Links for Saturday evening…
- Chris Kamka of CSNChicago.com looked at the best and worst trades Kenny Williams made as GM of the White Sox. Williams was recently promoted to vice president with Rick Hahn taking over as GM.
- CSNBaltimore.com's Rich Dubroff listed the five best top draft picks in Orioles' history, meaning 1978 second rounder Cal Ripken Jr. was ineligible.
- White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski says that he hasn't heard from the club as he is set to hit the open market, but a club source says Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf had lunch with Pierzynski after the season, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. Meanwhile, GM Rick Hahn says that he is going to take his time in talks with Pierzynski, Jake Peavy, or Kevin Youkilis.
- The Orioles are set to cut ties with former first-round pick Billy Rowell as he approaches minor league free agency, an industry source tells Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. Rowell, the ninth-overall selection in the 2006 draft, signed for a $2.1MM bonus but failed to advance beyond Double-A in his time with the O's.
- The Dodgers have hired Patrick Guerrero as their Latin American coordinator, a baseball source tells Ben Badler of Baseball America. Guerrero was let go by the Mariners earlier this month along with vice president of international scouting Bob Engle.
- Giants president Larry Baer isn't threatened by the prospect of the Dodgers spending wildly this winter, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
- The Orioles are still waiting for Cuban defector Henry Urrutia to be able to report to Sarasota, Florida after signing with the club in July, writes Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com. The O's gave the 25-year-old outfielder a $778K signing bonus and he could begin his professional career at Double-A.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
I will miss Rowell’s uncanny resemblance to Napolean Dynamite, and that’s about all.
I won’t even miss that. I wanted to be a supporter, but there were too many reports and too many interviews that portrayed him as a spoiled, uncoachable, self-entitled jerk.
I think they call those people Millennials.
For all of the criticism that Kenny received I never thought he deserved it. His White Sox teams were for the most part competitive. He also rewarded the fans with a ring and proved to them that he wants to win with his arsenal of aggressive moves.
And he still believes they will win another while he’s still there. I’m interested in seeing what Hahn will do this offseason.
Pierzynski is a huge fan favorite. Expect a lot of crying if he leaves the South Side.