posted on Thursday, October 30, 2008 4:09 PM by Jim

Griffey out; Hall halfway there

The White Sox officially declined options on Ken Griffey Jr. and Toby Hall.

The reason Hall is only halfway gone is because signing him for a contract less than his $2.25 million is a very real possibility -- maybe even the likeliest scenario.  That's basically what they did with Juan Uribe last season, who, like Hall, underperformed his contract yet was a better bet to provide value than any other free agent possibility.

With Uribe, however, they worked it out in one fell swoop, not even exercising the buyout.  Hall at least has $150,000 coming his way, but the Sox might be his best shot at redemption considering how well the pitchers threw to him last season.

Otherwise, Hall won't be standing out much, even in a group of unimpressive free agents behind the plate.

And speaking of Uribe, he, too, filed for free agency.

Comments

# re: Griffey out; Hall halfway there

Thursday, October 30, 2008 8:45 PM by chisoxt
I still wouldn't mind seeing Maguel Olivo, though he probably wants to start...Truth be told, AJ seems to flame out in the second half and could use a better backup.

# re: Griffey out; Hall halfway there

Thursday, October 30, 2008 11:36 PM by Conor
Hall seems to be an ok backup, but wouldn't the real problem be getting AJ to take a breather without copping a 'tude?

Olivo has an arm, doesn't he?

# re: Griffey out; Hall halfway there

Friday, October 31, 2008 12:29 AM by Jim Margalus
I'm not opposed to Olivo, but Conor mentions one big issue. To give Olivo the playing time he's used to, you'd have to cut away from the playing time A.J. is used to.

He does have an Olivo, but his technique is kinda lacking from what I remember and have seen. He's also had on-field run-ins with Dotel (who will be here) and Carrasco (who might not be), and that would be interesting to see.

# re: Griffey out; Hall halfway there

Sunday, November 02, 2008 4:18 PM by chisoxt
'Hall seems to be an ok backup, but wouldn't the real problem be getting AJ to take a breather without copping a 'tude?'

One of the drawback of having a catcher as one of your main offensive weapons is that the production seems to nosedive in the second half, especially if that player is older. With AJ getting up there in years, I don't see that problem getting better, ergo, the need to get a backup catcher who brings more to the table than shaving cream pies and horsey rides.