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Imrem: After LaRoche debacle, can the Chicago White Sox really be trusted?

Pennies from heaven are raining down on the White Sox.

To be precise, 1.3 billion pennies are.

If my dubious math skills aren't failing me again, that's how many cents add up to the $13 million in Adam LaRoche's contract for 2016.

The Sox' incumbent designated hitter apparently will leave baseball effective immediately and forfeit the cash.

Reports say that the "personal reason" LaRoche cited is that Kenny Williams told him his 14-year-old son Drake can't hang out in the clubhouse 100 percent of the time like he did last year.

Good move by the Sox' vice president, right? But what took so long? Why did Williams, general manager Rick Hahn and field manager Robin Ventura allow the junior LaRoche to be nearly a formal member of the 25-man roster a year ago?

The arrangement wasn't a secret. Cute and cuddly stories were written about 2015 being "Take Your Son to Work Season" for the LaRoches.

Only the wacky White Sox could find themselves embroiled in a controversy like this. Every time you want to believe in this organization, something makes you apprehensive.

For sure, though, the Sox and their fans can celebrate LaRoche's departure.

This guy was the face of Sox' futility last year: He and they started slowly, never recovered and finished 19 games behind Kansas City.

Now the Sox have LaRoche's generous $13 million donation to spend on another DH or other players before Opening Day, at the trading deadline or next winter.

The question is whether to trust the Sox with the money after they squandered a bundle on LaRoche and before that Adam Dunn.

The Sox signed LaRoche as a free agent on Nov. 25, 2014. Three weeks later, Kansas City signed Kendrys Morales as a free agent.

LaRoche proceeded to bat .207 with 12 homers and 44 RBI over 127 games while Morales batted .290 with 22 homers and 106 RBI over 158 games.

No wonder the Sox finished with a 76-86 record with LaRoche while the Royals won the World Series with Morales.

LaRoche hit better than Morales in 2014 and their reversal of fortunes in 2015 could have been just another example of the Sox' bad luck.

Or did the Sox simply suffer from poor judgment again?

It was difficult to say at this time last year that the Sox made a mistake by signing the wrong DH. But maybe in retrospect it was.

The Sox had just come off a mostly regrettable four-year period at DH with Dunn, who like LaRoche came over from the National League.

Dunn had spent nearly his entire career as an outfielder, just as LaRoche had spent his as a first baseman.

Dunn had trouble adjusting to being a full-time designated hitter in the American League, just as LaRoche did.

So maybe the Sox weren't victims of bad luck with LaRoche. Maybe they ignored the lesson Dunn taught them.

If the players traded uniforms, the Sox might have started faster with Morales, changed the dynamic of the season and qualified for the playoffs.

Then again, maybe the Royals' winning culture brought out the best in Morales and the Sox' losing culture brought out the worst in LaRoche.

Oh, well, now Adam LaRoche's departure after one season gives the wacky White Sox those heaven-sent 1.3 billion pennies to work with.

Trust their sense with those cents at your own risk.

mimrem@dailyherald.com

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