It’s official. Rick Hahn is a genius. I love you, man. No, you are not hallucinating. John Danks has officially been designated for assignment and will be a free agent within the next week. However, the Sox still owe him $14.5 million. They do have $13 million left from the Adam LaRoche forfeited contract, but per Jon Heyman, the Sox are actively pursuing a left-handed bat to add to the lineup along with another starting pitcher. Whether that pitcher is a lefty or a righty is yet to be seen. I would think they are leaning toward a right-hander, seeing as they already have Sale, Quintana, and Rodon, who are all lefties. I’m here to discuss speculation because that’s fun.
Here we go. Amongst the most speculated free agent pitchers is Tim Lincecum or Slater from Dazed and Confused. As I stated in my last post, he is coming off an offseason hip surgery. He also has a showcase on Friday in which a plethora of MLB clubs are attending, including the White Sox and the Cubs. A move for Lincecum would make sense because just about anything would be an upgrade from Danks. The argument against a move like this would be that it is very typical of the White Sox front office to take an aging player who doesn’t seem to have it anymore. This is a little bit of a different story with Rick Hahn leading the charge. In Lincecum’s last four seasons (before the surgery), he had an ERA of 4.68. This is not ideal, but you also have to take a look at the fact that he is 32 years old, who might still have a little something left in the tank. You also need to remember how dominant he was before 2012. He has won two Cy Young Awards. Let’s hope that if he lands on the south side he can perform like “The Freak” we all know.
A couple other notable pitching names out there that could supplement the back end of the Sox rotation are Rich Hill or Jhoulys Chacin. I think Rich Hill may be a little more of a stretch because I do not believe the Sox need another lefty in the rotation. That being said, he has put up some very impressive numbers through six starts so far with a 2.53 ERA. I do not believe the A’s will be contending come September, but they could prove me wrong.
Chacin is a different story. The Braves will not contend, unless they pull off a dramatic upset, like the Indians did in Major League. He has a 3.27 ERA through four starts. Even though the Sox would be buying high on him, he has thrown pretty well the last two seasons. He hasn’t pitched all that much, so if they went after him they would be venturing into unchartered waters. He is a righty, so I would rank him above Hill in likelihood of a transaction.
Now, let’s look at available bats. In the offseason, the Sox were rumored to possibly obtain either Jay Bruce or Carlos Gonzalez. That obviously didn’t happen, but it could now that the team is starting to look more and more like a legitimate playoff contender. Bruce started off this season hot, as did the Reds, but he has cooled off since, hitting at a very average .256 with four homers and 18 RBIs. Although those 18 RBIs put him in the top 13 in the NL, I wouldn’t place too much stock in that. RBIs are way too dependent on where you bat in the order. I do think he could be a solid addition, though, if Avi cannot continue hit hot-hitting week for the rest of the year. There is something about trying to make a position player be a DH occasionally that doesn’t see to work, so I don’t think this would necessarily be the best idea.
Carlos Gonzalez would be a dream come true. The only problem with this happening would be that the Sox would most likely have to cough up either Tim Anderson or Carson Fulmer, the top two prospects in the Sox minor league system. Rick Hahn isn’t too keen on letting either of these young studs go. Plus, the Rockies may ask for much more than just one of those two. It may not be worth it to deplete the minor league system for an outfielder that is injury prone.
One last name I will throw into the ring is Michael Saunders. The Blue Jays are currently in 4th place in the AL East. Granted, it is still mighty early in the season, but their bullpen currently has a 4.01 ERA. I don’t see that improving much. They have a great lineup, but they do not seem to be the 2015 Jays at this moment. That could change. Saunders could satisfy that need for a left-handed bat in the Sox lineup. He is slumping a little bit the last week, but he is still hitting .304 with four homers. This could be a riskier move for the Sox front office because he hasn’t shown must consistency in his career, and the Sox would definitely be buying high on him. I do think that the Sox wouldn’t have to give up too much to sign him for the rest of the season. This move could also save a little money for another starting pitcher, which I think is a bigger need now.
I would like to give Danks a proper send off. He started his Sox career as a promising young southpaw traded from the Rangers and had a 3.63 ERA until he hurt his shoulder in 2012. He never seemed to be the same again after that. He also gave us game 163 of the 2008 season, which was phenomenal. I know he was a good guy to have around the dugout, and he will be missed there. Sometimes you have to cut a man loose, and this is that time. Good luck, John. We wish you the best. You can see the link of his performance in game 163 at the top of this post.
