The Chiago White Sox were not good in 2015, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Their offseason last winter was busy, and intended to make the club competitive in 2015 and beyond. They appropriately shopped in the mid-tier isle and filled some of their major holes. Unfortunately, major acquisitions Melky Cabrera, Adam LaRoche, and Jeff Samardzija all turned up sour. Melky and LaRoche’s seasons weren’t terrible, but left more than a little to be desired. Samardzija’s south side saunter, and his subsequent spurning of a qualifying offer, left a 2016 draft pick for Chicago’s prolonged troubles. But this is a club that seemingly always feels like an enigma. When Kenny Williams was GM, he had a way of skating the line between tanking and really going for it that confounded people like us. With a core of Jose Abreu, Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, and Adam Eaton costing less than $30MM in 2016, it seems obvious that the White Sox fancy themselves playoff contenders once again.
Those four – Abreu, Sale, Quintana, and Eaton – are the good. Toss in David Robertson to close out games with a solid bullpen and one starts to see it. But man, the rest of that roster right now needs some help, especially in the infield. The outfield seems set with Eaton, Melky, and Avasail Garcia, but the infield and DH are still a work in progress. Let’s take them in turn.
DH
In an ideal world Adam LaRoche bounces back from his dismal 2015 and returns to .800 OPS territory. But the White Sox sure should hedge their bets with LaRoche. A right handed DH compliment to LaRoche could come cheap. Marlon Byrd and Delmon Young seem to fit the profile, while not exactly the most exciting.
Middle Infield
The White Sox’s middle infield of the future is Tim Anderson and Micah Johnson, both are toolsy, young, athletic and not quite ready yet. Both are also far from a guaranteed quality Major Leaguer. The White Sox will be looking at the 1-year rental space so as to not block either of their top position player prospects. Kelly Johnson makes some sense in Chicago, as he’s capable of playing anywhere and could DH some if LaRoche falls further into the abyss. Other free agents that fit the profile include Jimmy Rollins, Stephen Drew, and Asdrubal Cabrera.
None of the names here should be all too exciting given the White Sox’s prospects on the way.
Third Base
Earstwhile top-prospect Mike Olt currently headlines the White Sox third base options, and that’s not a good thing in 2015. Here is where I think Daniel Murphy could fit into the White Sox’s offseason. The World Series proved that Murphy is both human and not a good defensive second baseman into the future. Murphy could work in at second, third and DH this year and then transition to a 3B/DH role in future seasons. The White Sox (Any team really) need to be careful not to overspend on Murphy. He’s a fine player, who has actually been slightly below league average since 2012. He’s not going to save the franchise, but he will plug in and keep the ship from sinking.
Right Field
I feel compelled to scribble down some notes about the White Sox’s right field situation. They have reportedly been looking to trade Avasail Garcia, and would presumably need to fill in right field. It’s probably too much of a stretch to even really mention, but man, would Justin Upton make this a fun team. The market for Upton has yet to develop, but he figures to have a whole different set of suitors than Jason Heyward, given their very different skill sets. Under this situation, Upton would likely play left and Melky Cabrera would switch to right field. It seems easy enough that other trade options should be available, including a swap for one of the St.Louis Cardinals young outfielders. But with the White Sox’s farm system historically at the bottom of the league, a trade for an impact right fielder seems unlikely.
The club is in need of some help if it wants to compete in 2016, but the White Sox need to be careful not to block their young middle infield depth. This could turn out to be a rather boring offseason in Chicago with relatively small infield additions that help take this team from 87 losses to 80 losses. With all this said, 2016 doesn’t quite feel like the White Sox’s year. Only after Tim Anderson and Micah Johnson are given their chance at the big league level and succeed, will I believe in this team. The offseason heading into 2016 should be a quiet one for the White Sox. That’s not to say it will be a quiet one. The types of big, bold moves that really get bloggers going could hamstring this roster and organization just before it gets to the verge of being really good.
-Sean Morash
