The Chicago White Sox Add Another Player When They Should Be Trimming Their Roster

This is the part of spring training when teams are pairing down their roster to get to the 26 players who will be on the Opening Day roster. That is not the case for the Chicago White Sox.

The Sox signed outfielder Robbie Grossman to a minor league deal with an invite to camp. The problem is spring training ends on Sunday as the Sox have just two Cactus League games left.

Now it is not the end of the world that the Sox signed a player who has a career .282/.381/.426 slash line against left-handers. Grossman was also really good hitting off of southpaws last season (although he had a drop-off in the second half).

It can never hurt to add a player with a World Series ring, especially in Grossman who played well down the stretch and in the playoffs for the Rangers.

The optics do not look great as this is when teams are supposed to be comfortable with the players they have pegged for the first version of the 26-man roster.

Adding Grossman to a crowded outfield is another example that the Sox do not feel confident with their situation in right field. You know that position that has been an eternal hole in the lineup.

Dominic Fletcher appears to have the inside track on winning the starting job. Gavin Sheets has also gotten plenty of spring training at-bats. Then the White Sox still have veterans Kevin Pillar, Brett Phillips, Rafael Ortega, and Mark Payton still on their non-roster invites. Adding another minimum fWAR player to the mix does not look great.

First, he could have been added at any point in the offseason. He would have been a viable option to cover right field this year or platoon with Fletcher. Second, it shows all these non-roster invitees are probably not viable options. It feels like the Sox are just trying to find these players from the scrap heap and ignore why they were there in the first place. Once they show up to camp, it is only then the franchise realizes that these guys are not good.

The other reason this move has odd timing is it circles back to management not committing to finalizing the 26-man roster.

Manager Pedro Grifol can compliment the front office all he likes, but these position battles should have been wrapped up by now. Then again, when you have bad players, you might as well use up all of the every second available toward making a decision.

Maybe this is making a mountain out of a molehill. This organization needs depth in the outfield especially since the White Sox do not have any good outfield prospects that are anywhere close to contributing to the big-league club. Oscar Colas was quickly sent to minor league camp this year. Zach DeLoach is the only real option that the Sox have that they could call up this year and possibly get a contribution out of.

That is why this signing makes sense. It just would have been nice had it been done in the beginning of spring training and not as it is wrapping up.