Just this week, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said that newly-acquired right-hander Jon Garland has the stuff to win 20 games. But sure a player’s new manager wants to think the best. He wants to believe that his new player is still improving and is capable of performing even better or else why go after him in a trade? Well, perhaps a better way of looking at things is from the side that just traded the player. What do the White Sox think about a player they just shipped off to a team they might end up meeting in the playoffs? This came recently from White Sox general manager Ken Williams:

“(Garland) has really grown into a quality, classy person,” Williams said from White Sox camp. “He was as classy even when I told him when he was being traded, classier than anybody has been. … On the field he will give the Angels exactly what they are looking for.”

So why trade Garland is he is such a good person and can give a team everything they would ask from a player? Well, the White Sox invested heavily in Mark Buehrle with a contract extension last season and since they keep the books as tight as possible on the South Side of Chicago, the knew knew it was not going to re-sign Garland after this season. Garland will be a free agent when this year ends.

In Orlando Cabrera, whom they recieved from the Angels for Garland, the White Sox got a quality defensive shortstop and a prototypical No. 2 hitter. The last time the White Sox had a No. 2 who knew how to move over runners and do the little things was in 2005. That was Tadahito Iguchi’s first season in Major League Baseball. The White Sox went on to win the World Series.

Of course, it takes more than a No. 2 hitter to win a title, but just how valuable can a quality No. 2 hitter be? Valuable enough to trade away a pitcher who can win 20 games and has the kind of character that management respects.