White Sox get center-field insurance with Perez

By Jim Callis
March 27, 2004

The Mets had an abundance of outfielders and the White Sox had a shortage of center-field options behind Aaron Rowand, making the clubs perfect trading partners. So New York sent Timo Perez to Chicago for Matt Ginter on Saturday.

Perez, 28, had been a semiregular starter for the Mets in 2002-03, batting .269/.301/.364 with four homers and 42 RBIs in 127 games last year. He's best suited to be a backup because he doesn't have a standout offensive tool. While Perez makes contact and hits for a decent average, he has only sporadic power and doesn't walk very much. He has above-average speed but isn't a threat to steal. He stands out more defensively, where he covers lots of ground and has a plus arm. In 372 career games, he has batted .276/.312/.397 with 18 homers and 114 RBIs. He'll make $850,000 this season.

Ginter, a 26-year-old righthander, had been projected as the White Sox' closer of the future after they drafted him in the first round out of Mississippi State in 1999. But while he has been successful in the minors, he has been strafed for a 5.82 ERA in 63 big league appearances, just three of which came last year. He spent most of 2003 at Triple-A Charlotte, going 3-5, 3.03 with 14 saves in 49 games. In 68 innings, he had a 52-22 strikeout-walk ratio, while opponents batted .249 with two homers against him. Ginter's best pitch is a hard slider that overmatches minor leaguers, but big league hitters haven't chased it enough for him to be effective. He also works with a low-90s fastball.