It has become obvious in this, the off season that the Chicago White Sox have no money, that Sox GM Kenny Williams is taking a page out of the Al Gore playbook.  Instead of going after players at the top of their game, Kenny has spent a lot of time at the MLB landfill looking for recycled players.

So far,the list includes Andruw Jones and Omar Vizquel, two players whose signings would have been front page news seven to nine years ago.  Now comes word that the Sox are looking at J.J. Putz and Hideki Matsui.  I also understand the Sox short list includes Barry Bonds, Randy Johnson and the late Ed Walsh.

Instead of getting an impactful left fielder who can jump start the Sox anemic offense, the Sox are looking at the bargain bin because of Kenny's shopping spree last year.  The jury on Jake Peavy is still out (although early returns are favorable) and the judgment on Alex Rios is that so far, he's proven to be a very expensive gamble that hasn't panned out.

Meanwhile, the Sox talk about this and that, but are interested in players who can be signed for a low base and lots of incentives (a technique pioneered by The Chairman himself.)  Putz has had shoulder surgery and probably will never duplicate the success he had in Seattle when he piled up a total of 76 saves in 2006-2007. 

Sure Matsui was the 2009 World Series MVP, but how many miles does he have left on his injury plagued knees?  The Sox have talked about rotating the DH position among several players, but if Matsui can't play the outfield, that will scrap that plan.

My heart skipped a beat when I read that the Sox almost traded Q for "The Answer" (a trade I would have made in a second) but it didn't work out.  If the Sox could pull that off, maybe a Jack Cust could come in and play right field while The Answer hung out in left. 

The Sox are running out of options to solve the left field situation.  As it stands right now, left field may be a revolving door built around Jones and Mark Kotsay.  Jordan Danks, who got rave reviews for his play in the AFL isn't ready yet.  Dewayne Wise is gone and Scott Podsednik, last year's big bargain bin pickup, is in serious talks with division rival Kansas City.  Chone Figgins, a favorite discussion topic of Sox fans, has signed a hefty multi-year deal with Seattle.  So where will Kenny turn next?

One possibility is a player no one has talked about, Alejandro De Aza, acquired on waivers from the Marlins, where he hit .250 in twenty at bats at mid-season.  I'd say if he can bunt, I'd give him a long look. 

There's also Ryan Church, cut loose by the Braves.  He's a lefty, can play left and hits around .280.  He's probably a younger version of Mark Kotsay, but he is available and is probably a value right now. 

Another pitching value may be Boof Bonser, recently released by the Twins.  If his arm is healthy, he could fill the long reliever/swing man role, allowing D.J. Corrasco to move to set up duty.  That would push Linebrink back to the sixth inning where at least you would have three inning s to recover from whatever damage he would inflict upon you. Of course, the Twins don't let anyone get away who can help them, so you've got to think Bonser may be done.

Other than that, it's back to rummage sales and auctions for Kenny Williams.

Lightning Round

• The Washington Nationals have become the land of White Sox misfit toys.  Their closer is former Sox Mike MacUseless and now they have just signed former Sox bust Jerry Owens. They've already had Kip Wells on their roster.  Maybe they'd like to discuss Scott Linebrink?