Chicago White Sox: Three potential late offseason targets
The Chicago White Sox could still make some upgrades to their lineup which would be saying something because they already are an extremely improved team.
The Chicago White Sox have had an impressive offseason. They have added some premier free agents at all different positions. This comes after having a much improved year in 2019. They are adding these guys to a core of players that are young and up and coming. It has been a fun offseason for White Sox fans who have been starving for a winner. They haven’t made the playoffs in over a decade so doing so now would mean a lot.
They might be able to do that if they stood pat right now. It would become even easier if they made one more move to improve their team. There are still a lot of good baseball players out there looking for a home. All those guys want are fair contracts to play on good teams looking to give an opportunity. That could be the case with the White Sox in 2020.
They have a lot of long term answers at different positions but they could use some depth in the immediate future. There are always going to be injuries and the potential for rookie walls to deal with. This 2020 White Sox team is going to have some very young players who might struggle at times that would really benefit from having a veteran there who plays the same position. It is pretty late in the offseason but it could be one of those minor late moves that make or breaks their playoff hopes. These are the three players they should still target late in the offseason:
The White Sox seem to have a lot of faith in Nick Madrigal to be their everyday second baseman at some point this season. That is a lot of pressure for a kid to come into the big league lineup and be that impactful. It might be nice for them to have a backup plan in case Madrigal struggles or gets hurt. This also might just be a case of Madrigal needing some veteran help at his position. There are plenty of good options out there but Scooter Gennett would be a really good one.
Gennett played for the Cincinnati Reds at the start of the 2019 season but he finished it with the San Francisco Giants. He is still out there looking for a home as we inch closer to February. He didn’t really have a good year in 2019 as he missed a lot of time. He only got into 42 games split between the Reds and the Giants. He could be a safe cheap bet if the White Sox want to bring in someone to bring some extra stability to the second base position.
Gennett could come in, if healthy, and bring a solid player who has some experience. He was in All-Star in 2018 which was his last full season. It would be a smart move to bring in anyone who has been in the league for a while, especially one who plays a position that might need some stability.
As previously mentioned when talking about Scooter Genette, the White Sox would be wise to bring in some depth at second base. Brian Dozier could be one of those guys for the White Sox if they so choose. He brings some extra stuff that Genette might not be able to bring. They don’t absolutely need to bring another second baseman but if Dozier was one of the guys wanting to come to Chicago he would certainly be a good fit. He spent most of his career with the Minnesota Twins so he is familiar with the division.
He has one thing that would be so helpful for this White Sox team. That would be his playoff experience. In fact, he was with the 2019 Washington Nationals who went all the way to the World Series and won. This White Sox team is loaded with players who have never even seen a playoff race last past August so he would bring some very valuable experience in that department. It would be nice to have an experienced guy there who if the going gets tough in late August or September, he knows what to say.
Dozier is also a productive player and he isn’t that old. He is 32 which means he isn’t necessarily a long term option for the Whtie Sox but he would be good for 2020. He slashed .238/.340/.430 which isn’t that good but it would be awesome in a backup role at second base. What makes him compelling is the fact that he had 20 home runs and 50 RBIs. His 20 home runs meant he reached that plateau for six straight seasons. He would definitely be a decent fit coming off the bench whenever he was needed.
Brock Holt would bring a bunch of positive qualities to the table for the Chicago White Sox. If Madrigal needs help at second base, Holt can help with that. If they need someone in the outfield for whatever reason, Holt can help with that. If Yoan Moncada needs a day off, Holt can help with that too. He would absolutely be a great utility add for the White Sox late in this offseason.
Holt has been a really good player throughout his MLB career. Holt would certainly not be an everyday player for the White Sox. He didn’t play much in 2019 but he was pretty good when he did. He slashed .297/.369/.401. He hit three home runs on 77 hits and had 31 RBIs along with 38 runs scored. Those are not terrible numbers for a guy who only played in 87 games. If he stays healthy in 2020, he would be a great depth player for any team.
If he does end up leaving the Boston Red Sox, it might be a good idea for the White Sox to bring in Holt. Red Sox fans love this guy and want him back. This is a team that has had a lot of success in the last 20 years so anybody coming out of that factory should be considered. He won the World Series with them in 2018 so he would also be bringing some very valuable experience to a team loaded with young players who need a leader.
It might be a long shot for any of these guys to come to Chicago but they would all fit in nicely in different ways. The fact that we think that the White Sox could still be adding late in the offseason should just make fans excited for 2020. This is going to be a very fun year.