White Sox add talent, look to keep Twins in division basement

SAN DIEGO – Chicago White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper hit local radio Tuesday sounding as if he had a nice shiny new toy in righthander Jeff Samardzija.

"It made me want to go and start working on a [spring training] schedule," Cooper said.

Of course it would, when you just dealt for the Mercedes of available pitchers.

They are not the only AL Central team upbeat this offseason, but they were the team that finished only three games in front of the Twins in fourth place. Now Chicago, on paper, is pulling away, leaving the Twins alone in the basement. With the lights off.

The Indians and Tigers like their chances to compete. Kansas City is the defending American League champion. Has a season ever been declared over before Jan. 1?

The Twins, despite signing Torii Hunter last week, have to rally to save the offseason. And then, when the regular season begins, the Twins have to put on a hard hat and pack a lunch if they are going to make any improvement within the Central.

"We know what they did," Twins manager Paul Molitor said about Chicago's moves, "and we know what Detroit has done and we know that Cleveland is on the move. We've got to figure out a way to keep pace. Not just by adding personnel but understanding that our division is going to have some good teams in it."

"Robertson is a big get for them," Molitor said. "We had a lot of games where were got into that bullpen."

Rumors about acquiring Samardzija swirled Monday night, and the six-player deal was announced Tuesday.

"This was the guy we wanted," Sox General Manager Rick Hahn said.

"This was the guy that fit for us. This was the guy we felt was a perfect complement to [Chris Sale and Jose Quintana] and at the same time has the ability to fit in seamlessly within our clubhouse, obviously knows the market, has had success in the market."

Samardzija was 31-42 with a 3.97 ERA in seven years with the Cubs before being traded to Oakland last July.

The White Sox have suddenly been named the new favorites in the Central. But there will be resistance.

Kansas City, the defending division champion, has lost Billy Butler to the Athletics and will lose James Shields to free agency. It still returns emerging star in righthander Yordano Ventura and a lights-out bullpen.

"I think we ought to wait until after spring training," Twins General Manager Terry Ryan said, " but if you are talking to me right now, I'll go right back to the defending [AL] champs. The Royals and Tigers are a dead heat to me because they have proven they can do it."

The Tigers might lose righthander Max Scherzer to free agency, but David Price, Rick Porcello and Anibal Sanchez remain in the rotation. They re-signed Victor Martinez, have J.D. Martinez for a full season and there's that Miguel Cabrera guy.

Cleveland has been a tough out in manager Terry Francona's brief time there, and the Indians return Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber to lead an emerging rotation. They added first baseman-outfielder Brandon Moss this week to add some lefthanded punch. It's a team looking to take the next step after finishing only five games out in 2014.

The Twins are looking for pitching help in the rotation and bullpen, and are banking on the continuing development of Danny Santana and Kennys Vargas and a return to form by Joe Mauer. Hunter gives them veteran influence who is aging gracefully at 39.

But after going 36-40 against the Central last season, the Twins might have a larger gap to bridge in 2015 because the White Sox aren't messing around in a division that suddenly looks more competitive.