• Michael Brantley (shoulder) and Lonnie Chisenhall (wrist) have begun rehab assignments with Triple-A Columbus, so the composition of the Indians’ outfield seems likely to change soon, Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes writes. Part of the issue, in Brantley’s case, is that he missed most of Spring Training, so he needs to get enough repetitions in his rehab assignment so that he can be ready to play. “With Michael it’s about him building enough volume and feeling comfortable at the plate,” says Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti The Indians’ roster currently includes four outfielders — Marlon Byrd, Collin Cowgill, Rajai Davis and Tyler Naquin. Of those, only Naquin is optionable. The 38-year-old Byrd, interestingly, shares that no teams showed interest in him before the Indians signed him to a minor-league deal in mid-March. “There was no interest … zero,” he says. “I would have to ask the 29 other teams what the reason was.”
• Veteran outfielder David Murphy does not plan to retire and is looking for an MLB job, the MLB Network’s Jon Morosi tweets. Murphy had opted out of his deal with the Red Sox in Spring Training. He had previously said he might retire if he did not get a big-league job.

• White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf issued an official statement regarding the Adam LaRoche retirement controversy, noting that this will be the last public discussion of the matter by any White Sox employee.  Reinsdorf expressed his respect for LaRoche and his full confidence in the White Sox management team.  “I do not believe there is anyone to directly blame in this situation. While there is no doubt this might have been handled differently, the fact remains that this is an internal matter that we have discussed and now resolved,” Reinsdorf said, also noting that he felt “much of this was a result of miscommunication and misunderstanding rather than this being a case of anyone not telling the truth.”
• Marlon Byrd’s minor league contract with the Indians has up to $2.5MM available in incentives, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports (Twitter link).  The veteran outfielder will earn a base salary of $1MM if he makes the Tribe’s big league roster.
• Ross Ohlendorf can opt out of his minor league deal with the Royals today, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star reports.  If the team wants to keep the veteran righty, it will have to put him on the 40-man roster.  Ohlendorf posted good results in 19 1/3 innings of the Rangers bullpen last season, though his path to a similar role in K.C. could be difficult given the number of other good arms in the Royals’ relief corps.
• “It’s a possibility” that Victor Martinez may not be ready for Opening Day, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus told reporters (including MLB.com’s Cash Kruth).  Martinez hasn’t appeared in a game since straining his left hamstring on Monday.  Ausmus said the veteran slugger could swing a bat tomorrow for the first time since the injury, though “we’ve got to wait and see.”
• As David Ortiz enters his final season, the Twins’ infamous decision to release the slugger in 2002 is revisited by Patrick Reusse of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.  Twins GM Terry Ryan took responsibility for the release, calling it “a very bad baseball decision. We thought we had better options. We were wrong in a big way.”  Ortiz is still dismayed about his treatment with the Twins organization, noting that the focus always seemed to be on his shortcomings rather than the positives he could bring in the form of his power bat.

• Chris Sale had some harsh words for executive VP Kenny Williams in the wake of the Adam LaRoche controversy, though this hasn’t had any impact on Sale’s future with the team, a White Sox official tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  There is “no chance” Sale would be traded, the official said: “There was no chance in the offseason and no chance now. We’re building our team around Chris Sale.”
• Just in case the relationship between Sale and the White Sox has indeed gone south, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe opines that the Red Sox should make a trade inquiry.  Abraham admits that Sale and and the Pale Hose “will probably make peace,” though this piece gives an idea of the gigantic price Chicago would demand for its ace.  Abraham suggests Boston could offer a trade package that includes Allen Craig and $18MM of his salary, plus young righty Anderson Espinoza and three other top-tier prospects.  In my opinion, I think even this impressive offer wouldn’t be enough to land a valuable asset like Sale, who is prized for not just his ability but also his contract — $21.15MM through 2017 and then club options for 2018 and 2019 worth a respective $12.5MM and $13.5MM.
• While Craig may not be part of a blockbuster Red Sox trade package, Cafardo also suggests the first baseman could be a fit for the White Sox with LaRoche gone.  Chicago seems ready to fill LaRoche’s DH spot with Melky Cabrera and Avisail Garcia, though since Boston would inevitably be footing almost all of the $21MM remaining on Craig’s contract, it might not be a bad flier to take (especially since Cabrera and Garcia are coming off poor seasons).  Craig is trying to revive his career after two rough seasons that dropped his stock to the point that he was outrighted off Boston’s 40-man roster last year.
• In other first base trade speculation, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times wonders if James Loney could be a fit for the White Sox.  The Rays have been unsuccessfully shopping Loney all winter and are reportedly willing to cover some of the $8MM Loney is owed in 2016.  Like LaRoche, Loney is also a left-handed hitter, perhaps making him a more ideal complement to the right-handed Garcia and Jose Abreu.
• LaRoche’s dispute with the White Sox about his son’s presence in the clubhouse has drawn a lot of response from around baseball, with ESPN’s Buster Olney (subscription required) collecting some reaction from unnamed officials and front office personnel.  Most observes were surprised by the unusual nature of LaRoche’s demand that his son be a constant presence with the club and the seeming lack of communication between Kenny Williams, Rick Hahn and Robin Ventura about the situation.
• “Honestly, I don’t think I was talking about the Red Sox,” David Price told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about his early comments about his ideal new team.  Price was focused on joining a team with a pipeline of young talent, and was initially thinking about the Cardinals and Cubs rather than the Red Sox since he “wasn’t as familiar” with Boston’s farm system.  The Cards and Cubs ended up being the next two highest bidders for Price’s services this winter, though their offers reportedly fell well short of the seven-year, $217MM contract Price signed with Boston since the Red Sox were intent on landing the ace.
• One final note from Cafardo’s column: he notes that Red Sox infield prospect Marco Hernandez could be a trade target for other clubs in the wake of Hernandez’s strong Spring Training performance.  Hernandez, ranked as the 12th-best prospect in Boston’s system by Baseball America, is a 23-year-old who posted a combined .305/.330/.454 slash line over 484 PA at Double and Triple-A last season.  While his bat is still developing, Hernandez already has value as a utility infielder able to play second, third and shortstop.

• The dispute between various members of the White Sox organization over LaRoche’s son is “one of the most bizarre Spring Training stories in memory,” Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller writes. One anonymous White Sox player tells Miller that he feels obligated to fight for the LaRoches because of his perception that LaRoche was lied to by the organization, and because the organization’s decision regarding LaRoche’s son caused divisions in the clubhouse. Miller also, however, notes that not everyone with the team agreed that LaRoche’s son should have such a continuous presence in the White Sox’ locker room.
• LaRoche’s son was with the team for about 120 games in 2015, writes Bob Nightengale of USA Today. No players or team staffers complained to LaRoche about his son’s presence, but several of them did speak to team management. In response to the complaints, Williams reportedly asked LaRoche to limit his son’s presence in the locker room, but LaRoche kept bringing his son to work each day. Williams then “lost it” and revoked LaRoche’s son’s clubhouse access, then changed his mind went back to requesting to LaRoche that he only bring his son to work about half the time.
• If LaRoche had performed better in Chicago, there would have been no issues regarding his son hanging around the team, Jesse Spector of the Sporting News writes. It’s possible some players or staffers would have complained to management about LaRoche’s son if LaRoche had figured to do be a key player for the Sox in 2016, Spector writes. But management never would have done anything about it. Now, LaRoche’s retirement allows them to save $13MM and move Avisail Garcia to the DH spot, improving their defense.
• Outfielder Adam Eaton and pitcher Mat Latos say the players are ready to put the controversy behind them, reports Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune. “Let’s get all of the information out there,” says Eaton. “Let’s let it ride, and not forget about it, but say, ’Hey, there’s where we are.'” Eaton, the White Sox’ player rep, had previously said that he had been in touch with the union about a potential grievance. Latos, meanwhile, says he is used to being around kids at work, thanks to his former manager Dusty Baker and Baker’s famous son Darren. Latos adds, though, that he feels it’s time to move on. “Everybody is talking about it, and it’s kind of blown up to where it has become a distraction,” he says.”We have to focus on baseball, period, and kind of let this die down.”

2:33pm: Veteran White Sox slugger Adam LaRoche has issued a statement regarding his decision to leave the team, via TwitLonger. Notably, he does not state definitely that he has retired, calling it instead a “decision to walk away” from the White Sox.

That being said, LaRoche does seem to suggest that his playing career is over in discussing his “wonderful journey” and memories in the game. He also states that 2016 was “likely to be the last year of my career” even before the present circumstances arose.

Controversy has enveloped the club after LaRoche left camp days ago, with several players expressing serious concern and commentary coming in from all around the game. We rounded up all the latest earlier this morning, and owner Jerry Reinsdorf has since said that he will address the matter further only after meeting with players and club officials.

In addition to explaining his decision more generally, LaRoche makes several key points about the dispute with the club that led directly to his departure. First, he emphasized that bringing his son into the clubhouse was a critical topic of conversation that led to his free agent deal with Chicago:

“Prior to signing with the White Sox, my first question to the club concerned my son’s ability to be a part of the team. After some due diligence on the club’s part, we reached an agreement. The 2015 season presented no problems as far as Drake was concerned. (My bat and our record are another story!)”

LaRoche went on to explain that his decision came about as “the result of a fundamental disagreement between myself and [club executive VP] Ken Williams.” He explained that Williams “recently advised me to significantly scale back the time that my son spent in the clubhouse.” Thereafter, says LaRoche, he “was told not to bring [his son] to the ballpark at all.”

The 36-year-old first baseman/DH further discussed his viewpoint on his agreement with the organization and his ultimate departure, saying:

“Obviously, I expressed my displeasure toward this decision to alter the agreement we had reached before I signed with the White Sox. Upon doing so, I had to make a decision. Do I choose my teammates and my career? Or do I choose my family? The decision was easy, but in no way was it a reflection of how I feel about my teammates, manager, general manager or the club’s owner Jerry Reinsdorf.”

Williams has expressed a somewhat different version of events — you can read more here and here. The club certainly seems likely to have a differing view, also, as to whether any pre-signing discussion of family clubhouse access is a part of the bargained-for contract between the sides.

Notably, LaRoche’s statement does not provide any indication as to whether or when he’ll formally retire. And it doesn’t suggest whether or not he will pursue any kind of settlement or grievance action against the club. He entered the year with a $13MM guaranteed salary for the coming season, the second of two campaigns covered by his free agent deal.

This matter has also generated interest from other angles, of course, and those who are interested in learning more about LaRoche’s perspective should certainly give his statement a full read (along with all of the above-cited sources). Among other things, LaRoche expressed gratitude to the Nationals and White Sox for the “privilege” of having his son on hand at the ballpark. He also emphasized that he never had a situation arise where he was told that a “teammate, coach or manager was made to feel uncomfortable” by the presence of his son.

• Union chief Tony Clark has “indicated” that a grievance could be considered on LaRoche’s behalf, according to Andy McCullough, reporting for the Chicago Tribune. Clark says he hasn’t spoken with LaRoche and suggested that he is waiting for more facts to emerge before deciding on a course of action. “The question becomes when a player makes a decision to retire, that means one thing,” Clark said. “If there is a discipline involved, that means something different. We are 24 hours removed from everything that you are aware of. And I can suggest to you that we are likely aware of a little bit more, but aren’t in a position to suggest what tomorrow is going to look like, as a result of what happened yesterday.”
• Adam Eaton, the club’s union player rep, said he has been in contact with the MLBPA regarding a possible grievance, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports (links to Twitter). Per Eaton, LaRoche told him that his son’s locker room presence was a part of his agreement upon joining the organiation. He added that players hope to meet with Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf in the coming days.
• There are reports suggesting that some White Sox players did complain to higher-ups about the presence of children in the locker room — see this tweet from CBSChicago.com’s Dan Bernstein — but third baseman Todd Frazier contests that fact in a comment to Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com (via Twitter).
• Ace Chris Sale, meanwhile, says that his concern is that president Kenny Williams has given the club varying stories about where complaints came from — players, coaches, or Reinsdorf — per Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). The star lefty had very strong words for Williams, telling reporters that he and his teammates were “bold-faced lied to” by Williams, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
• As for Williams, he declined to comment on the matter further. He tells Levine that it’s “time for us to get to work.” (Twitter link.) Buster Olney of ESPN.com rounded up anonymous reactions from some of Williams’s peers, providing some interesting insight from other organizations.

• White Sox players have emphatically sided with LaRoche in the matter, so much so that the team considered boycotting yesterday’s Spring Training game, reports ESPN’s Karl Ravech. Manager Robin Ventura intervened and convinced the players to take the field, but the clubhouse is none too pleased with the front office’s decision on the matter. Per Ravech, there’s a division between the clubhouse (including the players and Ventura) and the front office.
• CSN Chicago’s David Kaplan reports a number of elements on the decision, including the fact that allowing Drake to be in the clubhouse every day was actually a requirement for LaRoche to even sign with the Sox in the first place (Twitter link). According to Kaplan (link), LaRoche would not have signed with Chicago had he not been promised full access for his son, and both Ventura and GM Rick Hahn agreed to the situation before LaRoche was signed (link). Furthermore, Kaplan hears that White Sox players had a “very heated” meeting with management wherein high-profile players, including Chris Sale, “really went after” Williams. Kaplan describes the meeting as “very contentious,” noting that the Sox clubhouse think highly of LaRoche and his son.
• Yahoo’s Jeff Passan hears the same, tweeting that Sale “absolutely lit up” Williams over the situation. In a full column, Passan echoes the sentiment that Drake was welcome in the clubhouse and goes on to opine that, while the White Sox’ request was not necessarily misplaced, it was poorly timed. Implementing this new philosophy midway through Spring Training should never have happened, Passan writes, suggesting instead that it should’ve been handled before camp opened. Moreover, Passan tweets that the Sox roster feels that Williams isn’t around the clubhouse enough to understand the dynamics.
• Outfielder Adam Eaton spoke to CSN Chicago’s Dan Hayes about the matter yesterday, firmly voicing his support for LaRoche and Drake. “We wanted Drake in the clubhouse, and we were backing Adam in every aspect,” said Eaton. “…He chose family over allowing his son to be in the clubhouse and we respect what he had to do. … We can say we enjoyed Drake LaRoche in the clubhouse and everything he brought in the clubhouse. He brought perspective. He helped out and around, he wasn’t a burden by any stretch of the imagination.” Eaton says that both Adam and Drake are “probably the most respected people” he’s shared a clubhouse with, noting that Drake often helped by cleaning players’ cleats and assisting in drills. “Never a trouble in the clubhouse,” Eaton repeated.
• USA Today’s Bob Nightengale contests that the Sox were in the right to make the request of LaRoche. Williams’ main point in speaking to Nightengale is that there is nary a business anywhere else in the country where a parent can bring his 14-year-old child to work every day. The longtime Chicago exec made it clear that he thinks highly of Drake, and the decision was in no way related to his conduct in the clubhouse. “Simply, you have to make a decision from the management perspective or an organization at large,” said Williams. “We went into this season saying to ourselves, ‘We are going to commit and focus and not leave any stone unturned.'” He also notes that he didn’t ask that Drake be completely absent, but rather simply dial back the frequency with which his son spent days in the clubhouse. Nightengale opines that it would be a shame for such a respected player to see his career end in this way, writing that LaRoche should “rip up his retirement papers” and return to the club on Friday.
• The issue of children in clubhouses is not unique to the White Sox organization, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, examining some of the policies and measures recently implemented by the Red Sox pertaining to this exact manner. Rosenthal also provides further details on Sale’s words for Williams (links to Twitter), adding that Sale told Williams to get out of the clubhouse and stay out.
• In a second column, Rosenthal reports that neither Hahn nor Ventura agrees with Williams’ approach. Asked why he made the decision and broke the news to LaRoche himself (as opposed to Hahn or Ventura), Williams told Rosenthal: “This had the potential to piss people off and I’m the best one to absorb the heat. Period.” A pair of sources also told Rosenthal that the agreement mentioned by Kaplan, in which Drake was permitted to be in the clubhouse on a daily basis, “might only have been verbal” as opposed to anything that was put in writing.

Meanwhile, Williams also spoke to MLB.com’s Scott Merkin (Twitter links), leaving Merkin with the impression that LaRoche has signed his retirement papers but that they’ve yet to be filed with the league. Indeed, we heard yesterday that the veteran first baseman/DH was going to wait at least a few days before formalizing the decision.

In his comments to Merkin, Williams made clear that the request was “not even close to being personal,” noting that he respects LaRoche as a man and as a father. The executive also emphasized in his statement to Rosenthal that his request was not due to any direct concerns about LaRoche’s son. He explained that “there has been no policy change with regards to allowance of kids in the clubhouse, on the field, the back fields during spring training.”

Instead, per Williams, he told LaRoche: “Listen, our focus, our interest, our desire this year is to make sure we give ourselves every opportunity to focus on a daily basis on getting better. All I’m asking you to do with regard to bringing your kid to the ballpark is dial it back.” Williams went on to tell Rosenthal: “We all think his kid is a great young man. I just felt it should not be every day, that’s all. You tell me, where in this country can you bring your child to work every day?”

Needless to say, the subject is a difficult one, and it is certainly possible to see both the team’s viewpoint and to understand LaRoche’s own decision. He has long enjoyed the chance to spend time with his son at the park, especially during Spring Training, dating back to his time with the Nationals. Notably, of course, LaRoche has not yet commented on the matter himself, and it would be wise to withhold judgment until the full story is told.

Things get more complicated when weighing the nuanced interests at play for the White Sox. LaRoche struggled mightily last year and has been limited by back issues this spring. And he’s due to earn $13MM — more than a tenth of the club’s overall payroll. While there’s still reason to believe that LaRoche can contribute at the major league level, he also doesn’t represent an appealing value at that price tag.

Speculation has already turned to what the club might do to replace the left-handed lineup production, and how it might re-allocate the dollars that were destined for LaRoche. Williams touched upon the topic in his comments to Merkin (Twitter link), saying: “We think internally we’ve got an interesting opportunity to rotate the DH position.” Among the internal options, presumably, are defensively-limited outfielders Melky Cabrera and Avisail Garcia. The club will look at its own players first, per Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago (via Twitter), but has also begun to consider external replacements.

TUESDAY: White Sox DH Adam LaRoche says he will “step away from baseball,” Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports (Twitter links). He indicated that he would wait a few days before addressing the matter further, out of respect for his teammates’ request that he think it over, but seemingly made clear he is set on retirement.

That news is notable on multiple levels, particularly as there were no prior indications that the 36-year-old was considering hanging up his spikes. The 12-year-veteran is under contract this year for $13MM, the second and final year of the two-year pact he signed to join the Sox out of free agency.

A respected veteran with a smooth swing and graceful glove at first, LaRoche endured quite a few ups and downs in his career but always seemed to re-emerge. After a promising start to with the Braves, beginning in 2004, he was dealt to the Pirates in advance of the 2007 season. He put up two solid campaigns there before falling off in 2009, when he bounced to the Red Sox and then back to Atlanta — where he finished strong to set up a one-year deal with the Diamondbacks. All told, through his age-30 season in Arizona, LaRoche carried a sturdy .271/.339/.488 slash.

The next chapter of LaRoche’s career began when he signed a two-year, $16MM contract with the Nationals. LaRoche bombed in his first year in D.C. — an injury-riddled, career-worst performance — then bombed in a good way in his second — putting up a .271/.343/.510 batting line with 33 home runs. That set up another two-year deal with D.C. in free agency, with his final two seasons with the Nats once again following the down-up pattern. LaRoche again visited the open market, with a qualifying offer weighing him down for a second time, and ultimately went to the White Sox for two years and $25MM.

LaRoche scuffled last year for Chicago, though he wasn’t alone in that regard. Over 484 plate appearances, he slashed just .207/.293/.340 and hit a dozen home runs — well off of the production levels that earned him that contract. Most worryingly, perhaps, his strikeout rate shot up to 27.5% and LaRoche struggled to get anything going against opposing southpaws. While he’s turned things around before, he was certainly a major question mark heading into 2016. It didn’t help that he’s been limited by back issues this spring.

From the team’s perspective, parting with LaRoche on its own accord surely at least had to be considered. Melky Cabrera profiles better as a designated hitter than a corner outfielder, and looks like the most likely option to slide into LaRoche’s presumed role as the primary DH. Of course, that would leave Avisail Garcia back in primary duties in one outfield corner, perhaps platooning with J.B. Shuck or Daniel Fields, and that may not be optimal.

While LaRoche’s career is worth celebrating on its own accord, the financial elements cannot be ignored. It’s unclear at present whether LaRoche will recoup any of the $13MM he was set to earn, but even a significant chunk of that amount would represent a huge boon to the team’s payroll flexibility. There aren’t any obvious, big-ticket free agents to spend it on — unless Chicago wants to replace him directly with Justin Morneau or add a veteran such as Marlon Byrd — but it’s certainly plausible to imagine the South Siders revisiting trade talks for a player such as Andre Ethier or Jay Bruce. Alternatively, of course, the club could wait and prepare to deploy those reserves at the deadline.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

• Kane writes that although the White Sox have added Todd Frazier, Brett Lawrie and others this offseason, much of the discussion Friday focused on players the White Sox have missed on, particularly Yoenis Cespedes, Alex Gordon and Justin Upton. Hahn says the White Sox were aggressive with free agent targets they ultimately missed out on. “Any of these players who decide ultimately they want to return to where they came from, I have to respect that and tip my hat to them,” he said, perhaps referring to Gordon and/or Cespedes. “It doesn’t mean we’re not going to continue to try to get it done.”
• Dexter Fowler and Ian Desmond remain on the free agent market, and it appears either one could help the White Sox. One potential problem for Chicago, though, is that both players rejected qualifying offers. The Sox’ top pick in the tenth overall and will therefore be protected, but the Sox also currently have the No. 28 pick as compensation for the loss of Jeff Samardzija. “The draft pick has real value,” said Hahn. “A couple of million dollars worth of pool money, which allows you to be flexible with that draft pick or pay some forward or pay some back. … At some level, you balance the ability to improve this club versus the long-term impact that losing a pick like that would have.”
• White Sox manager Robin Ventura says Adam LaRoche will have to win the starting DH job in Spring Training, Kane tweets. The 36-year-old LaRoche is coming off a miserable .207/.293/.340 2015 season in which, considering his lack of defensive value, he was arguably one of the least productive everyday players in the Majors. Of course, as Kane implies, the question is who might replace him if the White Sox decide he’s not worthy of regular playing time.

• The Reds got surprisingly little in return for Frazier, ESPN’s Keith Law writes (Insider-only). Peraza, the key to the Reds’ end of the trade, is a potentially terrific defender at second base and a very fast baserunner, but he’s coming off an underwhelming season and doesn’t have much in the way of power or patience. Schebler, meanwhile, merely looks like a potential fourth outfielder, and Dixon might not even be a significant prospect. The White Sox did very well in the deal, Law writes, and the Dodgers got good value, although it’s unclear why they didn’t just acquire Frazier themselves, since they had what the Reds evidently wanted.
• MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo, meanwhile, wonders why the Reds didn’t just cut the three-team deal off at the pass and trade directly with the White Sox, who gave up three young players who appear to be better than the ones the Reds ultimately got.
• After adding Frazier and Brett Lawrie, the White Sox could continue to make moves, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes. They could deal outfielder Avisail Garcia or first baseman Adam LaRoche if they can find a trade partner, and dealing one of those two players could conceivably allow them to sign Yoenis Cespedes or Justin Upton. (I’d counter that Garcia, who projects to make just $2.3MM next season, shouldn’t be a significant obstacle to signing Cespedes or Upton if that’s really what the White Sox want to do, and that it should be difficult for the team to clear much of LaRoche’s salary in a trade.) The Dodgers, meanwhile, could now use their collection of prospects to trade for Jose Fernandez, or failing that, someone like Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco, Sonny Gray or Tyson Ross.
• The White Sox expressed interest in Frazier at the beginning of the offseason, Reds GM Dick Williams tells MLB Network Radio (link to audio). The Reds and White Sox did have discussions about a two-team trade, but the Reds preferred the package of players the Dodgers brought to the table. Williams adds that one factor in the deal was the strength of their competition in the NL Central, which meant that their best chance of success was to gather prospects and build a team that could be successful “a couple of years” from now. Williams also notably says that teams have continued to discuss with him the possibility of trading for Aroldis Chapman despite the domestic violence accusations against Chapman.

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.

• The Giants are still searching for starting pitching, but they’re only looking at top-of-the-rotation arms to pair with Madison Bumgarner in a playoff rotation, Stark hears. San Francisco has checked in on both David Price and Cole Hamels, but they’re not considered a favorite to land Hamels from the Phillies, and there’s still no definitive sense that Price has been made available by the Tigers. Yesterday, Stark reported that the Dodgers and Rangers were emerging as the favorites in the Hamels market.
• The Orioles are speaking with other clubs to get a feel for what kind of return they could get if they market Matt Wieters, Chris Davis, Wei-Yin Chen, Tommy Hunter and Bud Norris, Stark hears. However, rival clubs feel the O’s will only sell if they slide to six or more games back in the Wild Card race — and they’re 3.5 games out with four to play before the deadline at this time. If they make up a bit of ground, they could add a bat, but Stark says it’d likely be a bench piece as opposed to a bigger name. Baltimore GM Dan Duquette said last week he would be a buyer regardless of the team’s play, though others have suggested that the Orioles could still end up selling if they struggle enough.
• Adding help that can be controlled beyond 2015 is the priority for the Rangers, which is why they’re targeting Hamels, Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner while also listening to offers on Yovani Gallardo. However, according to Stark, those moves aren’t linked, and Texas could acquire a rotation piece for 2016 but also hang onto Gallardo. Personally, I think Gallardo’s pitched well enough to warrant a qualifying offer. A draft pick and improved odds of making a late run (especially if they do add another rotation arm) present enough value that the Rangers shouldn’t feel obligated to simply take the best offer for Gallardo if the proposed packages aren’t all that impressive.
• The Pirates are now likely to hang onto Pedro Alvarez after shopping him without success for several weeks. They’ve asked the Brewers, White Sox and Rays about Adam Lind, Adam LaRoche and James Loney, respectively, but with Alvarez in the fold, they’re not likely to make a move at first. Stark adds that multiple sources downplayed the recent reports connecting Pittsburgh to the Red Sox’ Mike Napoli.

Because of this, Rosenthal wonders if the Nats will consider trading Ian Desmond this summer to clear room for a different acquisition. Given Desmond’s struggles, the team could be better off with Danny Espinosa, Yunel Escobar and Anthony Rendon seeing regular time in the infield. Earlier in the week, I speculated on a possible Desmond trade after it was reported that the Nats were interesred in the D-Backs’ middle infielders, but Rosenthal notes that it could also allow them more flexibility to pursue Aroldis Chapman, Ben Zobrist or even a reunion with Tyler Clippard. Of course, Desmond’s offensive and defensive woes diminish his trade value, as well.

A few more highlights from Rosenthal’s column…

• Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart tells Rosenthal that he usually doesn’t pay attention to media criticism, but he’s aware of the near-universal criticism of the D-Backs for their trade of Touki Toussaint (in which the team essentially sold its 2014 first-round pick to Atlanta). Rosenthal quotes Stewart: “The truth is we did not know what Touki’s value would be if we shopped him. There is a lot of speculation on that. People are assuming it would have been better, but we don’t know. There was an opportunity to make a deal that gave us more flexibility today as well as next year. We took that opportunity. It’s tough to say we could have gotten more. He was drafted at No. 16, given ($2.7) million. In my opinion, that’s his value.” Stewart continues to say that Toussaint has not thrown 96 mph with the D-Backs, despite some scouting reports and that there’s “some inflation of what people think Touki is.” Stewart adds that the D-Backs think Toussaint will be a Major League pitcher but not for another five to six years.
• A brief interjection from me to offer my take on those comments: It’s odd to hear a GM openly devalue a player in this fashion, even after trading him away. Beyond that, however, it’s puzzling to hear Stewart equate Toussaint’s value with the clearly arbitrary number assigned to last year’s draft slot value. Having shown a willingness to spend $16MM+ on a pitching prospect (Yoan Lopez) this offseason, Stewart is undoubtedly cognizant of the fact that Toussaint would have fetched far, far more than $2.7MM in a theoretical free agent setting. Additionally, if they truly do feel that Toussaint will pitch in the Major Leagues, that makes the trade all the more puzzling to me, as my best explanation to this point had been that they simply didn’t believe in his future all that strongly.
• Back to Rosenthal’s piece, which has several more quotes from Stewart, including the GM’s own admission of surprise to his team’s current standing in the NL West. The D-Backs were built with an eye on the longer-term picture than 2015, says Stewart, and they’ll need to assess how to respond at the deadline. To this point, the D-Backs have received inquiries on their starting pitching, but not on their middle infield. Stewart flatly says “…we’re not moving [Nick] Ahmed,” and calls a trade of Chris Owings “very unlikely.” Interestingly, that does seem to indicate that the new GM values Ahmed over Owings.
• The Astros remain interested in Jeff Samardzija, and as Rosenthal notes, a move away from what has been a brutal White Sox defense would likely help Samardzija quite a bit. Samardzija’s .338 BABIP has helped contribute to a significant discrepancy between his 4.53 ERA and 3.67 FIP. Of course, Chicago’s porous defense doesn’t necessarily explain Samardzija’s diminished strikeout rate and struggles to strand runners in 2015. The Astros, Rosenthal says, are eyeing Samardzija and other pitchers, but the White Sox are not yet ready to sell.
• The Brewers aren’t receiving very strong interest in Francisco Rodriguez, likely in part due to his backloaded contract, Rosenthal hears. K-Rod is still owed $1.95MM in 2015, plus $9.5MM in 2016 between his salary and the buyout on a $6MM club option for the 2017 season. Lefty Neal Cotts, however, figures to be in demand and may even be of interest to his former club, the Rangers, Rosenthal writes. Cotts’s 4.30 ERA isn’t anything to write home about, but he’s held lefties to a .546 OPS.
• The Cardinals might not be as urgent to add a starter as many had previously expected. The club feels that Michael Wacha can top 200 innings, and Carlos Martinez can deliver about 170. A bigger need might be a left-handed-hitting complement for Mark Reynolds at first base, and Rosenthal suggests Adam LaRoche as a speculative fit to improve the team on both sides of the ball.

Here are some highlights from Hahn’s appearance as well as another White Sox item…

• Chicago’s plan goes back to the 2013 trade deadline, Hahn said. “…The die was cast on that season being a disappointment fairly early on,” he explained, “which gave us the opportunity to take a step back and assess where we needed to go as an organization and areas we had to get better.” The Sox flipped Jake Peavy for not only Avisail Garcia but top prospect Francellis Montas, whose stock has soared since the deal. That trade, as well as the trade of Alex Rios, freed up enough cash for the Sox to add Jose Abreu last winter, and his immediate impact helped the team decide to make a push this winter.
• Early in the offseason, Hahn sat down with owner Jerry Reinsdorf, president Kenny Williams, manager Robin Ventura, pitching coach Don Cooper and hitting coach Todd Steverson to assess the state of the organization. The “marching orders” from Reinsdorf after that meeting “were to go out and put us in a position to contend,” Hahn explained, noting that Reinsdorf did not want to waste the primes of players such as Abreu, Chris Sale and Jose Quintana.
• One reason that the club added LaRoche, according to Hahn, was that Abreu “ran out of a gas” a bit down the stretch. The team is hopeful that by giving Abreu a little more time at DH and using LaRoche at first base on those days, Abreu can sustain his production throughout the year. Abreu hit only five homers over the final two months of the season, and he posted a relatively pedestrian (by his standards, anyhow) .799 OPS over the final 21 games of 2014. That, of course, could be nothing more than a small sample size, though the lack of home runs could be seen as a sign of fatigue.
• Asked by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports/MLB Network whether the state of the division impacted the Sox’ aggressive push (referring to the fact that the Tigers and Royals are seen by some as worse than they were in 2014). “We don’t look around and see the team that won the AL Championship in Kansas City or the team that’s won the division the last four years in Detroit as necessarily coming back to the pack,” Hahn replied. Rather, he explained, the decision was more about a belief that the White Sox are in a position where they can reach the same level as those clubs and contend for a division title.
• Non-roster invitee Tony Campana suffered a torn ACL in a recent training session and will likely miss the entire 2015 season, the Sox announced on Twitter. It’s a tough break for the 28-year-old speedster, who was looking to make the club as a fourth outfielder after posting a solid .277/.336/.340 batting line in Triple-A with the D-Backs and Angels last season.