"If the Houston Astros could replace Carlos Beltran, is Konerko replaceable?
Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf doesn't want to disappoint his growing fan base, not with all those requests for information about season tickets, so the Sox will try to convince agent Craig Landis (the son of former White Sox center fielder Jim Landis) to steer his client back to Chicago. But Konerko's father, Hank, told an Arizona newspaper last month that there would be no hometown discounts—the time for that was last winter, and Williams wanted to keep his options open. Now it's Konerko's turn to study his options.
At $8.75 million, Konerko was the highest-paid player on the 2005 Sox, taking up less than 12 percent of a $75 million payroll. As that percentage of payroll goes higher, even if the payroll does increase to $85 million, it will be more difficult for Williams to keep his team as deep as it was during the dream season. With Boston, the Los Angeles Angels, the New York Mets and possibly Yankees interested in Konerko, the price per season could jump above $14 million, the
franchise-record salary Magglio Ordonez was paid in 2004.
The best internal choice to replace Konerko would be to move Jermaine Dye to first base, creating an opening in the outfield for prospect Brian Anderson, a former first-round draft choice who hit .295 with 16 homers last season at Triple-A Charlotte. Casey Rogowski, currently hitting .316 with 15 RBIs in 13 games for Azucareros in the Dominican Republic after a solid year at Double-A Birmingham, is another possibility."
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...-home-headlines
I really like what I see in Casey Rogowski. I remember seeing him in Spring Training this year and the guy looks like a tank. I'm sure if he made it in the big leagues, people would scream Steroids at him.
