With the recent two major moves that were made by the White Sox, it's a bit of a head scratcher. It's understandable what they are doing, but the fact it doesn't inspire many in the fanbase is the problem. Now, this could all be moot by the end of the offseason and the front office looks like a bunch of geniuses, but right now lots of people are questioning what they are doing.
It's clear that owner Jerry Reinsdorf and the front office want to win and have transitioned out of what seems to be a successful rebuild, but they still have to execute their moves this offseason. Despite the bizarre hiring of Tony La Russa as manager and all the public relations nightmare behind his DUI arrest, the coaching staff seems to be all good hires and should help La Russa and the club on the field. Even with the team cutting ties with Carlos Rodon and Nomar Mazara, it seemed like a strong signal that the White Sox meant business for this offseason.
This week, at the "virtual" Winter Meetings, however, some people are questioning as to what the team is doing. Some will hear the names like Lance Lynn and Adam Eaton and think "Wow! The Sox are going to be great next year!" That being said, the others are discussing why the team made the acquisitions as it's unclear what the Pale Hose are doing.
Let's first start with the Lance Lynn trade. Trading for Lynn for 2021 actually is a decent move as it signals that the team is in win-now mode. There's a lot to like about Lynn too as he has finished in the Cy Young award voting at fifth in 2019 and sixth this past season. He's durable and reliable, but what's interesting is that he comes cheap as he is only owed $8 million next year. He will be a free agent next offseason, but if this one year of Lynn leads to a World Series championship, totally worth it having him under control for just one campaign. Lynn also makes the Sox rotation deep as having him, Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel, and potentially Michael Kopech already seems to be one of the best in the league.
However, when looking into more of this trade, that's where the head scratching begins. Lynn is 33 years old, so he is at risk of regression and this move could result in backfiring on them. However, what hurts the most is whom the team traded as starting pitcher Dane Dunning was sent to the Texas Rangers. The Sox had control over Dunning for a few more years and has high upside as he could've been one of their most dependable starters, especially in the backend of the rotation. Looking at this in the long term, that's what a lot of fans don't get about the trade. The front office traded that for one year of control for Lynn. The only rational thought behind this move was that the team was confident about the depth in the minor leagues such as Jonathan Stiever, Garrett Crochet, Jared Kelley, and Matthew Thompson, plus they must feel good about what Dylan Cease will become as, despite being very talented, was very inconsistent in 2020. That's the reason this move was a head scratcher.
If the Lynn acquisition confused some, then many were exclaiming "What are the Sox doing?!" with the Eaton signing. Eaton left the team in 2016 in a trade to the Washington Nationals which was one of the first moves made signalling the start of the rebuild, but left on less than ideal terms. Former teammate Todd Frazier has made it known how much of a nuisance Eaton was in clubhouse, so lot's of Sox fans will be questioning that move not only just on that, but also his production the last few seasons in Washington. While Eaton provides speed, great defense, a left handed bat, and productivity at the plate, he wasn't as productive for the Nationals as he was on the South Side. Injuries might be the biggest factor for why he wasn't productive in D.C., but his numbers in 2020 (despite a shortened season) were less than desirable for any club this offseason. The decline in production is the biggest reason why fans are questioning the White Sox front office. Eaton has expressed that he has matured since his days in Chicago, but that remains to be seen. He does come over as World Series champion having helped the Nationals win in 2019 and will likely platoon (of sorts) in right field with Adam Engel, but he is only signed to a one year deal worth $8.5 million and has an option. So essentially it's a low risk, high reward deal and if he doesn't perform in 2021, they will assuredly cut him.
Now, if the team is signing Eaton because they are prepared to give Oscar Colas (if he signs) their right fielder job, then fine. Nothing to fret over. But if not, then this acquisition doesn't make any sense. At that point, just bring back Nomar Mazara since he had a higher WAR than Eaton last season.
The White Sox shed roughly $50 million in payroll this offseason, so the money is there to spend. The pandemic unfortunately is affecting all teams this offseason and this could be a slow offseason. The loss of money for the teams will make things difficult, especially with no fans in the stands this past season. If there are no fans in the stands for a good portion of the campaign in 2021 in all likelihood, then the situation almost becomes dire for clubs. Players are probably not going to get the contracts that they want, but they might understand the situation. But back to the White Sox, the money that they have coming off their books makes things easier for Reinsdorf and the front office to navigate the pandemic situation and to sign some players.
Reinsdorf isn't cheap, however the moves that not only the fans wanted this offseason, but also Reinsdorf and front office wanted to make, all might not happen as only some will be made because of the financial strain the pandemic has caused on MLB clubs. It's a sad reality and it sucks. However, that doesn't explain the recent moves that were made. The Sox are expected to be big spenders (whatever that means during this pandemic), but those weren't big spending moves. What the thought process might be is that if they make these acquisitions, then maybe the front office is saving some money for a big splash or two (heck, maybe even three!). Maybe a possible Oscar Colas deal will be able to help navigate through financial strains while also signing some marquee names. It's also possible that a trade will happen for a star player. It's unknown what is going to happen. However, if the Eaton and Lynn acquisitions were made for the sole purpose of reasons made above and the Sox don't bring in a big name(s), then those deals look even worse and it backfires. Let's hope that's not the case.
Despite the financial strains the pandemic has put on MLB clubs, what these moves show is that the Sox are aggressive and aren't done. However, if the plan that was thought out above is their game plan and it backfires, then Sox fans will have to wait until 2022 before the team becomes a serious World Series contender. There is no doubt that the Pale Hose will be good in 2021 and could even make a deep run in the playoffs with just these moves alone, but the front office will have to make more moves and bring in big impact players if they want to bring a World Series championship to the South Side for the first time since 2005. However, this is going to be less than an ideal offseason for everyone because of the financial strain the pandemic has brought on baseball. That being said, the White Sox will need to do what they can in this win-now mode this offseason. Let's hope by the end of this offseason that this article becomes moot despite the head scratching moves the front office has already made.
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