Chicago White Sox: Three Houston Astros free agents to add
The Chicago White Sox might consider a Houston Astros free agent this winter.
2020 has been a long year for the Houston Astros. They came into the year with the allegations against them for sign stealing their way to success. They were found guilty and were given punishments but the hatred they have been dealing with has been way worse than any punishment. Well, they became the first under .500 team to make the playoffs in the history of the American League at 29-31. It was a tough year for them and a lot of people loved to see it.
Well, they began to prove people wrong when they started to surprise some people in the playoffs. They swept the Minnesota Twins in the Wild Card round and then defeated the Oakland Athletics in the Division Series. Then in the American League Championship Series, they took the best team in the AL to the brink. The Tampa Bay Rays had a 3-0 series lead before the Astros climbed all the way back to force game seven.
In game seven, the Rays took the game, and the series sending the Astros home to the satisfaction of the world. The Astros are out and now and some issues loom with their roster. They have some holes that they are going to fill as they try to move past the nightmare that they have dealt with this year. They want to get past the era of cheating so some things might change.
The White Sox are rumored to be in on their old coach, AJ Hinch. If that is the case, they might be willing to use him to grab one of their free agents. They have a star player or two that can be taken or some help with depth. These are the three free agents the White Sox should look at the most:
135. . RF. Houston Astros. George Springer. 4. player
The Chicago White Sox need a right fielder the most out of any position in the field besides pitching. They haven’t had the best production from that position in a long time. They tried to address that issue last summer by bringing in Nomar Mazara from the Texas Rangers but he wasn’t very good either. They are more than likely going to take another crack at getting their guy to play right field full time. If they can find someone to be very good there, this lineup will be even better.
George Springer is an option as his contract is up with the Houston Astros. He is coming off an okay 2020 year as he was a product of the tough year the Astros were having. He might have been helped by cheating but there is no doubt that he is still a good baseball player. He slashed .265/.359/.540 and had a .899 OPS. His 14 home runs in 51 games were good for a pace of 44 during a normal 162 game regular season which would be amazing.
If you added that type of production to this already dangerous White Sox lineup, they will score even more runs. He also plays good enough in the outfield where they would be getting what they need defensively. From an offensive standpoint, Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, and George Springer would form a fantastic outfield. There would be baggage with a signing like this but it might be worth it.
player. 135. . RF. Houston Astros. Josh Reddick. 22
The Chicago White Sox might want to go for a cheaper option if Springer is unavailable for whatever reason. Josh Reddick is now a free agent that the Astros may or may not try to retain. He isn’t by any means the same as Springer but he might be able to platoon right field with someone currently in the organization if they wanted to go down that road. He certainly wouldn’t be harmful to this White Sox team looking to take the next step.
Another thing that would make him valuable to the team is the experience. He has provided gold glove level defense before and he can hit in certain situations on good teams. His greatest triumph came in 2017 when he and his Houston Astros teammates won the World Series. There was the scandal that clouds all of that success but the playoff experience is absolutely there.
He didn’t have the best 2020 season and maybe it was a product of the lack of cheating but it was only 56 games played. Next year, with a new team and a fresh start, he will probably be looking to prove something. If the White Sox need a plan z guy to come in and take the right-field job, he would be a great candidate.
player. 135. . LF. Houston Astros. Michael Brantley. 23
Imagine a world where the White Sox move Eloy Jimenez to become a designated hitter. If he is willing and capable, they are going to need a defensive replacement. It would pend on him becoming a player who has a good DH mindset. A potential player to play left field in that situation would be Michael Brantley. They could even look to him to be the backup left fielder and DH himself. He was brilliant for the Astros during the 2020 season so taking a chance on him would be worth it.
He could provide so much depth to this team if there are injuries or position trials. In 46 games played this season. he slashed .300/.364/.476. He hit five home runs, had 22 RBIs, and had a .840 OPS. It was a good season for him at 33 years old.
He also knows the American League Central very well. He played for the Cleveland Indians for ten years which isn’t a minor sample size. He knows Guaranteed Rate Field well along with the ballparks in Minnesota, Cleveland, Detroit, and Kansas City. That is a big bonus when you come to Chicago to play for the White Sox.
Hot. AJ Pierzynski would be a great Chicago White Sox manager. light
There is a chance that the White Sox look at one of these guys and there is a chance they don’t even think about it. They all will come with a little bit of baggage because of the scandal but they all might be able to help the White Sox. Hopefully, they are able to better their team the right way no matter who they look at.