White Sox Trades Garland For Cabrera

In what seems like a trade for future negotiation weigh-ins, the Chicago White Sox have dealt pitcher Jon Garland to the LA Angels for Gold Glove shortstop Orlando Cabrera.

It could signal the use of Juan Uribe as a bargaining chip in other trades, since he was just re-signed a couple of weeks ago. You would not see Cabrera on the bench, that's for sure:

"We saw an opportunity to acquire one of the best shortstops in the game and one of the smartest shortstops in the game. Somebody who can fit into the No. 2 spot in our lineup for 155 games," Chicago general manager Ken Williams said.

The White Sox may need to look for a capable replacement for Garland though. The right-hander had youth on his side and despite a 10-13 record with a 4.23 ERA over 32 starts this year, was dependable and had 18-game high wins in the previous two years.

For the Angels, Garland now joins a strong rotation, although you wonder if they are strengthening the right department. For a team that relies heavily on their defensive abilities, dealing away a productive batter in Cabrera (.301, 8 homers, 86 RBIs, 101 runs for 2007) does not improve the team overall. The White Sox have also gotten the better end of the deal financially.