Navarro hopes for more action with White Sox
Dioner Navarro was in a good spot with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2013.
After leaving the Chicago Cubs and signing a two-year, $8 million contract with the Jays, Navarro played in 139 games and batted .274 with 12 home runs and 69 RBI.
Toronto signed Russell Martin to a five-year, $82 million deal last winter, and Navarro became a spare part while hitting .246 with 5 homers and 20 RBI in 54 games.
Seeing a better opportunity, Navarro signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Chicago White Sox. The deal was officially announced on Friday.
"Obviously I'm really just looking forward to playing, that was one of my issues last year," Navarro said. "I was really happy with the team I was on but I wasn't playing much. I just wanted to play and I think this opportunity with the White Sox showed me it was going to be a great one."
Tyler Flowers, the Sox' No. 1 catcher the past three years, was nontendered on Wednesday. Geovany Soto, Flowers' backup last season, exited as a free agent and signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels.
Alex Avila signed a one-year contract with the White Sox last week. Will he platoon with Navarro?
"I think whoever stands out is going to get the bulk of the playing time," Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. "It does line up, at least on paper, with Alex having more success against right-handed pitching and Navarro over the course of his career doing a lot of damage against left-handed pitching, there is the opportunity for it to evolve into a straight platoon.
"But with Dioner's ability to switch-hit, we are going to go into camp with an open mind and see how things evolve. It gives (manager) Robin (Ventura) and the staff more flexibility to play matchups, whether it's at the start of the game or late in the game with substitutions. We think they will complement each other very well."
The White Sox also announced the signing of right-handed pitcher Jacob Turner to a one-year, $1.5 million contract.
Turner, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2009 draft (Tigers), was claimed off waivers from the Cubs in late October.
Sidelined for most of last season with a strained flexor tendon in his right elbow, Turner made 2 starts for Class AA Tennessee in June and allowed 2 earned runs in 9 innings.
"He's always started and he will come into spring training with an opportunity to compete for a spot in the rotation," Hahn said. "We feel very good about where he is from a health standpoint right now and where he is in his off-season program. We think he could provide us with another opportunity in the rotation come opening day. If, for some reason, that doesn't work out or we go a different direction, then we do think he has the strong potential to help us out of the bullpen."