Nothing Personal

The White Sox attended to some minor business matters on Friday, removing four players from their 40-man roster.  Among those outrighted to the minors or lost on waivers were reliever Danny Farquhar and catcher Kevan Smith.

Farquhar suffered a brain aneurysm during a home game in late April and has made enough progress to earn a probable invitation to spring training; Smith fell victim to being at the wrong place at the wrong time.  The Sox signed Welington Castillo last offseason to a two-year contract, leaving Smith in the minors despite a nice rookie season where he hit .283 with 30 RBIs.  Then Castillo got hit with an 80-game suspension for PEDs use, and Smith was called back up.  He responded by hitting .292.

Smith’s first homerun of the season came August 25^th in a game where he wore a jersey honoring former Sox pitcher Daniel Webb, a close friend who was killed in an ATV accident last October.  Smith at age 30 is a career .281 hitter.  That—and a reputation for knowing how to frame pitches—should count for something with his new team, the Angels, who aren’t exactly deep at catcher.  All you can say is our loss is their gain.

Baseball is a business, and the one the White Sox run has little room in it for sentiment.  Danny Farquhar and Kevan Smith are guys with more character than talent.  If they fit a need, fine; if someone else fits it better, bye-bye.  Given that mindset, a spot on the 40-man roster is all about talent, potential and the willingness to forgive a PEDs’ transgression.