The Rant: Add Fukudome to Williams’ list of poor acquisitions
The Associated Press FILE – In this Sept. 23, 2011, file photo, Cleveland Indians’ Kosuke Fukudome bats against the Minnesota Twins during a baseball game in Cleveland. Kosuke Fukudome is joining the Chicago White Sox for a fraction of the price he cost the Chicago Cubs four years ago. The outfielder agreed Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, to a one-year contract that guarantees $1 million. He will get a $500,000 salary this year, and the White Sox have a $3.5 million option for 2013 with a $500,000 buyout. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)
February 21, 2012
The Chicago White Sox signed free-agent outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, and from a monetary stand-point, there is no reason to raise an eyebrow at this signing.
Its purpose proves baffling.
One year removed from the “All-In” campaign that left the White Sox all in debt, the talk was of a rebuilding stage.
Except, a rebuild isn’t possible. No, the White Sox are stuck in baseball hell: paying players all-star money for paltry performances and running out middling draft picks.
Sox general manager Kenny Williams’ ‘win now’ approach hasn’t converted a playoff series victory since the World Series Championship of 2005.
Fukudome is a serviceable backup, but he will block the possibility of bringing up one of the few seemingly capable minor leaguers at some point in the year.
Fukudome becomes one of many signings that Williams had to have, whether they were actually physically capable of playing baseball or not, like Ken Griffey Jr., Roberto Alomar and Omar Vizquel.