All April Fooling aside, let’s get down to some serious trade rumor business. I just spoke with a respected White Sox source, so here’s the latest info.
Seems the club’s decision makers are quite vexed with both Bobby Jenks and Dustin Hermanson.
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Not only did Jenks show up overweight to spring training, but he still hasn’t gotten into shape. His conditioning, and not his velocity, is the point of concern here.
The Sox are incensed at Hermanson for telling them he was OK when he really wasn’t. The severe back problems could force him to retire, and he did not give the team early warning to prepare.
UPDATE: My source just got back to me with further details on Hermanson. He told me:
"Kenny and Ozzie called him into Ozzie’s office around the first weekend of March and asked if his back condition was bad enough for them to look for a reliever. He said no. Then a few weeks later the news came out in the papers that Hermanson would consider career-threatening surgery if the epidural shots didn’t work. When Kenny read that, it sent him over the edge."
In 2005, Jenks and Hermanson combined for 96.6 innings of 2.33 ERA ball with 40 saves. The Sox need to replace this production somehow, and obviously Boone Logan and Matt Thornton aren’t the answer. Jenks and Hermanson have put management in a compromising position – they’ll be forced to trade for a reliever in the near future. The starting six will have to be broken up.
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