MLB Trade Rumors predicts two free agents to White Sox
According to MLB Trade Rumors, the Chicago White Sox will spend in free agency.
The Chicago White Sox had a great season in 2020. They turned the page of the rebuild as they were now ready to compete for the playoffs. COVID-19 caused the season to only be 60 games rather than 162 but the White Sox were able to make the best of it. They went 35-25 in a very competitive American League Central Division and made the playoffs for the first time since 2008. All hands were on deck to get this team to where they needed to be.
They had some nominees for Gold Glove Awards (and one winner, Luis Robert) and Silver Slugger Award winners to go with a Rookie of the Year nomination (Luis Robert, second place) and a Manager of the Year nomination (Rick Renteria, second place). They even had two pitchers, (Dallas Keuchel, Lucas Giolito) receive some Cy Young Award love. It was all capped off by Jose Abreu winning the American League MVP for the first time in his brilliant career.
With all of this talent in the White Sox lineup, they are ready to take the next step. They already hired Tony La Russa to be their next manager so that was the next step towards trying to win it all. Next would be filling out any remaining holes that they might have.
MLB Trade Rumors has a few guys that they see the White Sox adding this offseason to give their team a better chance. There might be some names that make you excited and some you may want to pass on but the White Sox will surely be involved. These are the two free agents that MLBTR believes will end up on the South Side:
Houston Astros. George Springer. 4. player. 135. . OF
The first prediction that MLB Trade Rumors has for the White Sox is George Springer. It would be really nice to add someone like Springer for a variety of reasons. The first is his offense. The White Sox scored so many runs in 2020 and it is only going to get more prolific as the youngsters develop even more. Springer can hit up and down in the lineup and be productive no matter what. If the White Sox wanted to hit Springer seventh and keep Tim Anderson first, it would work. If they wanted to flip them, it would also work.
Of course, Springer will forever live with the sign-stealing scandal that accused (and eventually proved) the Houston Astros of using technology to steal signs. They went on to win the World Series in the year (2017) that they were accused of and a lot of people are angry with the MLB for not stripping them of that title. Well, as Springer moves on fans will embrace him if he continues to produce. His success in 2019 and 2020 suggests that he is a great baseball player without cheating.
Springer is also a fantastic right fielder. The White Sox have a clear need there as it is fair to assume that Nomar Mazara is not the answer. Mazara would make a fine bench player for the outfield but Springer is a starter through and through. His addition would make an outfield of Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, and George Springer one of the most lethal in all of baseball. Hopefully, this is a prediction that comes true.
SP . New York Yankees. James Paxton. 65. player. 43.
Chicago White Sox fans know that they need pitching but they might not be happy to see James Paxton as a potential option but he is. He wasn’t very good in 2020 but there are a few reasons that could explain why. He would have missed some time to start the year if this was a normal season but he probably came back too soon when the 60 game season started. There was plenty of injury trouble that probably hindered his pitching velocity.
A clean bill of health might make him worth a look if you are the White Sox. They will certainly have Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel at the top and as of right now the rotation beyond that could go many different ways. It would be nice to see Dylan Cease and Michael Kopech earn spots and do well with the opportunity but a lot of work needs to be done for that to happen. Paxton might be able to come in and help those guys develop while eating some innings.
He would be great to hand the ball to in the playoffs as well. He certainly has the playoff experience after playing for the New York Yankees for the past two seasons. His win-loss record was awesome with the Seattle Mariners in 2017 and 2018 and then the Yankees in 2019. His numbers in those years certainly support the idea that he might be able to succeed when fully healthy again. It is no lock that he would be able to reach 150 innings but it is worth a try if all else fails.
Related Story. Jose Abreu is the MVP of the American League. light
The White Sox may or may not be able to land these guys (or any big free agents) but they need to try. Their window is wide open but you never know in baseball how long it will stay open. Due to the young age of their core, it feels like they will be good for a long time but those guys need as much help as they can get because winning the World Series is hard. MLB Trade Rumors, at least, believes that the White Sox are going to be involved in making their team better this offseason.