White Sox offer arbitration to Konerko, Putz.

[justBLAZE]

MDGonzales Mark Gonzales

Sox offer arb. to Konerko, Putz, decline to AJ.

 

Scott Reifert

Salary arb offered to PK and Putz by #WhiteSox; declined to AJ and Manny. Team can keep negotiating with all free agents.

Edited November 23, 2010 by justBLAZE

[southsider2k5]

Sounds about right to me. I want no part of AJ at around $7 million. I would be interested at around half of that.

[3E8]

Dislike

[South Side Fireworks Man]

Sounds about right to me. I want no part of AJ at around $7 million. I would be interested at around half of that.

As long as we don't go into the season with Flowers or Castro as the starting catcher. AJ at $5M per year for a couple of years would be fine by me. Or maybe more like $4.5M per year for two years with a team option for a third year with a $1M buy out.

[gatnom]

Sounds about right to me. I want no part of AJ at around $7 million. I would be interested at around half of that.

 

This.

[Balta1701]

As long as we don't go into the season with Flowers or Castro as the starting catcher. AJ at $5M per year for a couple of years would be fine by me. Or maybe more like $4.5M per year for two years with a team option for a third year with a $1M buy out.

What options do we have when someone else offers AJ $7/year.

[GreatScott82]

What options do we have when someone else offers AJ $7/year.

I'm guessing Olivo will be plan C. Its obvious VMART was plan A and retaining AJ is currently plan B.

[South Side Fireworks Man]

What options do we have when someone else offers AJ $7/year.

That's why I would have liked the Sox to offer him arbitration. But since the Sox brass thought otherwise, they better be able to either re-sign him or get someone better to take his place.

 

Tyler Flowers is not an acceptable option. The Sox won't get anyone as good as AJ for any cheaper what AJ would cost them anyway. The Sox made their decision, now the onus is on them to get a good catcher. I hope it's AJ.

[elrockinMT]

MDGonzales Mark Gonzales

Sox offer arb. to Konerko, Putz, decline to AJ.

 

Scott Reifert

Salary arb offered to PK and Putz by #WhiteSox; declined to AJ and Manny. Team can keep negotiating with all free agents.

 

 

People don't want to sign AJ for $7M. Ok, but any good catcher is going to cost some money. As long as we can keep negotiating with AJP I am not upset, but what do we sign him for if in fact we bring him back? $6.99M? Sometimes I think KW thinks he is too smart for his own good. We won't win with a Flowers/Castro package at C and I don't think we will win with a Miggy Olivo/Ramon Castro tandem either.

[joeynach]

Its a good move not offering Arb to AJ...he would have accepted. With Buck getting 6M per year that pretty much tells you right there at AJ is worth less on the open market now. If the sox want to still sign him they can but probably for around $4M per year or less. Most likely Konerko is going to decline arbitration and we will get a draft pick if/when he signs elsewhere. I actually hope Putz accepts...having him around for another year at $3-4M is not bad at all. With Bobby likely to be non-tendered and the possibility Sale is in the rotation, our bullpen is very thin. We need him or a similar replacement quality arm.

[ThunderBolt]

I'm ready for this organization to move on from A.J. If moving on from A.J. means throwing Flowers into the starter’s role and hoping that last year was a blip... I have ambiguous feelings about that. Obviously, it stands a huge risk of failure, but if we address every other need properly, it might not kill us. Emphasis on the might.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

People don't want to sign AJ for $7M. Ok, but any good catcher is going to cost some money. As long as we can keep negotiating with AJP I am not upset, but what do we sign him for if in fact we bring him back? $6.99M? Sometimes I think KW thinks he is too smart for his own good. We won't win with a Flowers/Castro package at C and I don't think we will win with a Miggy Olivo/Ramon Castro tandem either.

I agree with you.

 

Offering AJ arb was a no-brainer. Some team out there would give him $6M for 2 years and maybe 3 IMO, so why would he want to fight the Sox in arb for a 1-year $7-8M deal? Stupid.

 

Also, putting Tyroid behind the plate and asking him to handle a Peavy-Buehrle-Floyd-Danks-Jackson staff is like buying a Rolls Royce and trying to run it off filthy canola oil scavenged from the dumpster behind Burger King. Flowers is the green aka laughably ineffective solution to this problem. And Castro may have looked like Jesus last year, but he's still Ramon Castro, and his salary is where it is for a reason.

 

A Miguel Olivo-Castro tandem is better, but still not good enough if we're going for it, and with our rotation we better damn well be. Kenny will probably have to turn to the trade market if AJ signs elsewhere.

[skidoochic]

Why don't they want A.J. back?? Flowers is no good and Castro is average. At least A.J. brings team chemistry and his darn good looks!

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

Its a good move not offering Arb to AJ...he would have accepted. With Buck getting 6M per year that pretty much tells you right there at AJ is worth less on the open market now. If the sox want to still sign him they can but probably for around $4M per year or less. Most likely Konerko is going to decline arbitration and we will get a draft pick if/when he signs elsewhere. I actually hope Putz accepts...having him around for another year at $3-4M is not bad at all. With Bobby likely to be non-tendered and the possibility Sale is in the rotation, our bullpen is very thin. We need him or a similar replacement quality arm.

No way AJ accepts IMO. AJ isn't getting any younger. He'll be looking for his last major deal right now and he should go after the most guaranteed money possible. I think he gets 2/$12 or 3/$15 on the open market no doubt.

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Also I'll be very surprised if Putz in arb costs anything less than $5M. He is a former closer afterall and he had a great year. I think he'd actually get more like $6M+.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

Why don't they want A.J. back?? Flowers is no good and Castro is average. At least A.J. brings team chemistry and his darn good looks!

Holy s***, whoever you are you need to post like all the time. Seriously.

[gatnom]

No way AJ accepts IMO. AJ isn't getting any younger. He'll be looking for his last major deal right now and he should go after the most guaranteed money possible. I think he gets 2/$12 or 3/$15 on the open market no doubt.

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Also I'll be very surprised if Putz in arb costs anything less than $5M. He is a former closer afterall and he had a great year. I think he'd actually get more like $6M+.

 

Really? A 33 year old catcher with a .688 OPS?

[Steve9347]

After that Buck contract, AJ taking one year of arb would have been a-ok by me.

[fathom]

AJP for 7-8 million would have been an atrocious contract. I'm happy to see them looking elsewhere or trying to get him for cheaper.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

Really? A 33 year old catcher with a .688 OPS?

Check the market and check AJ's track record. And check what catchers hit period. And check his typical .299/.315/.403 second half.

[Balta1701]

AJP for 7-8 million would have been an atrocious contract. I'm happy to see them looking elsewhere or trying to get him for cheaper.

Yeah, that's the biggest point. Someone else may offer AJ that kind of money...but in our situation, he's not worth that to us right now.

[justBLAZE]

Really? A 33 year old catcher with a .688 OPS?

 

 

AJP for 7-8 million would have been an atrocious contract. I'm happy to see them looking elsewhere or trying to get him for cheaper.

 

Sums up my feelings.

 

Let's not forget Sox are doing AJ a favor to test the free market and if he doesn't find a job he can come back and sign with the Sox 2/7mil or something like that.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

AJP for 7-8 million would have been an atrocious contract. I'm happy to see them looking elsewhere or trying to get him for cheaper.

Yeah because overpaying by $1-2M on a one-year deal in order to put something legitimate behind the plate during the last season Mark Buehrle and Edwin Jackson have on their contracts is really atrocious.

 

Jesus Christ.

[fathom]

Yeah because overpaying by $1-2M on a one-year deal in order to put something legitimate behind the plate during the last season Mark Buehrle and Edwin Jackson have on their contracts is really atrocious.

 

You ever think maybe AJP has worn out his welcome here? The Sox were definitely looking to trade him last season, but no one wanted him. Luckily for AJP, he hit well the last few months or else he'd be looking at a much smaller deal. And I'm sorry, but 1-2 million dollars is a lot of money for the Sox in situations like this.

[southsider2k5]

You ever think maybe AJP has worn out his welcome here? The Sox were definitely looking to trade him last season, but no one wanted him. Luckily for AJP, he hit well the last few months or else he'd be looking at a much smaller deal. And I'm sorry, but 1-2 million dollars is a lot of money for the Sox in situations like this.

 

It wouldn't surprise me at all to see another catcher here next year, and the act of AJ is the primary reason why.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

You ever think maybe AJP has worn out his welcome here? The Sox were definitely looking to trade him last season, but no one wanted him. Luckily for AJP, he hit well the last few months or else he'd be looking at a much smaller deal. And I'm sorry, but 1-2 million dollars is a lot of money for the Sox in situations like this.

This "no one wanted him" crap is simply you making stuff up. You have no proof he was unwanted and you have no idea what Kenny was asking in return.

 

$1-2M is practically nothing especially when it makes our bajillion dollar starting rotation better. The Sox needs this offseason are pitching, defense, LH bat. AJ helps that pitching and therefore the defense by giving the vets someone they can feel comfortable throwing to. IMO it is disrespectful to the game of baseball itself to suggest that what AJ brings to the teams he plays for goes no further than OPS and VORP and all that garbage. If that were true the Miguel Olivos of the world - the next best thing on the market BTW - wouldn't have to play organizational musical chairs every single year. If that were true Tyler Flowers would already have the job because apparently it's so easy for him to replace AJ's production.