DH rule staying in American League helps Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox have a fantastic looking starting lineup. They have star players at almost every position and they can all hit. It is hard to outscore the White Sox so the thought of them making it even more potent of an offense has to be scary for the rest of the league. They don’t have their designated hitter set in stone for 2021 and that is still something that they can address this offseason.
The Chicago White Sox could benefit from the National League not keeping the designated hitter.
The White Sox have been one of the busier teams this winter. They are clearly considered World Series contenders as they stand right now. A free agent DH looking at teams should see the hole at the position on this team and really consider it. If they do, they could find themselves lifting the trophy at the end of October.
Jon Heyman of MLB Network has reported that the union has rejected a deal to bring the universal DH back for the 2021 season. That is tough for the baseball fan because nobody wants to watch pitchers bat in the National League but it is good for Chicago White Sox fans. It is good because there are some really good designated hitters out there right now on the free-agent market and this news eliminates about half of their potential landing spots.
If a guy like Marcell Ozuna, Nelson Cruz, or Yasiel Puig were looking at a National League team, they no longer are because they can’t get in the lineup regularly there unless they pick up their gloves again. Most guys who have been designated hitters for a while now don’t want to do that.
The White Sox are already dangerous. Only like three teams in the American League have a realistic chance of beating them. This isn’t to say that they are locks to win the pennant but they have as good of a shot as anyone. If they added a stud DH like Ozuna or Cruz, they would be even more dangerous offensively than they already are. It is hard to think about where to bat them in the lineup because they are so deep.
MLB memo says union rejects deal for DH and expanded playoffs
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 25, 2021
Hot. Hank Aaron's career numbers against the Chicago White Sox. light
If this news means that the White Sox have a chance to be a better team, then so be it. If the better free agents look at them more closely as a result, this could really help them this year and beyond. If the White Sox don’t land one of these studs, they still have a few players that might be able to take the reigns but having a proven guy might be the best option in 2021. We know guys like Andrew Vaughn are coming and we are excited but they should probably ease him in on a team this deep.