When the Chicago White Sox signed Adam LaRoche last offseason, they were hoping to get a hitter who could add some pop to the middle of their lineup. After all, he hit 79 home runs from 2012-2014 with the Washington Nationals and hadn't hit fewer than 20 home runs over the course of a full season in his career.
What the received, however, was an average (to below-average) hitter. LaRoche hit just 12 homers with the Sox and slashed .207/.293/.340.
The deal was for two years and $25 million, so they're on the hook for $13 million in 2016, the final year in his contract. That might be tough to move, but according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the White Sox are shopping LaRoche to 'clear money for a big bat':
There are plenty of big bats to be had this offseason -- Jason Heyward, Alex Gordon, Juston Upton and Daniel Murphy are all unsigned.
If the Sox do find a trade partner, it will be interesting to see how much salary relief they can get in return.
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