Garcia is back ! He's bringing Thornton with him

It was almost an afterthought on if the White Sox would pick up the $1 million 2010 option on Freddy Garcia, but that scenario was put to rest on Tuesday afternoon, as a club source confirmed that Garcia would be back on the South Side next season.

The right-hander was 3-4 with a 4.34 ERA in nine starts, after he was released by the Mets in April and out of baseball for a time.

On paper, Garcia will be the No. 5 starter, behind ace Jake Peavy, John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Mark Buehrle.

What the Sox really like is the price tag, considering he comes at $1 million with $2 million in incentives.

Garcia, who was on the 2005 World Series winning staff, was traded from the South Side to Philadelphia after the 2006 season in a package that brought Floyd to the club.

He is 118-77 lifetime with a 4.07 ERA.

The club also announced that Matt Thornton and his $2.25 million option were picked up. The lefty also has a $3 million option for next season, so seems to be staying put for sometime.

Thornton was 6-3 with a 2.74 ERA, as well as saving four games. His six wins, 72 1/3 innings pitched and 87 strikeouts were all career highs.