Central intelligence

Mistakes, they've made a few. As Byung Ho Park languishes on the disabled list at Class AAA Rochester, it's worth remembering that no team is perfect when it comes to choosing players. Here are a few recent transactions their teams may regret:

Indians: They knew it was a stretch, but Cleveland signed 37-year-old Juan Uribe last winter to be their regular third baseman. It's not the wasted $5 million that hurts so much as the playing time that was wasted before utility man Jose Ramirez, 23, stepped in earlier this month, when Uribe was released, and seized the job.

Royals: Alex Gordon was saluted for his loyalty when he re-signed for $72 million in January. Perhaps the contract still will work out. But Gordon, now 32, hasn't been the same player this season, his OPS crashing to .698, his batting average cratering around .200, and even his stellar defense suffering.

Tigers: Their $16 million investment in Mike Pelfrey appears to be a mistake, but what's happened to Justin Upton (six years, $132 million) is far more worrisome. A .281 on-base percentage? Strikeouts numbering 140 already? Occasional "head-clearing" benchings?

White Sox: On June 4, the day they traded for righthander James Shields, the Sox were two games out of first place. Now they are 13½ back, and "Big Game James," owed $65 million after this year, has allowed six runs or more in half of his 14 starts for Chicago, owns a 7.62 ERA, and hasn't lasted into the sixth inning since July 26.