Talks are continuing between the Cubs and free agent Andre Dawson.
General Manager Larry Himes said Wednesday the team had received a counter-proposal from Dawson`s agent, Dick Moss, in the last week and team officials were preparing a response.
Dawson, 38, became a free agent last month. He has said he wants to return to the Cubs for two more seasons. And the Cubs have said they made him a long-term contract offer that could keep him as a player for two more seasons and retain him in the organization after that.
Moss and attorney Dennis Homerin, a special consultant to the Cubs, are conducting the negotiations.
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– It almost happened. Himes said he considered making a trade to bring left-hander Danny Jackson back to the Cubs.
Jackson was 5-16 in a season and a half with the Cubs before being traded to the division champion Pittsburgh Pirates in July. He was left unprotected in the National League expansion draft Tuesday and when he was chosen by the Florida Marlins, Himes said he seriously considered arranging a trade for Jackson.
”I want left-handed pitching and there just isn`t that much out there,” said Himes. ”Look around.”
Jackson was pitching well when he left the Cubs and pitched the division- clinching game for the Pirates in Pittsburgh. But Himes said he thought Jackson was better off getting a fresh start somewhere else rather than coming back to Chicago.
The Philadelphia Phillies eventually worked a trade with the Marlins and wound up with Jackson. The Cubs made another trade with the Marlins for former White Sox left-hander Greg Hibbard.
”I was surprised he was there, he and Danny both,” said Himes. ”There just aren`t many left-handers around, so I`m real happy we got (Hibbard). I`m still looking for lefties. I like lefties. Love lefties.”
– The White Sox announced Wednesday their 1993 lineup of minor-league managers, retaining Rick Renick for a third year at Triple-A, but changing skippers at Double-A and at two of their three Class A leagues.
Renick, in his second year at Triple-A, led the Vancouver Canadians to a first-place finish in the first half of the Pacific Coast League season with a 44-28 record.
The Canadians were runners-up the second half of the split season and won the first round of the playoffs before losing to Colorado Springs in the PCL championships.
Next season, the White Sox Triple-A affiliate moves to Nashville.
The Double-A franchise remains at Birmingham next season but with a new manager. Terry Francona will take over after leading South Bend of the Class A Midwest League to a 73-64 record this past season.
Francona will be replaced at South Bend by Tony Franklin, who managed at Birmingham the last two seasons. The Barons were 77-66 under Franklin in 1991 and 68-74 this year.
A newcomer to the managing ranks next season will be Dave Huppert, who was the Sox bullpen catcher this season. He will manage Sarasota of the Class A Florida State League.
Two other two Sox minor-league managers for next season will be Fred Kendall, who managed Class A Utica of the New York-Penn League last season, and Mike Rojas, who was in charge of the Rookie Sarasota team in the Gulf Coast League.
Rojas stays in Sarasota. Kendall will move with his team to a new location in the Class A South Atlantic League.
The appointments were announced by Larry Monroe, vice president of scouting and minor-league assignments.