Chicago White Sox: Three Colorado Rockies free agents to consider
The Chicago White Sox could consider a Colorado Rockies free agent or two.
The Chicago White Sox are considered to be one of the best teams in all of baseball. Right now, they are heading into the season as a favorite to be in the American League playoffs. Some might argue that they should be the favorite for the American League Central Division title but a Wild Card team should absolutely be a possibility. They finally took a major step forward in 2020 after a long rebuild that saw them strip it down to nothing.
Well, now that they are looking to win, they are going to keep trying to supplement their core every offseason. There are always big free agents to consider but there are always depth pieces to consider on a much smaller scale. So far, the White Sox have only really added Adam Eaton in free agency and he is going to try and be their new right fielder. Other than that, they traded for Lance Lynn which should help them have one of the best rotations in the league.
If they are looking for some depth bench pieces, the Colorado Rockies free agent list might be a team to consider. They are probably not going to be that good in 2021 as their division is pretty loaded at the top. They still have some elite players but they certainly don’t have enough to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego Padres. If the White Sox wanted to take advantage of some of their leaving free agents, these are the three that they should consider:
Colorado Rockies. Daniel Murphy. 9. player. 108. . INF
Daniel Murphy is familiar with the city so the Chicago White Sox might make a good fit.
Daniel Murphy has had quite the Major League Baseball career so far. He has spent time with four different teams in his career now including the New York Mets, Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs, and Colorado Rockies. He was at the height of his powers with the Mets and Nationals but going into his age 36 season, he might be able to provide something to this young White Sox team. He has been a big part of deep playoff runs, been a National League All-Star more than once, and has a couple of Silver Slugger Awards.
Murphy had a tough year in 2020 with the Colorado Rockies. It was his second season with them and really the first year that he has ever struggled. You have to wonder if it is because he is no longer a good player or if it because of the fact that the year was so strange. There were a lot of great hitters that struggled this year and Murphy was one of them.
Some Cubs fans might remember that he just loves hitting in Chicago. In his days with the Mets and Nationals, he was as much of a horn in the Cubs’ side as any player in the league. If he brought a bit of that to the White Sox, he would be a fan favorite in an instant. He might not be the player he once was but he could end up being a good bench player on a one-year deal.
108. . OF. Colorado Rockies. Matt Kemp. 25. player
Matt Kemp would make a great depth outfielder for the Chicago White Sox.
The Chicago White Sox could use a few depth outfielders. Adam Eaton, Eloy Jimenez, and Luis Robert are going to play their respective positions for the most part but they could use some backup. Adam Engel is going to make the perfect fourth outfielder, but they could absolutely use another one. There are a few reasons why adding a fifth outfielder as Matt Kemp could really come in handy.
For one, they don’t have a designated hitter locked in. He isn’t an ideal designated hitter by any means but you can plug and play him in certain situations with the different outfielders on the team. Of course, Eloy Jimenez might need a few days off from playing the outfield at different points of the season but you want his bat in the lineup as much as possible. Adding Kemp would allow there to be someone to play left field defensively if they ever tried Jimenez as the DH.
For Adam Eaton, he has been getting injured a lot lately. He also isn’t as good right now as he was the last time he suited up for the White Sox. If they wanted to plug Matt Kemp in for Eaton in case of an injury, it certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea. He was an all-star as recent as 2018, has been a Silver Slugger Award winner, and a two-time Gold Glove winner. For a player like Kemp, at 36 years old, he might be able to provide some good value to any team.
108. . CF. Colorado Rockies. Kevin Pillar. 11. player
You never know what someone like Kevin Pillar might be able to bring to the Chicago White Sox.
Of course, we already went over how the White Sox might be able to benefit from adding another outfielder. Kevin Pillar might be the best option for that job from the entire list of Colorado Rockies free agents. He literally turned 32 yesterday (Monday) so you know there are a lot of great years left in him. He isn’t a guy that moves the needle or anything but at this point, he is the best player on this list. He would provide great depth to this White Sox team that is looking to win the World Series as soon as possible.
Kevin Pillar has had an interesting career so far. He was a great player for the Toronto Blue Jays for parts of seven season. He was there when they made a couple of trips to the American League Championship Series’ in back-to-back years so he definitely has some postseason experience. This is a young White Sox team that would really take advantage of having an experienced veteran like Pillar in their lockerroom.
Pillar was traded to the San Francisco Giants just a few games into the 2019 season. He didn’t last there long as he made his way to the Boston Red Sox in 2020. He played half the season with the Red Sox and then was traded over to the Colorado Rockies to end the season. He was traded to teams that didn’t make the playoffs two years in a row so you have to imagine that he wants to go to a team that can win in 2021.
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The White Sox are not a team that has a centerfield spot available. That belongs to Luis Robert and unless he gets hurt, there is no chance anyone takes it. However, if Pillar was willing, he could absolutely be a better right fielder than Adam Eaton. It seems like something that is unlikely at this point but he would be a great fit. You never know what Rick Hahn and the White Sox are thinking but the Rockies could be a team to look at for free agents.