3 gifts the Chicago White Sox can give fans for Christmas
A Big Name Right Fielder
The Chicago White Sox needs a right fielder as bad as anything going into 2022.
Right Field has been an issue for the past couple of seasons. Usually, the front office finds a cheap band-aid solution to patch the hole with lackluster results. In 2019, they signed Jon Jay who missed the first half of the season with an injury. In 2020, they traded for Nomar Mazara who only hit one home run and provided little to no offense. In 2021, they signed was Adam Eaton who was released at the beginning of July.
The White Sox have been hungry for a high-profile free agent ever since the front office came up short in the Bryce Harper and Manny Machado sweepstakes. Luckily for the White Sox, there are plenty of good right-fielders still on the market. Kris Bryant, Nick Castellanos, Joc Pederson, Micheal Conforto, and Jorge Soler headline the class.
Kris Bryant is a long-time crosstown rival that was traded to the San Fransico Giants last season to help with their playoff push. The former MVP can play all across the diamond but has 109 games in right field under his belt. He also has a plethora of postseason experience including helping lead the Chicago Cubs to the World Series title in 2016.
Nick Castellanos is coming off an All-Star season that saw him slash .309/.362/.576 with 34 home runs and 100 RBIs. While his defense could use some work, his bat would be a tremendous addition to the lineup.
Joc Pederson’s name has been linked to the White Sox for the past couple of seasons. He belted three home runs for the Atlanta Braves during their postseason run in 2021 boosting his total to 76 career postseason dingers. All of that postseason experience makes him very attractive to the White Sox front office as does his .832 OPS against right-handed pitchers.
Micheal Conforto slashed .274/.376/.499. from 2019-2020 with the New York Mets. In 2017, he made the National League All-Star team after posting a .279 average to go along with 28 home runs. In 2019 he hit a career-best 33 home runs.
Jorge Soler took home the World Series MVP in 2021. White Sox fans know him well from his time tormenting the AL Central while he was a member of the Kansas City Royals. In 2019, he hit a league-leading 48 home runs and accumulated a .922 OPS.
In a hitter-friendly park-like Guaranteed Rate Field there is no telling the damage he could do. Any one of these players would make a great Christmas present for White Sox fans.