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Marcell Ozuna Would be Strong Fit With Chicago White Sox

By Joshua Finkelstein

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 14: Marcell Ozuna #23 of the St. Louis Cardinals fails to make the catch on an RBI double by Anthony Rendon #6 of the Washington Nationals in the third inning of game three of the National League Championship Series at Nationals Park on October 14, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 14: Marcell Ozuna #23 of the St. Louis Cardinals fails to make the catch on an RBI double by Anthony Rendon #6 of the Washington Nationals in the third inning of game three of the National League Championship Series at Nationals Park on October 14, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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The Chicago White Sox need to acquire an outfielder this offseason and should definitely look into signing Marcell Ozuna. 

As translated by MLB Insider Hector Gomez and reported by Adan Lesther who is a Dominican sports journalist, the Chicago White Sox are among eight teams interested in signing outfielder Marcell Ozuna this offseason.

Ozuna, 28, had a strong season in 2019 with the St. Louis Cardinals in which he hit .243/.330/.474 with 29 home runs and 89 RBI to give himself a 110 wRC+ and 2.6 fWAR.

Defensively, he registered 2 DRS and a 5.7 UZR in left field (according to FanGraphs) while he also has the ability to play center and right field That being said, he has played neither position since 2017.

Now, while the team currently has Eloy Jimenez penciled in for left field in 2020, the presence of the DH spot provides an ability to platoon the two between left field and DH or move Ozuna right field. Over 532 1/3 innings in right field, Ozuna has a 9.6 UZR and 10 DRS.

As mentioned in the previous tweet, there is a belief that Ozuna could get a seven-year deal worth $160 million this offseason.

At that price, he certainly could be classified as above the team’s pay grade when they have multiple holes to fill.

That being said, in the last couple offseasons, contracts of that nature have been tougher to come by for many players and so it certainly is plausible that his contract is significantly less expensive both in terms of dollars and years.

If his price tag were to fall to around six years and $120 million, he probably starts to make more sense in terms of where he fits within the team’s payroll.

dark. Next. Can Tim Anderson Do It Again?

An outfield with Ozuna, Jimenez, and eventually Luis Robert could become one of the best in the majors. Add that to a lineup including Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Nick Madrigal, James McCann, and maybe even Jose Abreu again, and the Chicago White Sox could have one of the premiere lineups in the game.

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