With their season over, the Chicago White Sox will have a lot to do to improve on the progress they made in 2020. While there are some areas that are more important than others, the club will have to find ways to make the team better for 2021 and to become a strong contender. The Sox will have their priority list for 2021, but this a proposed one for what they should do.
Sign Another Starter (Or Two)
This should be priority number one. It was clear that the Pale Hose lacked depth in their rotation, so another established and strong starting pitcher on the market makes a lot of sense. Some notable names are Marcus Stroman and Trevor Bauer as those two will be hot commodities on the free agent market. If the Sox could sign one of those two, they are golden. However, getting another starter might not be a bad idea either, though not necessary. Pitchers like Masahiro Tanaka, who has a good postseason record, and Jose Quintana will be available and they could make the staff deeper.
Re-Sign James McCann
This one is going to be difficult, but re-signing McCann should be strongly pursued. McCann deserves a spot at being a starting catcher and having Yasmani Grandal on the team complicates that a bit. However, his bat is incredibly valuable, so the front office will need to find a way to give McCann regular at bats and chances behind the plate. Luckily the designated hitter spot will need to be filled next season as it's unlikely Edwin Encarnacion will be back, so that could be a way to get both Grandal and McCann in the starting lineup every day and a chance to play behind the plate.
Fill The Designated Hitter Role
As mentioned earlier, it is unlikely Encarnacion will be back. If McCann does come back, the DH role is solved, however, there needs to be a backup plan if McCann departs. There is a strong possibility that could be solved internally by bringing up Andrew Vaughn as he and Jose Abreu can split time at first base and at DH. Otherwise, the team could go on the market and find someone. A few names that come to mind are Michael Brantley, Marcell Ozuna, and Josh Reddick, but another name that could be intriguing is DJ LeMahieu. Either way, the Sox need to find a way to fill the DH role for 2021.
Find A Solution To Right Field
Nomar Mazara did not put up a good year in 2020. The front office talked about his untapped potential last offseason, but they certainly did not expect him to put up as bad of numbers this year, despite a strong end to the 2020 campaign. Whatever the reason behind his struggles was, the team needs to find a way to get more production from right field in 2021. There is the thought that the team could retain Mazara for 2021 as they do have another year of control of him and hope that 2020 was a fluke and he hits better the next season. However, the Sox do have the right to non-tender him a contract and that gives the team a chance to go out and get another player. The best course probably will be on the free agent market. As mentioned, Brantley and Reddick are available, but whether they fill that need is the question. Other names include Joc Pederson, Nick Markakis, and yes, even Yasiel Puig are available. However, the hottest name will be George Springer as he is going to be highly sought after. There might be other names that come available, but the team has to come to the decision on what to do with right field soon.
Another Bullpen Arm
To be honest, this really doesn't need to be that big of a priority. The Sox already have a nice bullpen as it is with Aaron Bummer, Matt Foster, Codi Heuer, and Evan Marshall and probably won't need an addition. Alex Colome is a free agent and it would be nice to bring him back, but his bad peripherals despite great numbers suggests that re-signing is not the smartest idea. That being said, adding another arm isn't a bad idea and a veteran would be nice. While last season the hope was that Steve Cishek could be that guy for 2021, but he floundered and was let go. Several names come to mind as Brad Boxberger, Pedro Baez, Ken Giles, Liam Hendriks, and Blake Treinen will be available. Whatever the direction the front office decides on, it surely will be thought about in the next few weeks. That being said, adding another bullpen arm is a totally fine move to make.
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