Are the White Sox the team to watch in the AL Central next season?
That sort of proclamation is surely premature. The Royals won the American League pennant as a wild card and might be favored to finish on top, depending on how they replace James Shields and Billy Butler. The Tigers have won four consecutive AL Central titles and should be expected to win again, especially if their bullpen gets fixed. And though the Indians might not have a flashy offseason, they could be the favorites with a rotation led by AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber, the most complete lineup and arguably the best bullpen in the division.
But general manager Rick Hahn is making notable moves thus far in the offseason. He added a left-handed slugger to bat behind Jose Abreu by signing Adam LaRoche to a two-year, $25 million contract. The White Sox may have overpaid for lefty reliever Zach Duke, giving him a three-year, $15 million deal, but the bullpen needed a strikeout left-hander.
Up next, Hahn is reportedly pursuing Jeff Samardzija as an upgrade to the starting rotation.
There has often been disagreement as to whether or not Samardzija is a true No. 1 starter. Perhaps Oakland further added to that belief by also adding Jon Lester to its starting staff before last season’s July 31 trade deadline. (Though Samardzija pitched well in 16 starts for the A’s, compiling a 3.16 ERA and striking out eight batters per nine innings.) Yet this wouldn’t be a problem with the White Sox, who already have an established ace in Chris Sale.
Samardzija would fit nicely into the rotation’s No. 2 slot, between left-handers Sale and Jose Quintana. As the stats in the previous paragraph indicate, his transition from the National League to American League went rather well. Samardzija is also a groundball pitcher, which makes him well suited to pitch in a launching pad like U.S. Cellular Field. However, it is a bit of a concern that he served up 13 home runs after being traded to Oakland.
Additionally, the White Sox would presumably like to ensure that Samardzija sticks around for more than one season, rather than leave via free agency next winter. That has to be especially true if A’s GM Billy Beane wants a top prospect, such as Double-A shortstop Tim Anderson, in a deal. The right-hander has said he doesn’t intend to sign a contract extension, though the White Sox may be hopeful that a return to the Chicago area he grew up in would be enticing.
At first glance, a straight-up deal involving Samardzija for shortstop Alexei Ramirez would appear to be a fit. The A’s need a starting shorstop for next season and Ramirez’s $10 million paycheck for 2015 matches up with the likely salary Samardzija would earn in arbitration. (MLB Trade Rumors is projecting him to earn $9.5 million.) But if part of Oakland’s goal in making a trade is to save money, adding Ramirez’s contract wouldn’t make much sense.
For the White Sox, the possibility of a rotation with Sale, Samardzija, Quintana, John Danks and Carlos Rodon might just be so tempting that the front office decides it’s worth the risk of losing Samardzija after the season. That starting five could be the best in the AL Central, if not the entire league. If Hahn had to trade Ramirez and Anderson wasn’t ready, Marcus Semien or Carlos Sanchez could take over at shortstop. A less expensive free agent like Stephen Drew or Jed Lowrie could also provide a short-term, inexpensive stopgap at the position.
Hahn still has some work to do on his roster if he does manage to acquire Samardzija, which is why that move wouldn’t make the White Sox favorites to win the division.
The lineup has question marks at second and third base. Semien batted only .234 last season, but did show some pop with 10 doubles, two triples and six home runs in 255 plate appearances. At 24, there’s plenty of time for improvement. Conor Gillaspie was a pleasant surprise, batting .282 with 31 doubles, though he cost the team -12 Defensive Runs Saved. Hahn may want to eventually upgrade, but at 27, Gillaspie still isn’t a finished product. These are concerns to be addressed in another year or two.
Duke isn’t enough to improve a bullpen that finished with a 4.38 ERA and .265 opponents’ batting average, both second-worst in the AL last season. And only the Astros and Tigers allowed a higher opposing OPS than the White Sox’s .740 mark. Taking those numbers into consideration, perhaps Hahn should focus on adding relievers, rather than another starting pitcher.
Plenty of options are available in free agency without the White Sox having to pursue one of the top arms like Andrew Miller or David Robertson. Waiting for the market to sort itself out could result in the team finding a bargain. But maybe Ramirez would be better utilized as a trade chip to pick up a couple of bullpen arms.
Realistically, the White Sox are probably a year away from contending for the AL Central crown. Finishing 17 games out of first place is a big margin to make up, especially when the three clubs ahead of them could all either improve or maintain status quo.
But if the Tigers’ window is closing in a year or two, and the Royals have difficulty filling holes left by free agent departures, the opportunity is there for the White Sox to take advantage. With the moves he’s made so far, Hahn seems entirely aware of that and wants to make sure his team doesn’t miss that opening.
