Lastings at Last

Mr. Milledge recently signed with the White Sox on a minor league deal worth 500K, which I'm sure most of you know. He's been a bust up until now, but people forget that's he's still only 25. This was a top 10 prospect in all of baseball just a few years ago, and I'm sure there's still some potential underneath those dreadlocks. But until he shows something, he's got his share of question marks.

The most glaring question, considering what we need him to do (4th or 5th OF), is his attitude. There have been multiple questions - some warranted, some not-so-much - surrounding his mental approach to life and baseball. This wouldn't be as much of a problem if he had actually lived up to some of his billing. It would still be an issue, but it's a lot easier to overlook a person's shortcomings when they're productive. The last thing any team wants is the 25th man creating problems in the clubhouse.

At the same time, the fact he's a 25 man helps to neutralize this problem. If he causes any problems at all, the Sox can cut him loose and be essentially in no worse shape. This general lack of downside is why I can't hate this deal.

The comparative upside is why I love it. I mentioned earlier...he's 25 years old. He has time to grow into some semblance of the player people expected him to be. And that's all he really needs to do for this deal to be an overwhelming success. He doesn't need to be a star. He just needs to be a league average outfielder. And hey, maybe he can be much more than that. I'm not counting on it, but luckily the Sox don't need to.

Great deal.