White Sox pick up Guillen's 2012 option

CHICAGO, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- White Sox General Manager Ken Williams said picking up manager Ozzie Guillen's option for 2012 was meant to give the club a sense of stability in 2011.

The Sox announced late Friday they had committed to Guillen and were putting aside the friction caused by a disappointing performance last season and the drafting of Guillen's son, Oney, in the lower rounds of the draft.

"I've never doubted the man's managerial ability and the ability to pull people together," Williams said. "We all can get off track a little bit, and we did last year. All I want us to do is to get back on track and focus on the baseball team and the fans."

The Chicago Tribune said Saturday that Guillen will have some new tools to work with this spring. The Sox re-signed veterans Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski and added free agents Adam Dunn and Jesse Crain.