The trade deadline doesn't come until July 31, but the Chicago White Sox saw a chance to improve Tuesday and acquired Carl Everett and Roberto Alomar -- two talented veterans the Sox hope will help them in their pennant push.

Rough Times Keep Raining On Rangers

The Texas Rangers have now dealt Carl Everett to the White Sox and Ruben Sierra to the Yankees. I wouldn't be surprised to see Rafael Palmeiro go too. Of course, the Rangers had also worked out a Juan Gonzalez-to-the-Expos trade, but Gonzalez used his no-trade clause to veto the deal. That surprised me, because if a team doesn't want you and you have an opportunity to play for a contending team, why would you stay in Texas? If Gonzalez had given the Montreal Expos a boost in the pennant race, he could have likewise boosted his value on the free-agent market this coming offseason. But I don't know all the reasons Gonzalez had for his decision, whether they were family-related or otherwise. With Buck Showalter at the helm, I expected the Rangers to be better this year. But it's difficult for a new manager to make up for a lack of pitching (MLB-worst 6.12 ERA). The Rangers surely will undergo a major face-lift this offseason -- and will continue to be in selling mode as the trade deadline nears. Speaking of trades, what about Alex Rodriguez? Could A-Rod, with his record $250 million contract, ever be traded? While it isn't likely, no one is untradeable. You can never say never as far as baseball trades are concerned. If the Rangers struggle for years to come, maybe they'd consider dealing A-Rod. But I'm sure Texas owner Tom Hicks would need to eat plenty of A-Rod's salary to make such a deal work.

The White Sox have struggled offensively. In the AL, only the Detroit Tigers have a worse batting average than Chicago's .244 mark. The Sox have also struggled defensively at times, but their pitching has been strong, with the AL's fourth-best ERA (4.07).

The offensive deficiencies and defensive lapses have led to 13 one-run losses -- and 12 more losses in two- or three-run games.

First baseman Paul Konerko has struggled the most. He hit .304 with 104 RBI and 27 home runs last season, but this year he's batting just .185.

Though Everett has slumped some lately, he should add some pop to Chicago's lineup. He's batting .274 with 18 home runs and 51 RBI. Magglio Ordonez (.285-14-46) and Carlos Lee (.267-13-49) are starting to hit for the White Sox, while Frank Thomas also has had a solid first half (.285-18-42). So the Sox seem poised to score some runs in the second half.

Alomar, meanwhile, is having a rough year -- offensively and defensively -- despite being one of the all-time great second baseman.

I wonder if he'll be able to turn things around in Chicago. When you're not swinging the bat well and have developed bad habits related to your swing, a mere change of scenery won't necessarily help.

Still, Alomar should help the White Sox both in the field and at the plate. The 10-time Gold Glove winner hit .336 with 20 homers and 100 RBI in 2001, his most recent season in the AL (with the Indians). Since he's accustomed to the AL -- having spent 11 of his 15 seasons there -- maybe he'll feel more comfortable and turn things around.

The White Sox now have a great chance to make a run at the AL Central crown. They trail the upstart Kansas City Royals by three games, with the Minnesota Twins one-half game behind the Royals.

The defending champs, the Twins, didn't improve in the offseason. They have the same lineup as last season, and center fielder Torii Hunter isn't having the MVP-type season he had last year last year.

I saw Minnesota as the division favorite heading into 2003, but after these moves by the White Sox, there is no favorite. The White Sox, though, have plenty of upside.

The White Sox brass should be commended for exercising patience with manager Jerry Manuel when Chicago struggled with a 14-27 record from late April until early June. Now Manuel has a chance to lead the White Sox to the playoffs.

Will Alomar's Departure Hurt Phenom Reyes?
Roberto Alomar's departure from the New York Mets could have an effect on shortstop phenom Jose Reyes, who was called up June 10 and has played the past 21 games with the Mets. Alomar was Reyes' double-play partner and a veteran mentor for the 20-year-old.

Reyes was expected to be with the Mets for the short-term as a substitute for the injured Rey Sanchez. But some have wondered whether Reyes has been brought to the majors too soon.

	Jose Reyes Shortstop New York Mets Profile
	2003 SEASON STATISTICS GM HR RBI R OBP AVG 21 1 18 9 .222 .218

There are two schools of thought on young prospects. One approach is to be cautious and not rush a prospect to the majors, because if he comes up too soon and struggles, his confidence could be shattered. The other approach is to bring a prospect up as soon as possible because the major-league seasoning will help him.

In Reyes' case, the cautious approach might be wiser.

He's struggling at the plate with a .218 average, and he's made some costly errors. I've heard some say he has nothing left to learn at the Triple-A level, but I disagree completely. There's plenty Reyes and other minor-leaguers can learn in Triple-A.

No question, the Mets are treading a fine line that could cause Reyes' career to go either way. If he stays with the parent club and loses his confidence, it could hurt his career long-term. There's a fine line between gaining confidence and having your confidence shattered.

It's worse, too, if a young prospect comes up and struggles on a losing team like the Mets. Losing can be contagious -- and being in the New York media market makes it that much tougher. There are some things you can learn only in a winning environment. When I came up with the Astros we lost all the time, but as it turned out I was ready for the majors.

After watching Reyes play in two games this past weekend as part of ESPN's Yankees-Mets broadcasts, it's clear that he has special talent -- the quickness and the charisma that the great shortstops have. When you look at him on the field, you can sense that special charisma.

I spoke with Mets manager Art Howe over the weekend, and he told me that Reyes belonged in the majors and that the adversity won't hurt him. For Reyes' sake, I hope Howe is right.

The Mets can't keep Reyes in the big leagues if he continues to struggle. I should probably give the Mets the benefit of the doubt, because they know the kid better than I do. But after weighing all the factors, it looks like Reyes would be better off back in Triple-A for now. That could help him become a great major-leaguer down the road, not just a good one.

Remembering Koppett: On the Sunday Night Baseball telecast, I was remiss in not mentioning the passing of Leonard Koppett, one of the truly great baseball historians. Koppett was a Hall of Fame sportswriter and a great, great person. I will miss the conversations we had each year at the ballpark. Koppett died suddenly Sunday at the age of 79. I will attend his memorial in Los Altos, Calif. on Monday.

An analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan won back-to-back World Series and MVP awards with the Reds in 1975 and '76. He contributes a weekly column to ESPN.com.