The White Sox have reportedly been in talks with free-agent outfielder Yasiel Puig, but the team’s not pushing to sign him, according to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. The two sides don’t have any negotiations taking place at present, Levine reports.
[RELATED: Extension Candidate – Luis Robert]
Puig (or any other high-profile free-agent corner outfielder) looked like a logical match for the White Sox when the offseason began several weeks ago. But the White Sox have since made a few other additions to their lineup that could erase any possibility of landing another starting outfielder. Not only did they acquire corner OFer Nomar Mazara from the Rangers, but they also re-signed first baseman/designated hitter Jose Abreu to a three-year, $50MM contract and just agreed to add another 1B/DH, Edwin Encarnacion, on a one-year, $12MM pact.
With Mazara and Eloy Jimenez around as starting corner outfielders and the Abreu-Encarnacion-Yasmani Grandal trio likely to log plenty of time at DH, there may not be a place for Puig at those spots. That is, unless they can convince the right-handed Puig to work on the short side of a platoon with the lefty-swinging Mazara. It may be far-fetched to expect Puig to settle for that type of role, though.
Puig, who turned 29 this month, has been a regular since he debuted with the Dodgers in 2013. Although Puig went through a disappointing 2019 between Cincinnati and Cleveland, he’s still one of the most established hitters left in a constantly shrinking free-agent market. Puig, Nicholas Castellanos (another rumored White Sox target who may have to look elsewhere), Marcell Ozuna and Corey Dickerson appear to be the top remaining corner outfielders available. Considering the offseason moves the White Sox have already made to better their offense, it seems doubtful anyone from that group will end up in their uniform.
The white Sox need a lot of help this offseason especially in starting pitching market, because they have some great young talent, but you always look for upgrades and that’s puig!
The White Sox offseason has a very 2015 Padres feel to it.
Lots of moves, underwhelming season ahead.
or the 2015 White Sox off season. The difference is that the Six play in a much worse division than the Padres did/do.
Well the 2015 white sox added a ton of players Samardjia, Frazier, Robertson, etc etc and that team finished 4th. This team has more talent already there so it should get better results.
The White Sox decided it was time to give it a shot and went in on free agency and hope that their prospects are ready. Looking at it I figured 2021 would be when they were ready to be a serious contender in the division. As things stand right now I still think they will be in 3rd place in the division but I don’t think its out of the question for them to finish with about 85 wins.
That is the fun part about baseball though. With the Twins still looking at 2 holes in the rotation (3 until Pineda is off suspension) and the Indians off in there own little world were they could be trading their best player away anything is still possible. Anything could happen and I don’t know if this is still the worst division anymore.
Third place? Good one. Indians lol.
I dont see the White Sox as Wild Card contenders just yet. There are two much better teams ahead of them in the Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays. Unless the ChiSox somehow manage to win 25+ more games in one season I don’t see them playing in October. They’ve made solid moves, yes, but not enough to win that many games. Their best chance is for a Twins collapse (which theoretically could happen because of the Twins’ lack of a solid 1-5 rotation)
It’s still the worst division, that’s why the Indians feel they can trade away their best players and still contend. The royals arent going to be in the business of winning games for who knows how long. The same is true of the tigers. They both have committed to lengthy rebuilds. The twins can never seem to figure out starting pitching. If they do they could be a contender. The White Sox are far enough along to have a young core and if their moves this winter work out they could be contenders by the end of the season. Its a very competitive division, but it’s still a bottom tier.
Um…pray tell, who was this “best” player the Indians have dealt away? I’m curious.
{I just love seeing this silly national narrative at work}
Bauer?
Relax. This is what the off season is all about. Hoping your team wins. Upsets happen. How many of you thought the cubs, indians and red sox were going to walk into the playoffs last year?
Avory, they traded Bauer, Kluber, and are looking at dealing Lindor. Those are pretty good players…
The only reason I don’t smell 2015 is that they didn’t have to unload a ton of prospects to get these players. I also think the expectations from most people are much more realistic.
In 2015, they literally sold the farm for a manufactured window.
Agreed.
Trying to force a young team into contention by thrashing about in free agency doesn’t seem to me to be the brightest course of action.
But then, since when has the White Sox organization been regarded as one of the most astute in the game?
They have the core though with Abreu, Robert, Madrigal, Anderson, Moncada, Giolito, Kopech, etc. They’re just adding guys to fill the holes.
Abreu is no longer good. Madrigal and Robrt have zero plate appeaancs. Kopech has 4 starts and is coming off TJS. Saying any of them are “core” pieces now is wrong.
Anderson, Colome, McCann and Bummer are serious risks for regression.
Abreu is no longer good? Leading AL in RBI isn’t good?
RBI’s are about opportunities. He had more than any other hitter in baseball
He had a 117 wRC+, which is mid-pack fora 1B, but he’s a terrible defender.
Welcome to the 2000’s
Abreu was an all star the last two years in a row too. Sure he’s not gonna win a MVP but the guy is a really good hitter (lifetime .293). To ignore that shows that pplama is just a clown!
AS Games, RBI’s and Batting Averages.
Some real MLB Einsteins tonight.
That’s a long
way from
“no longer good!”
RBIs is such an empty metric of offensive production
Not to mention their major defensive issues, a lineup full of high strikeout, low walk guys and poor baserunners.
A team has to fit, and this one is an assembly of parts, some bright, shiny,, and unproven, others starting to rust.
Should be interesting, that’s for sure. I’d be nervous if I were Renteria with the dangerous expectations.
“Some real MLB Einsteins tonight.”
You said Abreu is “no longer good”. 119 OPS+, 33 HR, .503 SLG in 2019. You’re wrong.
Again. those #’s put Abreu mid-pack aong 1B on offense. The bouncy ball caused a spike in production for a lot of guys…and he’s a terrible defender.
He’s no longer the “core” piece the OP claimed.
To say that Abreu is no longer good implies that he’s bad… the data doesn’t support the claim… use whatever metric you want…. he’s still good
A mid-pack bat mixed with terrible defense does not equal a good player.
The data supports that.
Subjective stat era.
RBI’s a actually do count for something in Abreau’s case — he hit .332 with runners in scoring position.
His average and opb have been down the last two years cause he greatly expanded his zone trying to make something happen due to a complete dearth of impact bats and protection.
But he remained way more selective in AB’s with scoring opportunities. and crushed. So yeah, trying to paint the expanded and his worst results as who he is and ignoring his selective results that are right in line with his overall career is a load.
You are insufferable and a Sox fan to boot. Comes with the territory, I suppose.
The difference is you carry around the new testament of advanced analytics as your bible. Sometimes it’s better to stick with the original or at least learn some wisdom from both. Fortunately, the White Sox appear to be an organization that has and will be doing both, apparently much to your dismay.
I sincerely hope the White Sox will win the AL Central in 2020 or at least get into the postseason with a wild card birth. I also hope they lead the league in sac bunts, SB’s and winning games via small ball just to make you more miserable than you already are.
RBI’s are actually about collecting on your opportunities. If Abreu was put on the market at the start of the free agency period, he would have been snapped up instantly.
RBI aren’t just about opportunity. They’re about capitalizing on opportunity. That’s why good hitters, such as Abreu, are positioned in the lineup right behind the table setters: because they’re the ones most capable of getting the hits (and often for extra bases) in those opportune moments. There’s a reason why Abreu is that guy for the Sox and not, say, Leury Garcia.
To all the sabermetricians out there: please don’t ever forget that the object of the game is to score runs while preventing your opponent from scoring runs. So if someone leads the league in RBI, he’s doing something right.
Now, if you want to argue that 129 RBI doesn’t necessarily make someone better than a guy with 117 RBI, sure. A single counting stat doesn’t determine a player’s rank in the game. But you can’t be in the neighborhood of 120 RBI and be an average player—no matter what you think Weighted Runs Created or WAR or any other convoluted stat tells you.
You must have confused his position with something on the LEFT side… You know… The Hot Corner, 3rd; or The Black Hole, SS? Konerko was never the worlds greatest fielder..not many 1st base men are. They are usually larger in stature, can set least handle a glove, and are for the most part, offensively productive. Hence the exploited opportunities for RBI’s… He KNOWS how to handle a bat.
Sabermetricians. SMH. Know EVERYTHING about sports except what it’s actually like ON the field and what THEY’D DO if the ball came their way.
Come up with a stat or formula that measures such things as knowledge, drive, heart, leadership, swagger, or “in the heat of the moment” and create a variable that translates THEM into “wins or losses” above replacement.
Till then, the “knowledge”they spew is for bookies…
Go Sox!
You’re not even worth debating
2015 White Sox- Incredible Sale, Eaton, Abreu, Quintana core with Rodon and Anderson waiting in the wings. They add Samardzija, Robertson, Frazier, Cabrera, LaRoche.
A bunch of Sox fans claimed they won the offseason and were going to the playoffs from a weak division.
2020 White Sox- Less incredible Moncada, Giolito, Jimenez, Anderson core with Robert, Kopech, Madrigal waiting in the wings. They add Grandal, EE, Keuchel and Mazara.
People again claim they’re winning the offseason, when in reality the FO is just crossing it’s fingers hoping old failed strategies work better this time.
Stop pretending that 2015 team could win more than 80 games. None of those guys they added in free agency compare to this offseason. Not to mention the division right now sucks. This team has way more potential.
Many people on comment boards like this one were claiming the Sox had won the offseason and were headed to the playoffs.
Stop using 20/20 hindsight and ignoring the irrational exhuberance that occured in 2015.
LaRoche had a 124 OPS+ in 2014. EE was only a little better at 129 last year. Cabrera was better than Mazara. Keuchel had a far worse 2019 than the 2014 season by Samardzija. Robertson was comparable to Grandal. Frazeir had higher expectations than Gio Gonzalez.
Sale, Eaton, Quintana, Abreu >>>> Moncada, Anderson, Giolito, Eloy.
it’s a stretch to say Abreu “no longer good”. Cashing in on those “opportunities” is still a relevant value in today’s game and broader stats are still important to a player’s overall makeup. Is this Brian Kinneys burner handle or what?
Haha get a grip pplama, I hate the White Sox and their fans more than anyone, but this team looks like more fun than they’ve had in years and they absolutely have a chance at that division
Yeah. Just like 2015.
You’re almost worst than dogbone difference is you’re an imbecile and love showing it consistently.
LOL about the BK shout out. I find myself arguing at the TV until I turn it off when he speaks. The game is so less watchable that when the new money streams run dry, there could be a wake up.
I agree, and the Padres went nowhere. A bunch of FA moves that got everyone excited for a year.
Sox dont need Puig.. he would be a clubhouse cancer to the young team.
Nah Puig is a good guy and passionate player just gets angry every now and then
i wish st. louis would sign him to cure the other clubhouse cancers
You are rightPuig has settled down a bit, got off to a slow start but still managed over 20 hrs and was a clubhouse plus, great in the community too, if his bat was a little stronger Reds would have him back.
Honestly he’s not, he didn’t get along with a couple guys on the dodgers and that’s basically it. AJ Ellis was the main person who hated him. I thought in ’17 and ’18 he was actually a key clubhouse guy.
Getting a guy like price may help, change of scenery, not a ‘; must win now or we will kill you’ atmosphere , good fans and a young/veteran team like he joined in boston when he first got here, plus im pretty sure he wants to stay in the AL.
Hahn will never give Boston the players they want.
And Hahn SHOULDN’T give Boston the players they want for Price. He’s already 33 and makes more than $30m a year, and he’s regressing. Chicago should not part with ANY package of prospect talent for him – especially when they already have at least seven pitchers for five rotation spots.
I’d be willing to place a small bet on either Yasiel Puig or Ben Zobrist joining the White Sox prior to opening day, I’d imagine if Vegas had a line on either it would be a wager worth considering, one that might have a pretty good payoff.
I don’t think Zobrist would be willing to risk his Cubs “hero” status to play on the South Side. He has enough money, he can just retire rather than ruin the greatest moment of his career.
Maybe it’s not about the money. Maybe he wants to continue playing the game he loves. Cubs/White Sox? That’s not even a huge rivalry.
Simply saying the cubs/Sox isn’t a big rivalry makes the rest of your comment invalid and it’s all wrong anyway lol
As a Sox fan who lives in Chicago, I disagree. The Sox/Cubs rivalry still exists, yes, but Zobrist wouldn’t risk his “hero status” by signing with the Sox. Because signing with them wouldn’t lead to the 2015 World Series being stripped from the Cubs. If anything, Cubs fans would be pissed at Theo for letting him go to the South Side. Theo is screwed no matter what he does so that doesn’t really matter anymore anyway.
The royals won in 15, cubs in 16
Cubs are done, Sox are the team in chitown now!!
Why would you suggest that the greatest moment of Ben Zobrist career was being a Cubs “hero”? It seems to me that he has had many great moments throughout his MLB career and spent most of them in Tampa.
Zobrist may have been named the 2016 World Series MVP as a Cub but he also earned a ring the season before with the Royals. In fact, Zobrist postseason performance as a Royal was better and far more consistent in each round when manager Ned Yost allowed him to play 2B and hit #2 exclusively. With the Cubs in 2016, “Genius” Joe Maddon had him all over the place and he struggled immensely in the NLDS and NLCS before finally putting up solid number in the World Series.
In should also be noted that Zobrist was born and raised in Eureka, Illinois which is just outside of Peoria. He grew up a St. Louis Cardinal fan. I’m not so sure that he would be offended by finishing his career in Chicago as a White Sox with a chance to reach the postseason and be a Windy City hero once again on the other side of town.
Puig for 9 million or Myers for 20 million? I would go Puig.
Good thing it’s not an either/or and teams can decide to take a pass on both.
can’t believe they didn’t write that puig is still just 28
Puig is a moron on and off of the field. He’s an average player who’s not worth the headache.
24 HRs, 19 SBs, 84 RBIs and a solid glove/arm in RF. That sound like an average ballplayer to you? Really?
Everyone is hitting HRs. 24 is not impressive anymore. Puig was the definition of average with his 100 OPS+.
Compare Mazara’s stats to Puig’s, then tell me who’s average. No outfielder on the Sox hit 24 HRs AND stole 20 bases. He did this despite bouncing between two teams, and still managed a respectable batting average and RBI totals. He’s obviously capable of doing better in the Sox lineup and stadium. But please continue to underestimate Puig like some many do. Makes it sweeter when talented player crush all the doubters with stellar play. Eloy, Robert and Puig in an outfield together would be a nightmare for opposing pitchers, and I can’t wait to see it if Hahn pulls the trigger.
He makes absolutely no sense at this point unless they can get him on a one year prove it deal.
He has reverse splits… he’s much better vs righties than lefties… and so is Mazara… so there is no rational platoon there.
He would have made sense before the trade, but left-handed hitting Dickerson who bests him easy in ops the last 4 years… or Marte being avail from a catching desperate team and the sox having just signed Grandal and having Collins, Savala and Mercedes never being in on that makes the situation in right pretty clear…
The best right fielder in baseball is a free agent next year given Mazara’s splits vs righties and Garcia’s vs lefties…. they’re open to seeing if a sweetheart too good to pass up opportunity presents itself, but they’re not willing to commit any real multi-year money or top tier assets to the position until Mookie Betts is off the table.
Jerry is 84 on opening day… this is it… with no other long term mega deals on the team, and every spot on the roster filled with very real talent and very reasonable prices except for right with no elite answer on the way, you can bet if they offered macahdo that money with anderson, moncada, madrigal in house and wheeler more than anyone without top of the rotation results, theyre gonna make a giant one to Betts and aren’t gonna commit anything past this year ’til then.
Double especially once they extended abreau cause you can’t move Eloy off left with so much invested in him, vaughn and collins as 1b/dh guys.
So, you take a flier on 24yo gifted mazara for 23yo single A 23yo walker/garcia platoon for a season… cause their splits add up fine… and who knows, maybe mazara harnesses his huge natural talent, but if not… no biggie.
I agree with your analysis of the acquisition of Mazara. He’s got +4WAR talent but puts up +1WAR production. If he responds to White Sox coaching, you’ve added a near Moncada/Jimenez type player for a 2nd round pick. If he continues his slightly above replacement level production, that’s still an upgrade from 2019 and Mookie’s available in the 2020 off-season.
Puig has a famously pronounced (if not overblown) reverse platoon split for his career. +109rc vs LHP, +140 vs RHP.
Trend became worrisome in 2018 (150 vs RHP, 70 vs LHP) and 2017 (136 vs RHP, 61 vs LHP)… He righted (lefted?) the ship this year, as don’t have that data downloaded yet but he was like 105 vs LHP and 90 vs RHP. Prep yourself for a terrible run on sentence. In any event, between his reverse split, his upside (at this point expectations should be muted but 2013-14 did happen and for all the gaffes he still has a few of those plays that maybe 8 guys on the planet can make each year) and his status as the most and perhaps only marketable FA left, he makes about as bad of a L/R platoon fit for the Sox as any corner OF option left.
Puig has reverse splits. Puig has reverse splits. Puig has reverse splits.
Sox analytics dept. doesn’t know what that means. Neither does Renteria.
He also works cheap. A 1-year deal works.
For his career, yes. Last year, no. Either way, the Sox have Leury Garcia whose OPS was .786 vs LHP last year, very close to Puig’s .791.
I didn’t believe the Puig to the Sox rumor when I first heard about it. Still don’t. The Ozuna rumors made more sense before the Mazara acquisition but he was a reverse split guy last year (not the case for his career) which tells me he no longer makes sense either.
I don’t think he had a disappointing year. Puig only really had one bad month that bogged down his overall statline. From May onward, he had a .283/.349/.480 line, which all really fall into his career norms.
Can’t wait for spring training. Haters, get your shots in while you still can. The Sox are poised to take over the AL Central for a longtime to come.
I hope they sign Puig, though. He far more talented than Mazara. Should be a relatively club friendly short-term contract.
Can’t blame these losers. If my team wasn’t the White Sox, Yankees, Nationals, or Astros during this offseason, I’d be hating and crying like an insecure little pansy too.
No thanks. Focus on the bullpen.
Bullpen market sucks.
I don’t like the EE deal. But everything else looks good,they aren’t doing big contracts sure. Jose but Dallas is cheep compared to other starters. Puig would be a mistake. Although Puig and Anderson making fights will keep highlights coming.
No mlb team need a problem like Puig to mouch drama
PUIG to kc
Ryan Cordell, Adam Engel, Leury Garcia, Charlie Tilson, Daniel Palka, Nicky Delmonico, and Ryan Goins combined to make 370 outfield starts last year. Figure somewhere between 100 and 110 for Mazara and about 145 for Robert. That leaves over 100 games to cover. Eloy would be good for about 30 more starts than he made last year, which leaves about half a season’s worth of starts for Puig. Abreu can sit about 20 times against RHP; his OPS against them is only in the .770 range. Plus, he can be a defensive sub for Eloy and Mazara, pinch run, and pinch hit.
Mazara’s starts don’t count as MLB caliber. Trust me on this. He won’t last long.
He looks fine in a uniform. He looks like a ballplayer. That’s where it ends.
Mazara = .5 war last year. Dude can’t hit a lick.
Puig’s case is weird. The only reason we are talking about him now is because of his personality. And why he will settle for a 1 year low salary deal is also because of his personality.
Bruce Levine is unreliable and frequently inaccurate, so I put little stock in his report and think Heyman’s earlier report of continued CWS interest in Puig or Castellanos is far more likely.
Jon Heyman wasn’t alone in reporting the White Sox continued interest in Yasiel Puig. Mark Feinsand, Executive Reporter & MLB Network Insider also suggested the same in a tweet earlier today: twitter.com/Feinsand/status/1210329167822233600
Puig didn’t go to college.
What Bruce Levine failed to disclose in his report is that Yasiel Puig and his reps are on their annual pilgrimage to the Island of Misfit Toys where there is no cell and internet service. My sources tell me that negotiations should resume when they return following the holidays.
Just sign him already.
The only way the CWS sign Puig is on a 1 year prove it deal to their liking. It would have to be with the believe (and no one has been able to do it yet) that Puig surrounded by the Abreu, Grandal, Moncada, Robert Cuban influence and EE’s being the veteran could hone in Puig’s talent and maturity. Unfortunately, there just as much risk that he’d be a distraction to the rest of the team and makes me want them to take a hard pass.
You are obviously a Chicago White Sox fan just by mentioning those other players and making it sound like they are the New York Yankees. This guy needs to be on a winning team with proven winners around him in a clubhouse that is known for maturity. Sorry to burst your little bubble Chicago checked off none of those boxes.
Puig should not be picked up by any MLB team, he is too much of a jerk. He ruins the club house. You can get many AAA players at league minimum to hit twenty home runs. Boycott Puig.
Let Puig go somewhere else, although he has a decent bat, good arm, & speed in right, his antics aren’t worth it. Rentiria would be snatching him out the game once or twice a week for not hustling 2 1st or for admiring a home run which is a double & he’d get thrown out at 2nd trying 2 make up ground. The moves that have been made are very significant, Rick has addressed every need the team needs 2 move forward & be contenders in the central, add some more bullpen arms for Coop & let’s play it out, evaluate what you have & make any additional moves by the trade deadline in July, maybe you do or maybe you don’t, but we gotta see the boys on the field. Now 1 move I would make is to get Yolmer Sanchez back at less than 6 mil, he can be Nick’s security at 2nd, he’s not a heavy bat, all Sox fans know that but his defense is certainly welcome. Let’s Go Sox!!!