, whom he had helped scout personally while he was at the University of Arizona, and he had admired Vazquez for years.
And something I missed. From Scot Gregor's Sept. 13 article:
The Sox are going to need a new shortstop, and 31-year-old Tomohiro Nioka (Yomiuri Giants) is going to be on the market, as is 32-year-old Hitoki Iwase, a standout relief pitcher.
Thanks to mlbtraderumors.com for the pointer. Both guys will be free-agents (no posting fee). Nioka's K/BB ratio seems similar to that of Juan Uribe. He has a higher OBP, but defensively he's described as "a poor man's Akinori Iwamura." Will he be an improvement over the Torpedo Boat, given the money he will want?. OTOH, Iwase's number look very nice. But if he wants to close (he has 43 saves this year?) things take a different twist. MLBTR also mentions RHP Koji Uehara. Starting pitching doesn't seem a priority [this winter].