Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko will not make a definitive decision on his baseball future until sometime after the season ends, a source has told Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago.
White Sox rumors: Paul Konerko waiting to make decision on future
The veteran slugger won’t decide whether he’s coming back for 2014 until sometime after the season.
Ronald Martinez
Whether “after the season” means at the end of this week or following the World Series is unclear, though Konerko is planning to address the media in some capacity during the team’s final series against the Kansas City Royals, per Levine’s source.
Konerko, 37, told Levine on Monday that he understands why people continue to press him on the matter, but that he’s in no hurry to make a decision about his future:
“I am going to go at the pace I have been going at; you only get one of these careers. It is not like I have the right answer so I will continue to do what I feel is right...”
”I understand the inquiries about my future and why people want to know. At the same time, it is still about doing my job; I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
“What is the rush, is the way I feel.”
It was rumored at the start of the month that Konerko would like to return to the White Sox in 2014, but the slugger didn’t give any indication either way on Monday, stating that there are some things he’d rather keep private. Chicago re-signed the veteran the last two times he hit the open market, but could look for a younger alternative this winter.
Konerko has been a beacon of hope for aging ballplayers throughout his mid-30s, posting better overall numbers as a thirtysomething than he did in his presumed prime. The veteran slugger seems to have hit a wall this year, however.
Konerko has been hampered by small injuries all season, and his numbers have suffered as a result. He is batting .248/.317/.356 with 11 home runs in 121 games, putting him on track for the lowest long-ball total of his career.
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