So when general manager Ken Williams was asked a few weeks ago about his stress level, he replied, ''It's a tad elevated.''

But Williams does have a plan.

''We never do things on the fly,'' Williams insisted before his team's disastrous road trip.

Fortunately for Williams, that plan heading into 2010 is simple and will come relatively cheap. After adding Peavy and Rios, it had better.

PITCHING STAFF

No team in the American League Central will open 2010 with a better one-through-four starting rotation than the Sox . Peavy will headline a group that includes Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd and John Danks as the Sox look to get back to the 2005 model of pitching and defense. Well, one out of two isn't bad.

The one hole will be No. 5, but that will be addressed quickly.

Freddy Garcia is making his case to return for a short-term contract and would give the Sox a hometown discount.

The wild card will be the continued jump of Dan Hudson, who has emerged as the top pitching prospect in the system.

The Sox' bullpen? Well, that's where Williams will have to do his most creative work. Matt Thornton and Scott Linebrink are financially locked in, and D.J. Carrasco is headed for a raise. The first tough decision Williams will have to make is with closer Bobby Jenks. And the question he must answer is, ''Can Thornton close if I trade Jenks?''

Jenks was signed to a $5.6 million deal to avoid arbitration and would jump to the $7 million-$8 million neighborhood for next year. Thornton has a $2.25 million club option that will be exercised. If Linebrink had shown he could put a full season together, Jenks would be gone. But moving Thornton to the closer role leaves a hole in the eighth inning. There's the rub.

Carrasco will get a look as more of a late-inning bridge guy, and the Sox are counting on Jhonny Nunez to emerge as a late-inning reliever, so there are options.

Recent history has taught us, though, that building a bullpen is a fragile process, an inexact science. The Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets have tried to build them through money, and they've failed. The '05 Sox had a bullpen that snuck up on everyone with its dominance.

LINEUP

There's only one offseason target on Williams' radar. The money off the books in losing Jim Thome, Jose Contreras, Octavio Dotel as well as possibly Jermaine Dye and Jenks not only covers the losses in '09 and the additions of Peavy and Rios, but allows Williams one big-ticket item. In this case, a speedy-ticket item.

Chone Figgins, come on down!

The Sox have been infatuated with the speedy leadoff hitter for four years, and now that he becomes a free agent, they'll make a serious play for him. If the asking price on Figgins is too high, then Scott Podsednik becomes Plan B, as well as talking to Dye about redoing a short-term contract and becoming a designated hitter.

The rest of the lineup will stay untouched with Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski signed through 2010, and Gordon Beckham, Chris Getz, Alexei Ramirez, Jayson Nix and Carlos Quentin all under Sox control.

Tyler Flowers will have an opportunity to win the back-up catcher's job, learning under Pierzynski.

STAFF

If manager Ozzie Guillen has his way, expect the entire coaching staff to return. And, yes, that means hitting coach Greg Walker, who's under fire again from the fans.

''Walk's been here for a while now, and to me, it's hard to pin something on a coach,'' Konerko said Wednesday in defending Walker. ''We have a good game or a good week, we joke, 'Well, I guess Walk's a good hitting coach again.' It's safe to say that it's not the hitting coach's fault.''

Comment at suntimes.com.

THREE TAKES

MORE WALKER

Paul Konerko once again said that calling for the head of hitting coach Greg Walker because of the recent offensive woes is ridiculous. ''I can tell you this: Since the day he took the job, his message to the players, whether it be approach stuff or mechanical stuff, has been the same,'' Konerko said. ''We've had hot months and halves, so if you think that's good and it works, it's been the same.''

GORDON RIPKEN

Rookie Gordon Beckham made his 63rd consecutive start Thursday and said third base is easier to play for him than shortstop. But Beckham knows a day off is coming. ''I think [Cal] Ripken's record will be safe,'' he said. ''I'm only about 2,600 games short of [his record]. Yeah, I'm closing the gap.''

FINANCIAL BACKER

The White Sox' annual fantasy football league took a hit when assistant trainer Brian Ball lost his co-owner. A day after the team held its draft, designated hitter Jim Thome was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ball's reaction? Well, now he's a small-market team.

BIG NUMBER

3RBI for outfielder Alex Rios since the Sox acquired him from the Toronto Blue Jays as a waiver claim. Rios is 10-for-64 (.156) with only one home run.

THE LAST WORD

''And just about the time we played our last game here, I think we figured out how to win. It's sad that we have to leave this place. Luckily we got a win.''

-- Right-hander Mark Buehrle after the Sox won their final game at the Metrodome