White Sox's Bobby Jenks gets big raise but is still a bargain -- chicagotribune.com
Congrats to Bobby Jenks on his big payday. The Sox agreed to $5.4 million for one year in Jenks first year of arbitration. He has come a long way from that log cabin in Idaho.
Bobby has quickly become one of my all time favorite White Sox players, and not just because of the results. I appreciate the way he handles business on the mound. Whether he has nasty stuff, or pitches batting practice, Bobby goes right after hitters. Sometimes, but not often, he get hits hard. But Bobby always makes the batter beat him which is all I ask from anyone the Sox put on the mound.
While Jenks decreased strikeout rate over the last two seasons is worrisome (in four seasons it has dropped from 11.44/9IP to 5.55/9IP), it's nice to see him get paid for his prior achievements. But the Sox were smart not to lock him up for a longer term, as Jenks still needs to prove he can be effective with a lower strike out rate.