White Sox smiling about new building blocks
I'm pretty sure I haven't seen so many smiles at U.S. Cellular Field since Sept. 30, 2008.
That was the day John Danks, Jim Thome and Ken Griffey Jr. sparked the White Sox to a 1-0 win over the Twins in the AL Central tiebreaker game.
The "Blackout Game" triumph vaulted the Sox into the postseason, and that is the last time the franchise has been seen in October.
Back at the Cell on Tuesday, general manager Rick Hahn had a wide smile after officially announcing the signing of free-agent outfielder Melky Cabrera to a three-year, $42 million contract.
Cabrera was on hand, and he, too, was beaming after buttoning up his No. 53 uniform top.
Two other expected impact newcomers for the White Sox - starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija and closer David Robertson - were present on the South Side, and the whole crew already is looking forward to the April 6 season opener at Kansas City.
"It is a good decision because looking at the talent we have, we are going to work hard together to bring a championship to Chicago," Cabrera said through a translator. "To me, it's a great decision."
Robertson joined the Sox on a four-year, $46 million contract last week after saving 39 games for the New York Yankees last season.
"Obviously, they have a great squad here, and it's something I want to be part of," Robertson said. "I'm excited to be here and excited about all the moves that they've made."
Elsewhere at the Cell on Tuesday, executive vice president Kenny Williams was smiling, and so was Brooks Boyer, the White Sox' director of sales and marketing.
It was Boyer who gave the head's up to Hahn, Williams and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf late last week.
After Samardzija came over in a trade from Oakland and Robertson signed, after left-handed relief pitcher Dan Jennings was acquired in a trade from Miami, and not long after free agents Adam LaRoche and Zach Duke signed with the Sox in November, fans apparently decided they want to buy tickets and come watch this team in 2015.
"For tickets, this has been the best one-week stretch since (Paul) Konerko and A.J. (Pierzynski) came back, and (Adam) Dunn came in during the 2010 off-season," Boyer said. "What's nice is this is coming off the winter meetings, so it's still December.
"We have surge already, and as Rick alluded to, it gave Jerry the confidence to move on Melky because of the enthusiasm and passion the fans showed."
Cabrera, who batted .301 with the Toronto Blue Jays last season, was expected to sign with the Seattle Mariners to reunite with close friend Robinson Cano.
Baltimore and Kansas City expressed an interest in the 30-year-old left fielder, but Cabrera moved quickly after the Sox offered the contract last weekend.
"There were a lot of teams interested in me, but it was a family decision," Cabrera said. "I talked to my wife and the rest of my family and we decided to come here because it's a good talented team, good ballplayers. They (added) other players and that makes it more interesting."
Hahn, who referred to Tuesday's media gathering as a "celebration," credited Reinsdorf and Sox fans for allowing him to make an obvious upgrade.
"It was absolutely the case that money was tight, and now money is even tighter I suppose," the White Sox' GM said. "This came about really to two driving factors, first and foremost Jerry Reinsdorf giving us the latitude to aggressively pursue Melky when it became clear to us that there was a realistic chance of signing him.
"And I think the second factor which gave Jerry a level of comfort with being so aggressive is the response that we have received from Sox fans so far this year in response to our moves. Things have gone well so far from a sales standpoint, which played a role in Jerry allowing us to go beyond our originally targeted payroll."
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