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Paul Konerko

Paul Konerko Talks Next Contract

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Paul Konerko said 2013 could be his final season as a player, according to Chuck Garfien of CSNChicago.com. The first baseman turns 36 next month and it's not a given that he'll continue playing after his contract expires following the 2013 campaign.

"Yeah, in all reality I would see it ending after next year or maybe another year,” Konerko said. “I mean, at some point you got to go home and be around your kids and have other things to do."

Konerko expects to consider playing opportunities after the 2013 season, but he doesn’t intend to “hang on for another year and kind of go through the motions.” The White Sox briefly considered making Konerko a player-manager this offseason, and though he doesn’t expect to manage any time soon, it could happen at some point. He posted a .300/.388/.517 line with 31 homers in 2011, when he was named to the American League All-Star team for the fifth time in his career.

Quick Hits: Angels, Astros, Bartlett, Konerko

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The Tigers defeated the Rangers tonight and they now trail two games to one in the ALCS. Detroit could even the series at two games if they win at home tomorrow afternoon. Here are today's links…

  • The Angels have D'Backs exec Jerry Dipoto and Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer on their list of GM candidates, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). We recently introduced Dipoto and Oppenheimer as part of our GM Candidates series.
  • Astros owner Drayton McLane told Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner that he'll complete the ownership transfer to Jim Crane, though it could take three or four weeks (all Twitter links).
  • The Astros announced that they have agreed to one-year deals with hitting coach Mike Barnett and pitching coach Doug Brocail.
  • MLBTR's Tim Dierkes learned that Jason Bartlett's $5.5MM club option for 2013 vests if he picks up 432 plate appearances in '12 (Twitter link). That would give the Padres infielder 1050 trips to the plate in 2011-12.
  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams admitted to reporters that he considered Paul Konerko as a possible player-manager before hiring rookie skipper Robin Ventura. "He would probably drive himself nuts right now playing and managing at the same time," Williams said, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
  • Nolan Ryan wouldn't predict the Rangers' chances of re-signing C.J. Wilson, according to Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com. Ryan says the Rangers will start negotiating with Wilson's agent once their season ends.
  • Joel Zumaya told reporters, including Jason Beck of MLB.com, that he'd like to re-sign with the Tigers after the season. The hard-throwing right-hander didn't pitch this year because of elbow soreness and has started throwing again.
  • As J.J. Cooper of Baseball America explains, young players are being squeezed out of independent baseball. But some, such as Marshall Schuler of the Frontier League, could become options for MLB teams.

Quick Hits: MacPhail, White Sox, Nunez, Twins

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Congratulations to the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals, who will meet in the NLCS after each club won a superb Game Five tonight.  This is the first all-NL Central NLCS since the Astros topped the Cards in 2005, and this is the first time Milwaukee and St. Louis have met in the postseason since the 1982 World Series.  The NLCS begins on Sunday at Miller Park, with Zack Greinke getting the Game One start for the Brewers. 

Some more news as we head into the weekend….

  • There is plenty of reaction to Andy MacPhail's decision to step down as the Orioles' president of baseball operations.  Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun credits MacPhail with leaving the team in better shape than when he arrived, though this wasn't reflected in the win-loss column.  MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli provides a recap of MacPhail's most notable moves in Baltimore.  Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com expects the next O's GM to have "a more aggressive approach [in free agency]…for better or worse" as opposed to MacPhail's practice of "letting the market play out."
  • The White Sox seem to be looking to 2012 as a rebuilding year, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin.  After a year of seeing how young players develop in the Majors and seeing how rookie manager Robin Ventura adapts to the job, Merkin says Chicago could push for contention in 2013 if all goes well.  
  • With this youth movement in mind, Merkin thinks A.J. Pierzynski and Paul Konerko could be approached about waiving their no-trade clauses.  Both players were somewhat open to the idea, though both clearly stated they wanted to end their careers with the White Sox.
  • How did Juan Carlos Oviedo (a.k.a. Leo Nunez) keep his identity hidden for years?  Frances Robles of the Miami Herald examines Oviedo's situation and the risks that some Latin American players take to escape poverty and reach the Major Leagues.  Oviedo "was able to keep the secret for long, because he was living the dream that every Dominican boy imagines growing up.  If he lied and succeeded, then the end justified the means,” said Charles Farrell, head of the Dominican Republic Sports and Education Academy. “No one was going to fault him for that, no one was going to blow his cover."
  • Farrell also tells Robles that by his estimate, there are at least 30 current Dominican players using false identities.
  • Ron Gardenhire says the Twins aren't likely to sign a top free agent pitcher like C.J. Wilson, reports MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger as part of a mailbag piece.  "I think we're all smart enough to figure out that free agents out there, as far as pitchers go, if they're really good they're probably going to require a little bit more money than we're willing to pay them," Gardenhire said. "All the big shooters. And there's going to be a market for the rest of them."
  • Mark DeRosa could be a good fit as a versatile bench bat for the Braves, provided he can stay healthy, writes MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
  • With the Astros' possible move to the AL West in mind, Fangraphs' Reed MacPhail analyzes how each of this season's National League teams would've fared playing in the AL West. 

Quick Hits: Konerko, Cameron, Rockies

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Congratulations to Tim Wakefield, who won his 200th career game tonight. Here are this evening's links, starting with updates on two players who were traded for one another 13 years ago…

  • White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he might retire after 2013, when his current contract expires. The 35-year-old has a terrific .308/.395/.528 line with 29 homers in the first season of the three-year, $37.5MM deal he signed last offseason.
  • The Marlins released Mike Cameron because of conduct detrimental to the team, according to MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. 
  • The Braves have increased the responsibilities of three front office members following the departure of director of player personnel Kurt Kemp, according to Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Assistant GM Bruce Manno will oversee player development, Ronnie Richardson was promoted to director of minor league operations and John Coppolella was promoted to director of professional scouting.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post can see the Rockies pursuing Michael Cuddyer and Josh Willingham this offseason (Twitter links). 
  • Renck also suggests Jason Hammel is available. Hammel's strikeout rate (5.0 K/9) and ground ball rate (43.5%) dropped this season, while his ERA (4.91) and walk rate (3.7 BB/9) rose, so his trade value is considerably lower than it would have been last winter. The 29-year-old is under contract for $4.75MM in 2012.
  • Fernando Rodney told Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com that he would have liked more chances to close with the Angels this year. The right-hander will look to sign with a team that can provide him with more regular work when his two-year contract expires after the season.

Waiver Rumors: Thome, Bell, White Sox, Wright

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The waiver wire is heating up with one week remaining for teams to trade for postseason reinforcements. Here’s a refresher on how August trades work and here are the latest rumors…

AL Central Notes: Choo, Slowey, Konerko

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A few items from the middle section of the American League map…

  • Shin-Soo Choo says he hasn't heard from agent Scott Boras or from the Indians about the status of contract extension talks, or if the two sides are even currently talking, reports Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.  Boras and the Tribe were negotiating earlier this winter, and Choo has said that he doesn't want the talks to stretch into the season.  The fact that Boras has described the Indians as "a developmental team" is not a good sign for Cleveland fans, though since Choo is under contract through 2013, it gives the club a couple of years to break in their young prospects.
  • Kevin Slowey is the Twins pitcher that's most likely to be traded, not Francisco Liriano, writes Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.  We heard during the Winter Meetings that Minnesota was considering using Slowey as trade bait.
  • From the same item, Souhan reports the Rangers (in addition to the Yankees) also inquired about Liriano's availability.
  • Paul Konerko had "a feeling of closure" last season in Chicago and "was preparing himself emotionally to devote himself to a new organization," writes Melissa Isaacson of ESPNChicago.com.  Isaacson talks to Konerko about his free agency and how he ended up back with the White Sox.   

Odds & Ends: Garcia, Yankees, Red Sox, Konerko

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Links for Tuesday evening, exactly one year after the Mets signed R.A. Dickey to one of the most successful minor league deals of the 2009-10 offseason. One year later, the Amazins are still looking for arms…

  • The Mets aren't engaging Freddy Garcia in serious discussions, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (Twitter links). We heard earlier today that the Mets are waiting for starters' asking prices to drop, but pitching is the team's priority.
  • Across town, Leonel Vinas signed a minor league deal with the Yankees, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. The 19-year-old right-hander played on a local team sponsored by Hank Steinbrenner called "Hank's Yanks." 
  • The Bronx Bombers also make their share of major deals and, as Ronald Blum of the AP notes (via the Miami Herald) the Yankees were hit with an $18MM luxury tax for their 2010 spending. The Red Sox were the only other team hit with a tax; they owe $1.5MM.
  • As Alex Speier of WEEI.com points out, "the cost of player acquisition for the [Red] Sox is more than meets the eye," because the team pays them salary and pays a luxury tax premium.
  • Boston signed Bobby Jenks, but Red Sox GM Theo Epstein says Jonathan Papelbon is still the team's closer, according to  Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter).
  • White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that the team was prepared to pursue other first basemen "aggressively" midway through their negotiations with Paul Konerko. However, the White Sox made one final push for their captain and brought him back on a three-year deal.
  • The Brewers have taken lots of criticism for their failure to put together better pitching in recent years, but Dave Cameron of FanGraphs likes what GM Doug Melvin is doing. Because the free agent market has been player-friendly, Cameron would also "abandon the free-agent market, keep [his] potential free agents, and trade prospects for guys headed towards free agency" were he a GM.

D’Backs Notes: Konerko, Heisey, Parra, Lee

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Some news from the desert, courtesy of The Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro…

  • The Diamondbacks' offer of a three-year, $30MM contract to Paul Konerko would have put them over their payroll threshold, but they couldn't pass up the chance to get "a star-caliber hitter at a possible hometown discount."  Arizona CEO Derrick Hall tells Piecoro that the team had a legitimate chance to sign Konerko before he eventually re-signed with Chicago.
  • The Reds were interested in Gerardo Parra and the D'Backs in Chris Heisey, but a potential deal of the two outfielders was scuttled because the Reds want to keep Heisey.
  • Derrek Lee "is said to have interest in" playing in Arizona.  We've heard that the D'Backs have had interest in Lee, but Piecoro thinks the first baseman "might be a longshot financially."
  • The D'Backs won't be going after any pitching in the short term, following the acquisition of Rule 5 draft pick Joe Paterson.

Orioles Rumors: Hardy, Matsui, Thome, Uehara

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The O's are talking about a J.J. Hardy trade with the Twins. Here are some more Orioles updates from Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun…

  • The team did not offer Carlos Pena or Paul Konerko contracts before the first basemen signed in Chicago, according to president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail.
  • It's likely that the team's shortstop will be Hardy, Jason Bartlett, Brendan Ryan or Cesar Izturis, MacPhail said. The Padres appear to be close to a deal for Bartlett, which would limit the Orioles' options.
  • MacPhail says the club has expressed interest in a number of DH types. Vladimir Guerrero, Hideki Matsui and Jim Thome are believed to be among the team's targets.
  • The team, which selects fourth in tomorrow's Rule 5 draft, is considering a number of players.
  • There are no updates on Kevin Gregg, but Zrebiec reported yesterday that the team has offered the former Blue Jays closer a two-year deal.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post hears (on Twitter) that Nick Green could end up in Baltimore.

White Sox Re-Sign Paul Konerko

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The White Sox reached an agreement with first baseman Paul Konerko on a three-year deal, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today.  The deal is worth $37.5MM, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  The contract includes deferred money, as outlined by MLB.com's Scott Merkin.  The contract has now been officially announced by the White Sox. 

Konerko gets a slight raise, but still falls short of Adam Dunn's new deal with the Sox.  Konerko is represented by Craig Landis of LSW Baseball.  GM Kenny Williams talked about moving on yesterday, but chairman Jerry Reinsdorf got involved.  Considering Konerko a special case, the Diamondbacks offered him three years and $30MM.  Landis said Konerko was very tempted by the offer.

Konerko, 35 in March, led all free agents with 39 home runs in 2010.  He hit .312/.393/.584 in 631 plate appearances, perhaps the best season of his career.  He's been Chicago's first baseman since '99.

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