Last year, I finally remembered to round up all the players I thought would be worthy, parallel-universe fits for what the White Sox were trying to do. The list was 12 players deep, and it ended up being a mixed bag.
Because the White Sox had been in the market for a franchise-altering contract, several of those names remain relevant to the White Sox. Along with those incumbents, I've identified 16 other players I'll be loosely tracking over the 2021 season, along with a couple of non-players. Some of them represent the cost of doing business, others represent different courses of action, and a few players I just find personally compelling.
Last year's holdovers
None of these players are even halfway through their contracts, so they should still be expected to provide upper-level production to their respective teams, especially since the White Sox rebuild is just hitting its stride. Donaldson is the only one who hasn't delivered on expectations thus far, unless you hold the Phillies' larger failures against Harper.
Former White Sox
McCann heads to New York on a four-year, $40 million contract that stood out for its size and swiftness. If he sustains what he showed with the White Sox, I'll be curious how he stacks up against Yasmani Grandal. There may be limitations to such comparisons, though, because would McCann have made the effort to improve his receiving had the Grandal signing revealed how much it'd been holding him back?
Colomé and Dunning were worse bets to contribute what the White Sox are expecting from the guys who replaced them (Liam Hendriks and Lance Lynn), but Dunning has six years of control to offset a lesser immediate contribution, while Colomé is a different way to address a niche task.
There will be no regrets if Fulmer or Mazara suddenly figure it out with the Reds and Tigers. I'm more just curious whether Fulmer will ever show his Vanderbilt power with anybody, and if Mazara's year with the White Sox was derailed more by bad luck (strep throat, 60-game season) than evaporating talent.
Outfielders who aren't Adam Eaton
Springer gets a separate treatment because he's such a stellar representation of the White Sox's unwillingness to explore the real top of the free agent market. Were Machado, Harper and Gerrit Cole too expensive? Probably. So here comes a free agent who addresses some chief White Sox weaknesses (OBP, corner defense) for more digestible demands of six years and a max of $150 million. He's older? Sure, but that's why his price is lower. Something's gotta give. Unfortunately, that "something" is always "the White Sox's appetite for nine-figure commitments." Springer could start the season on the IL with an oblique strain, so we'll see if that's an omen.
Pederson was my favorite of the short-term commitments, mostly because I thought he was one of those players who was suffocated by the Dodgers' sheer depth, similar to Kenta Maeda or Alex Verdugo. That he's hitting .372/.429/1.000 with eight homers this spring isn't helping.
Rosario's winter journey -- the Twins cutting him loose, the Indians signing him for one year and $8 million -- is fascinating for a guy who produced 30 homers and 100 RBIs (or its 60-game equivalent) the last two seasons. Maybe Minnesota's lineup makes him look better than he is. Maybe he's undervalued like José Abreu because he sustains production despite a skill set that usually isn't the most sustainable. Benintendi is too big a gamble for what the White Sox are trying to do, but he's a nice fit for Kansas City's present state and ambitions. Good for them.
DH options who aren't Andrew Vaughn
With Eloy Jiménez out for most of the year, Brantley might loom as a big point of contention, at least among White Sox fans who first-guessed him into their plans during the winter because a DH with mediocre left field skills could be of service to this roster. Schwarber is the lesser version of that argument, signing for a lower contract (one year, $10 million). Cruz is a DH only, but he's quite a DH. The White Sox were tied to him during the winter, probably by Cruz's representation more than anything for leverage purposes. He's back with the Twins at age 40, hoping it goes just as swimmingly as 39 did.
Pitchers who aren't Carlos Rodón
On opposite sides of the spectrum of reliability and availability, at least until Quintana lost a battle with a wine glass (usually it's the bottle that does it). I liked Richards more than other oft-injured arms like James Paxton or Corey Kluber, mostly because it seemed like his struggles to stay active largely dealt with the same injury, and Tommy John surgery finally resolved it. Perhaps Rodón already gives the White Sox their inspiring comeback story Richards would have provided.
Guys who don't fit any of the above
- Curt Casali
- Ha-Seong Kim
- A.J. Hinch
- Chris Fetter
Casali was my favorite of a large contingent of backup catchers based on price ($1.5 million) and upside, but credit Zack Collins for making himself look new enough to ward off immediate regrets for letting the Jason Castro-class of catchers pass the team by. Kim signed a four-year, $28 million deal with the Padres. He wasn't connected to the White Sox, but I'm always interested in how high-profile KBO and NPB signings fare, and Kim's will be higher than those of his recent peers.
Hinch and Fetter are the managing/pitching coach combination the White Sox likely bypassed in their process that resulted in Tony La Russa and Ethan Katz. The Detroit Tigers' lower expectations might obscure the results for a while, and Fetter might be out of action to start the season after a positive COVID-19 test.
Who's on your list?
(Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire)
