Will the White Sox Trade Adam Eaton this Offseason?
By Matt Manetti
The White Sox are open to moving any player with less than four years of control. Adam Eaton would be one name off the table if that holds true.
The Chicago White Sox are in a transition year. We have already heard they’re ready to move any player with less than four years of control. Buster Olney was the first to report this. That doesn’t mean other names won’t come up in talks. One name that came up earlier in the offseason was Adam Eaton. However, if this holds true, Eaton’s name should remain off the table.
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The Toronto Blue Jays were the first team to express interest in a trade for the center fielder. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Anytime a team is doing a fire sale, your best players will garner interest. Eaton is definitely the glue that holds this team together. He is a formidable leadoff man and he plays phenomenal defense. Exactly why he was a gold glove candidate this season and why they signed him to a five year $23.5 million extension before the start of last season. The 27 year old will be under team control until 2021.
It’s true, this team does have a lot of work to do. But Eaton is someone who can help form the next core of your team. It’s very difficult to find good leadoff hitters now. Especially one who does what Eaton does in the field. In his third season with the Sox, he hit .284 with 14 home runs and 59 RBIs. He also had 14 stolen bases and a .362 on-base percentage. It would be hard for this team to replace him, assuming they trade him. There would free agent options, but then you’re talking about possibly spending more money.
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A rebuild is probably this organization’s best chance to get better fast but they will be a better team with Eaton, than without him. If everything holds true, we should see Eaton patrolling centerfield next season. But this is baseball. And you never know what’s going to happen in the offseason.