White Sox send Brandon Allen to D-Backs for Tony Pena

July 7, 9:19 PMChicago White Sox ExaminerJJ Stankevitz

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The White Sox added some nice depth to the MLB bullpen today, but it came at a cost.

Tony Pena, a hard-throwing righty from Arizona whose fastball averages over 95 mph, was picked up from the Diamondbacks for AAA first baseman Brandon Allen, one of the organization's best hitting prospects.

It's not that I don't like Pena, but I really liked Allen. I figured he could slide in for Paul Konerko when his contract is up after 2010 or play some DH if Jim Thome leaves after this year. Allen has excellent power and was really starting to come around with the rest of his offensive game in the last couple of years, which is why it's curious that the Sox traded him for nothing more than a middle reliever.

Pena hasn't been spectacular this year, either. Granted, he's been victimized by a pretty high BABIP, but for a guy with such a volatile fastball/slider combo, he doesn't get a ton of strikeouts. That's not saying he's bad, but I'm not sold that he was worth a prospect of Allen's talent.

What's interesting is that this move could mean a bigger role for Aaron Poreda. If Jimmy Gobble is booted from the majors to make room for Pena, it would make Poreda the second lefty in the bullpen and would get him more opportunities to pitch than he's getting now.

Or, it could mean that Gobble stays and Poreda is sent back to the minors to work as a starter, maybe putting the heat on Clayton Richard.