Ready for baseball? White Sox report to Spring Training.

On February 19, 2016 the offseason came to an end for the Chicago White Sox. As pitchers and catchers reported to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, Spring Training 2016 has gotten underway. What are some story lines for this spring? Here is a look:

Will the Sox add another outfielder?

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With a plethora of media reports throughout the offseason, that continued today, should Sox fans expect an addition in the outfield. If they do add, how will they do it? Will it be trade or free agency. It seems to be that the odds on favorite right now is via trade, however I wouldn’t rule out a free agent signing if the dollar amount was right.

Adam LaRoche: Is he going to be in the lineup for most games this season?

During the offseason, White Sox personnel stated that Adam LaRoche would have to earn his playing time this season. That starts in spring training, however the big concern with replacing him is of course who do you replace him with? Assuming the Sox acquire an outfielder, Garcia could see at bats as a DH. Until that happens, LaRoche will be the odds on favorite to be the DH on opening day.

The battle for the utility infield role:

Carlos Sanchez and Leury Garcia are the two main contestants fighting for this spot. Neither are going to give you a whole lot offensively, However, Garcia might give the Sox more defensive versatility. Sanchez would be an elite defender at second base, and a good shortstop, but might struggle elsewhere. Sanchez would be my pick because he is such a good defender, but Garcia would give the Sox more speed on the bench.

Figuring out roles in the bullpen:

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With David Robertson as the team’s closer, and Zach Duke as a key middle innings man, two are in place. However, many more spots are going to need to be decided. Nate Jones could be a good 8^th inning man, but has missed a lot of time the last two seasons due to injury. Jake Petricka, and Zach Putnam could be used late, not to mention Matt Albers is back from last year as well. What they are going to do with Tommy Kahnle whom they acquired from the Colorado Rockies, and others such as Daniel Webb is yet to be seen. This will be interesting to watch considering the amount of good arms they have in the pen, A far cry from the 2014 season.