It's official: LaRoche joins White Sox
It's one thing to talk about holes that need filling and leave it at that.
It's quite another to actually take action.
In that regard, give White Sox general manager Rick Hahn some credit.
A week after adding veteran left-hander Zach Duke to plug a troublesome hole in the bullpen, Hahn and the Sox on Tuesday officially signed left-handed power hitter Adam LaRoche to a two-year, $25 million contract.
To clear a spot on the 40-man roster for the 35-year-old LaRoche, the White Sox designated right-handed pitcher Scott Carroll for assignment.
"Adam checked a lot of boxes that we were looking for," Hahn said. "He's a proven performer, slots in nicely in the order in between (Jose) Abreu and Avi (Garcia), and provides us with an element of patience at the plate as well as some power from the left side."
While his age indicates a career well on the downhill side, LaRoche tied for fifth in the National League with 92 RBI last season and was sixth with 82 walks and seventh with 26 home runs.
In 140 games with the Washington Nationals, LaRoche also batted .259 (.280 with 21 HRs and 76 RBI vs. right-handers) and drew a career-high 82 walks.
LaRoche also has been to the playoffs four times over an 11-year career that started with Atlanta and made stops in Pittsburgh, Boston, Arizona and Washington.
That's a big reason why he decided to sign with the Sox.
"I like the challenge of coming into a team that has not proved itself but is on the way and is looking to take over the division," LaRoche said. "I've been in a couple of those situations and it's fun because when it works out in the end, and hopefully that's during my time here, when it does it's pretty rewarding to know that you're a big part of that organization turning it around.
"I'd be lying if I said the money had nothing to do with it. They came in strong right out of the gate and showed their interest and commitment, how serious they were about getting something done."
Manager Robin Ventura confirmed LaRoche will bat cleanup, between Abreu at No. 3 and Garcia at No. 5. Ventura also indicated Conor Gillaspie is going to bat sixth, so that likely means the White Sox won't be looking for an upgrade at third base this winter.
With LaRoche, the obvious question is his position.
He has spent the majority of his career in the National League at first base, and the son of former Sox coach and major-league relief pitcher Dave LaRoche won a Gold Glove in 2012.
Abreu prefers playing first base, so the plan for now is having LaRoche be the designated hitter for roughly 75 percent of the time.
"It never crossed my mind that I would sign as a DH somewhere, even a part-time DH," LaRoche said. "I told Robin I would hate to come to a position somewhere where I totally give up first base because I feel like I can still be very productive on the defensive side.
"Physically, I still feel great. I'm not in the position yet, thankfully, where I need to be off my feet a bunch and where defense kind of affects me physically.
"Talking to (Ventura), they have a tough spot. They've got a kid (Abreu) that's obviously going to be around and be really good for a long time. It's not fair to make him a full-time DH this early in his career, especially when he can handle first base and handle the glove over there.
"I'll do it however it plays out. If they need me to play first more than we're talking about, great, I'll be there. If I end up DHing more, that's fine. I'm looking forward to hopefully being in the middle of that lineup and having a chance to drive some runs in."
sgregor@dailyherald.com