The Orioles have made Paul Konerko a "significant offer," according to Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio (on Twitter). O's President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said last week that the team was disappointed to have missed out on Victor Martinez despite offering a competitive deal. MacPhail said that the Orioles are "looking at other options."
Konerko, who hit 39 homers and posted a .312/.393/.584 line last year, would be a fit in Baltimore, where he could play first and hit in the middle of Buck Showalter's lineup. He'll cost a draft pick since he turned down an offer of arbitration from the White Sox, but Baltimore's first rounder is protected.
Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles have offered contracts to multiple free agents this week.
3/40 would be a “significant offer for Paulie….maybe more.
I think he’d be great for the young guys on the team, the team in general, the fanbase, and everything else…I’d like to see it happen.
Konerko needs to retire with the Sox. He and Buehrle have defined that organization for the past decade.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to bathe in their tears if he left. But it just wouldn’t be right.
You must not like to bathe much.
You have to assume once his agent got the call from the O’s either his agent called jerry and kenny or the other way around…PK will give the sox time to counter offer…I would be very very sad if PK left the sox but at the same time if they offer him a 4 year deal he should take it and kenny and jerry shouldnt even blink. I would not go over 3 with PK…it would be a great move for the O’s though…and might clear up space and potential money that may have been thought to be used on PK for someone like Dunn or an outfielder and move CQ to either 1st or to DH….
Konerko would never sign with the Os. He’ll be back in Sox black. Book it.
maybe not the sox but i would think he is either going to the sox or a west coast team to be closer to his family
I disagree I’d much rather them go after Dunn than Konerko, neither are great in the field, but I’d prefer Dunn do to his youth, health and consistency as well as being a great clubhouse guy. I Bet Dunn could be had for a $14 million a year type deal and he is well worth it.
konerko is very very good in the field trust me after watching him for years he has saved many an error with his glove and he is one of the best 1st basemen at turing a DP starting from first….he is and always was under rated in terms of defense
I used to agree with that assessment, but his UZR numbers, reports from Keith Law and others, and even the few games I saw him this year make me think his age caught up to him. As a DH I think he can produce (though not at his 2010 level), but I really think his glove will hurt more than it helps. If the O’s are surrendering a draft pick I’d prefer it to be for Dunn than Konerko.
I think UZR and most other metrics are somewhat unreliable for first basemen – I remember Law criticized them. (for one thing they don’t account for runs saved from picking bad throws). the fans’ scouting report has Konerko in the middle of the pack for first basemen, and basically most of his negative UZR came last year, which could just be an anomaly. I’m sure he’s declined over the past few years, but I don’t really think he’s a -15 run fielder either. anyway, if he’s willing to DH and his defense is really that bad, he’ll probably DH for the O’s and they’ll use Scott or Riemold at 1B.
Baltimore is pretty far from home for Paulie and my understanding is that one of his priorities is to be closer to Arizona. It will be interesting to see what other offers are made for him.
I really can’t see a different between Chicago and Baltimore mattering much if he lives in Arizona. He’d only be saving a couple hours of flight time on the rare occasions during the season he wants to go back to Arizona.
The Orioles train in Florida, and the Sox in Glendale, Az. That gives Konerko another month home with his family. I think any team he goes to has to have ST in AZ.
Good point. I didn’t consider ST.
hopefully he looks good in sedona red.
If Konerko lands anywhere but Chicago, Williams is going to be in desperation mode to get Dunn.
There’s no way around it: If Konerko signs elsewhere, Dunn is their only hope of replacing that production. And if they don’t get Dunn or Konerko, they’re going to have a real difficult time putting together a lineup that’s equal (let alone improved) to last year…
Adrian Gonzalez would be a way better option then Dunn & would cost about as much. Gonzalez is also young, healthy, oh yeah, and he can actually PLAY his position, unlike Dunn. :/ Or, we could just gamble on Viciedo for 2011 and look at a rebuild.
I really hope Kenny can overlook his Dunn-lust, he’d be a disaster.
KW could certainly go the trade route to fill the void, but landing Gonzo would be much more difficult than Dunn. For Dunn, you just need to offer a lucrative deal. For Gonzo, you need to put together a trade package.
Well, Dunn is certainly more in keeping with KW’s patented “lightning in a bottle” trade style and he’s been dying to get his hands on him for years, but he’s really just an awful solution for the White Sox. I realize we have almost nothing left in terms of young talent to be traded as KW has already pillaged our farm system, but I think we could still put together a very competitive package for Gonzo and it would be a hell of a lot smarter than bringing in yet ANOTHER one dimensional, end-of-career player. Also, I really think Dunn would chafe big-time under Ozzie’s management style. He doesn’t want to DH and Ozzie expects flexibility. Dunn is a bat, that’s all.
I’d still rather get into a cash bidding war with Oakland for Dunn instead of a prospect bidding war with Boston anyday.
If you pass on Dunn and bank on landing Gonzo, there’s a REAL good chance that you simply can’t match the kind of package Boston can put together – and even if you did, it’d leave the farm beyond empty.
I’d also argue that Dunn would work out fine as a 1B/DH – not as good defensively as Konerko but perfectly adequate. And going into his age 31 season, Dunn is far from “end-of-career” player. People seem to think Dunn is much older than he really is, just because he had his first 40-HR season back in ’04 at age 24.
There were a LOT of good arguments made against Dunn in yesterday’s MLBTR thread on him seeking 4/60. I think we need a more multi-dimensional and athletic player for that kind of money if we are going to be able to compete in the AL Central in the next few years. The Tigers are looking better each day, the Twins are always tough, and the Royals, god help us all, are going to become VERY competitive in the next few years thanks to their fantastic farm system and the goodies they are going to get in the Greinke trade. That being said, I’d also be okay with the White Sox taking the back seat for a few years and totally rebuilding. I don’t see Dunn working out for the Sox in either scenario.
How is Dunn less multi-dimensional than Dunn? As hard as it is to believe but Dunn is a better fielder.
The White Sox are not going to take a back seat and rebuild.
Terrance, I agree, it’s unlikely, not KW’s style at all, but a fan can dream!
How is Dunn less multi-dimensional than Dunn? um…….
plus its not like the entire team is old and everyones contracts are up they have buehrle for one more season, peavy for 4 more, floyd for 3 more, jackson for this (maybe extension) danks going through arb and possible extension, sale for 4 year before arb, rios for 4, beckham for 3 till arb, morell for 4 till arb, alexi for arb/ possible extension….mitchell waiting in the wings for pierre to leave, CQ through arb/ possible extension or trade….santos needs one more seaosn of pitching to assume the closers role…they have young tallent tis not like they are going to sit by and rebuild when they are 1 piece away from taking the central assuming their pitching holds up….I would like the sox to make a move at crawford or werth….sign werth to play right and move CQ to DH and let vicedio play 1st or sign crawford to play CF rios to RF CQ to DH or first the sox have the money to do it…plus crawford would be a 20/30 maybe a 30/30 playing at home in the cell
I don’t think we have the resources to put skin in the game for Crawford or Werth – they are going to get blockbuster contracts with teams who have a lot of cash to throw around, although Crawford would give us the left-handed bat we need so badly. I think Theo is going to outspend us and Crawford will wind up w/the BoSox. Personally, I think JP has been effective enough over in left, I’d be more interested in sinking some money into a great RF or 1st base, although I really am open to giving Viciedo a shot at first. Give Quentin a run at DH, see if he can get his head back in the game with some rest. I think we have the basic building blocks to be competitive, but we are missing some key – and pricey – pieces. The AL Central is going to get stronger and stronger over the next few years, we need to be looking forward or it’s not just 2011 we have to worry about.
oh i do…jerry is a very very rich man and with konerkos, jenks, putz, and freddy coming off the book and with linebrink, buehrle coming off next season there is plenty of money there. They could easily make a run at him, they might not get him but i feel like they have the resources to get him, and same with werth. I dont think werth will get as big of a contract as most say he will due to him only having a few good years in a very hitter friendly park.
Well, we’ll see what kind of a budget KW has to play with after the non-tender deadline tomorrow. I know JR loves the Sox & that he has the $$$, we’ve seen it again and again with mid to late season acquisitions. I hope you are right, I’d love to see us throw some money down for some upgrades.
There’s little chance of the White Sox being able to match a package that the Red Sox or Rangers could put together for Adrian. The White Sox farm system is awful. They’d have to give up Chris Sale, Alexei, or Beckham in the deal, which would just create more holes for the White Sox.
Kenny Williams has to match whatever offers Konerko gets and make sure he stays in Chicago.
I know it would be a hard deal to make, it’s just on my wish list along with Shin-Soo Choo. 😀 I still say we gamble on Viciedo at first and put our money towards some young talent. Paulie had a contract year where he had the chance to rest a lot and DH. I don’t think he’ll put those numbers up again. I’m really torn on this – I love Paulie, but if you look long-term, it doesn’t make much sense for the Sox.
sale, alexi and beckahm is a huge over pay….im sorry adrian is awesome but come on dude your talking a potential top of the rotation guy in sale(was supposed to be a higher draft pick and he was hte second best pitcher behind strasburg in that draft but slipped because of signability issues) alexi has established him self at the plate and in the field as one of the top 5 SS in the game and godon has huge potential…..maybe one of the three plus prospects but no way all three….and you would have to get an extension first.
Sale, Alexei, OR Beckham. I meant at least one of the three along with other pieces not all 3 of them.
out of those three i would give up beckham first. the sox have brent lilibridge(who played very well in limited time last season) mark teahan and the SS who tore up the AFL escobar…plus with the non tender guys like jose lopez, brenden ryan out there there are options for 2nd…yes gordon has huge potentiall but if you trade him with out getting rid of sale and or alexi and extend gonzo then do it…but gonzo has to have an extension in place
It’s soundling like KW cannot control his Dunnboner and is putting together a package with BUEHRLE for Dunn. I can’t stand it. I’d rather see Bacon go to get Gonzo.
what are you talking about….? Buehrle was not traded for dunn. Dunn was clearly a FA signing…Mark’s contract is up next year and he has stated over and over he is considering retirement. or playing for his home town team. This signing has 100% nothing to do with buehrle…Everyone one is acting as if buehrle HAS to get traded now, he does not his contract expires at the end of the coming season. and he will not get a contract that big again so this whole thing about money and dunn and buehrle makes no sense…yes mark might get traded but lets be honest besides his fielding he has been nothing special in a long time now, I KNOW HE THREW A NO HITTER AND THREW A PERFECT GAME but besides that he has not done anything great…..But i do agree with you saying move bacon+vicedio+2 more prospects for gonzo and extend him….raise payroll to afford it
out of those three i would give up beckham first. the sox have brent lilibridge(who played very well in limited time last season) mark teahan and the SS who tore up the AFL escobar…plus with the non tender guys like jose lopez, brenden ryan out there there are options for 2nd…yes gordon has huge potentiall but if you trade him with out getting rid of sale and or alexi and extend gonzo then do it…but gonzo has to have an extension in place
“real difficult time putting together a lineup that’s equal (let alone improved) to last year…”
Not to mention a real hard time filling seats in the stadium, if Konerko signs elsewhere.
dude really? the sox have lost team greats before and people still went to games…peavy, buehrle, rios, CQ(if still on the team and not traded) alexi, becham, danks, jackson, will still put plenty of people in the seats
or in desperation mode to trade for adrian or prince…..both will cost a pretty penny but i think the whitesox have the people needed to get it done….floyd+escobar+next best pitching prospect not named chirs sale+ vicedio+cash+ extension for one of the guys….hopefully they go harder for Adrian then prince
Boston has coveted Adrian for two years now. They have an superior farm system, and it appears Gonzo is precisely the player they’ve been waiting to spend some blue chips on. There’s no prayer Kenny can outbid Theo in terms of prospects.
gordon beckham (or escobar) +gaving floyd+out field prospect+maybe just maybe vicedio but only if it gonzo signs an extension…
Or KW will get on the phone to SD about Adrian Gonzalez
If we decide to spend money on first this year, that is exactly what I’m hoping for.
Hell get a busy signal. Epstein has that line all tied up.
Konerko wants to go to a contender and the O’s are FAR from a contender at this point
David – with Konerko and another good bat – O’s would be much improved and – if not in AL East – would make the playoffs!
uh what division exactly would they make the playoffs? They still pretty much suck
they had the same record as the yankees in the second half last year… part of that can be blamed on regression to the norm but there is still definitely talent developing.
‘regression to the norm’?? you consider the yankees putting together 2 awful months ‘regression to the norm’? The reality is, they’re going to finish at the bottom of the division AGAIN and they need to be building properly like the Rays did and like the Jays are trying to do, instead of filling their teams with garbage retreats (izturis, lugo, etc.) and giving away draft picks for guys like Konerko when they aren’t ready to be bidding on guys like Konerko.
i was talking about the orioles record improving as ‘regression to the norm’ and they have been trying to build they have always planned on buying bats and the young players are in the major leagues so now is the best time to buy. If matusz, adam jones, weiters, arrieta, don’t perform on the major league level thats one thing but i see no reason why you don’t try to win in the near future. and the yankees didn’t have an awful two months the orioles had a good two months.
Over the last 31 years how many of the O’s 2nd-rounders have contributed anything meaningful at the Major League level for any team? Arthur Rhodes and Nolan Reimold? If they can get a Konerko-type player who can contribute to the Major League club for 3-4 years (production and credibility wise) for a crapshoot 2nd rounder then I say they should do it and not think twice about it. Their farm system is severely lacking in MLB-ready talent so its either a good free agent or for the next 3+ years its likely to be those “garbage retreads” that you say they need to avoid. And people seriously need to stop citing the Rays as a model.. they are an anomaly not the norm. Being completely garbage for 10+ years, amassing high draft picks, then being fortunate that they pan out at a high rate shouldn’t be any team’s goal especially if that team has spending power.
it just wouldn’t make much sense to me if Konerko went to the O’s. I don’t see him going anywhere east of Chicago. He wants to be closer to home and he wants to go to a team that has a good chance to win. You never know I guess
The strange part is we have heard nothing in terms of the negotiations between the White Sox and Konerko…things are oddly quiet
Makes me wonder if Konerko’s going to give the White Sox the chance to match, like the last time he was a free agent and almost went to the Angels in 2005.
Is it really so strange? I often hear how Kenny plays it close to the vest a lot of times. Maybe he (and Jerry) has something cooking and wants to keep it quiet while he reads Konerko’s market?
Just a guess.
That makes a lot more sense to me. I also think he’s sussing out the catcher’s market to determine what they can afford. I think Papa R and KW will make Paulie a generous offer, but I really got the feeling at the end of the season that Paulie had made up his mind not to return, he clearly said goodbye. Anything is possible, though, and I’d sure like to see PK retire in a White Sox uniform.
Its already confirmed that PK will give the Sox a chance to match offers. The relationship between him and Reinsdorf is strong.
There not even negotiating with konerko, konerko and Owner Jerry Reinsdorf are extremely close and as he did last time he was a free agent, he will get his deals go back to Reinsdorf and ask him what he can do if he can come close or match it konerko will stay, even if it is for less money he took less money to stay with chicago last time.
not really we hardly hear of what kenny is doing untill he does it…ie peavy, rios, manny
A solid .303/.381/.481/.862 career line in Comerica Park (388 Plate Appearances)…
compared to his overall career line of .280/.356/.498/.854
Just the reason I want to see Konerko sign with Arizona or Baltimore instead. Or what if Konerko ended up on the North Side?
would be funny but wont happen the ricketts family has stated time and time again that they are going to lower payroll in order to spend money on the stadium. they are going to let the huge contracts play out then spend again
I think it’s way more likely that Dunn winds up with the Cubs, if only to placate Todd. 😀
Seems every White Sox hitter is/was a Tiger killer. Check Jim Thome’s stats against Detroit, and against Justin Verlander.
No… Not Konerko! If they are going to waste money on a 1B that can’t field why not get the much younger Dunn.
Personally I want them to trade for James Loney for 1B and give him a chance to hit in a hitters park. And if it doesn’t work out throw big bucks at A.Gonzalez or P.Fielder the following season. Don’t overpay for a 1B that had a career year and hadn’t done much the few years before that.
The reason Konerko makes sense for the Orioles is because they need a right handed bat who can hit left handed pitching.
Thats why they should be going after Mark Reynolds. They have needed a 3B for a long while. Except that 1/2 season where Mora hit everything.
if i had james loney and mark reynolds as corner infields id kill myself
Konerko only had 2 errors last year…good grief
I get to watch loney hack it up all the time. It’s great as a giants fan. And I would never wish James loney on any team other then the dodgers. You don’t want him.
Padres fan here, gig
I know what you mean.
Loney always looks to me as a player who wishes he was doing something else, anything else, besides playing.
I get to watch loney hack it up all the time. It’s great as a giants fan. And I would never wish James loney on any team other then the dodgers. You don’t want him.
Good because every time I think of Dunn @ 15 million I throw up a little…well maybe a lot.
Konerko, Roberts, Desmond, and Bell in the infield would be great for those young pitchers.
Who is Desmond ? and if you watched any single game in which Josh Bell handled the hot corner then you would know that he is clearly not a MLB ready player. He looked puzzled after he was called up from Norfolk.
Are you serious? He held his own with the glove and made some GG grabs. Now with a bat in his hand…well that’s a different story.
I see, he definitely was an upgrade over Ty at 3rd with the glove. I should have said that he is not MLB ready at the plate. Still don’t understand why he is a switch hitter. Have you saw his splits?
I see, he definitely was an upgrade over Ty at 3rd with the glove. I should have said that he is not MLB ready at the plate. Still don’t understand why he is a switch hitter. Have you saw his splits?
This isn’t the year for captains. Varitek isn’t offered arbitration and it is unknown if he is going back to the Bosox. Konerko is thisclose to leaving the Chisox. Jeter is having ugly contract negotiations with the Yankees. What ever happened to the concept of a team captain staying with his team until retirement?
I dont see PK coming to Baltimore, although I do believe he will be a nice addition to the O’s roster.
I don’t see him in the AL East at all due to his real desire to head West, although I think he’d be a great fit for the BoSox. Give him 3 years, play him at first for a year, then move him into DH the remaining two years since Big Papi will be gone after 2011.
An additional note on Paulie heading East, Chuck Garfien of CSN just pointed out on twitter that Paulie is from Rhode Island, making it at least possible that he’d accept an offer from the Red Sox. I’d totally forgotten about that.
I don’t see him in the AL East at all due to his real desire to head West, although I think he’d be a great fit for the BoSox. Give him 3 years, play him at first for a year, then move him into DH the remaining two years since Big Papi will be gone after 2011.
I dont see PK coming to Baltimore, although I do believe he will be a nice addition to the O’s roster.
I am trying understand why the Dodgers don’t get in on Paulie here…I know James Loney is decent at 1B for them, but they have an excellent prospect in Jerry Sands, who is about one or two years away.
The Dodgers are looking for relief help, why not shop James Loney for some relief help, and spend the money instead on bringing a bat that will actually impact their lineup in Paul Konerko? Plus, the Paul is at the very least familiar with the Dodgers and has the family to consider. He’d be a cheaper option than Adam Dunn, Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth as an upgrade to their offense. At the very worst, if Loney doesn’t get traded, move him to LF. The Dodgers were teasing the idea of moving him to RF or LF a year or two ago if I remember correctly, and I can’t imagine him being any worse than Manny in the field.
Paulie with the Dodgers makes a lot of sense to me, as much as I’d hate to see it.
I am trying understand why the Dodgers don’t get in on Paulie here…I know James Loney is decent at 1B for them, but they have an excellent prospect in Jerry Sands, who is about one or two years away.
The Dodgers are looking for relief help, why not shop James Loney for some relief help, and spend the money instead on bringing a bat that will actually impact their lineup in Paul Konerko? Plus, the Paul is at the very least familiar with the Dodgers and has the family to consider. He’d be a cheaper option than Adam Dunn, Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth as an upgrade to their offense. At the very worst, if Loney doesn’t get traded, move him to LF. The Dodgers were teasing the idea of moving him to RF or LF a year or two ago if I remember correctly, and I can’t imagine him being any worse than Manny in the field.
if PK goes there i hope kenny either calls about adrian or prince or offers pena a one year deal worth base of 5 mill + 5 mill in incentives(hrs, rbis, avg, slug, games played and gold glove) and tell him they wont offer ARB after the contract is up
That is an interesting situation. Fielder might be the better bargain as the Brewers are desperate to get value for him before he hits FA, but he’s a Boras client and KW hates, hates, hates dealing with Boras. Wonder if that would turn the tide towards Gonzo?
I love Paulie with the Sox, but the market of 1B/DH types is full this off-season. I don’t think the Sox need to overpay for a 34 yr old coming off a contract year spike in numbers. Yes he has been consistent but not to the tune of .320 39 HR’s per year.
I’d be perfectly content with LaRoche at 1B for 7-8M and using the excess to address the BP and other needs (Matsui? or other DH).
I agree – I love Paulie, but Vlady is available to DH and should be pretty cheap.
but doign that puts dunn FULL time at 1st, at least with paulie or prince or laroach or pena Dunn is only a part time 1stbase
for everyone out there…Konerko will most likely end up back with the sox…Arizona dropped out and as much as O’s fans are all gaga for the fact of getting PK hate to break it to you source say that the O’s being interested was just pretty much a rumor with no real evidence the only other team i heard that was interested in him was the red sox but they’re taking the Adrian Gonzalez route now…so low and behold that just pretty much leaves the sox unless some team comes around and decides to commit robbery against reinsdorf and williams…but in the sense that PK does sign back then I believe the sox will have a team that is much more better than the 05 championship team and will have every tool needed (minus a closer/setup man…PUTZ COME BACK) for a championship year.