White Sox: Designated hitters and right fielders to target

Designated Hitter

For a while, the White Sox have had a clear hole in the DH spot. It has been an anchor holding down the lineup since Adam Dunn began to decline in 2011. Some say his decline in the lineup began earlier, but some say later. Regardless, it has been weighing down the lineup for almost a decade. With designated hitter being a position Hahn specifically mentioned on addressing this offseason, there are a couple of names he could look at.

Edwin Encarnacion

The 37-year-old first baseman/DH has proved his worth time and time again. Between both Seattle and New York last season, Edwin Encarnacion hit 34 home runs and drove in 86 runs. The last time he hit less than 30 home runs was back in 2011 when he hit 17. But he hit 42 just one year later. Encarnacion is overlooked because of his age. Who wants to bet on a 37-year-old, career average .263 hitter?

These concerns are legitimate. But the fact remains that Encarnacion is a quality power hitter. He will hit at least 30 home runs and drive in at least 80 runs. He will not hit for contact and his batting average will not be pretty, but he draws walks and hits for extra bases. In terms of signing him, Encarnacion’s market is very small. It may be even smaller than Martinez’s. With that being said, the White Sox could snag Encarnacion for one or two years under $10 million.

Howie Kendrick

NLCS MVP Howie Kendrick is on the market. The long-time Angel has the DH experience to be that bat the Sox need. Kendrick only hit lower than .279 once in his career (he hit .255 in 2016 with the Dodgers). He will not walk as much as Encarnacion, but he strikes out less. He will also slug less than Encarnacion, but the higher batting average makes up for it.

As a career .294 hitter, the risk on Kendrick is not whether he will be able to be that type of hitter but if he can he stays healthy to do so he will. He’s only played 252 games in the last three seasons, which is only 51% of the number of games in three seasons.  Kendrick’s market is larger than Encarnacion’s considering the fact that Kendrick can play first and second base as well as DH. If the Sox were to pursue Kendrick, it will not be as easy as pursuing Encarnacion, and he will not be as cheap. He is also 37 so his worth hovers around 30 million.

Right Field

Another specific position Hahn mentioned fixing was the right field spot. Ryan Cordell, Jon Jay, Charlie Tilson, Daniel Palka, and Leury García all played right field at some point in the 2019 season. It is nice to have options, but consistency and reliability are more important. That issue creates the need on the right side. Of the free agents, there are two names that stick out.

Marcell Ozuna

After an outstanding 2017, the Marlins traded Marcell Ozuna to St. Louis. The return the Cardinals received showed a glimpse of that same player, but just not quite. Since hitting .312 in 2017, Ozuna followed that up by hitting .280 in 2018, his first year as a cardinal, and .241 this season.

Despite the .241, he hit 29 home runs and drove in 89 runs. He also stole 12 bases. He did, however, have a high strikeout rate. His on-base percentage should make up for his low batting average but his .328 OBP last season did not.

Of the players on this list, Ozuna seems to be the highest risk. Despite only being 28, he may not be the way to go. He does provide gold glove caliber defense in the outfield and has the potential to hit 30 plus home runs but his high strikeout rate along with his BA/OBP ratio is concerning.

Ozuna can play all three outfield positions along with potentially DHing but his glove and arm are too good to be benched. With that being said, his market is larger than the previous players named. That means the White Sox have more competition in terms of negotiating.

Expected to decline his $17.8 million qualifying offer, Ozuna is asking for $64 million over four. The White Sox should not even put $20 million into him. You know you are going to get above-average fielding, but you do not know what kind of bat you will get. The .312 BA, 37 home run, 124 RBIs Ozuna, or the .241 BA .328 OBP Ozuna.

Yasiel Puig

One of the most brought up names in the conversation about the White Sox outfield targets is Yasiel Puig.  Bouncing around from three different teams in the past two years, it seems Puig has had a hard time finding a home.

Some argue it is because of his outgoing personality. He has been known to be late to practices and not hustle all the way down to first base and those are two things you know Rick Renteria will not like. He is also known to be short-tempered. His 100 game career with the Reds began and ended with two different bench-clearing brawls.

This is not the reason why the White Sox should pass on Puig. In fact, his fire and passion, along with Tim Anderson’s swag is the exact definition of MLB’s “Let The Kids Play” slogan. The reason why the White Sox should pass on Puig is because of what he does inside the foul lines, not outside.

He has not hit higher than .267 since hitting .296 in 2014. He is known to be a power bat, but is yet to hit 30 home runs in a season. He only averages 18.8 home runs and 59 RBIs per season. He does have a tremendous arm and slugs unbelievably high, but he too has a high strikeout rate and does not walk nearly enough to at least counter the K’s.

If Puig is looking for a long-term contract, the South Side is not a fit. No doubt he will be asking for a deal worth $30 million or more. Yes, the White Sox have the money to give it to him but they should use it to draw better caliber players or keep the current stars.

Both Positions

The White Sox have the roster space to sign two players to fill both the right field and DH hole, especially now after the expansion of the major league depth chart from 25 men to 26. But why not kill two birds with one stone?

The problem with this however, is the lack of depth on the free-agent market of players who play right field and have experience DHing. Despite this, one player can be that stone.

Nicholas Castellanos

Nicholas Castellanos played the first seven years of his career in Detroit. Before the trade deadline this past season, the Tigers dealt him to the Cubs. In his time with the Tigers, Castellanos did solid. He had a slash line of .274/.324/.459 with 104 home runs in those seven years. However, it is his last 51 games teams are interested in. Those 51 games were how long he spent on the north side. He hit a .321/.356/.646 slash with 16 home runs and 36 RBIs. He hit 21 doubles out of 68 hits in total.

In 95 games against the White Sox in his career, Castellanos hit a slash of .293/.343/.477. He hit 13 home runs and has 60 RBIs, both of which being the most versus any other MLB team. Putting together how he played with the Cubs with how he played against the White Sox, it would be safe to assume he likes hitting in Chicago.

A small hiccup might be the number of games Castellanos has played as a DH. Over the span of his seven-year career, he has only DHed for 41 games, which brings up the concerns many had with Dunn and Adam LaRoche. But the difference is those two did not have experience playing in the American League. Not only does Castellanos have experience in the AL, but he has played in the AL Central for six years. And even in a brief 51 game stint away from the AL Central, he still stayed in Chicago.

Despite the fact that his defensive career is split between 312 games in the outfield and 527 at third base, Castellanos fits better at DH for the White Sox. Being 28, along with the ability to play both corner outfield positions, DH, and AL experience makes his market slightly bigger than say, Encarnacion or Kendrick, so the White Sox will have to outbid a few teams. He is expected to be asking for 4 years $56 million. Which, considering his numbers, is actually a bargain.

Hunter Pence

An honorable mention at this spot is Hunter Pence. In his 13 season career so far, Pence has played a majority of his time in right, with 50 games of DH experience. Pence did shock many with his under-the-radar 2019 season quietly hitting .297 with an OBP of .358 and 18 home runs in 83 games with Texas, but his sample size is too small.

His last “full season” was in 2017 when he played 134 games with San Francisco. He hit .260 with an OBP of 3.15 that year. In 2018, he only played 97 games and 83 games in 2019. The four-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion would come cheap and could be that veteran presence the team needs. Signing Pence is a low risk-high reward situation. But after the A.J. Reed situation last season, the White Sox might be over those types of deals.

Trades

This year’s free-agent class has players that can fit the needs of the White Sox for 2020, but there is a lack of depth. Meaning, if the team misses out on a player, there really is nowhere else to go in the free agency. Fortunately, there is an alternative.

Over the course of the rebuild, the team has stock-piled quality prospects all over the diamond. But there are only 26 spots in the majors. The competition for a roster spot can bring the best out of the players but as the team shifts gears from sellers to buyers, the prospects serve as great trade chips. Fortunately for the White Sox, there is a team looking to cut down on their spending.

Mookie Betts

With Martinez returning to the Red Sox (for now) the fact remains that Boston still wants to get below the luxury tax margin. Mookie Betts’s name was thrown around along with Martinez when talked about cutting the Boston budget.

Set to make $27.7 million in 2020, Betts enters the last year on his contract. He is expected to hit the free agency in 2021, so the White Sox could try to acquire him then. But they could wind up losing a bidding war. Also, Boston is looking to fall below the tax line this season, not the next.

Betts is a player that will not come cheap. The former MVP, four-time gold glover and three-time silver slugger is not really someone expected to be on the market. But now that he is, the Red Sox will be asking for more than just a top prospect or two and some cash.

Andrew Benintendi

Andrew Benintendi is set to make $4.9 million in 2020. Removing Benintendi’s contract will not make as much of a dent in the budget as Betts, but it will help Boston fall below the luxury tax line while still maintaining its core.

If anything, Benintendi is more “on the market” than someone named MVP just two years prior. The former top prospect struggled in 2019 hitting only .266 with 13 home runs, which could work in negotiating a trade. He did have an OBP of .343 and slugged .431, which Boston may use on their side of the table. If Rick Hahn knows anything about baseball, it is how to negotiate a trade.

Despite not having any experience at DH, Benintendi could be worked into it. Another problem is the fact that he has only played center and left field. It may not be a big deal to move him into right, but it might be. Benintendi is a solid player who gives you an above-average bat along with an above-average glove. He is an interesting target, but not worth breaking the farm system for.

J.D. Martinez

JD Martinez is still an option via trade.  Despite trying to trim the salary cap, the Red Sox are fortunate that Martinez did not opt-out of his contract. Now they have the ability to gain a little something in a trade. They still get to trim the budget by parting ways with Martinez, but they could trade for a prospect or two along with some good old fashioned cash and considerations.

Martinez on the South Side is a great fit, as I wrote about in a previous article. But what the Red Sox did was force the White Sox to give up something more than just taking over his contract.

With that being said. Martinez is not worth a top 10 prospect. In a deal with the end result of Martinez on the White Sox, the team should trade a ranked 11-20 along with maybe two or three lesser-known prospects. If Boston wants a bit of cash, give it to them. Despite being a great fit, like Benintendi, Martinez is not worth breaking the stacked farm system for.

It was surprising to hear Hahn name specific positions the team will be looking to target this offseason. The free agents in those positions he named are a bit underwhelming. There are some gems on the market, however.