One of the faces of the franchise over the last decade on Wednesday agreed to a one-year deal to return to the South Side. This is definitely a team-friendly contract. Konerko is used to making eight figures, but he's coming back for just $2.5 million, and $1 million of that is deferred to 2021.
The six-time All-Star batted just .244 with a career-low slugging percentage of .355 in 2013. There probably wasn't a full-time first baseman's job available for him on the open market. Konerko has said he would only accept a part-time role with the Sox, and that is what he will get for 2014.
I wouldn't be surprised if we see a DH platoon between Konerko and Adam Dunn next season.
Despite his 2013 struggles, Konerko still hit lefties at a decent clip last year:
vs. LHP: .313/.398/.525 with 5 home runs and 16 RBIs in 99 at-bats.
Against righties, he was not good:
vs. RHP: .226/.290/.310 with 7 home runs and 38 RBIs in 368 at-bats.
That makes him a natural platoon fit with Dunn, who hit righties much better than lefties in 2013:
vs RHP: .226/.327/.459 with 28 home runs and 64 RBIs in 403 at-bats.
vs. LHP: .197/.296/385 with 6 home runs and 22 RBIs in 142 at-bats.
Hopefully, the Sox will be smart enough to use Konerko and Dunn in this fashion. Barring an injury to Jose Abreu, neither man figures to see much time at first base.
The best thing to come from this signing is it will allow Konerko to have one more year in the sun and have a proper sendoff before he retires.
The negative is it limits roster flexibility for manager Robin Ventura. He's going to have a DH (either Konerko or Dunn) on his bench every day. One of the other four bench spots will be taken up by a backup catcher. That means your other two bench players better have the ability to play multiple positions. If the Sox can find a reserve who can play both the infield and the outfield, all the better. I figure Leury Garcia might be the player they have in mind for that role.
In any case, Konerko is back for one more year as a fan and clubhouse favorite. If used properly, he may still have a little left to give the White Sox.
I am in love with this move! Now Sox fans will know for sure that 2014 will be Konerko's last season and he can be given the appropriate sendoff that he so deserves.
ReplyDeleteI'm OK with this if we live in a world where the Sox know how to actually sit Adam Dunn against left-handers, or are capable of asking Konerko to take a walk if it turns out favorable platoon matchups and lots of rest can't restore him to productivity. I don't know we live in that world.
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting how this impacts the rest of the roster, but my best guess is that the Sox were always going to give the third base job back to Conor Gillaspie unless Marcus Semien overwhelmed in winter ball and spring training.
I'll be more interested to know if this closes the Sox off from adding another outfielder. It's looking like they'll stick with Garcia, De Aza and Viciedo. Maybe Dunn will be asked to play the corners once in a while. That might get ugly.
My feeling is that Gillaspie is the third baseman, and that one of the incumbent middle infielders will be traded to clear a starting spot for Semien.
ReplyDeleteA big question is whether they can get Keppinger outta here. I didn't see a spot for him on the team even before Konerko came back. Now, I really don't see any room for Keppinger.
Assuming they intend to carry 12 pitchers, right now your bench is: Konerko, L. Garcia, Keppinger, backup catcher.
OK, even if they are happy with Viciedo, De Aza and A. Garcia as the everyday outfield, what if one of those guys gets hurt? You're looking at L. Garcia as your backup outfielder. You can put Dunn at a corner spot in a pinch, but I wouldn't recommend it for any more than a game here or a game there. I believe JorDanks is out of options, so I'm not sure if they'd be able to stash him in Charlotte as an insurance policy. I'd rather have JorDanks (or some other outfielder by trade) on the bench than Keppinger.
Really, the big issue with bringing Konerko back is the affect on the rest of the roster. It's not so big a deal if they want to go with 11 pitchers, but who does that anymore in this age of bullpen specialization? Robin would have to change the way he manages.
It's probably less critical that they carry 12 pitchers this year, even accounting for specialization. The last couple years, they really had to worry about workload concerns for young guys (Sale, Quintana, Santiago) and guys coming back from injuries (Peavy, Danks).
ReplyDeleteBesides having more confidence in those guys, they should maybe just consider keeping their Dylan Axelrod-quality starter/long reliever in Charlotte until there's a real need, instead of like the last few years when a guy would get called up and hang around for six weeks, despite pitching only a few times before being sent out again.
If Konerko can really still hit some lefties, and take some of those PAs away from Dunn, the net positive for this awful offense might be greater than any negative losing the extra flotsam on the pitching staff would be.