White Sox Should Have Signed Yoenis Cespedes Last Offseason
White Sox missed opportunity to add slugger last offseason. Will possibly rebuild this offseason.
The Chicago White Sox could have signed Yoenis Cespedes for the amount of money he recently received from the New York Mets. According to reports, Cespedes signed a four-year $110 million contract to return to the Mets.
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Cespedes returning to the Mets shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone. He’s been a solid player for the Mets since arriving in a trade deadline deal in 2015. However, the Sox had the chance to add the slugger last offseason, but whiffed on the opportunity.
Seeing the Mets sign Cespedes for under $120 million should upset most Sox fans. Yes, Cespedes is 31 but he has shown the ability to carry a team to the postseason. Something the Sox have been lacking for a long time.
The Sox inability to add Cespedes last offseason really hurt them in 2016. Not only did the team lack power, they lacked a stable outfield for most of the season. Entering this season, the Sox outfield consisted of Melky Cabrera, Austin Jackson and Adam Eaton. For the first few months of the season, the outfield was adequate. However, a severe lack of depth hurt the Sox as Jackson was sidelined for the remainder of the season after tearing his meniscus in his left knee in early June.
With the injury to Jackson, the Sox had to rely on playing J.B. Shuck in centerfield for a majority of games. This didn’t go too well as Shuck provided negative defensive value in the outfield. If the Sox would have signed Cespedes, they could have still added Jackson as a bench player and would have had better outfield depth. Instead, the Sox choose the cheap route and now they’re paying for it this offseason.
Next: Will Rebuilding Lead to Future Success?
The Sox will most likely rebuild this offseason as Cespedes will start another season with the Mets in 2017. Cespedes probably would have been a good player with the Sox and could have reignited the fanbase. Unfortunately for Sox fans, we will truly never know.