Danks doesn't fault Chicago White Sox for releasing him
While he's not happy with the Chicago White Sox's somewhat surprising decision to release him and eat the remaining $11.9 million on his contract, John Danks is realistic.
"The team is hot, the team is playing well," Danks said on a conference call with Sox beat writers Wednesday from his off-season home in Nashville, Tenn. "That's obvious, and you can't go out there with four-fifths of a rotation. I totally understand that. It all starts with starting pitching, we've been told that since we were young. In order to win this thing, you have to have five starters giving you a shot every night out. Unfortunately I wasn't doing that in April."
In 4 starts with the White Sox in April, Danks was 0-4 with a 7.25 ERA. Dating back to last season, the 31-year-old lefty had lost 7 straight decisions.
With the Sox off to a roaring 19-8 start, they already look like legitimate playoff contenders. That's the main reason Danks is off the roster after a 10-year run on the South Side.
"The way my April went and the way the team is playing, I can't fault anybody with the decision they made," Danks said. "It's a win-now league and I wasn't helping the team win."
In 10 seasons with the Sox, Danks was 79-104 with a 4.38 ERA and 1,102 strikeouts over 1,503 ⅓ innings. He signed a five-year, $65 million contract extension in December 2011 and wound up having shoulder surgery in August 2012.
When he returned to the mound in May 2013, Danks was not the same pitcher.
"I'm not the first guy to go through surgery," Danks said. "I was told from the very beginning that shoulder surgery is tough. I obviously thought I could beat it, but it's no secret I wasn't the same guy I was before surgery.
"I've never been one to make excuses. I thought I worked as hard as I could. I put myself in the best position but I just wasn't physically ready to do it nearly as much as I was before surgery."
Before heading to Nashville, Danks stopped at U.S. Cellular Field Tuesday afternoon to say goodbye to his teammates.
"I would say that was probably the hardest part," Danks said. "Went in and hugged guys that were in there yesterday. Those guys are a blast to be around. It's always more fun to win. Just the energy that gets brought in every day and the camaraderie and the trust in each other. You can see that on the field. Guys are willing to give themselves up for the better of the team."
As for pitching for another team this season, Danks will stay close to the phone.
"I'm going to stay in shape," he said. "This is all I've done since I was in high school. I'll be in shape. If the phone rings, I'll be certainly interested. If it doesn't for some reason, it's been a (heck) of a run. I can say I got to play nine seasons in the big leagues, especially with one team in a bad-(bleep) city like Chicago.
"I don't have any regrets. I worked as hard as I know how to and did my very best every time out, and that's really all I could promise. But there certainly still is a desire to play. Now it's up to someone wanting me or not."
As he moves on, Danks will always be remembered for pitching shutout innings in the 2008 "Blackout Game" against the Twins. The Sox beat Minnesota 1-0 in the tiebreaking game and advanced to the playoffs.
"I grew up there," Danks said. "Showed up as a baby, I was 21 years old when I made my first start, and left as a 31-year-old man. I got to play with a lot of awesome teammates that have become lifelong friends now. Met a lot of people in a great organization.
"I certainly had a lot of good times, some tough times, some struggles. But all in all, I got to live a dream. Got to play a game, and yeah, I'm a very blessed man, no doubt."