For a while Tom Gordon’s agent, Rick Thurman, thought his client would return to the Cubs.
But Cubs general manager Jim Hendry deliberated until deciding to sign lefty Mark Guthrie last week.
“We were close a number of times,” Thurman said. “He wanted `Flash’ and `Flash’ wanted to be in Chicago. But it ended up working out fine.”
Gordon’s one-year deal with the White Sox became official Monday after general manager Ken Williams reported Gordon passed a team physical “with flying colors.”
Gordon will be paid $1.4 million plus $500,000 in incentives based on appearances and games finished.
The 35-year-old right-hander rebounded last season after tearing a muscle in his right shoulder in March. He had a 3.38 ERA in 34 appearances, including an 0.92 mark for the Astros.
Gordon will be the right-handed setup man for Billy Koch.
“Flash wants to close,” Thurman said. “But he’s at a point in his career where if he can’t close, he wants to go somewhere he can win.”
Moving on: Former Sox starter Jim Parque, 27, signed a minor-league deal with Tampa Bay.
