THE WHITE SOX NEED TO:

1) look for a solid fifth starter. peavy, buerhle, danks & floyd have them loaded for bear in 2010.

2) trade bobby jenks. he had a good run but your stopper needs to be lights out.

3) move alexie ramirez to center field and gordon beckham to shortstop. ramirez is too inconsistent at short but has the speed to play center where thinking is minimal and closing speed very important. beckham is simply a superstar in the making.

4) think very hard about trading either paul konerko or a.j. pierzynski. i absolutely love both of them and the way they play the game BUT both will be 34 when next season rolls around and although both stay in great shape and almost never miss a game, the sox have the same problem the cubs do with derrek lee. don't let them grow old on your team. both have great trade value.

5) find a third baseman. how about konerko to the angels for chone figgins?

6) a dilemma in the outfield. dye's a goner and pods a free agent. was quentin a one time wonder? the outfield need to get better defensively so do you sign pods as a DH and use him as a leadoff man? pods is a definite liability on defense but he sure can hit. will your outfield be quentin, ramirez & rios? if quentin is gone, will it be wise, ramirez and rios? or do you simply keep quentin in left, rios in center and mark kotsay in right with dewayne wise as your late inning defensive specialist? this is the type of problem that GM kenny williams thrives on. he'll figure it out.

7) say good-bye to dye, scott linebrink, ramon castro, tony pena & josh fields. sometimes you just have the wrong pieces to the puzzle.

synopsis: the white sox are ready to make the big move and 2010 should find them in the playoffs if they stay healthy. they will have the best starting rotation in the american league and if they can tighten up their defense, they should play deep into october. a legitimate closer is a concern. rios should be better playing from day one.