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Adam LaRoche agrees with Chicago White Sox for two years, $25 million - ESPN Chicago
The Chicago White Sox snagged the lefty-hitting run producer they were looking for by agreeing to a two-year, $25 million deal with Adam LaRoche on Friday, sources confirmed to ESPN.
USA Today earlier reported the deal, which the White Sox have yet to confirm.
It would be the second free agent the White Sox have added this week. They brought on left-handed reliever Zach Duke for bullpen depth Tuesday.
A .264 hitter over 11 seasons, the 35-year-old LaRoche has 243 career home runs. He hit 26 of them this past season for the Washington Nationals to go along with 92 RBIs.
White Sox general manager Rick Hahn talked earlier this week about the team's desire to add a left-handed bat to complement the right-handed run production from Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia.
"It's on the list of needs," Hahn said Tuesday. "Obviously we want to have the balance in the lineup and allow [manager] Robin [Ventura] the flexibility to play the right matchups when the opportunity arises. Right now we do tilt a little heavily right-handed, especially in the middle of the order."
LaRoche has played all but six of his nearly 1,500 career games in the National League. He played those six games with the Boston Red Sox in 2009.
In the NL, he has played for the Atlanta Braves on two occasions, the Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks and Nationals.
He finished sixth in the NL MVP race in 2012, hitting 33 home runs with 100 RBIs for the Nationals. He was also a Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger award winner at first base that year.
LaRoche figures to pick up the bulk of his at-bats as the White Sox's designated hitter, essentially taking over the job that had been Adam Dunn's for the past four years. He also figures to spell Abreu at first base on occasion.
USA Today earlier reported the deal, which the White Sox have yet to confirm.
It would be the second free agent the White Sox have added this week. They brought on left-handed reliever Zach Duke for bullpen depth Tuesday.
A .264 hitter over 11 seasons, the 35-year-old LaRoche has 243 career home runs. He hit 26 of them this past season for the Washington Nationals to go along with 92 RBIs.
White Sox general manager Rick Hahn talked earlier this week about the team's desire to add a left-handed bat to complement the right-handed run production from Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia.
"It's on the list of needs," Hahn said Tuesday. "Obviously we want to have the balance in the lineup and allow [manager] Robin [Ventura] the flexibility to play the right matchups when the opportunity arises. Right now we do tilt a little heavily right-handed, especially in the middle of the order."
LaRoche has played all but six of his nearly 1,500 career games in the National League. He played those six games with the Boston Red Sox in 2009.
In the NL, he has played for the Atlanta Braves on two occasions, the Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks and Nationals.
He finished sixth in the NL MVP race in 2012, hitting 33 home runs with 100 RBIs for the Nationals. He was also a Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger award winner at first base that year.
LaRoche figures to pick up the bulk of his at-bats as the White Sox's designated hitter, essentially taking over the job that had been Adam Dunn's for the past four years. He also figures to spell Abreu at first base on occasion.
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