Rumor has it that....

The White Sox, Padres and Angels are discussing a three-way trade that would send Paul Konerko to Los Angeles, Adrian Gonzalez to Chicago and prospects to San Diego. A very interesting proposition, in my honest opinion. We would be getting a very great left-handed hitter who clubbed 40 home runs last year while playing in a pitcher's ballpark, not to mention a guy who can add some more balance to the lineup. With Thome's departure, there was a clear void in the lineup as far as left-handed power goes. If the Sox were somehow able to acquire Gonzalez, that void would be gone.

However, there is the issue of Konerko's no-trade clause, which is present only because of his 10-5 rights (10-5 rights means that if a player has been in the majors for at least 10 seasons, with the last five being on the same team, they have the power to veto any trade). According to the linked article, Konerko lives in Arizona during the offseason, and as you already know, Southern California is pretty close to Arizona. Nonetheless, I do not know how I feel about Konerko being traded. Yes, he is an "old" 33, but he is still very productive at the plate, and on the field as well. He hit .277 this year (his highest average since 2006), with 28 home runs and 88 RBIs, which is a pretty solid year at the plate. He was also one of my favorite players growing up, and I still have my Paul Konerko autograph on the bill of my Sox hat proudly sitting atop my trophy shelf. He is one of the greatest players in Sox history; he is second in team history in home runs, and he and Frank Thomas are the only two players in Sox history to post back-to-back 40 homer seasons. Sox fans will not forget how clutch he was during the 2005 postseason, when he hit possibly the biggest home run in team history in Game 2 (a 7th inning grand slam off of Chad Qualls). The day "Paulie" plays his final game in a Sox uniform will definitely be a sad one for me and many Sox fans.

But...if they do acquire Gonzalez, I would still be estatic. I would love to see him paired with Carlos Quentin in the lineup next year, and I would love to see him do work on American League pitching. He is similar to Konerko in a lot of ways. He carries himself with a quiet dignity that is similar to "Paulie;" he has unheralded power, just like him and he can field his position very well, just like him, too. The most awesome aspect about this trade idea is that he's 27 years old, which means he is just about to enter his prime. Now that I think about it, if this trade were to go through, I would be sad that Konerko left, but, at the same time, it would be like he never left at all once Gonzalez suits up at first. Like the old saying goes: "sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same." Kenny, if you were able to get this deal done, go for it!