The Chicago White Sox has a right field problem. They haven’t had a steady person to play the position for a long time. If they can get someone to play it as their natural position while contributing some offense, they will be in great shape with their lineup. A New York Mets free agent just became available and the White Sox should strongly consider it.
Michael Conforto has spent his entire seven-year MLB career with the New York Mets. However, he declined his qualifying offer and is hitting the free-agent market. He is a former MLB All-Star that is on his way to finding a new home. Chicago would be a great place as they would pay him nicely and give him a starting role on a team that has a chance to win.
2021 was a down year by Conforto’s standards and he was still pretty good. He had an OPS of .729 with 14 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 52 runs scored on a very up and down Mets team. His career numbers and the fact that he is only 28 years old suggest that a big bounce-back is imminent in terms of his offensive game.
Even his 2021 “down year” would be better than what the White Sox are used to in right field. They had Adam Eaton early on before letting him go in favor of some depth players like Brian Goodwin or Gavin Sheets. If Conforto can get back to his All-Star level of play, the White Sox would love to have him out there.
New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto will decline the qualifying offer and head to free agency, sources familiar with the situation tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 8, 2021
The Chicago White Sox could use a free agent outfielder like Michael Conforto.
A big question is always going to be the defensive side of things for the White Sox. There are other free-agent outfielders out there that may or may not be better hitters than Conforto but their defensive prowess isn’t as strong. Conforto isn’t a Gold Glove winner or anything like that but he is solid in that role defensively.
We don’t know for sure how much the White Sox will be willing to spend this offseason but they aren’t dumb. They know that their window to win the World Series is now wide open but it doesn’t stay open for very long in the MLB. Adding a great right fielder like Conforto could help them win a division title again in 2022 and possibly more.
If they are serious about winning, we know that moves will be made. They didn’t qualify Carlos Rodon, they didn’t take the team option on Cesar Hernandez, and they did take it on Craig Kimbrel. As a result of these moves leading up to free agency signing, the White Sox appear ready to make a splash. Conforto would really help.