White Sox lose to Twins and call it a season

The Twins defeated the White Sox yesterday behind a strong performance from Nick Blackburn and homers from Joe Mauer and Jason Kubel. The White Sox' loss was their fourth in a row and eighth in their past nine games, dropping them 4 games under .500 and 6 games behind Detroit in the division. That was enough, apparently, for them to decide their playoff hopes were all but gone, as they shipped Jim Thome and Jose Contreras to two NL West contenders.

The Dodgers received Jim Thome, whose contract expires after this year, for minor league infielder Justin Fuller, while the Rockies acquired Jose Contreras for minor league pitcher Brandon Hynick. Fuller doesn't seem to be very intriguing, as he's repeating single-A at the age of 26 and hasn't showed much plate discipline or power, has a big strikeout rate, and is only 3-for-9 in stolen base attempts. I have no idea how his fielding rates, but it would have to be really good for him to have a decent future.

Hynick, meanwhile, is in AAA now, meaning he's much closer to the majors, and "should fit in nicely on a National League club's MLB roster as a No. 4 starter." Obviously he's now in the American League, but it still gives you an idea of his potential. If you want to read more about him, follow the link.