White Sox attempt to lure a superstar free agent backfired and the team is paying for it now as neither player is providing much value at the moment.
The Chicago White Sox once attempted to sign a superstar free agent. It happened this past offseason. They were unsuccessful in their attempt to sign the free agent even after they acquired his brother-in-law and signed his good friend.
This superstar free agent is none other than Manny Machado. Machado would go on to sign with the San Diego Padres while the White Sox were left with Yonder Alonso via trade and a free agent signing of Jon Jay. With the Sox missing out on Machado, it made their acquisitions of his brother-in-law and good friend come under much more scrutiny.
Many Sox fans weren’t happy about the franchise missing out on signing Machado. While their criticisms were mostly spot on about the front office, not many could expect the Sox to have wasted a trade and a free agent signing this past offseason. Well, it appears the Sox did exactly that as they’re not getting any value from Alonso or Jay thus far.
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Currently, Jay is on the 60-day injured list as he’s been out of action since Spring Training. Alonso, on the other hand, is hitting below the Mendoza line with a.181 batting average through 45 games played this season. This isn’t what the Sox expected when they tried to lure Machado to sign this past offseason and the results at the moment for Alonso and Jay aren’t looking pretty.
Jay is sidelined with a groin/hip injury according to Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports Chicago. Even though he was slated to start a rehab assignment in Arizona this month, his timetable for a return to action is still questionable. How ironic would it be for the Sox to not get any playing time out of Jay this season despite signing him with some hope that he could help lure Machado to the team?
When the Sox traded for Alonso, it appeared obvious to most Sox fans that they did it to entice a Machado signing. The Sox did get a player that has hit for power from the left side of the plate in the past. Unfortunately, they haven’t seen much of that this season from Alonso. He has just six home runs and a slugging percentage of .323.
Alonso was supposed to be a solid cleanup hitter for this team. However, he’s become another black hole in the lineup and that’s frustrating for Sox fans to watch. If Alonso can’t at least provide some positive value for the Sox and Jay remains sidelined, then their acquisitions by the Sox could go down as two of the worst in franchise history. That’s quite embarrassing for a franchise that struggles to remain relevant.