The White Sox have signed veteran first baseman Justin Morneau, the club announced. It’s a one-year, $1MM contract.
Morneau will head straight onto the 15-day DL as he continues to work back to form after undergoing elbow surgery. His timeline remains unclear at present, but perhaps the club will have a chance to evaluate him before weighing other moves at the trade deadline.
The 34-year-old figures to play a role roughly analogous to what the team had expected from Adam LaRoche, who was a heavily-used DH and also spelled Jose Abreu at first. When LaRoche shocked the baseball world with his sudden retirement this spring, the club saved a boatload of money but also lost a source of left-handed pop (although he had disppointed to that point).
Morneau will step into that void once he’s ready to be activated. While he doesn’t come with the same kind of power ceiling that LaRoche carried — Morneau hasn’t hit more than twenty home runs since 2009 — he’s arguably a better overall hitter and certainly had better results last year.
Though Coors Field certainly provides a boost, Morneau’s .310/.363/.458 slash over 182 plate apperaances last year went for an above-average 109 OPS+. And he was even better the season prior, leading the league in batting average and hitting at a strong .319/.364/.496 clip.
It remains to be seen how much action Morneau will receive in the field, but it doesn’t hurt that he remains well-regarded with the glove. The team will also see how he holds up with a long history of medical concerns even before his recent procedure.
Chicago has been the most aggressive team in the league thus far in making mid-season additions. It already added James Shields, knocking pre-2016 free agent Mat Latos out of the rotation. And now the organization has moved on the free agent market to fill its need for a left-handed bat.
It’ll certainly be interesting to see whether GM Rick Hahn has more acquisitions in mind. There’s been chatter that the South Siders could look at a left-handed reliever, and there are several other positions that are probably susceptible of an upgrade.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Ahhh, now the whole Latos DFA makes slightly more sense….
DFA’ing a SP for a 1B/DH? No that actually doesn’t make sense.
Good night Avisail?
They DFA’d Latos to promote RHP prospect Tyler Danish to Chicago. Morneau is a separate move.
How’s that make no sense? Danish won’t be up when Morneau is healthy. They’ll send him back down when he’s ready, and use Gonzalez in the 5 spot. Makes perfect sense actually
Lol? Right! DFAing a SP makes me think you know nothing about baseball
Anyone know his timetable on recovery?
Kroe- morneau won’t be back until third week of July at the earliest. Some are suggesting mid August. Which at that point I’m not sure where will be at in the playoff hunt. My guess sitting in 4th place in a winnable al central. Just let Cleveland and kc battle things out, rebuild now and get ahead of everyone in the division. Twins have a jump start on the central but are still ways away.
The drinking started early on the South Side it appears…
so is the contest over then?
Is there any update on his return time frame? Seems like an odd time to sign him.
Probably the next month or so, don’t really see them making this move unless they think he can contribute by August
So assuming there will be no chat today?
This is what happens when you have two boneheads, Hahn and Williams, running the show. Better keep oiling that revolving door at Comiskey Park.
And the Cell?
Yea, it’s a jail cell all right. 15,000 inmates last night to see the Nationals. EMBARRASSING
It’s a nice ball park. If your a cub fan trolling Strauss your pathetic. If I’m a cub fan I’m savoring the moment and enjoying the good years not giving the sox any of my attention.
Good Canadian boy back in the bigs – proper thing. All the best to Morneau.
I worry Justin will even have the calibration to find his way to the ballpark.
announced at 15,000 but it sure looked more like 6 or 7. ventura lost the clubhouse again. doesnt look good for the pale hose.
Do you spend a lot of time in the clubhouse? Every report I’ve heard has said otherwise.
i spend zero time in the clubhouse. not sure where you get your reports from. i hear on the radio that the clubhouse is in good shape. my source tells me Robin has lost the clubhouse. again. i cant prove to you that the team is a mess in the locker room anymore than you can prove to me the locker room is in good shape. wake up. dont be so naive. sox better off without Robin and with Renteria. my source tells me the switcheroo will be in at the allstar break if not before. let Robin go home like he wants to and sox can get on with trying to win enough games ti make playoffs. jerry believes the team is good enough. i hope they acquire an outfielder who can hit.
“i hear on the radio that the clubhouse is in good shape. my source tells me Robin has lost the clubhouse. again. i can’t prove to you that the team is a mess in the locker room anymore than you can prove to me the locker room is in good shape. wake up. don’t be so naive.”
You literally just proved it more to me that the locker room is in good shape more than you could prove that the team is a mess in the locker room. The only public reports (from the radio, the same place you heard it) state that the clubhouse is in good shape. Until you or I spend some time in the locker room or there are reports stating otherwise, I find it very hard to be confident in a statement like “Ventura has lost the clubhouse again.”
All that being said, I’ve wanted Ventura gone for a LONG time and think that Renteria would be a much better fit.
okay one last time. on the radio i have heard lately that the clubhouse is in good shape. i heard it a few times including friday that the clubhouse was good. however my source, not the radio where you get your reports from, but from my source who is close to the ballclub has told me that the clubhouse is a mess, that robin has lost the locker room yet again. my source, not the radio, but my source tells me Robin is gone by the break if not before. he added of the sox start to win, put a streak together, charge into the break rather thsn limp into the break, robin will stay. sorry about the confusion. still not sure where you get your reports from but i assumed it was radio or other media. those guys tend to twist things.
No chat today?
Shields for the starter. An injured Morneau for the left handed bat. All that’s needed to fill the lefty reliever role is Phil Coke and they can just hand over the WS trophy. Looks like they are more concerned with checking things off the grocery list, than actually getting quality.