The L.A. Daily News has an item up saying that the Angels are apparently pursuing Paul Konerko.
I had dismissed this as unlikely, when it was first broached, but it appears there may be something to it.
And for the life of me, I can't figure out why Anaheim would be doing this.
From the article:
Indications are, though, that the White Sox also have inquired about a package that includes Chone Figgins. The White Sox are also in the market for bullpen help after their relievers melted down most of last season.
That baffles me. Konerko is under contract for 3 more years at $12 million per year. He'll be 32 next year. Kendrick, meanwhile, is under team control for 5 more years, and was probably better than Konerko last year.
Here's the explanation from the writer of the article:
Konerko, who will turn 32 in March, has hit at least 31home runs in each of the past four seasons and has recorded at least 90 RBIs in seven of the past eight, going over 100 RBIs four times. He is a career .281 hitter.
Adding Konerko to the roster while losing Kendrick could give manager Mike Scioscia a lineup of Figgins (third base), Gary Matthews Jr. (designated hitter), Garret Anderson (left field), Vladimir Guerrero (right field), Konerko (first base), Hunter (center field), Mike Napoli (catcher), Maicer Izturis (second base) and Erick Aybar (shortstop).
Really? Replacing Casey Kotchman and Kendrick with Konerko and Izturis is going to make the Angels one of the top offensive lineups in the A.L.? Given that Kotchman was better than Konerko last year, and at 7 years younger, seems likely to be at least as good as Konerko going forward, while Kendrick is a better hitter than Izturis, it seems like that would be a net downgrade.
Not to mention that such a trade means that Kotchman, Juan Rivera, and Reggie Willits would all be relegated to the bench. And given that Kotchman can only play first base -- a position that Konerko would, presumably, take over full time -- you'd probably have to deal Kotchman before the season.
This doesn't make sense from the Angels' perspective. This seems like making a move just for the sake of making a move.
If the ChiSox could get Kendrick, Santana, and, say, Reggie Willits for Konerko (the ChiSox apparently want to move Swisher to first base if they make this deal, opening up a spot for Willits in the Chicago outfield), this would be a home run for Chicago.
Meanwhile, I don't get what Anaheim is thinking here.
But if you are a Ranger fan, you should be hoping the Angels decide to get rid of Kendrick and Kotchman so they can add Konerko.