This is the final part of a three part series that talks about an offseason need for the White Sox. In this series, it will be talked about how the Pale Hose will need to fill the need of designated hitter in 2021. For the third part of this series, it will talk about the free agent options and who are the options that fit best. This does not mean they will go this direction, but it is an option. Let's take a look at some players the club will take into consideration if they go the free agent route.
Carlos Santana
Santana is coming off a bit of a down season, but 2020 was a bit of an unusual year. So, signing Santana to a one year "prove it" deal might be worth a shot. He can hit from both sides of the plate, but he also still gets on base. While 2020 was a down season, Santana would still be more productive than what was gotten from Edwin Encarnacion. He's also considerably much younger than Encarnacion, so that might mean it's worth seeing if Santana would sign.
DJ LeMahieu
This might be a pipe dream, but signing LeMahieu could be beneficial to the Sox. Sure, to get his bat in the lineup he might have to play at DH, but LeMahieu can also play at first and second base and that gives the team more options. However, one cannot ignore his bat and the type of production he provides. LeMahieu had his best season from an advanced metric sense in 2020 as his wOBA was .429 and his wRC+ was 177, but his on base percentage was .421 and had a .590 slugging percentage. LeMahieu seems to get better each season and having his bat in the lineup would be well worth it. It might not be likely, but signing him would make this lineup deeper.
Justin Turner
Turner is going to be 36 next season, so it might be a bit risky to sign someone that old, but Turner's bat is still pretty good. His days of fielding are likely over, but his bat is still worth it. His advanced numbers look good as he had a .376 wOBA, 140 wRC+, and a .400 OBP. Despite only hitting four home runs in 2020, Turner is still productive at the plate and his bat might be worth signing. For how long? Now that's the question.
Michael Brantley
It would seem like Brantley is the favorite among Sox fans to be signed by the team, however, there is good reason for that as Brantley is still a very productive hitter. Brantley might be 34 next season, but having him as the DH would still keep his productive bat in the lineup. Brantley being left handed also helps bring balance to the lineup. Brantley's advanced numbers were fantastic in 2020 as he had a .362 wOBA, 134 wRC+, .364 OBP, and .476 slugging percentage. Brantley should be seen as a serious candidate to be signed.
Marcell Ozuna
Ozuna's days as an outfielder are likely to be over, but his bat is still great as ever. After his one season stint in Atlanta, Ozuna probably had his best season from an advanced metric standpoint and he's only 30. Ozuna had a .444 wOBA, 179 wRC+, .431 OBP, and a staggering .636 slugging percentage. Oh yeah, in only 60 games, Ozuna hit 18 home runs and drove in 56 runs. Simply incredible. This is another player the Sox front office should go after seriously.
Josh Reddick
Reddick is probably not likely to be considered, but he is one of the few unlikeliest players to be picked up by the Sox anyways. Sure, he has pop in his bat and hits left handed, but his numbers don't exact align with what the front office is looking for. Reddick could theoretically thrive at Guaranteed Rate Field, but that's a big if. His numbers and advanced statistics have gone down every season since 2018 and with 2021 being his age 34 season, then it's hard to justify signing his services.
Yoenis Cespedes
Cespedes is 35 years old and coming off multiple injury plagued seasons, plus he even opted out in the middle of the season in 2020. So to say that Cespedes is a big risk to sign is right, but to bring him on as a DH might be worth it. If they were to sign Cespedes, he would have sign on a one year "prove it" deal, but once digging into his advanced statistics, it might actually be worth signing him. His career wOBA is .350, a 124 wRC+, and a .327 OBP. He also might fit in with the team with all the Cuban players on the Sox. While risky signing him, Cespedes should be considered.
Ryan Braun
Braun is going to be 37 years old in 2021, so that poses as a big risk to sign him. Despite an injury plagued 2020, he has put up good numbers and solid advanced statistics in his career. Braun does provide power in his bat and could be an upgrade from the production the Sox got in 2020. While he is past his prime, Braun might still provide some production. However, this is a very unlikely signing.
Most likely to be the starter: Brantley. Of all these options on here, Brantley would fit in seamlessly. It would balance out the lineup more and would make it deeper too. There are good options and cheaper ones, but if the Sox are serious about winning a World Series, they got to sign Brantley.
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