The White Sox have signed outfielder Adam Engel to a one-year deal worth $1.375MM, avoiding arbitration, per a team announcement.
Engel, 29, had a nice year with the ChiSox in 2020, albeit in a tiny sample of 93 plate appearances. In that time, he put together a career-best .295/.333/.477 slash, adding in three homers, five doubles, a triple and a stolen base. That type of production is a far sight from the tepid .215/.271/.330 batting line that Engel carried into the 2020 campaign.
Of course, Engel won’t be pressed into everyday duties with the Sox in 2021. He’s expected to pair with the team’s other Adam E. (Adam Eaton) to form a right field platoon. Engel is a career .257/.303/.386 hitter against lefties, and while that’s still a rather modest line, it’s passable when factoring in his strong outfield defense and his above-average speed.
This was Engel’s first year of arbitration eligibility. He’ll be eligible twice more and is on track to reach free agency following the 2023 season. With his case now settled, the South Siders’ remaining three arbitration players in need of contracts are right-handers Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Evan Marshall.
Holy crap, Engel quietly put together a solid season last year. I don’t get to see many Sox games so I had no idea.
Steroids
@Dogbone
He better up the dosage then.
Glad to see them uppin’ Adam.
Ha
Perfect role player for this club. Also getting better against LHPs besides his defense.
He’s such an underrated player on this team. He reminds me a bit of Aaron Rowand.
I still wish he’d be our 4th outfielder by a signing of Springer, but I’m guessing that won’t happen.
Gold glove caliber defense
New flash: Adam Engel is already the White Sox “4th outfielder” behind starters Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert and Adam Eaton. At this point in time, Leury Garcia would be considered the White Sox 5th outfielder since he is also pegged as a backup infielder at 2B, SS and 3B.
There is still a decent chance that the ChiSox will add one more corner outfielder this offseason, likely a lefty bat to become the primary DH versus RHP. The ideal free agent would be Michael Brantley with Kyle Schwarber another possibility among a few other candidates.
Leury is going to be playing second base until Madigral recovers from his shoulder surgery.
It’s not a given that Nick Madrigal won’t be ready by opening day, especially if spring training and the 2021 season are pushed back a month which seems to be the current thinking among many ‘in the know’.
It’s also not a certainty that Leury Garcia would be the White Sox starting second baseman if Madrigal does need more time to rehab from his left shoulder procedure. The White Sox also have Danny Mendick on their 40-man roster who has primarily been a middle infielder in their minor league system with most of his reps coming at SS. Since his 2018 season at AA Birmingham, Mendick has spent more time at 2B and has most of his MLB experience at the keystone position. The White Sox also signed veteran infielder Tim Beckham to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.
I’d ‘bet’ on Garcia being first up to man 2B if a replacement for Madrigal is needed but I’d also ‘wager’ more that Nicky will be the opening day second baseman for the White Sox.
Engle does show signs of Rowand!
There’s something about Adam Engel on a real team (as opposed to fantasy) that’s always been kind of interesting. Can’t quite put my finger on it but the White Sox must see something since he’s spent his whole career in the organization (since 2013). Maybe this will be the year from a fantasy perspective that Engel becomes a little useful. Not holding out a lot of hope but stranger things have happened. And if someone calls out his name for a buck in AL-only, please feel free to holler out $2.
Speedy, tenacious, great, defensive outfielder. A winner!
He’s your classic “blue-collar” pro. He plays the role that’s asked of him, and he hustles every inch of the way. Plus, he’s a wizard in the field with a positively trending bat.
.257/.303/.386 is not “rather modest”, it’s bad. Not to say his defense or recent hitting might not make up for it, but it is in fact bad.
@spinach
That probably explains why he’s their 4th OF.
It’s also most of a reflection of his start as opposed to recent success. Over the past two seasons, he has steadily improved his performance against LHP.
RHP’s Reynaldo Lopez and Evan Marshall figure to be next in line for resolved arbitration contracts. Lucas Giolito might take a bit longer, hopefully because the front office is also attempting to sign their ace to a long term contract extension similar to what they did with Chris Sale and Jose Quintana in the not too distant past.
The White Sox have an excellent track record of tying up their best young positional talent and even some of their top relievers like Aaron Bummer. They are understandably more cautious in extending starting pitchers with John Danks being the best example.
Giolito has gone this far, it would likely not be to his benefit to sign any under valued contract that Reinsdorf is likely to offer him.
@Dogbone
Sadly, you might be correct. They should’ve done the extension last Winter.
That being said, they still could sign him at an affordable rate, but this Winter would be it. If he puts together another strong season, Reinsdorf will clutch his chest at the figure Giolito will demand.
Plus, the inevitable work stoppage will make it virtually impossible for extensions to be signed. I’m guessing the work stoppage will take a while.
The White Sox will no doubt play the friends and family card with Giolito in extension talks. The recent hiring of his high school pitching coach Ethan Katz to replace Don Cooper can’t hurt. Perhaps the front office can orchestrate a trade for one of the other two stud starting pitchers who have remained tight with Giolito since their high school days at Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles, Jack Flaherty or Max Fried.
@Aaron Sapoznik
Though I think they missed a golden opportunity last year in extending him cheaply, I really hope they can get this done.
I have no problem with the Sox not really spending this offseason IF they put that money into extensions, especially Giolito. In fact, I’d rather they did that.
I like the Katz signing more every day. Not only to reunite with Giolito (and possibly that card to play in helping to extend him), but I’m envisioning what he could potentially do with Cease, Kopech, and Crochet.
He’s looking for big things from all 3 in ’21 (which I’m sure is what you would expect him to say this Winter). But seeing Giolito’s transformation thanks to Katz, it gives you hope. How it unfolds remains to be seen, but I’m far more optimistic with Katz than I was with Cooper.
I imagine the cost of trading for Fried or Flaherty would be enormous. I would definitely be all for it, but it’s hard to see that happen right now with the return their respective teams would want. But I do like the way you think.
Evan Katz is a really nice Jewish boy and very smart.
As is one of his top ‘graduate’ students, Braves southpaw Max Fried who resembled Sandy Koufax last season while also posting a 24-6 W-L record since 2019!
Agreed. Safe bet they are trying to negotiate an extension w/Giolito. He turned a huge corner pitching well in big moments with that final start in Cle & the G1 gem vs Oak.
If they don’t get Giolito to extend, he’s as good as gone. Too many teams out there looking for an Ace. The Sox need to lock him up longterm, and pay him.
He will move to the Mets after struggling w/o McCann to catch him!
@stymeedone
Right, because his pitching coach Katz (you know, the one who was able to fix him to where he’s now a stud), will never be able to figure out why he’s suddenly “struggling w/o McCann to catch him”.
Great observation on your part, as always. I swear you’re even less knowledgeable about MLB than Dogbone, and that speaks volumes.
What was he projected to get in arbitration? Seems fair but I remember Javy Baez getting 5.2 mil in 2019 after posting CRAZY good stats in 2018 while making nothing (relatively speaking). Lindor on other hand made 10.5 mil (more than double Baez) after making “nothing” in 2018.
@whosyourmomma
Barely more than what he got…something in the neighborhood of $1.25MM.
Engel is an amazing outfielder that can save games near the end of a game. He is worth keeping just for his great fielding even if his f=hitting is just average, but he is getting better.
@Flaptop Bill
Absolutely! That is his niche, 4th OF/late defensive replacement. A potential GG every year.
It wouldn’t have been the end of the world had he been named the starting RF in ’21, but I’m far more comfortable with him as 4th OF. He has improved quite a bit in the last couple of years, he’s not the waste of a spot in the lineup that he was a few years ago.
With Adam Engel’s marked offensive improvement, his excellent foot speed and his Gold Glove caliber defense at any outfield position, he’s looking more like a right-handed hitting version of the Rays Kevin Kiermaier. He’s also 16 months younger and a whole lot cheaper!
Engel will get plenty of innings -and he’s earned them – between a platoon situation with Eaton and the White Sox continued delusion that Eloy Jimenez can play the outfield without injuring himself and others.
Eaton’s defensive metrics indicdate he’s lost a step since he was last with the Sox. We shall see.