An early look at the Sox 2021 roster: Where they could add

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Now that the White Sox have a manager, it’s on to the offseason moves.There’s a host of potential free-agent targets out there, but before putting together a wish list, it’s important to take stock of the White Sox roster. Heading into 2021, where are they set and where could they add?Here’s a position-by-position look at exactly that, plotting out where we might see Rick Hahn’s front office make some additions this winter.

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Where they’re set: Yasmani Grandal will obviously be the team’s primary catcher in 2021, and it seems his role could be even bigger should James McCann land elsewhere as a free agent. It seems it will be tricky for the White Sox to bring McCann back after he’s earned the opportunity to top a major league depth chart.

Where they could add: If the White Sox can't get creative and bring back McCann, Zack Collins is the favorite among the internal options to backup Grandal behind the plate. Though with limited opportunity the past couple seasons, Collins has been unable to answer the questions about his defensive ability. Perhaps that could send the White Sox, with win-now expectations, searching for the dependability of a proven veteran.

 

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Where they’re set: José Abreu is a favorite to end up as the American League MVP, and he’s not going anywhere, with two years remaining on his current contract.

Where they could add: Of course, the White Sox have spent the last few seasons talking about a desire to get Abreu “off his feet” every once in a while. In 2019, that meant a brief timeshare with Yonder Alonso, the two alternating between first base and designated hitter. Last season, it meant Abreu spending six games as the White Sox DH while Grandal manned first base, that also being an effort to get Grandal and McCann into the lineup at the same time. In 2021, it looks like Andrew Vaughn could be the guy taking a majority of the DH at-bats and spelling Abreu at first every so often.

 

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Where they’re set: Nick Madrigal had a nice rookie season after coming up a few games into the 2020 campaign. He’ll be the starter there for the vast majority of the 2021 season, too, though he might again make a late arrival, this time because of the shoulder surgery he had after the White Sox were eliminated from the postseason. Hahn laid out a potential five- to six-month recovery time for Madrigal, which could still have him in rehab mode when spring training starts. As for the infield reserves, both Danny Mendick, a Gold Glove finalist this year, and Leury García, whose option was picked up last week, seem safe bets to make the 2021 roster.

Where they could add: The infield doesn’t seem a likely place for the White Sox to make any major additions, but keep an eye out for low-risk, under-the-radar signings that could have an impact on their depth. The team’s first move of the offseason was a minor league deal for infielder Tim Beckham.

 

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Where they’re set: Tim Anderson. 'Nuff said.

Where they could add: Beckham has spent the majority of his major league career at shortstop. His signing shouldn’t be read into as a major move, of course, but in plotting out a depth chart, Beckham or someone like him could wind up behind Anderson. And Mendick. And García.

 

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Where they’re set: Yoán Moncada had himself a challenging season as he battled the aftereffects of his preseason COVID-19 infection. But it didn’t stop him from playing 52 of the team’s 60 games at third base. He’s the no-doubt starter there.

Where they could add: Like the rest of the infield, an impact addition seems unlikely, and any moves would figure to be in the depth department. It’s worth bringing Vaughn’s name up again, as he has practiced at third base — and played several intrasquad games there during “Summer Camp” — perhaps making him an option to spell Moncada in 2021 alongside Mendick and Garcia, depending on how adamant Tony La Russa is about keeping Vaughn’s bat in the lineup.

 

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Where they’re set: Eloy Jiménez was quietly — Jiménez? Quiet? — one of the best hitters in the American League in 2020. While Abreu and Anderson found themselves in the MVP conversation and all eyes were on Luis Robert’s rookie year, Jiménez took a big step in becoming the type of elite hitter he’s long been eyed as. His defense remained a focal point, with a couple more “whatever the opposite of highlight-reel is” plays in left field. The White Sox, though, don’t really have anywhere to put him while Abreu and Vaughn are still part of their planning. Adam Engel had a nice season at the plate in addition to his typically strong defense and could certainly be a late-game defensive replacement in left field in 2021.

Where they could add: The focus on the outfield is in right, and Engel stepping up with the bat last season means there’s likely no rush to replace him as the team’s fourth outfielder. Though with some intriguing names on the free-agent market that could be part of a platoon — take Joc Pederson, for example, who’s been connected to the White Sox in past rumors — perhaps the reserve-outfield unit could get a little more crowded. García, of course, is capable of playing left field, too.

 

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Where they’re set: Luis Robert spent the majority of the second half of his rookie season in a woeful slump and still won a Gold Glove and earned a top three finish in the AL Rookie of the Year vote. Expect him to man center field for the better part of the next decade. As for 2021, Engel and García figure to be safe bets as backup options.

Where they could add: See the description of outfield depth above. Engel and García can do the job, but if there are more enticing offensive options out there, they shouldn’t be ruled out to be added to the mix.

 

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Where they’re set: They’re not, really, as we get to the first position without a no-doubt starter. The White Sox traded for Nomar Mazara last offseason, and he failed to import the power he showed in four years in Texas, leading to speculation that the White Sox could better deploy his salary elsewhere by non-tendering him this offseason. Of course, they touted untapped potential and still have him under team control for one more season, meaning he could return as part of the right-field mix. While Engel was a pleasant surprise, it’s hard to say he’d be a slam-dunk solution on a team with championship aspirations all by himself, and the White Sox would perhaps prefer him as a fourth outfielder that can move around to various positions as defensively required.

Where they could add: Hahn stated this will be one of his front office’s priorities this winter, and there’s an argument to be made that it’s the team’s biggest need — depending on what you think of their still developing starting pitchers, of course — considering there is a dearth of attractive internal options. He’s already shown he’s willing to explore the trade market. Of course, the majority of the attention turns toward free agency at this time of year, and there are a couple big names out there in George Springer and Michael Brantley. Both guys have great track records of success, including in the postseason, and come from a winning organization in Houston. Beyond those two, you’re looking at guys who might be part of the solution but not a solution all by themselves: Pederson and Jackie Bradley Jr. among them. That doesn’t make them bad additions at all, but it could further complicate the outfield situation.

 

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Where they’re set: After the Edwin Encarnación experiment failed, the White Sox are once again on the hunt for a solution at DH. Of course, it’s this spot where they have a no-brainer of an internal solution — should they feel comfortable turning to it. Vaughn was the No. 3 pick in the 2019 draft largely because of his advanced bat, which he showed off during “Summer Camp,” much to the chagrin of Lucas Giolito. It’s possible Vaughn could receive the Madrigal treatment and not start the season on the major league roster. Hahn even hesitated to declare that Vaughn would be up for the majority of the 2021 campaign, as he did with Madrigal and Robert a year earlier, citing a 2020 without minor league games for Vaughn to play in. But given how highly the White Sox think of him and how they’ve spoken of him in the past, it seems Vaughn would be the favorite to take over as the primary DH in 2021.

Where they could add: But this is a team that is currently on the hunt for dependability. That’s why the White Sox made their managerial change, swapping out Rick Renteria for La Russa, someone who knows what it takes to get a team to championship status. It’s happening in the rotation, the front office searching for proven starting pitching this winter despite having three youngsters it has high hopes for. And so we can’t close the door on it happening at DH, too. There are some mighty big bats on the free-agent market — Marcell Ozuna and Nelson Cruz the biggest among them — that could be enticing enough to turn to with championship hopes on the line.

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Where they’re set: The White Sox have a pair of the finest arms in baseball in Giolito and Dallas Keuchel at the top of the rotation. Beyond those two, though, there is talent but not much in the way of proven big league talent, the kind of thing that provides stability heading into a season with championship aspirations. The team could certainly decide to stick with Dylan Cease, Dane Dunning and Michael Kopech as the back 60 percent of the rotation. While all three continue to receive the utmost support from the organization and belief that they can blossom into top-of-the-line major league pitchers, they all also carry the kinds of red flags that make it difficult to assign a “championship-quality” label. Cease had trouble in 2020 with walks, home runs and frequent jams. Dunning has made just seven big league starts. Kopech has only made four — and none since 2018.

Where they could add: This is likely the biggest focus for the fan base following the way the 2020 campaign ended, the White Sox without a reliable third starter to turn to in their AL Wild Card Series against the Oakland Athletics, which led to a bullpen day gone bad. Regardless of what Cease, Dunning and Kopech could turn into, nothing would provide more confidence in the championship ability of this team than adding a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. There’s arguably only one of those on the free-agent market, though, and that’s why fans are salivating over Trevor Bauer. And for good reason. Bauer, teamed with Giolito and Keuchel, would give the White Sox an incredible 1-2-3 pitching punch. The question becomes: How far down the list of non-Bauer free agents do you have to go before the options are no longer better than Cease/Dunning/Kopech? Perhaps not far. Of course, depth is always on the White Sox minds, and this offseason could see additions that bolster that area, not just at the top of the starting staff.

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Where they’re set: “Everywhere but closer” is not entirely accurate, but it could be a helpful way of describing the best way the White Sox could approach their bullpen ahead of 2021. Aaron Bummer, Evan Marshall, Codi Heuer, Matt Foster — the guys who mostly dominated in their respective relief roles in 2020 — aren’t going anywhere. And because of it, the White Sox figure to have a strong late-inning group that can shorten a game and not put so much pressure on the starting staff. That’s great. But with Alex Colomé heading to free agency, it’s possible each of those guys will have to move back an inning. Bummer got a long-term contract last spring, which along with his sensational production the past two seasons could set him up as Colomé’s heir apparent.

Where they could add: But here’s the thing: As good as all those guys were last season, the White Sox bullpen is better with Colomé than it is without him. Attempting to bring back Colomé, as proven a saves machine as you’ll find, would keep everyone in their current roles and keep the relief corps a strength. Of course, there are probably other teams out there looking for a closer. And if the White Sox can’t bring back Colomé, what happens? As stated, they could merely assign new roles to some of their existing pitchers. If they don’t want to do that, though, the free-agent market has a couple other big-name ninth-inning men in Liam Hendriks and Brad Hand.

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