Chicago White Sox Winter Meetings Wishlist

Aug 16, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura (left) and general manager Kenny Williams (right) talk prior to a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago White Sox executive vice president, Kenny Williams, and general manager, Rick Hahn, have made their lists and checked them twice in anticipation for this week’s winter meetings. The annual MLB gathering, taking place in San Diego this year from Sunday, December 7th, through Thursday, December 11th, is poised to produce a flurry of free agency and trade activity.

The White Sox have already made two key acquisitions prior to December by signing free agent first baseman, Adam LaRoche, and left-handed relief pitcher, Zach Duke. While each is a welcomed addition to the club, the White Sox front office still has plenty of work to do if the team hopes to be playing in October next fall.

A Time To Spend

The great news for Sox fans is the Hahn and Williams have put the team in position financially the last couple years to make a run at it. Even after signing LaRoche and Duke, the team has only $64.8 million committed for 2015, per Baseball Prospectus. Arbitration-eligible contracts for Dayan Viciedo, Javy Guerra, Tyler Flowers, Nate Jones, and Hector Noesi will probably cost the Sox an additional $10.3 million according to SBNation, bringing the 2015 salary commitments to about $75 million. That leaves the team plenty of room to spend.

The White Sox payroll has never topped $127.8 million and only surpassed $110 million three times, but it’s the right year for the team to make the necessary financial commitments. The White Sox have a talented nucleus of players- Jose Abreu, Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, and Adam Eaton- in the prime of their careers. In addition to that talent, they have solid contributors to piece into the equation such as Avisail Garcia and Connor Gillaspie. It would be wise for the team to strike while the iron is hot. Here are the White Sox remaining priorities heading into the winter meetings.

Sep 20, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez (57) reacts after earning a save against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. The Brewers won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Closer

For some reason, *cough* Billy Koch *cough*, the Sox haven’t been inclined to devote a significant chunk of their payroll to a closer, preferring instead to develop an in-house solution. However, the White Sox need a closer, and the free agent market has plenty of options. If the Sox decide to deviate from their recent blueprint they could sign one of many options such as former closer, Sergio Romo, or Brewer’s former closer, Francisco Rodriguez.

Sergio Romo doesn’t bring a hard fastball to the table, but he still performs well by utilizing his slider and change-up to keep hitters off-balance. After losing the Giant’s closer role to Santiago Castillo in 2014, Romo rebounded by posting a 1.80 ERA the second half of the season. However, his stuff may not be a fit for US Cellular field, which is much less pitcher friendly than ATT Park.

Francisco Rodriguez, you may know him as K-Rod, may be an even more intriguing option. K-Rod made his fifth All Star game appearance last season, while converting 44 out of 49 save opportunities. Rodriguez accomplished that despite a 23.3% HR/FB (Home run per fly ball) ratio. Assuming that number regresses toward his career mean of 9.9%, per fangraphs.com, Rodriguez should continue to impress.

On the trade market, the Phillies seem to be shopping John Papelbon, however CBS’ Jon Heyman notes that the interest in Papelbon around the league is minimal.

Papelbon’s value is hampered by his $13 million salary in 2015. He also has a reputation for being a negative clubhouse personality. It’s safe to say the White Sox would not be interested in giving up anything to trade for that type of expenditure. If the White Sox decide to make an upgrade at closer, they will have to spend considerably on the free agent market. Given the motivation for the team to capitalize on their fortuitous window of opportunity, that may not be out of the question.

Aug 14, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder Nori Aoki (23) drives in two runs with a triple against the Oakland Athletics during the seventh inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Left Fielder

The White Sox chose to tender arbitration-eligible Dayan Viciedo last Tuesday, however, nobody is buying that he’ll be the starting left-fielder come opening day. The Sox sorely need both a defensive and offensive upgrade at the position. While Viciedo has legitimate power, his on base ability leaves much to be desired. The prize of the remaining free agent market is no doubt Melky Cabrera, but there may be too many suitors for the White Sox to land his services at a reasonable cost. Alternate free agent options might include Nori Aoki and Colby Rasmus.

Rasmus has not lived up to his potential offensively, but he would provide an immediate upgrade in the field for the Sox. Whereas Viciedo was below-average defensively, sabermetrics credit Rasmus as being about average. Rasmus owns a -0.3 career UZR/150 (Ultimate zone rating runs above average per 150 defensive games played) compared to Viciedo’s -7.9. Here’s an example of his outfield prowess below.

Colby enjoyed a solid 2013, batting .276 with an .840 OPS, and might be a bargain if he has a bounce back season. Granted, he would have to be willing to make the move to left-field full-time, but I don’t think that would be a concern.

Nori Aoki, who turns 33 this January, had a productive 2014 with the American League Champion Kansas City Royals. He reached base often, posting a .349 OBP, hit 22 doubles, and stole 17 bases. He would be a solid number two in the lineup in front of Abreu and LaRoche. He’s above average defensively, posting a career 3.6 UZR/150, per fangraphs.com, and rarely strikes out. There will be competition for Nori, but if the White Sox can add him, they would have a very formidable lineup in place.

San Diego will welcome the baseball world’s decision makers Sunday. Deals will be made and players will be signed. There will be some winners and some losers. The White Sox have done an admirable job putting themselves in a position financially to complement their core talent with the right pieces to complete the puzzle. After the winter meetings end on Thursday, Sox fans might know a lot more about who those pieces of the puzzle are.

* All advanced stats, unless otherwise noted, courtesy of baseball-reference.com