A new direction on the South Side

It was the kind of question that deserved a little more thought, especially from a general manager who enjoyed watching his starting rotation dominate during the 2005 postseason. But as Ken Williams -- nine years on the job as the White Sox' GM -- was asked to name the last time he felt this good about his rotation, there was no moment of reflection. ''I have not,'' Williams said Tuesday. ''This is the first time I think we're not out looking for another piece to it.'' Williams might be the only participant in the GM meetings, which conclude today at the Hilton Chicago O'Hare Airport, who isn't hunting for starting pitching. Unless the New York Yankees reach into their bottomless pockets and walk away with Roy Halladay and John Lackey, the Sox will enter 2010 with the best rotation in Baseball. Jake Peavy, Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Gavin Floyd and a rejuvenated Freddy Garcia form an intimidating group. Maybe that's why Williams is looking so refreshed at these meetings. ''You go into an offseason without starting pitching?'' he said with a sigh. ''Yes, that will keep you up at night.'' Though adding Peavy at the non-waiver trade deadline July 31 completed much of his offseason work, the last key to the rotation was getting a good read on Garcia, who was coming off shoulder surgery. Garcia, 33, looked good enough down the stretch -- closing his season by holding the still-contending Detroit Tigers to one run and six hits in seven innings -- that the Sox picked up his 2010 option and wrote him into their rotation. ''We knew what we had with the other guys,'' Williams said. ''But because we took some time and slowed down Freddy in his comeback and allowed him to come back slowly and fit into the No. 5 spot with some added rest here and there, it has the potential to be something very, very special.'' Don't look for the Sox to go on any more surprising spending sprees the way Williams did midway through last season. They're pinching pennies and preaching pitching and defense. The starting pitching -- if it stays healthy -- will be top-shelf. The bullpen will be a major question mark. And the infield defense is expected to improve with the recent shuffle after the trade for Mark Teahen sent second baseman Chris Getz to the Kansas City Royals. The Sox had the option of moving Gordon Beckham back to his natural position of shortstop and nudging Alexei Ramirez from short back to second, where he was solid in 2008. But Ramirez, whose struggles at short loudly were pointed out by manager Ozzie Guillen last season, got to stay put. Why? ''Because Alexei's better than Gordon at short,'' Williams said. ''Not that Gordon can't play the position, but Alexei is a special guy.'' And Williams firmly believes Beckham will be special at second. ''He's a leader,'' Williams said. ''He's the kind of guy you want in the middle part of your infield. He will profile offensively, I think, better in the middle part of your infield. And we may have a guy who can be an All-Star at that position vs. a guy who would maybe be in the middle of the pack at third base.'' Pitching and defense on the South Side? So much for that exploding scoreboard.