Hahn says he told Konerko the door is open for him to return to the Sox in a reduced role for 2014, despite the team's decision to sign first baseman Jose Abreu.
“We had a real good open and honest conversation about where his mind is at and his hopes for going forward, and a good talk about the club and our hopes for moving forward,” Hahn said. “At this time, he’s still going through his process of deliberating about what he wants to do next year.”
Konerko has offered no timetable on his decision, but I suspect we'll know within the next month whether he intends to play next year.
I would be surprised if we see Konerko back with the Sox. Resigning him would create a logjam of first baseman/designated hitter types. Are there enough at-bats to go around for Abreu, Konerko and Adam Dunn? I don't believe so, and Abreu and Dunn are already under contract for next season. The Sox aren't paying Abreu $68 million to start the season in the minors. He's going to be on the club. Dunn is going to be on the club, too, unless Hahn can find a taker for his $15 million salary. Unlikely. So where does that leave Konerko? Probably elsewhere or retired.
In this day and age where clubs carry 12 pitchers, it's really hard to go into a season with three 1B/DH types. You only have four position players on the bench, and you'd really like to have some speed and versatility there. Neither Konerko nor Dunn provide you with those things. In my mind, it's impossible to justify keeping both of them around when neither of them is going to play every day.
For now, we are in a holding pattern.Will Konerko take a reduced role with the Sox? Will another team offer him a full-time job at first base? Will he just retire? We'll see.
Four 'untouchables'
In other news, rival executives say Hahn is willing to trade anyone except these four players: Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, Abreu and Avisail Garcia.
I agree with three of the four, but I'm a little surprised to see Quintana's name on that list. Not that I don't like Quintana. He's a tough kid, a good competitor, an above-average pitcher in the American League. As an added bonus, he's left-handed. I'm just not sure his skill set ascends him to the level of "untouchable," especially since the Sox have so many other holes to fill.
I would never trade Sale, because I think he's a special talent that only comes along every so often. As effective as Quintana is, he's not in that class. If Hahn could fill two or three other holes by trading Quintana, wouldn't he have to consider that?
There would be enough DH/1B at-bats if the Sox would be willing to sit Dunn more often against left-handed pitching. I know they won't send him packing because of the salary, but there's no reason he has to be out there every day to spite themselves.
ReplyDeleteIf the Sox would be proactive with the situation, they could likely get very good production from the DH spot as Dunn's hit for OPSs of .817 and .786 against right-handers the last two years, and perhaps the reduced work could help keep him from another September fall-off.
Konerko could fit there, but I think if you're serious about winning, you'd give Dayan Viciedo those DH at-bats. Even if he's not a guy the Sox want to give up on yet, it would be worth it to get him out of the field on those days and replace him with either a more competent outfielder who can also hit lefties, or slide Alejandro De Aza over there if that lefty-hitting OFer happens to be a capable centerfielder like Chris Young or some other free agent.
To risk stating the obvious, Konerko just has no value if he's not raking the baseball.
Also, a case could be made that Quintana was the second-best left-handed starter in the American League last year behind Sale. It would be easier to argue that he had a better season than David Price just had, and that guy could fetch Tampa Bay a huge amount of talent this winter.
ReplyDeleteThat being the case, and Quintana being younger, cheaper and under team control longer, I think you have to listen to what might be out there.
Granted, Quintana doesn't have Price's pedigree or track record. All things considered, though, I can see why the Sox would want to be knocked over with a package of talent to consider moving their guy.
Haven't we been shouting about the need to platoon Dunn and his sub-.700 OPS against LHP for three years? I've given up on the idea that the Sox would cut Dunn's playing time to maximize his strengths and minimize his weaknesses. I feel like they would sooner eat the money than platoon him, and I don't think they are going to eat the money.
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't even have to be a straight platoon as there are lefties Dunn has actually hit pretty well against (including Jon Lester, Matt Harrison and familiar Sox nemesis Bruce Chen). Last year, Dunn even hit left-handed starters for a line of .256/.373/.600, and the year before .205/.309/.474.
DeleteThat Dunn struggles against left-handed relievers, and last year those guys started sapping his power to boot, the Sox should at least be more willing to pinch hit for him in those spots. You know... if they can dig up a better bench option than what they've had.
And to be fair, that may be part of it. Is someone like Tyler Greene or Jordan Danks going to do better than Dunn in one of those high-leverage spots? They maybe even had the right idea grabbing Casper Wells until he blew up.