So, there was talk of the Sox getting Chone Figgins this offseason, or at least making a play for him. He’d fill in the gap at leadoff, and likely play an outfield position. But last week, Kenny Williams has hinted the Sox are bumping up against their budget for 2010, so Figgins was pretty much off the radar. If that’s the case, so is Johnny Damon.

And so might anyone else, if this quote from Jerry Reinsdorf is any indication:

“We signed our free agent already,” Reinsdorf says. “His name is Jake Peavy.”

Yeah, there you go. Add in Alex Rios’ gaudy contract to the mix here, too, and the Sox have already invested money in another “free agent,” they just did it before the season was up.

I suppose this doesn’t mean the Sox will stand idly by, though. They still could use another outfilelder, and perhaps a DH, now that Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye are gone. Williams is just going to have to get creative to fill those spots and keep the payroll close to where it is.

Kenny Williams spoke with reporters today, and some things have become much clearer. To wit:

+ Even though Jermaine Dye officially became a free agent today, Mark Teahen will play third base instead of right field for the White Sox. Gordon Beckham will move to second base to fill the void left by Chris Getz. Fair enough. Rick Morrissey writes today that Beckham should slide to shortstop, and Ramirez should go back to second. On the surface, I agree. I’d like to see Beckham at shortstop, his natural position. But according to UZR, Ramirez was a better shortstop this year than he was as a second baseman in 2008. Ozzie Guillen likes him at shortstop. Beckham is a good enough player to adapt to second. He’ll likely be fine there.

+ Scott Podsednik wants too much money, and will likely not be back with the White Sox. Of course this was how this one was going to end: the Sox got Pods on the cheap last season, and he overperformed. He wants more money now, which he’s entitled to based on last year. But the Sox have limited funds going forward, and they’re not about to give a guy like Scott Podsednik a couple million for another year of service.

+ So where does this leave the Sox with Chone Figgins? Well, if the Sox do acquire him, Teahen might not be a lock at third base, as Figgins could play there. Or, Figgins could float to center, which would move Alex Rios to left and Carlos Quentin to right. And, if Johnny Damon is really in the loop for the Sox, Teahen would obviously stay at third, and Damon fills in for Figgins in the outfield scenario.

The Boston Globe floated this theory yesterday:

If the Yankees don’t bring Johnny Damon back, the White Sox look like a good fit. They need a leadoff hitter, and while they’d love to sign free agent Chone Figgins and move him to the outfield, he may get too pricy. While Damon has been a No. 2 hitter for the Yankees, he could easily go back to the top spot and give the White Sox some leadoff power.

Figgins should still be Kenny Williams’ No. 1 get. He’s younger (he’s 31, Damon turns 36 on Thursday), more versatile and has put up a higher OBP the last two season than Damon has, something essential to the leadoff spot. Figgins’ WAR was also 5.9 this past season, compared to Damon’s 2.8. Damon’s defense has regressed this season in left field for the Yankees. Outside of power numbers, Figgins is the better player. There’s not a lot of wiggle room for debate here.

Yet, the Sox might get more value from a guy like Damon. Sure, he’s older and slower, but he’s still a solid, above average player, and the 24 home runs he put up last season would fare well inside the Cell. The problem with Figgins is he’s coming off a career year for the Angels, and he’s going to attract a lot of money. It’s not that Kenny’s afraid to spend, but when you look at what the Sox have invested in Jake Peavy and Alex Rios, it might be a little too rich for their blood. With Damon, you get similar needs filled at a reduced rate. For the Sox, either would be a pretty good fit, though Damon’s tenure wouldn’t be as long-term, and would likely have less upside.

One more thing on Damon: he’s exactly the type of player that fits into Ozzie Guillen’s mold — a grinder, a hard worker, a “true” baseball player.

I can already hear Hawk Harrelson gushing about him now …

When Chone Figgins was announced last evening during All-Star introductions, I figuratively raised an eyebrow. I did not remember him being on the roster. But my memory, like yours, is poor. Though, I do remember what I ate for breakfast this morning: nothing.

Turns out, my memory for this particular piece of information led me down the correct path: Figgins was not an All-Star until Evan Longoria bowed out with an infected finger yesterday. Problem was, Figgins was straight chillin’ on his mini-vacation, and he was a bit hard to get in contact with. He didn’t answer his phone. And according to Ed Price of FanHouse, it set off a ridiculous game of phone tag. After Angels vice president of communications Tim Mead couldn’t get a hold of Figgins, he called Garret Anderson. Anderson called Figgins’s mom, who called Figgins’s uncle. The uncle remembered that this bro Keith Johnson, who is the manager of the Angels’ Single-A squad, was staying at Figgins’s crib. That got back to Mead, and he called Johnson.

Johnson said, “You’ve got to get on the phone.”

Said Figgins, “For what?”

“Tim Mead wants to talk to you.”

“For what?”

“I don’t know, man. Just take the phone.”

And that’s how he found out he was an All-Star for the first time in his career.

Figgins didn’t even get in the game, and showed up too late to meet Barack Obama. But hey, he got to sit on the bench as an All-Star!