Yonder Alonso is on the White Sox.
Rick Hahn pulled the trigger on that trade with the division-rival Cleveland Indians over the weekend, following up a rumor-filled week in Las Vegas with a significant move that adds a middle-of-the-order hitter to a needy White Sox lineup.
Alonso was an All Star in 2017 before a significant dip in his numbers last season. But if he can recapture some of that 2017 magic — particularly the part that saw him finish that season with a .365 on-base percentage — he'll be a nice upgrade while splitting time with Jose Abreu at first base and designated hitter.
And the fact that he's Manny Machado's brother-in-law might not hurt, either. More on that in a bit.
The effects of Alonso's arrival are numerous. For example, it allows me the opportunity to mention one of my all-time best fantasy baseball team names: "There's a Red House Over Yonder Alonso." That one's for all you Jimi Hendrix fans out there.
But on a less ridiculous note, here's how the move impacts five current, future and potential members of the 2019 White Sox.
Manny Machado
MLB
Let's start with one of the two biggest names on the free-agent market, the 26-year-old superstar meeting with the White Sox this week about a potential long-term union.
Many assumed the Alonso acquisition was a thinly veiled way of further enticing Machado to sign up to play 81-plus home games on the South Side for the next decade. Alonso has two years of team control remaining on his contract (including the 2020 option), so what better way to sweeten the pot than by adding a family member to the roster?
Hahn insisted that Alonso's relationship to other players had nothing to do with this move, which does objectively make the White Sox better, going as far to say that it can't when adding a veteran player for this type of money. Alonso is set to make $9 million in each of the next two seasons (again, with 2020 being an option year).
"Fundamentally this is a baseball deal," Hahn said. "We feel this makes us better. We like how Yonder fits in between the lines and in the clubhouse and helps further what we're trying to accomplish in 2019 and beyond. The potential ancillary benefits to it, in terms of his relationships with others, really can't be part of pulling the trigger and making the decision to acquire a big league player, especially a veteran one with this type of contract commitment."
Be that as it may, only one team can offer Machado the chance to play with his brother-in-law for the first two seasons of his contract. And now that team is the White Sox.
Jose Abreu
Abreu will now be in a timeshare at first base and designated hitter, an interesting place for a guy who's made 628 starts at first base in his five-year big league career. That's more than 125 a year, for those counting at home.
Abreu will turn 32 next month and has just one year of team control remaining on his contract. The White Sox love him, obviously, but it's a real question whether he'll line up with the team's planned success once the prospects start arriving on the South Side and making this team a contender.
Perhaps spelling him by making him a part-time DH in 2019 is a way to keep Abreu healthier. Even though the two injuries he had at the tail end of the 2018 season were flukey, they still meant he played in only 128 games and contributed to his failing to produce the same kind of consistent numbers he did in his first four seasons with the White Sox.
If the possibility of a contract extension for Abreu is still a real one, then decreasing his work load could make him last longer and make an extension more sensible. Bringing in Alonso to play first base on a relatively regular basis could be a way to make that happen.
"(Abreu) was enthusiastic," Hahn said. "He's probably the ultimate team guy, and he felt great about the addition of not only what he felt was a real good player but someone that he's good friends with. And he was very positive about the addition at that time, (Friday) afternoon. It's my understanding that he was texting with Yonder (on Friday) night, as well, and they were sharing their enthusiasm about playing together going forward.
"(Manager Rick Renteria) will handle how the balance comes down. Jose just wants us to win, wants us to be in the strongest position going forward and also know there's some benefit to getting off his feet from time to time. I think if he had his preference, he'd play 162 games a year, all of them at first base, but ultimately as he's gotten older and with the seven-and-a-half-month or longer grind as part of being a big leaguer, he knows there's benefit to being off his feet and pacing himself so that he can be strong and continue to be the powerful offensive force that he is at the big league level."
Daniel Palka
The 2018 season's breakout fan favorite, Palka was moving toward being the team's everyday designated hitter in 2019. He hit 27 home runs as a rookie last year, and the White Sox non-tendering Matt Davidson cleared the way for Palka to prove 2018 was no fluke and that he could be a long-term option as a DH.
He might not get that chance now that Alonso is here and that Hahn has stated that Alonso and Abreu will share first base and designated hitter. Because if those two guys are doing that, where is Palka going to play?
The answer at the moment is right field, and while that's certainly a possibility — he played 526.1 innings of outfield last season — Palka's defense left a lot to be desired. Now, he's worked very hard at improving his defense. Palka practicing with Daryl Boston was a daily sight before batting practice during the season. But will that work pay off enough to make him capable of being an everyday right fielder at the major league level?
"There's certainly the chance of that," Hahn said. "And I know Daniel, at age 27, doesn't want to be a full-time DH. He still believes that he can contribute on the defensive side of things. I know he's been working hard this offseason already. He told (hitting coach Todd Steverson) the other day that he's back down to his college weight. I don't know if that means he's back down to his McDonald's All-American weight just yet, but he certainly has slimmed up in an effort to make himself even stronger defensively.
"He has put in a lot of work. He put in a lot of work last year. He's going to continue to do that. And we'll see come spring training the product of that hard work.
"But we certainly like what he brings from the offensive standpoint, in terms of the power. We think his offensive game is going to improve, as well, as he rounds that out as a pro. And hopefully he puts himself in a position to be an asset, as well, defensively."
Again, if the season started today, he'd be the starting right fielder. But the White Sox, who have already made four additions this offseason, are not done altering this roster ahead of the 2019 season. Outfield depth figures to be on their to-do list, so Palka could be relegated to coming off the bench should a starting-caliber outfielder get added to the roster.
Rick Hahn
This is a small point, particularly in reference to this specific move, but the White Sox did just trade a prospect for a veteran who's only under control for two more seasons.
Hahn has mentioned that this day would come, when the White Sox would deal from a position of prospect strength for a shorter-term, veteran player. And though Alex Call was nowhere near the top of the White Sox prospect rankings, that's what happened with this trade.
Past answers from Hahn — and the questions being asked of him, for that matter — were surely describing higher-impact moves. This wasn't a package centered around Luis Robert for Noah Syndergaard, to use a hypothetical example. This was a lower-level prospect for two years of Alonso.
But outfield is a position of prospect strength, and Hahn used that to upgrade the major league roster. Could more moves like that be coming as the White Sox remain aggressive this winter?
Eloy Jimenez
You could perhaps put Yoan Moncada in this category, too, but the point is that Alonso will have a benefit on the younger White Sox.
Jimenez should arrive on the South Side just a few weeks into the 2019 campaign, and when he does, he figures to be placed in a fairly prominent spot in the White Sox batting order. The No. 3 prospect in baseball mashed during 2018 and seems destined for left field after playing there much of the time last season.
When he does slot into the batting order, having someone like Alonso to protect him is not at all a bad thing. In fact, it could be a boon for someone learning how to hit major league pitching.
Not only that, but Hahn repeatedly credited Alonso's role in the clubhouse and touted his leadership qualities as a reason for making the trade. That makes this a short-term move that could have long-term effects in the way Alonso influences Jimenez and the other young players here for the long haul.
"We feel (Alonso) provides a nice balance in our lineup and has nothing but a great reputation in terms of his game preparation, his professionalism and the element of veteran leadership he will add to our clubhouse," Hahn said. "We feel it's a nice addition to our lineup, going to improve us in the short term and is one of those players that could have a potential lasting impact on the young players as they continue to grow and learn how to be winning big leaguers."
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