Since trading Chris Sale back in 2016, the White Sox have been rebuilding. With many of there top prospects getting closer to the majors, it appears the White Sox will be looking to spend this offseason. From top free agents to veteran arms, the White Sox are connected to many rumors. Let’s take a look at the White Sox free agent rumors so far.
One of the big names in the starting pitching market is Patrick Corbin. According to
Jon Morosi’s tweets, the White Sox are active in the starting pitching market and are considering Patrick Corbin. Chicago is also looking at J.A. Happ as a potential candidate.
Starting pitching should be an important part of the White Sox 2019 plans as their top pitching prospect Michael Kopech will miss the entire 2019 season due to Tommy John surgery. They have a few young guys on the horizon like Jordan Stephens and Jordon Guerrero, but it may be a while before there top guys such as Dane Dunning and Dylan Cease are ready for the majors.
Signing Happ would be less risky than Corbin. Happ has a career record of 109-82 with a 3.90 ERA and 1357 strikeouts. He is also coming off of an all-star season in 2018 and would be great to help the younger guys in the Sox rotation.
Signing Corbin is the riskier option due to his hot and cold history. He is coming off of an all-star appearance as well and his career numbers are 56-54 with a 3.91 ERA and 897 strikeouts. He posted a strong 2018 season, but in the past such as in 2016 and 2015, he really struggled, posting an 11-18 record between those to seasons.
The White Sox may also be looking at other starting pitchers on the market, but those were the two name dropped by Jon Morosi, look for White Sox free agent rumors to continue this off-season.
Manny Machado (photo by wikipedia.org)
The two big names on the block, Manny Machado and Bryce Harper are both on the White Sox radar. Also according to Jon Morosi, The White Sox are interested in both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. Obviously, there is no guarantee that the White Sox will sign either of them, but the Sox are showing interest.
The White Sox will have the second-lowest payroll in Major League Baseball for 2019 so signing both of them could be a possibility, but it’s too early to say how any of that would work out. Both will likely want to sign huge deals, as Harper turned down an extension from the Nationals worth $300 million.
The White Sox have plenty of highly touted outfield prospects, however, such as Luis Alexander Base, Luis Robert, Miker Adolfo, Blake Rutherford and of course Eloy Jimenez. Despite this, signing Harper would create a “superstar” outfield and would likely draw many fans out to the games.
Aside from the money the difficulty in signing either Harper or Machado is the Sox current situation. The team will need to convince them that the rebuild is progressing and that they will have a chance for multiple championships in the near future.
Despite those difficulties, the White Sox do have a big market in the city of Chicago and it provides a great landscape for both superstars to grow their careers and attract even more attention. The White Sox free agent rumors should continue to heat up throughout the off-season as it looks like the White Sox may splurge in free agency.
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