Broadway Dealt to Mets

It's a sad day for White Sox fans. The club shipped its 2005 first-rounder, RHP Lance Broadway, to the Mets for backup catcher Ramon Castro. Now, really, that's not an awful trade. Broadway, 25, is fairly hittable and isn't a dominating major league pitcher. I hate to see the Sox give up on Broadway before he got an extended chance to prove himself, though.

The TCU product has never been overpowering, but he could have been a serviceable #5 starter for the Sox. (Bartolo Colon and Jose Contreras certainly haven't fared well back there.) He pounds the zone, is durable, and competes with a solid three-pitch mix (88 mph fastball, decent change, good curve). Broadway has always been under-appreciated because he doesn't light up radar guns or strike many people out, but I'll take a durable strike-thrower any day. Good luck to Lance on the Mets. I'll be rooting for him.

Staying on the White Sox tip, but on a better note, SS Gordon Beckham is still ripping it up. After being moved up to Triple-A, he has gone 9-for-19 to raise his season OPS to .887. Keep in mind, the 22-year-old is in his first full pro season and has done his raking in a couple of pitcher-friendly leagues.

Lance Broadway

*Photo courtesy of www.daylife.com