Chicago White Sox: Moving forward for 2019 and beyond
By Ryan Sanders
Now that Manny Machado is set to sign with the San Diego Padres, how do the Chicago White Sox move forward for this season and beyond?
Manny Machado has agreed to terms with the Padres for $300M over ten years. While fans in San Diego are excited, the Chicago White Sox now need to assess how they move forward.
The Sox were a bit of a surprise entrant to the Machado sweepstakes given the current status of the team. They had a similar line of thinking that if you can get him now, you could pry open the contention window a little sooner.
Even without Machado, the AL Central remains a weak division. The Indians are the far and away favorite, projected by PECOTA to runaway with the division and win 97 games. Even then, Francisco Lindor may not be ready for opening day, the team trimmed some payroll due to budget constrictions, and their OF is short a quality bat or two.
The Twins, absent extensions, have also been quiet this off-season despite a disappointing season and a core that is inching closer to free agency. The division is prime for someone to make some noise. I wouldn’t tell Rick Hahn to deviate from the rebuild but if you are playing a significant portion of games against the Tigers, Royals, and Twins, it only takes a few under performing Indians to create an opening in the division. So how do we get the White Sox to contention (or at least .500)?
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If you want to jump-start a rebuild and arrive early, what better way than to start with one of the top prospects in baseball, Eloy Jimenez. Jimenez is a potential middle of the order bat who plugs a hole in the outfield. The 22-year-old hit .337/.384/.577 across AA and AAA. Jimenez has the tools, the numbers, and the stick to be an impact right fielder immediately.
Existing Quality
Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson were each solid performers in the infield turning in 2 WAR campaigns. Moncada will move to 3B this season to accommodate Yolmer Sanchez, who has quietly been worth 3.9 WAR over the past two seasons.
Sanchez is getting his shot to run with the 2B job and looks to generate solid defense with good enough for 2B offense to make him an average player. Jose Abreu just put up his worst year in the majors but was still contributed above average offense on the way to 1.2 WAR season. If he can rebound that would give the Sox a rock-solid infield with the upside of Anderson and Moncada.
Improved Pitching
Carlos Rodon and Reynaldo Lopez are two left handers with upside. Lopez also turned in a 2 WAR season and has the stuff to be an ace while Rodon is returning from injury and has always excited scouts and fans with his high-power fastball, slider, and change-up.
The one unfortunate part is that Michael Kopech will be out rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. While the star dims more by the day, Lucas Giolito could be a few tweaks away from being a quality back-end option.
Carson Fulmer wasn’t good in his first big league stint, but as a former first rounder, he should at least be a quality middle reliever. Nate Jones should bounce back as well after being an underrated reliever in 2016 and 2017. Joakim Soria is still around and he should be a calming presence getting outs at the back-end of games. It’s not the Indian’s rotation or the Yankee’s bullpen, but pitching can click quickly and the Sox have enough guys with upside they could outperform their projections.
Free Agent Additions
The White Sox just proved they are willing to spend money offering around a quarter billion for Manny Machado. Free agent prices will continue to drop as the Opening Day nears closer. The Sox could improve by signing guys like Dallas Keuchel and Marwin Gonzalez. Keuchel would anchor the rotation and add quality behind Carlos Rodon and Reynaldo Lopez. Throw in the signing of back-end depth like Gio Gonzalez suddenly you have a rotation that doesn’t have any black holes.
Marwin Gonzalez could slot in at LF and provide help around the diamond when someone needs a day off. You could also sign Logan Morrison for cheap to provide offense at DH and flip with Jose Abreu. The quartet of Kuechel, Gonzalez squared, and Morrison would likely cost a third of what they were willing to spend on Machado and they would be two strong support pieces for when the White Sox prospects arrive in 2020.
In baseball, it is hard to take shortcuts to getting good again and the White Sox have done well to stock the farm with trades of Adam Eaton and Chris Sale and drafting interesting boom or bust prospects that are on the way. The White Sox could sign some quality mid-tier free agents who wouldn’t interfere with the coming talent infusion from the minor leagues.
White Sox Mount Rushmore. dark. Next
Pair that with Eloy Jimenez and improvement from players already in the majors, you can see, even if you must squint, how things could go better than expected on the South Side.