The White Sox are shopping first baseman/DH Adam LaRoche, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (Twitter link). Chicago is hoping to move some or all of the $13MM owed to the 36-year-old LaRoche in 2016 in order to free up payroll space to pursue a big bat.
The Sox thought they were getting such a hitter when they signed LaRoche to a two-year, $25MM contract last offseason. Unfortunately, the veteran proceeded to post the worst full season of his 12-year career, managing only a .207/.293/.340 slash line and 12 homers over 484 plate appearances. Despite moving to hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field, LaRoche’s isolated power (ISO) dropped to a career-low .133, well below his lifetime .202 mark.
While LaRoche was still putting up good numbers as recently as 2014, it’s not uncommon for sluggers to experience sudden declines as they get deeper into their 30’s. It’s possible a team could be interested in LaRoche given his track record of success, yet it seems unlikely the White Sox will find a taker willing to absorb the entire $13MM salary hit. Chicago’s efforts are further complicated by the presence of several younger 1B/DH types (i.e. Chris Carter, Pedro Alvarez, John Jaso) on the market who’d come at a much lower price.
The Sox have just over $100MM in committed salaries and projected arbitration salaries on the books for 16 players in 2016. Assuming payroll stays roughly around last year’s $118.6MM figure, the Southsiders figure to make some cuts somewhere if they’re going to address their many needs all around the diamond. Moving LaRoche would allow the White Sox to move the defensively-challenged Melky Cabrera to DH, which could free up a regular outfield spot for Trayce Thompson or another addition in left.
Team A gets LaRoche and 80% salary relief
Sox get back a bag of marbles and some skittles
No. The sox would have o give the marbles and skittles. It stinks being a sox fan now. It like being a Browns fan I believe.
Carter / Alvarez / (Ike)Davis will come for basically nothing.
They’d need to add in a prospect or two if they want to shed payroll.
Either that or take back another bad contract. Jose Reyes anyone? Actually he does make some sense for the White Sox.
Reyes has a remaining 2 years and $44 million remaining on his contract including a $4 million dollar buyout for 2018. The White Sox are looking to shed payroll and Hahn and co. would have to be absolutely insane to invest $48 million dollars for 2 years of a stop gap for Tim Anderson who I believe will be ready to take over the reins at the start of the 2017 season, if not mid way in 2016. Adam had a disastrous season, which seems to be the norm for left handed DH’s on the southside since Jim Thome departed the club. His contract is pretty hefty but it is one that expires after the season. Not a huge deal if they don’t move him, maybe someone will want to take a shot at the deadline mid-season
Nobody wants laroche. Nobody wants him last year either. Sox bid against themselves to sign a guy to fill the deepest position on the club. Wasn’t gonna take time away from abreu and already have plenty of dh types
Good luck with that, no one wants him.
since no one would pay LaRoche anywhere near that kind of money in free agency, the White Sox will either have to get very lucky, or be more realistic.
The Pirates might make some sense, but the WS are going to have to eat a whole lot of money.
This is what you call a reporter doing a favor for the team he writes for. No one would take on LaRoche. He’s hot garbage. No one would take him if he was free. The White Sox rival the Marlins as the worst franchises in MLB. And the Marlins are bad because of one guy, their owner. The White Sox are horrid in every facet of their organization minus Hahn, Sale, and Abreu. And Hahn will never get a shot with Williams standing in the way at every turn.
wowza HalosFan someone may be bitter about that dropped third strike call. Simmer a bit and maybe worry about your own team
Rumor has it White Sox GM Kenny Williams has two offices. One for him and one for his ego. It is the reason why Ventura is managing this club still.
Actually, I have an inside source that the White Sox are looking for no less than a bag of Jack Links beef jerky and a can of Arizona ice tea for LaRoche. Sources also note that teams feel this asking price is too high and they may have to settle for something along the lines of a cool looking rock a GM found in his back yard.
I think a LaRoche for Hanley Ramirez swap, with the Red Sox throwing in quite a bit of money, makes the most sense. Boston is going to have a SS/3B play 1st base, whereas the White Sox need a SS/3B/DH…Just seems to make too much sense.
It sounded like the Red Sox would pay 1/2 the salary ($66 MM). So Swap LaRoche ($13MM) for Hanley and 1/2 the salary.
$33 Million over 3 years in place of $13MM for 1 year. Boston saves $20 million. The White Sox get a player, for essentially $10MM in 2016/2017, that will have better numbers than the person used at any of those 3 positions (except for Alexei Ramirez in 2014) for the past 3-4 years.
No, this makes no sense. The Sox are better off hoping for a rebound than taking on 3 years and $33M of Hanely f***ing Ramirez. Signing LaRoche was bad enough – there’s no reason to extend that misery for an extra 2 unnecessary years.
Is there something about the WhiteSox, their ballpark or Chicago that makes people like LaRoche and Adam Dunn dip to career-low production when joining the team? Or are the Sox just good at signing aging bat-only players at the precise time their playing careers peter out?
If anything, I would say Dunn & LaRoche were just not very good at being DHs. I know some folks don’t like to accept it (similar deal with closers), but for whatever reason, some guys just can’t function in that role, even when they get to a point in their careers where that’s what they should probably be doing.
LaRoche wasn’t quite his usual self in limited action playing first this past season (.238/.309/.438 8 HR/20 RBI in 160 ABs), but those are still significantly better numbers than what he did as a DH (.186/.279/.281 w/ 4 HR/21 RBI in 263 ABs). BB/K rate was also a little better while playing 1B.
Dunn’s splits were negligible for most of his time with the Sox, in part because his batting averages were usually kind of atrocious regardless of where he played. The dramatic split does exist in 2013, however (.262/.376/.512 in 248 ABs playing 1B vs. .184/.269/.386 in 267 ABs as DH, w/ similar power numbers, but also dramatically better BB/K ratio at 1B).
Stats via ESPN.
Dunn second year wasn’t bad neither will LaRoche be bad keep him unless as I discussed with the Brewers below now that’s a trade
Trade LaRoche to the Brewers who want to contend but won’t pay his salary he is a national league 1B point blank pay 3/4 of his salary next year and trade him and Avila Fullmer to sweeten the deal of taking him for Lucroy and a minor league pitcher good deal for both teams