Chicago White Sox 2004 trades set up World Series title
The Chicago White Sox made big trades in 2004 that took them to another level.
The Chicago White Sox had many great players on the 2005 team that brought a World Series title to the South Side.
Paul Konerko, A.J. Pierzynski, Bobby Jenks, and Aaron Rowand are just four of the many players that helped them succeed that season.
However, that team never would have had that success without moves made in 2004.
Over the course of that calendar year, the team acquired Jose Contreras, Freddy Garcia, Scott Podsednik, and Luis Vizcaino as detailed by Scott Merkin of MLB.com.
Contreras had the best full season of his career, at the time, registering a 3.61 ERA, 4.21 FIP, 1.231 WHIP, 6.8 K/9, and 3.3 BB/9 over 32 starts.
In the postseason, his 3.09 ERA over four starts in the playoffs helped carry the rotation.
That was by far his best season with the Chicago White Sox, but he picked a very good one to make as his career year.
Garcia was also pivotal at the top of the rotation as he had a 3.87 ERA over a career-high 228 innings in 2005. His 2.14 ERA in the postseason was crucial for the team.
Vizcaino was a little less impactful out of the bullpen, but nonetheless he served as a nice bridge to Jenks while registering a 3.73 ERA over 65 appearances that season.
Podsednik had a career-high 59 stolen bases in 2005 that helped the team create runs in a variety of ways.
His flaw was his lack of power that saw him hit zero home runs that season, but he still managed to compile a respectable 88 wRC+ as detailed by FanGraphs.
Despite his lack of power, Podsednik led off for the team the majority of the season.
His .948 OPS in the playoffs was a pleasant surprise that season as he accumulated six extra-base hits (two homers and three triples).
Defense is what made him so valuable during the regular season, though, as he had 9 DRS and a 6.4 UZR in left field that season next to Rowand’s elite center field glove.
All four of these acquisitions played important roles in the Chicago White Sox winning the World Series in 2005.
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