Trade to White Sox extends Thome’s career
After 15 big league seasons, Jim Thome was at a crossroads following the 2005 campaign.
Back pain and elbow surgery had sidelined him before July 1 after 59 games with the Phillies, and he batted just .207 with seven homers and 30 RBI in a year where he turned 35 years old.
But the Chicago White Sox, who had just won their first World Series in 88 years, saw a chance to bring Thome back to his home state when the Phillies made Thome available in a trade. And White Sox general manager Ken Williams didn’t hesitate to make the deal.
On Nov. 25, 2005, Thome was officially dealt to the White Sox in exchange for center fielder Aaron Rowand and minor leaguers Daniel Haigwood and Gio González. The move was meant to provide insurance in case first basemen Paul Konerko and Frank Thomas left Chicago as free agents.
“If we brought back the same team, it would have been difficult to repeat,” Williams told the Chicago Tribune. “We feel like we needed a left-handed presence in the middle of the order.”
The deal was announced on Nov. 23 but not finalized by MLB until two days later because of the $22 million that the Phillies sent to the White Sox to defray some of the $46 million left on Thome’s contract. It would prove to be a bargain for Chicago, which eventually brought back Konerko and allowed Thomas to leave via free agency.
Thome, a native of Peoria, Ill., who had totaled 430 home runs to that point in his career, hit .288 with 42 home runs and 109 RBI in 143 games in 2006 – seeing almost all his playing time as a designated hitter. His .416 on-base percentage was powered by 107 walks and helped him score 108 runs.
Rowand, meanwhile, became an All-Star and Gold Glove Award-winning center fielder for the Phillies, who had the luxury of filling Thome’s shoes at first base with Ryan Howard. The young first baseman won the 2005 National League Rookie of the Year Award and then captured 2006 NL MVP honors. And González, after a couple more trades, became a 20-game winner with the Nationals.
“It’s always tough to move somebody who’s a professional hitter,” Phillies general manager Pat Gillick told the Philadelphia Inquirer when Thome was traded. “He has hit 400 homers in the big leagues. But it’s a good situation for both clubs.”
Thome would play three full seasons for the White Sox and most of a fourth before being traded to the Dodgers during the 2009 campaign. By the time he left Chicago, Thome had totaled 564 home runs, 1,562 RBI and 1,619 walks – making his future Hall of Fame candidacy look extremely promising.
Thome would play through the 2012 season, finishing with 612 home runs, a .402 on-base percentage and a .554 slugging percentage.
“When I leave the game of baseball someday, I want people to recognize that I always put my teams first,” Thome told the Inquirer at the time of the trade. “That’s what I love about the game – being part of the team.”
Thome was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018.
Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
