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Chicago White Sox Rumors: Could Manny Machado and Bryce Harper be South Side bound?

By Paul Ashley

July 07 2014: Washington Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper (34) greets Baltimore Orioles third base Manny Machado (13) before a MLB game at Nationals Park, in Washington D.C. (Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon SMI/Corbis via Getty Images)
July 07 2014: Washington Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper (34) greets Baltimore Orioles third base Manny Machado (13) before a MLB game at Nationals Park, in Washington D.C. (Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon SMI/Corbis via Getty Images) /
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Chicago White Sox
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 31: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals tosses his bat after flying out against the New York Mets during the second inning at Nationals Park on July 31, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Although the Chicago White Sox already have a group of talented outfielders, Harper would obviously be a significant upgrade to the current arrangement in the outfield.

If the White Sox were unable to make any outfield adjustments during the upcoming offseason, they would likely enter the 2019 season with Daniel Palka as their everyday left fielder, Adam Engel as their everyday center fielder, and Avisail Garcia as their everyday right fielder.

Palka put together a very impressive rookie season in 2018.  Through 124 games, he compiled 27 HRs, 67 RBI, and a .778 OPS.  Although he provided a 1.6 oWAR for the team, he hurt the team with a -1.7 dWAR.  Nonetheless, the offensive talent of the soon-to-be 27-year-old is definitely note worthy.

Engel will also turn 27-years-old during the upcoming offseason and he put together a solid sophomore season for the White Sox in 2018.  During the season, he compiled 27 extra base hits with 16 stolen bases and a .614 OPS.  He put together a 0.4 oWAR and a 0.6 dWAR.

Garcia is currently 27-years-old and he will turn 28 in the summer of 2019.  However, unlike Palka and Engel, he has been with the big league club since 2013.  After putting up an .885 OPS in 2017 and earning a trip to the MLB All-Star game for the first time in his career.  Through 93 games played in 2018, his OPS dipped a bit down to .719, but he did manage to put up a career high 19 home runs in only 356 ABs.

Although the outfield has an intriguing group of three players that will be 27-years-old at the start of the 2019 season, there is a soon-to-be 26-year-old that is worth finding a spot for in the outfield.  Through 159 games in 2018, Harper compiled an .889 OPS alongside his 34 HRs and 100 RBI.  This kind of production will take any lineup to the next level.

Whether it means shifting Engel to a 4th outfielder role, putting Palka as the primary designated hitter, or trading Garcia as he enters his final year of arbitration eligibility, it would be easy for the White Sox to allow Harper to play whichever outfield position he would prefer.

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