White Sox: Matt Wieters A Possibility This Offseason
By Matt Manetti
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the White Sox could be a suitor if Matt Wieters leaves Baltimore.
The Chicago White Sox season is for pretty much over. With the team heading towards its fifth-straight losing season, it’s never too early to discuss offseason moves. One rumor is the White Sox could emerge as a suitor for catcher Matt Wieters if he were to leave Baltimore.
The Orioles will meet with Wieters and his agent, Scott Boras, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. However, Rosenthal believes its unlikely he resigns, leaving the door open for a team to swoop in and sign him.
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Wieters has been a solid catcher for his entire career and would definitely give the Sox an upgrade. A career .255 hitter, he is currently hitting .235 with 14 home runs and 60 RBIs. To put this into perspective, the Sox have used three catchers this season; Dioner Navarro, Alex Avila and Omar Navarez. Combined, these three hit 13 home runs and 49 RBI while hitting .223. He definitely has some pop in his bat, as he has hit 20+ home runs three times in his career [2011-2013].
There’s no doubt the Sox could use an upgrade at catcher. Wieters could be the best available one, if he decided to leave Baltimore. At 30 years old, he is earning $15.8 million this season. The big question will be whether or not Jerry Reinsdorf will want to open up his checkbook for someone who is past his prime. But remember, they do have a history of doing this.
However, it’s no secret he is having a down year. Because of that, it’s possible the White Sox could maybe get him at a lower price. Statistically, he is having one of the worst seasons of his career, but there isn’t going to be the best crop of free agent catchers. If the front office can sign Wieters without completely breaking the bank, catcher would not be a position of concern.
As mentioned above, Scott Boras is Wieters agent. Boras seems to always get top dollar for his clients and isn’t really well liked by many organizations. The White Sox are ones of those organizations. Teams have also gone as far as to not do business with him. The White Sox used to be one of those teams but Boras represents Carlos Rodon and Austin Jackson.
There’s no doubt Wieters could provide some value for the White Sox. They really haven’t had a solid catcher since AJ Pierzynski. This move, however, only makes sense if they don’t overpay for his services, something teams usually do when they look to sign a Boras client. There will definitely be a lot of suitors for Wieters, which also puts this team at a disadvantage.
However, it’s time the Sox start signing the bigger name free agents. Typically, they struggle to sign high profile guys. If this team is going to be good, they need to be able to go out and sign the top free agents, or at least be in competition for them. They do have some financial restraints, but they can’t use that as an excuse. If the Sox are going to be great again, it’s important for them to spend money in free agency. Not only that, but also be smart about how they spend their money.
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Wieters by no means would solve all the problems this team has. But he is a solid player and would upgrade a position that most believe is a position of weakness on this team.