The Torpedo Boat is back:
Shortstop Juan Uribe is returning to the White Sox on a one-year [$4.5 million] contract, general manager Ken Williams said Wednesday. The White Sox needed to decide by Wednesday whether to exercise their $5 million option on Uribe for 2008. Williams said the team re-signed Uribe for a lower salary. Uribe, 28, batted .234 with a .284 on-base percentage last season, but also had 20 homers and 68 RBIs. The White Sox value his defense, and club officials believe that if their other hitters rebound, Uribe will not be an offensive liability. The White Sox considered a variety of shortstop options before re-signing Uribe, including potential free agents Omar Vizquel and David Eckstein. Vizquel is close to re-signing with the Giants for approximately $5.5 million.
Here's the press release.
As colintj pointed out, Kevin Goldstein has his White Sox Top 11 Prospects list:
Five-Star Prospects: 1. Fautino de los Santos, RHP
Jerry Owens?
Four-Star Prospects: 2. Gio Gonzalez, LHP, 3. Aaron Poreda, RHP
Three-Star Prospects: 4. Chris Carter, 1B, 5. John Shelby, CF, 6. Jose Martinez, OF
Two-Star Prospects: 7. Jack Egbert, RHP, 8. Ryan Sweeney, OF, 9. Lance Broadway, RHP
One-Star Prospects: 10. Brian Omogrosso, RHP, 11. Kyle McCulloch, RHP
Just Missing: John Ely, RHP; Christian Marrero, 1B; Jerry Owens, OF
And The Legend wants to return to Chi-town:
"There's no reason why it couldn't happen. But it's a matter of going out right now and seeing what's out there. I'm trusting in my agent [Craig Landis] and hoping everything works out. Obviously, I'm going to be partial to Philadelphia because I played there. There's no doubt about that. I'd be lying to you if I said it wasn't. But at the same time it has to be right. ... I'm just as partial to Philadelphia as I would be to going back to Chicago, but it has to be right."