NASHVILLE -- The Pittsburgh Pirates reportedly said no to Adam LaRoche at a discounted rate and the Seattle Mariners traded for Adam Lind.
Those two teams were identified by an industry source earlier this week as two of the best fits for LaRoche, as long as the White Sox ate at least $8 million of his $13 million salary. While there’s more than two months left before teams head to spring training, the White Sox are likely to have difficulty finding a suitor for LaRoche, even at a significant price reduction.
LaRoche hit .207/.293/.340 with 12 home runs and 44 RBIs in 484 plate appearances last season.
[SHOP: Gear up, White Sox fans!]
Early Thursday, veteran scribe John Perotto reported the Pirates declined to acquire LaRoche, even after the White Sox offered to assume all but $5 million of his salary.
That news came on the heels of the Mariners’ deal for Lind, who they acquired from Milwaukee for three young pitchers.
[MORE: Trayce Thompson drawing interest around the league]
MLB
With so much time to go before pitchers and catchers report, the White Sox aren’t into the planning stages for how they would use LaRoche, who has the most power potential of any left-handed hitter on the roster. But were he to return, the White Sox think LaRoche, who has hit 20 homers 10 different times, can rebound.
“He also has a track record that, if he has a stinker that's in there statistically, he does bounce back,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said on Tuesday. “So you count on that, and you go by how your team's doing and how he's doing.
“I don't know if it becomes just he's automatically on a short leash. It's how your team's playing.”