CHICAGO — It's hard to imagine the White Sox entering into a spring-training partnership with the Los Angeles Dodgers if the O'Malley family were still in charge out west.

Peter O'Malley's free-spending ways made him and Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf unlikely bedfellows. The mix wouldn't have been there during the years when the Dodgers were run by Rupert Murdoch's group, either. But Reinsdorf and Frank McCourt seem well-suited, as neither have had personal wealth at the high end of the ownership spectrum.

Both Reinsdorf and McCourt keep a close eye on the bottom line. While Reinsdorf took the White Sox's payroll into the nine-digit stratosphere in the honeymoon seasons after the 2005 championship, he and general manager Ken Williams now appear ahead of the curve in watching out for the economic downturn facing baseball and other professional sports.

The White Sox opened 2008 with a payroll of $121.2 million and added to it by trading for Ken Griffey Jr. at the trading deadline. The signing of Bartolo Colon gave them 14 players signed at $83.525 million. Factoring in the arbitration-eligible Bobby Jenks and 10 entry-level players, they will be in the range of $92-94 million when the season opens — and they are still open to trading Jermaine Dye, which could lower that figure.

The movement to get younger — creating opportunity for players like Josh Fields, Dayan Viciedo, Chris Getz, Brian Anderson, Jerry Owens and Brent Lillibridge — is allowing the White Sox to cut almost $30 million off the payroll, seemingly without being passed by anyone in the American League Central.

The Dodgers' cost-cutting is even worse, as Manny Ramirez can testify. The reality with a situation almost as strange as Ramirez himself is that it now appears the Dodgers never really wanted to re-sign Ramirez. Many around baseball believe general manager Ned Colletti made Ramirez a two-year offer only to save face, with the expectation that somebody would outbid him. But that hasn't happened.

If the Dodgers really wanted to keep Ramirez, they would have done it by now. But whispers have gone around for years about McCourt not having the usual financial muscle of Dodgers' owners, and that is being borne out this winter.

Earlier this winter, McCourt's wife, Jamie, wondered aloud if Dodgers fans wouldn't rather have 50 youth baseball fields built than pay $20 million-plus a year to keep Ramirez. Just the other day, Reinsdorf praised McCourt for having the idea to add fishing ponds and bike paths to the training complex the Dodgers will share with the White Sox in Glendale, Ariz. But what about players?

The Dodgers opened the 2008 season with a payroll of $118.6 million, and added Ramirez, Casey Blake and Greg Maddux in midseason deals. But they since have released Andruw Jones, lost six free agents to other teams (most notably Derek Lowe and Brad Penny) and allowed eight others, including Ramirez, to linger unsigned.

They have only about $52 million committed to nine players, with two of the three biggest contracts belonging to players who haven't helped (Juan Pierre and Jason Schmidt). They have four arbitration-eligible players, including catcher Russell Martin and closer Jonathan Broxton, and are expected eventually to re-sign Ramirez.

Things are always fluid with the Dodgers, with Colletti acting on the changing orders from his ownership. But even with Ramirez the 2009 payroll probably will be only about $90 million.

While the Sox count on production from inexpensive contributors like Carlos Quentin, Alexei Ramirez, John Danks and Gavin Floyd, the Dodgers have a deeper, more touted core of young players.

Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, James Loney and Martin figure to hit together near the middle of the order for years to come. Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, James McDonald and Cory Wade similarly anchor the pitching staff (although Billingsley may not be ready to open 2009 because of a November broken leg, when he slipped on ice).

But can you cut your payroll 30 percent and defend a division title? The Dodgers, like the White Sox, hope the answer is yes.

Handling with care: When the Cubs came within one victory of the 2003 World Series, manager Dusty Baker pushed his starting pitchers hard. Kerry Wood (12) and Mark Prior threw 120-plus pitches in 22 of 69 combined starts.

But the dynasty built around power pitching never materialized at Wrigley Field, in large part because of the diminished health of the two aces. It appears the sport has learned a lesson from that.

Baseball savant Gerry Fraley reports the total of 120-pitch starts has decreased in each of the last four seasons, falling from 186 in 2004 to 73 in '08.

Milwaukee led the sport with nine 120-pitch starts last season, including four apiece by CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets. No pitcher threw more than 132 pitches in a start last season (Ricky Nolasco and Tim Lincecum both hit that level); in 2003, Prior twice went to 133 pitches and Wood had a 141-pitch outing.

Surprisingly Baker's Cincinnati Reds had only three 120-pitch starts last season; none by Edinson Volquez or Johnny Cueto.

The last word: "When they say consistently, 'We're philosophically way apart, it's time we move on,' what am I to do, beg?"_John Smoltz on his decision to sign a one-year deal with Boston after 20 years in Atlanta.

The Whispers

How committed are the Cubs to Ryan Theriot as their shortstop? There was never even internal discussion about pursuing Michael Young, who the Rangers made available after he balked at moving to third base. Young and the Rangers appear to have worked out their differences, meaning it's Hank Blalock the Rangers are trying to trade. ... Blalock's availability doesn't help the market for Joe Crede, who is among the large group of free agents still unsigned. ... Also unsigned is a large group that was offered arbitration and declined it, including Orlando Cabrera, Ben Sheets, Juan Cruz, Jon Garland, Brandon Lyon and Oliver Perez. Brewers GM Doug Melvin said he considered signing Cruz as his closer but opted for Trevor Hoffman because he didn't want to give up a first-round draft pick. ... Cabrera is getting so anxious to sign that he has said he will move happily from shortstop to second base. Florida has some interest in him, a move that would shift Dan Uggla to third base. The Marlins currently are looking at a platoon of Dallas McPherson and Wes Helms. ... Spring training sleeper for the Cubs_center fielder Sam Fuld, who has had a big winter in Venezuela and has leadoff man skills. For the White Sox_third baseman Javier Castillo, a non-roster invitee who hit .288 between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte last season. ... Before signing Derek Lowe, the Braves had gone outside their organization to sign a significant free agent only once since 1998 — when they brought Tom Glavine back home last year. The White Sox have been almost as inactive, not signing a free agent to a deal worth more than $20 million since Albert Belle in 1997. ... Travis Hafner, who battled shoulder injuries throughout 2008 and had surgery in October, is scheduled to swing a bat Monday. ... The Brewers are interested in free-agent starter Braden Looper.