A flurry of changes is brewing in the White Sox organization this offseason.
The hunt for a manager is in full swing, scouts are being fired and replaced, and, most importantly, the free agent market is preheating.
While the Sox plan to limit their spending to get them through this rebuilding year, having affordable seasoned players to lead and mentor up-and-coming players is necessary for this very young roster.
Here are five budget-free agents that would immediately add value to the team...
1B Rowdy Tellez
Though Tellez enters the free agent market as the least expensive first baseman available, his productivity exceeds his price tag.
Over his seven years in the league, Tellez has a 44% hard-hit rate and a slightly above-average .436 slugging percentage. While he’s struggled to hit above .250 over the last three years, he’s only 29 and has a far better chance of showing up when it counts than Andrew Vaughn or Gavin Sheets.
In a top-heavy first base free agent class and few consistent budget options, Tellez is the best bet for the Sox in the short term. After being paid merely $3.2 million and cut four at-bats short of a $200k bonus by the Pirates, Tellez should be easy to appease with $8-10 million for two years.