Leury Garcia will remain the longest-tenured White Sox.
First reported by Jon Heyman of Audacy Sports, the Chicago White Sox are re-signing Garcia to a three-year deal. According to Baseball-Reference, in 2021, Garcia hit .267/.335/.376 with a 96 OPS+ and was worth 2.1 WAR. It was also a pretty even spread of games played six different positions.
- 277.2 innings at second base
- 235 innings in right field
- 164.1 innings in center field
- 156.1 innings at shortstop
- 110.2 innings in left field
- 74 innings at third base
Also, can’t forget Garcia providing one of the 2021 season’s brightest moments, hitting a three-run homer in Game 3 of the ALDS.
Now, the expectation is Garcia will continue his super-utility role and not be the de facto starting second baseman or right fielder on Opening Day 2022. That requires a couple of other moves by the White Sox to make that the case. If they find other starting options with right field or second base, then the White Sox bench just got stronger, keeping Garcia.
It’s just hard to imagine signing a bench player to a three-year contract, though. So if you have concerns that this is the White Sox move at second base - they could be warranted. We all have to wait and see what’s next, but bringing back Garcia at least gives general manager Rick Hahn a safety net.
