Guillen said it wouldn't be fair to bring Thome back in part-time role
Jim Thome got a job offer from the White Sox on Monday. It just wasn't the one he wanted.
An undetermined position with the Sox awaits the 39-year-old designated hitter when his playing days are over.
In a conference call Monday night with the four beat writers covering the club, manager Ozzie Guillen said he decided not to bring Thome back for another season out of fairness to the left-handed slugger.
"I talked to Jim (on Sunday) and I told him how we're going to work and I don't see him getting that many at-bats," Guillen said. "To play him once a week, twice a week, I don't think that's fair for him or the ballclub. It wasn't an easy decision. I let him know right away because right now, hopefully Jim doesn't have to wait that long to get a job."
Thome, a free agent, has also been talking to the Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays.
Guillen wants to use a rotating group of designated hitters this season, with Andruw Jones, Mark Kotsay, Paul Konerko, Juan Pierre, Omar Vizquel and Carlos Quentin all in the mix.
It's an unorthodox plan by White Sox standards, but Guillen convinced general manager Kenny Williams it can work.
"It's funny," Guillen said. "We always played in the past with big boys in the middle of the lineup. We obviously changed our philosophy because we want to have more speed and defense. I'm very, very, very optimistic. I'm very excited."
On the flip side, breaking the news to Thome was sobering for Guillen.
"He was cool with it," Guillen said. "I told him straight up how we feel. The only reason we're doing this is because of the person we're talking about. If it was somebody else, let him go and move on."
The Sox are actually saying good-bye to Thome for the second time in five months.
Last August, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers after batting .249 with 23 home runs, 74 RBI, a .372 on-base percentage and an .865 OPS in 107 games.
Thome appeared in 17 games with L.A. and hit .235.
Acquired by the White Sox in a Nov. 25, 2005 trade from the Phillies for center fielder Aaron Rowand, Thome averaged 34 home runs and 91 RBI over the past four seasons.
In 2007, he hit his 500th career home run during a Sept. 16 game against the Angels at. U.S. Cellular Field. The following year, Thome's 461-foot solo home run was the difference in the classic "blackout" AL Central tie-breaker game against the Twins.
A sure-fire future Hall of Famer, Thome ranks 12th all-time in home runs (564) and 15th in slugging (.565).
"We didn't release Jim; we just didn't bring him back," Guillen said. "It's not easy but you learn little by little that you have to do some things you don't like to do. That's why I'm manager."
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<li><a href="/story/?id=353833"><b>ROZNER:</b> This just in - Thome still gone<span class="date"> [1/25/10]</span></a></li>
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