Thornton? Meh

The Chicago White Sox traded reliever Sergio Santos, their primary closer in 2011, to the Toronto Blue Jays today for Nestor Molina, an intriguing young arm. More on that here.

So what does this do for Chicago's saves sitch? Common knowledge could point to southpaw Matt Thornton, but he's involved in trade rumors and didn't exactly wow when given the reins last year.

Chris Sale looks like a potential rotation member. Jesse Crain is a nice candidate, as he has some late-innings experience. Either way, they're probably not going to sign a big name.

The ChiSox now have a chance to unearth a stopper, as they did with Santos. Enter Addison Reed, widely regarded as their future fireman. Why not the near future? This right-hander has Santos-like skills. The soon-to-be 23-year-old dazzled in limited MLB reps and mowed down minors bats.

Even if he doesn't get the role immediately, he could, like Santos, convince Robin Ventura over the course of the season that he's the best option. Reed stands on my VIP list of sleeper save targets for 2012.