The White Sox need another bat to stay in contention in the American League Central.
That was obvious before yesterday's 3-1 loss to Kansas City. While the Sox had some nice offensive games during the 11-game winning streak, there's still was at least one gaping hole in the lineup. At least that hole was eliminated in National League play.
That's because National League play doesn't have a designated hitter.
Remember Andruw Jones? Through his first 22 games with the Sox, Jones was hitting .270/.386/.676, good for a 1.062 OPS. He had nine home runs, 13 walks, and even five stolen bases.
And then Jones pulled his best Amelia Earhart impression.
In Jones' last 30 games, he's hit .138/.248/.230, good for an awful .477 OPS. In June, Jones is hitting .086.
Jones is not that bad of a player. But it's safe to say he's regressed after a good start for the second consecutive year and shouldn't be expected to be anything more than a bench player for the rest of the season.
Then there's Mark Kotsay. I'll give him this: when he did play during the Sox's streak of winning 16 of 17, he had an OBP of .389. But Kotsay is not an ideal designated hitter, let alone No. 5 hitter.
The White Sox need something else. Adam Dunn could be that something else.
Joe Cowley says the White Sox are interested, but there may be a hitch: Ozzie Guillen thinks his team doesn't need another bat.
I appreciate that Ozzie has confidence in the team, but seriously, Ozzie, your team needs another bat.
Over the offseason, Kenny Williams trusted his manager and didn't bring back Jim Thome or sign another lefty power bat. Unfortunately, that didn't work out so well, especially after Jones tanked in May.
Hopefully, Williams will act on his desire and overrule Ozzie and add Dunn—or another middle-of-the-order bat.
ZiPS says Dunn will hit 19 more home runs with a .396 wOBA for the rest of the season. Presumably, he'd be worth around 2.5-3.0 wins if he didn't play a whole lot of defense.
Think of it this way: would you rather have Alex Rios-Paul Konerko-Carlos Quentin-Mark Kotsay or Alex Rios-Adam Dunn-Paul Konerko-Carlos Quentin?
With Dunn, the Sox 3-6 spots in the lineup would produce a ton of runs. Maybe even enough to support the pitching staff.
Minnesota's still struggling and Detroit lost Joel Zumaya to an absolutely gruesome injury (seriously, seeing Zumaya writhe in pain on the ground...that was awful), so the division is as wide open as ever right now. Dunn doesn't put the White Sox ahead of both the Twins and Tigers, but he certainly helps the Sox continue to close the gap between the three teams.
Granted, getting Dunn would probably mean parting with one good prospect and another marginal one. Cowley points out that Brent Morel isn't a fit with Washington thanks to Ryan Zimmerman, but I have to wonder if Dayan Viciedo would interest the Nats.
Viciedo should ultimately will end up a first baseman, and while the Nationals do have a first base prospect in Double-A, Viciedo could provide a more immediate impact.
The elephant in the room is Dan Hudson, who I would hate to see the Sox trade for a half-year rental player. In fact, there really aren't a whole lot of circumstances in which I'd be okay with the Sox trading Hudson.
Hudson is the only legitimate prospect the White Sox have in the upper levels of their minor league system. Hopefully, he'll slide into a rotation spot in 2011, presumably taking Freddy Garcia's spot.
Trading Hudson would put tremendous pressure on 2010 first-round pick Chris Sale to rocket through the system as a starter. I'd rather see the Sox have the flexibility to let Sale develop in 2011 rather than rushing him to the majors.
But I'd also like to see the Sox add Dunn. If the Nationals want Hudson in return, though, the Sox should turn them down and look elsewhere. There are plenty of other options available to give the Sox that much-needed middle-of-the-order bat.
Dunn's the first choice, though. And he's a really good first choice.
Links, presented by Ron Swanson's ringtone:
- Cheat implores the White Sox to trade for a bat.
- Jim talked to Britt Burns about the 1983 Sox, among other topics.
- A.J. Pierzynski was rated 73rd out of 90 in Matt Klaassen's new catcher defense rankings.
- MLB Trade Rumors has a roundup of Adam Dunn rumors, including that he's projected as a Type A free agent.
Comments
I like Dunn a lot. A whole lot. His bat would play awesome at home and he would almost make up for the lack of OBP at the top. That being said, I don't ever want to see him play the field. He is just dreadful everywhere.
If KW has to give up hudson to get Dunn, he shouldn't do the deal. Viciedo is a beast and will continue to tear the cover off the ball if given the chance.
Viciedo's an interesting case--I wish the Sox would give him the chance to tear the cover off the ball. 2-4 today was a good start.
And Dunn has said he doesn't want to be a full-time DH...which sounds kinda like Jermaine Dye saying he wants to play right field every day. For Dunn to extend his career, he's going to have to end up DHing 95% of the games he plays, especially when he gets north of 32 or 33.
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