Griffey is no Fonz

"Eyyyyyyyyy!"

In a move that surprises no one, the Sox have officially cut ties with Ken Griffey Jr. I always liked Griffey as a "clubhouse presence," but you can only pay so much per year for guys like that (*cough* Thome *cough*). As such, the Sox dropped a cool $2 million to make Griffey go away, meaning the Sox have a (larger) vacancy in Center Field. Notable options include:

#1. Brian Anderson. He's got the "field the ball" part down - he just needs to stop taking so many pitches that happen to be right in the strike zone...and then swinging horribly at sliders way out of the zone. A better plate presence will help, as I still believe Anderson has the tools to succeed as something more than a replacement OF.

#2. Jerry Owens. Just like last year, right? Owens is Podsednik reincarnate, and that comes with the good and the bad. He's a good contact hitter with blazing speed, and when he's getting on base, he can make opponents pay. On the other hand, Ron Santo could outrun one of his throws from CF, and Owens gets hurt as often (if not more often) than Podsednik did when he played here. Will likely need to stay healthy for an extended period of time to be considered anything more than a reserve OF/pinch runner.

#3. DeWayne Wise. Well, I kinda ran out of options here. If, for some reason, Wise is still with the team next year, he'll have an outside shot of making the team as a reserve OF. He can get on a hot streak with the bat and make himself useful on the basepaths, and his fielding is above-average.

#4. Free Agent. Given Anderson's track record - and the fact that he's the front-runner for the job, you've got to believe that this mystery player is the best option for the slot. Any guesses as to who it's going to be?