Comments made earlier today by White Sox GM Ken Williams make closer Bobby Jenks' return less likely, writes Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Jenks is eligible for arbitration but could find himself non-tendered this winter.
"That's something we have to evaluate strongly because I've been disappointed on a number of levels," the GM said. "And there are certain things that I'm not going to talk about right now."
Jenks, 29, has missed significant time this year due to a series of injuries. In 55 appearances, the closer turned in an ERA of 4.44 with 10.4 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. While Williams acknowledged that Jenks has accomplished great things in Chicago, he seems to know that retaining him might not make financial sense. The righty earned $7.5MM in 2010 and is likely to receive a raise in arbitration.
In a recent poll, 85% of MLBTR readers said that they expect the White Sox to non-tender Jenks this winter.
I’d say Bobby Jenks has cashed his last ’05 Sox loyalty check.
I’m glad the Sox will not tender Jenks. Not glad Ken Williams is back. He has complete disregard for the farm system. He should realize unless you have a 200 million payroll, to be competitive you cannot afford to constantly dump prospects at the trade deadline year after year after year etc.