Would Ken Williams dare trade Mr. White Sox Paul Konerko? Of course he would.

The rumor making the rounds over the weekend had Konerko going to the Angels for Ervin Santana and Howie Kendrick. Konerko becomes a 10-5 guy this season and would be able to veto any trade Williams would like to make.

If the rumor came to fruition, Williams would essentially be trading Garland and Konerko for Cabrera, Kendrick and Santana.

Kendrick immediately moves into 2B as the starter there. He’s a sparkplug with pop in his bat and just 24 years old. Santana is just 25 and had a down season last year after breaking out in 2006.

Konerko will be 32 on opening day. He’s coming off a down year but you can likely pencil him in for over 30 homers and 30 doubles.

No doubt Konerko is one of my favorite players. But I would do the deal. Swisher can play first, Thome can dust off his glove on occasion, the Sox get younger and reduce payroll. They need more starting pitching and Santana has the stuff to become a frontline starter.

The other thing is if the Sox keep Crede and he’s healthy, he’s a much better option at 3rd than Fields. Fields can move to first.

While that would all be well and fine, the Tigers are a beast and the Tribe is a great ballclub. Sox will have a tough time making the wild card even if they do the deal. But overall they would be younger and better.