Our chances of winning the 2009 World Series just improved dramatically yesterday afternoon. Granted, our chances of getting into the playoffs this year remain about the same as before the trade and our chief rivals have both improved their chances with deadline deals. Kenny Williams believes we can win the division with this team and if he's right, has just given us a legitimate shot of winning it all with what would be the best 4 man rotation in baseball going into the playoffs.

Last year was a surprisingly good year for the Sox as we watched them rally in the last week of the season in dramatic fashion to take the division crown. Once there, we were no match for Tampa or any of the AL playoff teams for that matter and were quickly eliminated. Most fans were satisfied with the season but KW was not. Now, in a similar situation with the division up for grabs again this year, he made the boldest deadline deal in baseball to give us a realistic shot at winning it all. Say what you want about KW but the man has the biggest balls in the game of baseball and is never afraid to lay them on the table. 

Was the move a gamble? Hell yes it was a gamble and that's why no other GM in baseball went after Peavy. The man just gave up 3 promising young pitchers and a throw in for an expensive pitcher on the disabled list while everyone else was sniffing and whiffing on Halladay. No other GM had the guts to make that move, let alone this one. The other reason to be optimistic about the deal is Kenny has proved to be pretty shrewd at evaluating his pitching prospects and if he really thought he was giving up a star quality pitcher, I doubt he would part with them. 

Now, his off-season task is much simpler. Find us a center fielder and fifth starter, either from within or through trade or free agency and we are set to contend and win for the next few years.        

It's been a rather puzzling year for the Sox number one pitching prospect, Aaron Poreda. After a pretty solid performance in Birmingham in '08, a stint in the Arizona Fall League and talk during spring training this year of a possible opening day roster spot, Poreda finds himself in Charlotte. Many of us thought a year spent in AAA would be the best thing for him as he needed to work on his secondary pitches and command while being challenged at a higher level of competition. That's where he is now but the path to get there may have stunted his growth.

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As a life long Sox fan I'm a bit pessimistic by nature and with good cause. We've suffered through decades of mediocre baseball with the occasional team that made it to the playoffs, only to break our hearts and then suffer years of rebuilding for our next shot. I was thankful for the miracle of 2005 and considered it a once in a lifetime thrill but am now convinced we can win "a few more." (Exhale) 

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