Chicago White Sox Rumors: Three reasons to acquire Kris Bryant
The Chicago White Sox should absolutely consider Kris Bryant to be an option.
The Chicago White Sox have been put into the Kris Bryant sweepstakes (at least in rumors) because of the White Sox Talk Podcast hosted by Chuck Garfien of NBC Sports Chicago. He had David Kaplan on to discuss the possibility of Bryant making his way from the North Side to the South Side. It is an intriguing idea to think about and one that makes sense on a lot of levels. Is this something that could work?
Well, David and Chuck believe it is something to at least talk about. The Cubs and Bryant have not been able to come to a contract extension so it seems like it is almost a lock for him to not be there next year. There is even a chance that he is non-tendered by the Cubs by December 2nd which would allow him to just sign wherever he wants to go. There are so many options for the Cubs to consider this week as that decision approaches.
The White Sox are in on other options as well. George Springer has to be the number one position player that the White Sox are considering but Bryant isn’t too far behind. He wasn’t very good in 34 games this season but a lot of things could have gone into why. He is a former MVP and had an All-Star season as recently as 2019.
Since coming into the league, not many players have accumulated better wins above replacement than Kris Bryant. Some White Sox fans, and even Cubs fans, don’t realize these things just because he wasn’t very good during the COVID-19 season. He is an upgrade to the White Sox in a lot of ways. These are the three biggest reasons to consider adding him:
Right Field
Over the past few years, the Chicago White Sox have struggled to find themselves a right fielder that they want out there almost every single game. Nomar Mazara was brought in to try and be that guy but things didn’t work out the way that the Sox wanted them to. He might be there in 2021 too but he would make a great bench piece at best. They need to upgrade the position. As mentioned before, George Springer should be the first option but Kris Bryant would be a solid option if they can’t get Springer.
When people think of Bryant, they probably think of him as a third baseman. Well, he has mostly been a third baseman in his career. However, as his career has moved along, he started to play some outfield with the Cubs. He is pretty good at it but the White Sox would be wanting him for his bat anyway.
Yoan Moncada is the best third baseman in Chicago so Bryant would have to be the backup for that position. He would make a great right fielder though. He can play out there as well as anyone else they would bring in so trying him there would be well worth the risk in a year where they are expected to compete for the World Series.
Offense
Kris Bryant was for a while, one of the best offensive players in the National League. Ever since his first big injury, he has come down just a little bit but has been better than people give him credit for. His awesome offensive numbers have allowed him to accumulate accolades such as Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, and three All-Star selections in six seasons. Basically, whenever Bryant is healthy, he is an elite hitter.
There were obviously some issues in 2020 because he only played in 34 games of the 60 that were mandated by the league after the COVID-19 pandemic. He did have only five RBIs going into the final series of the season between the Cubs and White Sox and he managed to have a 6 RBI series. He does enjoy playing at Guaranteed Rate Field because his numbers there are awesome. It would certainly be a comfortable situation for him if he was forced to make that change.
The cool thing about Bryant coming to the White Sox would be his supporting cast. He already knows what it is like to hit around superstars so coming to the White Sox would be like his early Cubs days. If he was inserted into the middle of this lineup he would see some of his numbers rise again. If he can hit 30 home runs and have north of 75 RBIs again, it would be a fantastic turnaround for him after 2020.
Low-Risk/High-Reward
There is always a bit of a risk when you make a trade. You are giving up on an asset to acquire a new one. There is always a chance that what you send away becomes better or more valuable than what you acquired. With that said, an acquisition of Kris Bryant would really be a low-risk/high-reward move. There are a few ways that they could go about it.
For one, they could just wait to see if the Cubs tender him or not. If they don’t, they can just reach out to him and offer him a contract. If they decide to acquire him before that deadline, they probably won’t have to give up that much for him. It might take a mid-level prospect to get him but that would be worth it right now. As long as they don’t give up Michael Kopech, Andrew Vaughn, Nick Madrigal, Garrett Crochet, or Jared Kelley, they should be fine to do it.
Taking a low risk like that could earn them a very high reward. He could turn into the Bryant of old and help the White Sox make a run at the World Series. If he isn’t very good, they wouldn’t have given up much for him to try it out and they can let him go in short order. Either way, it is worth a shot.
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Now, we don’t know for sure if he is going to be out of the Cubs organization within the next six weeks for sure but it is certainly a possibility. The White Sox need to be focused on doing whatever they feel makes them a better organization. Of course, another great starter would be great but a good right fielder who can play other positions as well would also be very helpful.