White Sox: Christian Yelich Would Be A Nice Addition to Outfield
White Sox rumored to have had trade talks regarding Miami Marlins outfielder this offseason. He would be a welcome addition to the team for 2018.
The Chicago White Sox have been rumored to have had trade talks this offseason on not only Manny Machado, but Christian Yelich. According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, although the Sox have had these discussions, they aren’t progressing on a deal.
Despite a relatively quiet offseason thus far, the Sox have been mentioned in multiple trade rumors. A trade for Yelich would make sense for the team, however, as he would not only fill a void in center field, but he’s under team control until 2021. Yelich signed a seven-year $49.7 million contract extension with the Marlins before the 2015 season. He has a team option for the 2022 season.
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The Sox still have many holes to fill before they’re able to contend, and acquiring Yelich would help them fill a void in their outfield. Yelich has a career slash line of .290/.369/.432 through six seasons and won a Gold Glove award for the 2014 season. Yelich has played 126 or more games per season since 2014 as well.
With the Sox not having a definitive starting center fielder for 2018, a trade for Yelich makes sense for this team. However, the Sox shouldn’t trade any top prospects to acquire the 26-year-old outfielder. The Sox aren’t expected to contend in 2018, and they don’t want to halt the progress they’ve made with their farm system, by trading a top prospect or two for Yelich.
Next: White Sox Should Aggressively Pursue Manny Machado Next Offseason
The Sox have done a good job in checking in on players that could help their rebuild in Machado and Yelich this offseason. Rick Hahn hasn’t hesitated to check in on players that would make an immediate impact with the Sox. If this offseason is any indication, expect the Sox to be very active next offseason. They might not trade for Yelich before the start of the 2018 season, but they will eventually fill their voids before they’re ready to contend in a few years.