White Sox manager Jerry Manuel told his players Monday the addition of Wil Cordero could make them the most hated team in the American League.
Management only hopes that the Sox won’t be despised in their own stadium and that South Side fans will be as eager to give Cordero a second chance as the team is.
“I think the fans will accept a guy who plays hard and shows remorse,” General Manager Ron Schueler said.
Cordero signed a one-year deal with the Sox on Monday for $1 million. A team option for 1999 would guarantee Cordero at least $2.5 million if the troubled infielder-outfielder has at least 400 plate appearances this season. The dollar amount for 1999 rises incrementally to $5 million with up to 625 plate appearances.
Cordero is expected to report Wednesday and should be ready to join the club in two to three weeks.
“It might not even take that long,” Manuel said. “He was playing winter ball through February.”
Cordero, who pleaded guilty last November to assaulting his wife in June, submitted to eight hours of interviews and written tests for White Sox personnel last week. Cordero also agreed to continue counseling at least once a week, either in person or by telephone.
“We wanted to make sure all the guidelines were in place before we signed him,” Schueler said.
For his part, Cordero is walking a straight line.
“I realize what I did was wrong,” Cordero said in a statement. “I have worked hard to change. . . . I see this as a tremendous chance to redeem myself and my reputation. I want to do everything possible to assure the club and fans they’ll not be embarrassed by my performance on or off the field.”
The team realizes it’s taking a chance, but Schueler said Cordero’s right-handed bat makes him worth the risk. Manuel already envisions Cordero batting sixth, between Robin Ventura and right-fielder Magglio Ordonez.
“He has an All-Star bat,” said Manuel, who coached Cordero in the Montreal Expos’ organization in the early ’90s. “If he does do a good job at one position and upgrades the defense, he’ll stay there.”
Cordero will see most of his action at first base, where he has played in one major-league game. If he excels there, Frank Thomas could become a full-time designated hitter.
“That’s fine with me,” Thomas said. “I know my role on this team; I’m a hitter. Two years ago I had a problem DH’ing, but I’ve matured a lot. I know how to keep myself in the ballgame and stay loose.”
Cordero also will play DH some days, and he can spell outfielders or second baseman Ray Durham. Cordero played left field last year in Boston after spending much of his early career at shortstop. He played first base in winter ball the last two years.
“Throwing across the diamond was his weakness,” Manuel said. “But in terms of fielding, he has very good hands and decent feet.”
While Schueler and Manuel are excited about Cordero’s skills, they know his success will depend on how he deals with the public outcry that has followed him for most of the last year.
The 26-year-old Cordero hit .281 last season with 18 home runs and 72 RBIs, but made bigger news for his off-the-field misconduct. In November he pleaded guilty to charges that he had assaulted his wife, Ana, during a dispute at their Cambridge, Mass., home in June. Cordero was given a suspended sentence of 90 days and ordered to undergo a 40-week counseling program.
But Cordero was a target of criticism long before November, as allegations surfaced he had a history of spousal abuse. Cordero let it affect his play. He hit .300 before the All-Star break and .262 after it. Some scouts said Cordero’s mind-set was to swing at the first decent pitch he saw rather than stand in the batter’s box and get showered with boos.
“He’s still going to hear it,” Schueler said. “He has heard it all before, but he has to put up with it because he caused the problem.”
Cordero’s agent, Jeff Moorad, and Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf agreed to terms Monday morning. Reinsdorf said in a statement that it was not an easy decision, but “our organization is willing to provide him with a second chance as long as he continues to show sincerity in undergoing treatment and addressing his problems.”
Reinsdorf wasn’t available for additional comment Monday, but he said last week signing Cordero wouldn’t affect the team’s goal to be more appealing to its fans.
“We want to be more fan-friendly and I think we’re going to be,” Reinsdorf said. “I think we’re going to have an aggressive, get-dirty kind of club, with or without Wil Cordero.”
Schueler is hoping Chicago fans open their hearts to Cordero as they have done with other newcomers.
“Dennis Rodman, they booed him every time he came to town,” Schueler said. “Now he’s a fan favorite. (Cordero) has shown remorse and our people think that if he stays in this (counseling) program, we can help him on and off the field.”
