Chicago White Sox: Three best offseason moves
1. Yasmani Grandal
This move was probably the most obvious one the White Sox made this offseason to pick given just how significant of an addition Grandal really is.
The switch-hitting catcher signed a four-year, $73 million deal in late November to join the South Side.
As detailed in my article on Sunday, Grandal was named the best catcher in all of baseball by MLB Network.
Grandal, 31, lives up to that hype given the fact that he’s coming off a season in which he hit .246/.380/.468 with 27 home runs and 77 RBI to give himself a 121 wRC+ and 5.2 fWAR.
James McCann provided solid offense behind the plate, but struggled mightily in the second half with a .695 OPS.
His defense was a big reason for the White Sox making this move as well since McCann ranks towards the bottom of the league behind the dish while Grandal ranks towards the top-tier of MLB.
Having a presence as stable as Grandal’s behind the plate for young starters like Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Dylan Cease, and Michael Kopech in 2020 could pay major dividends. Adding Grandal is especially important given the team’s defensive struggles in 2019.
Yasmani Grandal, in my opinion, was the big move they needed to add credibility to the organization going forward.
2. Dallas Keuchel
After missing out on top-tier arms like Zack Wheeler and Stephen Strasburg, the White Sox eventually landed the starter they desperately needed when they signed Dallas Keuchel to a three-year, $55.5 million contract.
The left-hander certainly provides stability at the top half of the rotation behind Lucas Giolito, who is coming off a breakout season.
Keuchel, 32, only made 19 starts for the Atlanta Braves in 2019 after not signing a contract until June. During his time in Atlanta, he had a 3.75 ERA, 4.72 FIP, and 1.367 WHIP with 7.3 K/9 as compared to 3.1 BB/9.
Despite the fact he is not the Cy Young Award-winning pitcher he once was with the Astros, his likelihood of regressing further long-term is not too high given he’s never been reliant on velocity, which doesn’t age well.
His experience is something that could be very valuable in a rotation surrounded by arms who are largely trying to make a name for themselves.
The White Sox actually made good use of their rotation spots this offseasons as they also potentially landed one of the best bargains of the offseason in Gio Gonzalez to further stabilize the rotation. Both southpaws could dramatically improve the White Sox rotation in 2020.
3. Luis Robert
Extensions for players who haven’t had a single plate appearance at the major league level are very rare, but the organization smartly decided to give Robert one.
Robert, 22, received a six-year, $50 million extension from the club that includes two $20 million club options as detailed by Scott Merkin of MLB.com.
While it’s hard to determine what fair value is for a player who has yet to play a day above the Triple-A level, it is very hard to ignore the potential appeal of this contract.
The center fielder hit .328/.376/.624 with 32 home runs, 31 doubles, 11 triples, and 36 stolen bases across three levels of the minor leagues in 2019.
That led him to being rated the third-best prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline, which put him only behind Gavin Lux and Wander Franco.
This extension could potentially save the White Sox millions upon millions of dollars if Robert becomes anything close to the star they envision him becoming.
It also allows the organization to have Robert start the year with the team without worrying about service time manipulation.
Next. Three Players Who Should Get Contract Extensions Next. dark
Robert appears to be ready for the major leagues and the decision to give him a contract extension was a risk absolutely worth taking for the White Sox.