26-year old righty reliever Shane Lindsay has elected to become a free agent. Lindsay pitched in 4 games (0 starts) for the White Sox last year and he was 0-0 with a 12.00 ERA and a 2.67 WHIP. He also pitched in 50 games (0 starts) in AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 3-3 with 4 saves, a 2.18 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Lindsay will get another chance with another team in 2012, but the White Sox shouldn’t miss him too much.

The White Sox have released 29-year old righty reliever Tony Pena. Pena pitched in 17 games (0 starts) for the White Sox last year and he was 1-1 with a 6.20 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP. He pitched in 104 games (3 starts) in his three years with the White Sox and he was 7-6 with 1 save, a 4.93 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. Pena needs Tommy John Surgery, so getting rid of him makes perfect sense for the Pale Hose.

The Chicago White Sox have five impending free agents after the World Series. Here is a look at who will be likely staying and leaving over the winter:

Ramon Castro: 35-year old righty swinging catcher Ramon Castro played in 23 games for the White Sox last year and he was 16 of 68 (.235 avg, .763 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 4 homers and 10 RBIs. I think the White Sox are going in a different direction. PREDICTION: LEAVING

Omar Vizquel: 44-year old switch-hitting infielder Omar Vizquel played in 58 games for the White Sox last year and he was 42 for 167 (.251 avg, .592 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 0 homers, 8 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Vizquel is running out of gas. PREDICTION: LEAVING

Juan Pierre: 34-year old lefty swinging LF Juan Pierre played in 158 games last year and he was 178 for 639 (.279 avg, .657 OPS) with 80 runs scored, 2 homers, 50 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. Pierre was a Ozzie Guillen favorite and GM Kenny Williams wants to get Dayan Viciedo a starting spot. PREDICTION: LEAVING

Mark Buehrle: 32-year old lefty starting pitcher Mark Buehrle pitched in 31 games (all starts) for the White Sox last year and he was 13-9 with a 3.59 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. The White Sox won’t be interested in matching the kind of offer that Buehrle is likely to get on the free agent market. PREDICTION: LEAVING

Jason Frasor: 34-year old righty reliever Jason Frasor pitched in 20 games (0 starts) for the White Sox last season and he was 1-2 with a 5.09 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. He pitched in 64 games (0 starts) overall for the White Sox and Blue Jays last year and he was 3-3 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. The White Sox have a club option on Frasor for 2012 valued at $3.75 million bucks, and I don’t see any way that they will be picking it up. PREDICTION: LEAVING

26-year old righty swinging outfielder Lastings Milledge has elected to become a minor league free agent, likely ending his time with the Pale Hose. Milledge played in 2 games for the White Sox in 2011 and he was 1 for 4 (.250 avg, .750 OPS) with 1 run scored. He also played in 123 games in AAA-ball for the White Sox and he was 131 of 444 (.295 avg, .805 OPS) with 61 runs scored, 12 homers, 47 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. Milledge is still young enough to turn his career around, but the White Sox saw enough not to want to bring him back for 2012.

The White Sox have signed 44-year old Robin Ventura to a multi-year contract to manage the team. He has virtually no experience managing or coaching. This was likely owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s call as he is very loyal to people who have played or worked for him before. Ventura played in 1,254 games from 1989-1998 with the White Sox and he was 1,244 of 4,542 (.274 avg, .805 OPS) with 658 runs scored, 171 homers, 741 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Ventura is #6 in homers in White Sox history (171). He is also #8 in RBIs (741) and #5 in walks (668) in Pale Hose history. Ventura won 5 Gold Gloves and he made 1 All-Star team in his 10 years with the White Sox. Look for GM Kenny Williams to surround Ventura with a very experienced coaching staff, to give him support.