The White Sox have designated outfielder Adam Eaton for assignment, the team announced. The move clears a roster space for another outfielder in Adam Engel, who was activated off the 10-day injured list.
Eaton only just returned from the IL himself earlier this week, after missing two weeks with a hamstring strain. However, the White Sox had clearly seen enough from Eaton after he hit only .201/.298/.344 over 219 plate appearances, marking his second straight year of subpar offensive production after a similarly lackluster season with the Nationals in 2020.
That said, it still counts as a bit of a surprise to see the White Sox so abruptly cut ties with Eaton, in part because of the team is still so shorthanded in the outfield with Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez both still on the injured list. Until those stars return (or unless the Sox make a notable trade deadline addition), Chicago will go with a mix of Engel, Andrew Vaughn, Brian Goodwin, Gavin Sheets, Billy Hamilton, and utilitymen Leury Garcia and Danny Mendick as their outfield options.
Beyond the immediate on-field impact, the Sox will now almost surely have to eat the remainder of Eaton’s contract. The outfielder inked a one-year deal worth $8MM in guaranteed money ($7MM salary, $1MM buyout of an $8.5MM club option for 2022) during the offseason, and while Eaton didn’t play well in 2020, it wasn’t a bad investment for the White Sox to make considering his above-average play over the majority of this career. Since it seems quite unlikely that another team will claim Eaton off DFA waivers and absorb the rest of his salary, Chicago’s front office will have to chalk the signing up as a misfire.
While many fans wished for a more substantive outfield addition last winter, the club’s plan of having Robert, Jimenez, and an Eaton/Engel platoon in the outfield (with Vaughn in the wings as an outfield/first base/DH candidate) seemed at least decent on paper, though injuries quickly altered the situation. The White Sox have still build a big lead in the AL Central even despite all their injury woes, but the outfield clearly seems like an area of need heading into the trade deadline.
Since another team would only have to pay Eaton the prorated minimum salary, it seems probable that the veteran will land somewhere else once he clears DFA waivers and is cut loose by the White Sox. Speculatively, a return to Washington might not be out of the question, as the Nationals are in need of outfield help with Kyle Schwarber sidelined by a hamstring injury.
Angels, surely?
As I read this news, some rays of sunshine started to poke through a very dark cloud.
This is the saddest thing I’ve ever read.
They could both play for the Pirates and it could be Adams’ “family”.
And the Bucs could bring back Adam LaRoche and Adam Hyzdu while they were at it… they need the offense.
Or pitcher Adam Eaton
Or Earnest Bagley
Drake LaRoche would love for his dad to be united with Eaton again!
Eaton would be fine with Larouche as long as Drake was holding the bat.
This team clearly wants to go for it this season. smart move here. imagine they are aggressively looking for an outfielder now.
Hello Mitch Haniger ?
I’m sure Seattle can’t wait to bite their teeth into that system full of 27-year-old 40 FV prospects!
Delusional white Sox fans can’t stomach the trade value of all the targets they are after. Best off adding rentals if u go for it. Or u will see your highly touted prospects depart
I honestly think a lot of these guys believe the White Sox can get someone like Adam Frazier or Mitch Haniger with a package led by Gavin Sheets lol.
Actually they think they can get any player they want for Mercedes.
@lefty
LMFAO You are still hung up over what I said 3 weeks ago, that you acted like I was expecting a return of Tatis or Trout. I admit the post was a little sloppy on my part, but that’s pathetic to still be holding on to this for the last 3 weeks.
I know it sounds like a bizarre concept, but some of us actually move on from these posts. I would’ve completely forgot about that set of posts if you hadn’t brought it up several times since. I say “set of posts” because I can remember that you came up with some ridiculous responses. ROTFL
You keep being you, the rest of us will be on the other side laughing.
Talk about overvaluing your players..Sheets and 2 players not above A ball is what both of those players are worth.
Considering you’re talking about the Pirates and the Mariners, nothing’s out of the question.
Salty. Johnjaso with his 7 screen names. Even replying to his own posts. Sure spend a lot of time speculating about White Sox news. Lonesome times to have to spend so much time burrowing down that rabbit hole. Fresh air, a pet or some friends maybe?
What on God’s green earth are you talking about? I have one account, friend. And if you don’t like what I have to say, because you’re a sensitive ninny who can’t handle criticism about your favorite baseball team, then kindly mute me (and any accounts you think are me). I won’t lose sleep over it.
I knew White Sox fans were on the lower echelon of intelligence, but this is a new low for y’all.
As a practical matter, never ever question someone’s intelligence with “y’all”. As folksy as you think it may sound, it’s the equivalent of ‘yous guys’.
No “beastee” – just making room for Engel without sending back to AAA one of their young studs!
I wouldn’t think so. Jimenez is close to beginning a rehab assignment, and Robert may be back before the end of the year, too. I think it’s pretty clear that they like what they’ve seen enough from Vaughn, Hamilton, Goodwin, Engel, and even Sheets that Eaton just became dead weight. I bet their focus is still replacing Madrigal/IF depth.
I’m not sure how much they were expecting from Eaton, but however much it was, they didn’t get it.
The opposite actually; he was the only outfielder who wasn’t hurt.
Eaton just came back from from a 2 week IL stint with a hamstring issue.
In fact, Adam Eaton had just bee reactivated from the IL on July 2nd after missing two weeks with his own hamstring issues. Eaton, much like Yoan Moncada and Jose Abreu this season, has also been playing through some minor health issues most of the season.
JFC, you people are more annoying than homeschooled kids lol. He was supposed to be a platoon and they had to lean on him hard because everyone else got hurt. The Sox were not expecting this guy to play every day when they signed him. If you had asked me to guess which of Eloy/Eaton/Robert/Engel would be hurt for multiple months this season, Eaton would have been my first choice.
Lol that comment made me laugh and while i mostly agree—Eloy has proven since he came into the system that you can absolutely count on him to get hurt
Eaton had a great start this season.
Just time to move along…
And he sucked after day 2 of spring training.
It’s pretty obvious you missed the 1st 3 weeks of the season when he and Mercedes were carrying this team with the clutch hitting.
Now the need to give Burger more abs at DH and have Sheets play RF full time.
Gavin Sheets struggles versus LHP like most left-handed hitters. He has also been asked to play RF recently at AAA after spending all of his minor league career at 1B. Sheets will not be playing RF full time. He will sit versus southpaws and be mixed and matched versus RHP by Tony La Russa. Whenever Sheets does start in RF you can be rest assured he will be lifted for a defensive replacement late in games when the White Sox have a lead. He may also get some PA’s at DH versus RHP when Andrew Vaughn and Jake Burger are in the lineup at a fielding position.
He’s a 1b by trade so is Vaughn for that matter.
I don’t know, feels like a Yankee “claim”….
Eaton (Like Mercedes) did what he could and helped us get here. Thank you sir, your talents are no longer needed. I guess Sheets won’t be going back to AAA any time soon.
Eaton is better than the Cardinals Williams and Thomas I know that. Wake up Mo!
Wut? lol
Carlson, O’Neill, and Bader combined cost less than a useless, $7 mil locker room cancer like Eaton. They all hit better and play fantastic defense too. You also have Sosa, Edman, and Rondon capable of playing OF as utility players. Your comment is idiotic.
Dude the outfield starters are fine. But there is no depth. Thats why I said he could replace Williams or Thomas. Edman playing the outfield is a terrible idea his value is tied to being a middle infielder his WAR has tanked since playing more outfield lately.
And who cares what Eaton makes? He would be basically free the White Sox are paying his salary.
Lol is right. Fellow cards fans kind of silly.
You’re complaining about a GM for his taste in 4th outfielders?
Cardinals lack of a 4th outfielder has been a major major problem this year. Williams and Thomas have combined for negative 1.1 WAR and when Edman plays the outfield he goes froma valuable player to a replacement level one. It’s bee a big problem. Not saying Eaton is the solution but sure would be nice to try to fix it.
Cards are 7.5 games out of a playoff spot, 8.5 out in the NLC. Good on you for not giving up on the season, but it’s going to take more than Eaton to get the Cards back in the hunt.
If Eaton was a replacement level player, and it appears he is, that would have been about a 2 win upgrade so far. And season is only halfway over so we are talking a 4 win upgrade. And thats if Eaton is replacement level.
Which gets you only halfway there.
Dude… replacement players aren’t paid $8 mil and if picked up on waivers the Cardinals would be paying more than half of that. The outfield is not a point of need for aging, bums like Eaton. That money could be better spent on pitching…an actual source of need.
And as for your Edman points: he’s not beating out DeJong or Sosa for a middle infield spot. He’s a better OF than either of them and a worse IF. Neither of those impact his bat or role in the order.
Seems you’re the only silly one here.
Nobody is claiming him off waivers and paying that salary. Nobody suggested that at all.
Locker room cancer? What’s Eaton you Drewep?
Drake LaRoche’s locker room leadership lol
Drake LaRoche’s locker room leadership lol
Cubs need some plate discipline.. and they’ll need some bodies to fill out the lineup after trades.. Could be a feasible replacement for Joc after he’s dealt.
Plate discipline? Eaton has one of the highest outside zone swing rates in baseball….
.356 career OBP.. worth a flier
he has a sub .300 obp in a third of a season of at bats and this is his second bad season.
Has played one full season in the past six years, and seen numbers crash last two – no he isn’t.
Cubs need Jesus man
Go ahead and attempt to make a deal with the Cubs for Bryant and put him in left, center or right field. This would give the White Sox some stability in the outfield. Also allows the White Sox time to allow Eloy and Louis time to recover from the early season injuries. The asking price likely starts with Burger in return for Bryant. A player the White Sox should feel comfortable moving at this point.
Bryant is going to be an interesting name to watch for sure. I honestly am not sure what he could bring back, especially since it is well documented his agent is going for a massive payday next year.
Bryant is injury prone.
with a .201 average, would be a middle of the order bat for Cubs
How Can He Become A Yankee?
You want a second Brett Gardner?
How Can He Become A Yankee?
Hit under .200 & vote for Cuomo
And SOX fans everywhere rejoice. I wasn’t against the signing but not at all optimistic. Eaton has little left in the tank and between injuries and really bad performance, this is exactly the right move to make.
Questionable Rick Hahn signings/moves of the last offseason:
Adam Eaton: total bust, Sox paid embarrassingly much for a guy who could not make the team even after the entire outfield was injured
Jonathan Lucroy: didn’t even make the team out of spring training
Lance Lynn: Dane Dunning will have to improve a bit for the Sox to regret this
Liam Hendriks: seems to be working out for now. we’ll see about the next few years.
Carlos Rodon: in some objective sense, probably the best move Rick Hahn will ever make even if he GMs another 20 years
Tony LaRussa: well he batted Brian Goodwin cleanup the other night and Sox fans and the Chicago media are so numbed to it by now that nobody of note even bothered to complain about it
Lucroy was a depth move, why does that one matter?
You didn’t even support your own argument lol. Plus why are you acting like they signed Eaton to some ridiculous contract? He played way more than they wanted him to and it wore him down. Oh well. Nobody died.
8M for half a season of a guy with an 82 wRC+.
Every organization has about a dozen guys they can get that from at the league minimum. Not Rick Hahn. He had to shell out big boy bucks for it!
Nope. Lance Lynn has been an All-Star stud. Win-win trade.
Lynn may start the ASG!
Agree in part, but Lynn has been solid and can be re-signed, bringing back Rodon on cheaper deal was savvy, cheap risk and he had nothing to do with LaRussa. And Lucroy was legitimately beaten out by Collins and Mercedes.
There’s a lot more to lament than some of these moves, and a lot more to give credit to, because it’s due.
I think the fair criticism for Rick Hahn is how little depth he built. Yes, Jimenez and Robert are big injuries. The Grandal injury is going to be a huge hit, especially since he’s been their only All-Star level bat so far.
A contending team needs more than guys like Zack Collins and Billy Hamilton replacing the production they lose through injuries, and it seems Hahn just completely ignored building up any decent roster depth.
The smoke-in-mirrors to this White Sox team is that they are in the AL Central, which is an absolute joke right now. They are 16-24 vs. teams with .500 records; they don’t have a lot of desirable pieces in their farm system to make a big trade; and frankly, I’m not sure what contending team would be legitimately afraid of them at the moment.
Hahn had the chance to build a superteam, and now, he’s got a ho-hum roster. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out, but there’s a lot to criticize Hahn for.
I am so sick of this argument!!!! Hahn didn’t build a team with enough depth! His team lost at least 2/3 and more likely 3/3 of its starting OF. His team lost its starting 2B. His team now lost its starting C. His team has lost Abreu, Moncada and Kopech for short stints. His team has a 6.5 game lead in the division and currently sits as the 3rd best team in the AL and 6th best team in all of baseball despite that! But there’s no depth! Would it be nice to have 3 all star backup outfielders? Sure! Would it be nice to see Jose Altuve on the bench just in case Madrigal gets hurt? Sure. To say this team doesn’t have depth is laughable! Hahn knew he had strength in his SP and chose to go with guys like Eaton, Garcia, Mendick, Mercedes to start the year. Now we’re at the deadline and he can see what he wants to do! Garcia, Mendick, Sheets, Collins, Burger, Vaughn = depth! That’s what depth is! A step down from your everyday starter, but good enough to keep you afloat! Depth is very rarely subbing all stars for all stars with 2,3,4 month long injuries!
Almost any other team in baseball would be 10 games under .500 if they sustained the injuries the White Sox have! See the Minnesota Twins for example, who have lost less 14 games under .500 and 14.5 games back in the “laughable” AL Central
Lost less in injuries I meant to say
This discussion is about Eaton.
No one expected the catastrophic injuries to Jimenez, Robert, Grandal and Madrigal.
But Eaton getting hurt and looking washed up was predictable.
Hahn deserves to get dragged for the signing, because it looked bad when it as made, a desperate ploy to get an unlikely bounce from a perviously great player.
So yeah, with Eaton, he made a horrible decision in terms of depth. The best ability is availability, and that has not been Eaton’s MO in years.
Those are mostly fair points, but I think much of the blame goes to Jerry Reinsdorf and the budget he gave Hahn to work with.
The Dodgers lost Muncy, Bellinger, and Seager for a period of time. The Giants had legitimately zero real 1B for a while, they’ve had their OF and 3B core all out at the same time. The Mets had almost their entire starting lineup out with injuries.
You know why they’ve survived? They built depth. Incredible depth.
This idea that because you lost two All Star caliber players, suddenly, there’s no team that can sustain that? Yes, yes they can. Because that’s how championship-winning teams operate.
Will they give you Robert/Jimenez level of production? Obviously not. But they’ll give you more than replacement level production as well.
The White Sox have bodies manning positions. But to say they have “depth” is a stretch, at least in any meaningful capacity.
Consider this: versus .500 teams, the White Sox have a .400 record. They are, effectively, the Texas Rangers when playing a good baseball team. Against sub-.500 teams, they look like a AAA team taking on a local high school.
But I’m sure that “depth” of Zack Collins at catcher will work well going forward.
If Jerry Reinsdorf isn’t allowing the White Sox front office to find good players on the super cheap (like the Rays, Dodgers, and even the Giants have done), then Hahn should find a new gig, seriously… if he’s so good, it wouldn’t be difficult.
I have a really strong suspicion that Reinsdorf isn’t to shoulder that much of the blame. I just don’t think Hahn is really all that good, to be honest.
This is so true. He had just completed the build of the starting lineup. You have to do THAT before you can build the depth.
If finding depth at crucial positions while also completing your starting lineup is too arduous for Rick Hahn, then maybe he’s more incompetent than I imagined him to be.
It also helps that the 3 teams you mention have an average payroll of $200 mil. You can afford to buy depth with that payroll. Unfortunately, 80% of the league can’t compete in that arena, and if you are going to pick between a starting lineup and bench depth, the choice is obvious. But still, the fact of the matter is that the Sox have survived a tremendous amount of injuries to remain up by 7 games with a league average payroll.
The reason I don’t dog Hahn for the Eaton signing is because when he made it he had a healthy Jimenez, Robert, and Engel. As I said above, depth is not adding All-Stars, it’s adding guys who can keep you afloat through small injuries or spell guys here and there. Eaton as your 4th outfielder or a guy who spells Engel vs. Righties is not a terrible signing. Even if Eaton was your RF and Engel was the 4th, that wasn’t so bad when you had Jimenez and Robert healthy!
So the Dodgers, Giants, and Mets survived because of depth and the Sox have just survived because Tinkerbell marks Ws in the standings for them? The fact that the Sox took 2/3 from the Rays, 2/3 from the Blue Jays, have pummeled their division, weak or not, with this lineup and injuries shows depth, whether you think the names are flashy or not. Yes, they got swept by the Yankees and Astros. Nobody is saying this team is a WS favorite as is, but yes, a trade for Frazier or Story, even Escobar, maybe you add a reliever or two, you get Jimenez, Robert and Grandal back by early September so they can get some at bats, and this rotation stays healthy……yeah, I’m sure there’s a lot of teams that wouldn’t be too excited to face the Sox in October. Depth is for the regular season, to keep you afloat and get you TO October. More often than not, the teams that are healthiest and have the best starting lineups come October end up winning. Yes, a clutch hit from a reserve here or there is part of every WS team’s story, but if the Sox are heathy come October and Garcia, Collins, Hamilton, Sheets/Burger is our depth come that time, I’m ok with that!
At $8 million, it wasn’t good.
“It also helps that the 3 teams you mention have an average payroll of $200 mil”
The Giants’ depth (as well as the Dodgers and the Mets) have cost them, for the most part, the league minimum per player. That’s it. Darin Ruf has been incredible depth and costs the Giants 800K this year. He’s been as valuable as Jose Abreu and costs 4% of the amount.
The idea that a team needs a butt-ton of cash to build meaningful depth has been proven false by teams for over a decade now. The Rays’ payroll is 50% of the White Sox and they have more depth than Rick Hahn could dream of. You don’t need the Dodgers’ payroll to put together a ridiculously deep team.
And the fact of the matter is the White Sox exist in a laughably bad division. If they played in a division where there were other good teams, the issue they are facing would be much, much worse.
And this is highlighted by the facts: The White Sox are a .400 team against teams with winning records with a -10 run differential. They simply aren’t a very good baseball team right now. They could be, but their GM decided he didn’t want to keep scouring to make his team the best it could be. Tough for his fans, I guess.
Kevin, I admire your glass-half-full optimism, but I’m afraid it’s based on nothing other than hope.
The FACT is that the White Sox are a .400 team against teams with winning records. They don’t have a single backup who is offering above-replacement level production, and they have legitimately zero farm system players that will acquire a big name, unless of course they deal from within all that “depth”. None.
Teams deal with injuries, to crucially important players, literally every season. The Angels are surging right now despite not having Mike Trout. Good teams figure it out.
My point is that the Sox don’t have to beat the good teams until October. They just have to get to October right now. You mention the Mets, Dodgers, Angels as teams “figuring it out” despite key injuries and then give the Sox no credit at all for doing the same!
I know to you I just sound like a homer, but in no way am I saying the Sox, as it is right now, are ready to win the World Series! I’m just saying they have done admirably well considering all they have been through! And things could look very very differently, October!
I know to you I just sound like a homer, but in no way am I saying the Sox, as it is right now, are ready to win the World Series! I’m just saying they have done admirably well considering all they have been through! And winning games and continuing to succeed in the standings despite injuries is the definition of depth! And things could look very very differently, October!
My final point is this….
Very few, if any, teams replace guys like Jimenez, Robert, Madrigal and Grandal and then win it all with those replacements!
You mention the Dodgers losing Bellinger & Muncy….yes, they stay afloat, but if Bellinger and Muncy are out come October, they probably don’t win.
You mention the Angels without Trout…yes, the Angels are winning games without Trout, but if he’s not there in October, they probably won’t be either!
The Sox are WINNING games without Jimenez, Robert, Madrigal and now Grandal, but I don’t think anyone is foolish enough to think this team will win in October without them! Can you replace one or two guys with a savvy trade or great backup? Yes, you can! Very few, if any, teams are deep enough to replace 4-5 starters (2-3 all star caliber) at an equal level! As someone else in this thread mentioned, if Jimenez and Robert suffer setbacks, maybe it’s just not their year! Maybe you heal and look at next year.
This is what Hahn has to balance because yes, he only has so much prospect depth to trade! Kelley is a trade chip! Sheets/Burger are trade chips! But if you give one of them up this year for let’s say Escobar and then Robert and/or Jimenez don’t come back, then you have to replace Lynn next year. Maybe Kopech can do that, but then you have to replace Kopech! When to push the chips in is the question every GM who has ever gone through a rebuild has had to decide!!! The great news right now is he doesn’t have to be desperate because he has a 7 game lead! Look at the other stories about the Sox on this site! People are waiting for Hahn to get fleeced for Escobar or Frazier because the Sox are so “desperate” and so far Hahn has kept his cool and the Sox have BUILT their lead, causing him to be less desperate every day and see how these guys are healing! That is the best case scenario playing it right now!
We have a few discussions going on in this thread, but they kind of tie together…whether the Sox, led by Hahn, have enough depth, will be decided in October. Whether Hahn is ultimately a great GM, or just a good one will be decided in Octobers.
Spot on Kevin !!!
Eaton was signed as a 4th OFer/platoon with Adam Engle. Depth was never a problem for this team, and anyone that continues to say that doesn’t follow this team or have rational thought. Period.
A team does not have a “depth” problem when they leave camp with 3 catchers, 5 OF, 5 IF and 7 SP. Only a fool would look at the Sox trotting out Gavin Sheets as the 11th OF to play this year for the Sox and say they have no depth. What an absolute turd of a comment.
I don’t know why people keep acting as if making a bad signing for a platoon player is A-OK.
Any bad signing forces you to make up for the decision, and the money could have been used elsewhere. So it’s always throwing good money after bad.
It was always a bad deal, and yes it has hurt this team, because the resources could have been used elsewhere.
First, you don’t pay 8M for a 4th outfielder. You simply don’t need to, and that 8M loss looks worse when a) everyone knew it was bad at the time and b) you cut him after half a season.
Second, you’re misunderstanding the depth argument. I’d argue you’re doing it intentionally, but I don’t think you’re intelligent enough to do that.
OF COURSE the White Sox have players to man the field. Like any organization, they’ve got several hundred dudes at their disposal. So the idea that they are playing a bunch of dudes at a position is “depth” falls shorts.
Think of it this way, if I have 3 twenty-dollar bills, and you have a thousand pennies, you might have more physical pieces of money, but you don’t have more money. The White Sox have a thousand pennies when they should be looking for three 20s.
They aren’t getting any meaningful production out of the injury replacements. None. So a bunch of depth at replacement level isn’t really what a contending team should strive for.
This could be argued from where you are coming from, so I will admit I see your argument JohnJaso. If you look at Leary Garcia’s numbers, he is not producing the meaningful stats you want to see. Same with Billy Hamilton. Same with Zack Collins. Same with Jake Lamb. So from that standpoint I get it.
I guess what I see watching the games is Leury Garcia hitting a 2R HR yesterday and almost batting for the cycle. I see Zack Collins the day before going 2/3 with 2 RBIs. I see Brian Goodwin getting clutch hits at clutch times. I see Sheets and Burger come up and hit the ground running. I see a 9th inning HR from Vaughn off Chapman to tie the game (before sticky crackdown). Depth doesn’t have to be 1-2 guys with flashy stats. Sometimes depth is a different guy getting the clutch hit every night.
So you can rag Hahn for not having a bench player hitting .280 with 15 HRs, an OPS of .800 and 50 RBIs, and you’re right, they don’t have that. But they do have a lot of players contributing to a .593 winning pctg and an 8.0 game lead in their division. You can contribute that to luck, easy schedule, crappy division, etc. and I’m not going to argue any of that if that’s the way you want to go, but to me winning with a damn near Triple AAA lineup is impressive, whether it’s against the Marlins or the Dodgers!
AND they have all stars on the way back! Come October, the fact that Vaughn, Goodwin, Sheets, Burger, Collins have played so much may work out very much in their favor.
You forgot to mention Hahn, Williams and company made the decision to let Rodon walk, and allowed the possibility of him signing elsewhere. Can you say lucky?
I think that they let him walk and got him back was a bit lucky, but letting him walk itself seemed to be a wake-up call that he could no longer keep a job based solely on talent and potential. He put in some real work with Katz after that and it’s clearly paid off.
Lucky? Look at Rodon’s career stats. He wasn’t going to get paid with that injury history and lack of performance. He pitched 200 innings the past 4 seasons combined with a FIP in the mid 4s and a whip in the mid 1s. I’m super happy he came back and is showing signs of the talent that made him a high pick, but no one was beating down the door for this kid. Hell, he wasn’t even guaranteed a roster spot in spring training
Why are we all trying so hard to make Hahn an idiot?!?! Given his career up to this point, there isn’t a team in baseball who wouldn’t have let Rodon walk! I really don’t understand why Hahn is such a bad guy when bringing him back was the more controversial decision and it has worked out better than you could ever have hoped! The fact that he had the last two years he had and is now a Cy Young candidate, just shows that they still saw his potential! It is also very common for a move like this to get put on the back burner, you know while you hire a manager and trade for a top tier starter. I wouldn’t be all that surprised to find the Sox we’re in contact with Rodon the whole time. I would almost argue that the only bad decision Hahn has made since starting the rebuild, is hiring LaRussa…..and we all know that wasn’t his decision. Sometimes the guy who signs the checks makes the call! All the moves that he’s made that haven’t worked out (Eaton for example) have been extremely minor!
Eaton, Wellington Castillo, John Jay, Alonso, Edwin Encarnacion, lack of prospects from all other deals not involving Eaton, Sale and Q. Trading for Mazara and passing on Castellanos and Ozuna.
Hahn deserves credit for his recent drafts and the big three trades, but his resume beyond that is pretty thin.
All those ‘other guys’ were intended solely as short term stop gaps while Madrigal, Vaughn, Eloy, Robert, etc. did their time.
Exactly! Wellington Castillo, John Jay, Alonso were meant to be stop gaps, not really intended to be part of this core’s window. Encarnacion did not work out, but almost everyone in baseball thought it was a good move at the time. I will agree Castellanos/Ozuna would’ve looked better than Masada, but I understood the move at the time……Mazara batting 7th for the Sox instead of 3rd for the Rangers seemed like it could open things up for them. And if they signed Castellanos/Ozuna they might no have Hendriks right now and given the bullpen this year, that may be WAY more important than who plays RF!
I’m not fully convinced that there was anything in any of those three trades that sets Hahn apart from other GMs.
It’s not like he traded James Shields and turned him into Fernando Tatis, Jr… he traded great MLB players for high-end prospects. Why, exactly, does that earn him praise?
@JingleHeimer
It wasn’t necessarily the trades themselves that sets Hahn apart from other GMs. It was signing or extending Sale, Q, and Eaton to team-friendly deals and then trading all 3 at or near their peak.
I don’t see many other GMs getting a combined return of blue-chip prospects Moncada, Eloy, Giolito, Cease, and Kopech when selling off to start a deep rebuild.
And add to that grossly outspending every other team for Robert, a risky move for a prized prospect since they were in a penalty for the next 2 Int’l signing periods.
That’s where I say Hahn should get some props. Has he made some stupid moves as GM? Sure. But the Sox rebuild wouldn’t even be close to where it’s at if it weren’t for Hahn’s work listed above.
Doesn’t matter if they were stop gaps. They were bad signings..
Rebuilding teams turn stopgap players into trade pieces. Most of the guys signed by the White Sox didn’t even finish the season on their deals, let alone get flipped.
There also isn’t a rule you can’t sign a player longer term for the contending window. Had they gone this route, they may have had Lance Lynn and still had Dunning. Or some other players.
A bad deal is a bad deal. Doesn’t matter when it is made.
I think the point is he didn’t screw it up, and sometimes that is almost equally, if not more, important! We just saw the team on the other side of town trade an ace for four high school kids basically. Is there a lotto ticket in there that one of turns out to be the next Tatis? Sure! Anything can happen! But Hahn traded Sale for (mostly) Moncada and Kopech with the plan that they’d be doing EXACTLY what they’re doing now!!! (I’m sure the TJ and opt out was not in the plan for Kopech). The Eaton trade essentially netted the Sox Giolito & Lynn this year! That’s great! Why is it wrong to give a good GM credit for doing his job well? Has the guy missed here and there? Sure. But those two trades to start the rebuild were huge! The Quintana deal has turned out to be highway robbery even with Jimenez’s injuries! Signing Robert was huge! The extensions he’s worked out have been great! The Lynn deal has been a win! Hendriks is 10,000 times better than Colome this year. What exactly does Hahn have to do to be good in your eyes? Signing a backup at league minimum who could come in at Abreu’s level is more important to you than building a great STARTING lineup! And again, we’re criticizing the guy for having “no” depth while his team has a 7 game lead in the division, and is the 6th best team in the league with 4/9 of his starters injured!
Eaton also was intended to platoon with our other Adam until Cespedes is ready next year
I believe Lynn will re-sign with the Sox. He’s their ace, and he’s having fun.. If the Sox pay him ace $ to stay, the trade will become a steal.
This is how you know to ignore an account for being a troll. They will inevitably and ignorantly bring up up the Shields/Tatis trade while looking like a moron for not actually knowing anything about it.
1) Quintana was a fine player. Solid three, maybe a two. He brought the Cubs best hitting and pitching prospect back. Ace caliber talent because of the contract Hahn signed him to
2) Hahn had gotten lowballed at the deadline on Sale and instead of a package of Jurickson Profar and Joey Gallo, went to Boston and nabbed their best hitting and pitching prospects. You can split hairs if Devers or Moncada is better, and Hahn tried for Devers too, but Boston didn’t budge. Once again, a favorable contract helped net this haul.
3) The Sox got 3 high end pitching prospects for Adam effing Eaton and fleeced a GM in Mike Rizzo who doesn’t make bad trades. This trade facilitated again on the strength of a good contract. (Bonus, one of those pieces landed Lance Lynn, current All Star, and in the hunt for a Cy Young award)
Yes, spot the troll donopolis. Notice when johnjaso, leftylefty and his dueling screen names all post at the same time, often replying and agreeing with themselves. It’s sad to see such a hermit crab spending so much time to get noticed. Maybe he just needs some friends?
Here we go again with the James Shields/Tatis Jr trade. Look JohnJasoJingleHelmerSchmidt I get it, You are the greatest scout in the history of the game. You knew a 16 year old Tatis Jr would become what he is today. You knew that the Sox should have never traded a 16 year old kid for an aging veteran. That 16 year old was leaps and bounds beyond every other 16 year old. The Sox scouts and GM didn’t see that. They are horrible, should all be fired.
Look, as a Sox fan I am one of their ownership’s harshest critics. I think they are a cheap organization. But all you’ve done was bash everything they’ve done and said any other GM would have gotten the hauls they did for Eaton, Q, and Sale. Thats pretty bold, You turned those 3 players into Giolito, Moncada, Kopech, Jimenez, Lynn, and Cease all cogs on the team. I get it, any GM would have done that and better…
Haters be hating on an Adam Eaton DFA thread…
” We just saw the team on the other side of town trade an ace for four high school kids basically.”
That’s significantly underselling the trade, for what it’s worth. The lowest graded players in that trade were 40+ FV prospects, Between Preciado, who was an absolutely great acquisition for Chicago, and Caissie, that trade was a lot better than people give it credit.
And comparing the Yu Darvish trade to the Chris Sale trade is a stupid comparison. Yes, stupid. It fails to comprehend the age difference (Sale was 27, Darvish 34); the contract situation; and the way trades happened… yes, those have changed drastically in just a few years. Even Rick “Christ” Hahn couldn’t pull that trade off again today in 2021 if he wanted.
I don’t think anyone is knocking Hahn for the good moves he made. But it’s pretty clear you’re over-selling his abilities, by a significant margin (as evidenced by your excessive use of the exclamation point)
As for signing backups… um, yeah, backups are just as important, because it turns out building a starting lineup means nothing IF YOUR STARTING LINEUP ISN’T PLAYING! Yes, they have a sizable lead in the absolute joke that is the AL Central. But you’re banking on a lot: injured players coming back, ready for October, in post-season mode, without other injuries taking place.
The criticism for Rick Hahn has a lot of merit. I’m sorry you don’t enjoy hearing it. I know it probably knocks the shrine you’ve built for him down a bit, but it’s real criticism and it’s fair. Rick Hahn is an average GM, at best. And no amount! of! exclamation! points! will! make! that! less! true!
OH MY GOD! You mean Rick Hahn had multiple excellent trade offers for a top 3 pitcher in baseball at the time? And he pivoted to one that he liked better? WOWOWOWOWOWOW! When is Rick Hahn’s statue being put outside Guaranteed Rate?
You act like the Profar/Gallo trade (providing that was an actual offer) was an obviously worse trade, when it really wasn’t..
You then act like the Eaton trade was so bad for Washington. That’s nothing but convenient hindsight. He was coming off an MVP=caliber season, had put up more wins in 3 years than Moncada has put up in 5, and was one of the best young players in baseball. He had no injury issues prior to Washington, and I doubt Rizzo expected him to play only 23 games his first season, nor did he expect Giolito to be what he’s been.
Dunning was a Low-A ball player, and how would Rizzo know that 5 seasons later, he’d be turned into Lance Lynn? Man, Mike Rizzo sucks for not being able to tell the future!!!! And Reynaldo Lopez? Well, that’s just LOL.
He acquired Eaton for three pitching prospects who all had a lot of question marks, That wasn’t a bad trade.
And do you need reminded that both the Red Sox and Nationals won World Series because of the players Rick Hahn sent them? The White Sox haven’t. He has been unable to turn his masterpiece into a champion.
And here’s the kicker… if you read nothing else, read this: Rick Hahn will be 100% unable to make the trades that propelled Boston, Washington, and even the Cubs into World Series champions. He has an excellent core, but he doesn’t have an excellent core PLUS Eloy Jimenez, Lucas Giolito, Yoan Moncada, or whoever else they traded in their pursuit.
The White Sox don’t have that. The best they can give someone named Jared Kelley, and the jury’s out on how desirable he is as a headliner. What the other GMs did was built a winning club, with an excellent core, and also built a farm system with pieces they can sell off if they need to. Rick Hahn didn’t do that.
He also had massive swings and misses on key trades. The David Robertson/Frazier trade was a colossal fail. He traded Frankie Montas for Todd Frazier. Marcus Semien for Jeff Samardzija (when they weren’t even contending). Nomar Mazara for Steele Walker.
He’s had as many bad trades as good.
LOL at White Sox fans not being able to comprehend that my Tatis comment was actually letting Hahn off the hook.
Hahn had no idea what he had. I don’t know if Preller knew and just didn’t say anything, but I’m not faulting him for trading Tatis. We can only do so in hindsight.
The point to that comment was that it’s not like Rick Hahn was getting these unheralded or unheard of prospects in these trades and turned them into superstars. He used the leverage he had to make deals and get some really strong talent. That’s fine and dandy, but I’m not convinced that other GMs in his place wouldn’t have been able to do the same.
White Sox fans LOVE to praise those three trades, and even insult the GMs on the other end, but they forget a) all three of those teams have won a World Series in the last 6 years and the White Sox haven’t and b) they were all positioned to both contend and sell off significant prospects in exchange for elite MLB talent. The White Sox, again, fit neither of those. And the two coincide.
They also love to ignore that really, really bad trades. Mostly because it doesn’t allow them to finish in front of their pictures of Rick Hahn next to their bed.
You also fail to criticize Hahn for signing Adam Eaton to an 8M contract to begin with. Mind you, he didn’t wait to see if prices would come down on anyone, including Eaton. He rushed out and handed him 8M. He failed to put above-replacement level depth around the field. He failed to put together a decent farm system beyond his current slew of MLB graduates. He literally has nothing to trade for a big acquisition, or even a guy like Adam Frazier.
But yes, continue giving him a pass because he once turned the best pitcher in baseball into Yoan Moncada and a kid that is a massive headcase. Bully for him!
No – I say the Rodon move was calculated and clever!!
Lol @ “allowed the possibility of him signing elsewhere.” No they were basically TELLING him to sign elsewhere when they non-tendered him. I was actually angry when they finally brought him back.
But full credit to Rodon. He wasn’t too proud to come back, and then he obviously put in the work and fixed a few big issues. I’m no pitching coach but even I can tell how different his mechanics look.
TLR wasn’t a Hahn signing. That was Jerry forcing the front office to resign his buddy.
Yep. AL MOY.
That said, Rick Hahn still wanted to fire Rick Renteria before Jerry Reinsdorf ‘forced’ Tony La Russa into the dugout. I’m in the minority of White Sox fans who still feels that the Renteria firing was unwarranted. The front office could have retained Renteria and all the positives he instilled in their group of elite young talent during the 3 year rebuild. Renteria was beloved by the players he helped develop. In fact, in my 60+ years of being a White Sox fan I’d be hard pressed to find a team with a better mix of talent and clubhouse rapport than what the team exhibited during the shortened 2020 season.
Renteria broke a playoff drought that lasted since 2008 with a young roster and only 2 quality SP’s. If Rick Hahn had swung the Lance Lynn trade at last season trade deadline instead of this past offseason there’s no telling how far the team might have gone in the postseason, especially with the results he got from an over-achieving bullpen that lacked a power closer like Liam Hendricks. In my opinion, the White Sox would have been just as successful this season with Renteria in the dugout and with new pitching coach Ethan Katz on hand instead of Don Cooper. Cooper was the coach that needed to go and the proof is in the pudding with the success of Dylan Cease and Carlos Rodon. Cease was a non-factor down the stretch in 2020 while Rodon still wasn’t healthy enough regardless of who was coaching him.
All that said, once Renteria was let go I had little issue with La Russa replacing him. I am old school and welcomed the addition of a 3-time World Series champ skipper like La Russa or another similarly ‘retired’ winner like Bruce Bochy over the two-cheaters most of the analytic nerd fans clamored for, A.J. Hinch or Alex Cora.
LOL. You preferred a drunk, racist, out-of-touch guy like La Russa, who almost created a mutiny within his own clubhouse and no free agents wanted to play for over a guy who once banged on some trash cans?
Hahn never even wanted to interview Tony let alone hire him. Tony is the actual GM.
Can he stay with the Sox on a minor league deal? Not like he will have a bunch of “options” (pun intended)
When he clears waivers he can either accept an outright AAA assignment if Sox offer that, or he can become a FA which is most likely.
Trade him
Eaton at least won them a couple games early with his bat before quickly wearing out. They can get by rest of month with Sheets/Goodwin/Vaughn/Hamilton/Engel and see if the trade market OF prices come down. Finding 2-3 bullpen pieces capable of getting good hitters out in the playoffs might not be as exciting as a new OF or 2B down the stretch, but hope they zone in on it.
R.I.P. buddy
I don’t care who it is—this organization needs to find a RF who can hit and field. The time is now, Hahn. Get’er done!
I hope he sticks around. I think he’d be a good bat to have in the playoffs.
How’s he gonna stick around if the team has DFA’d him?
Ever heard of the minor leagues? Lol.
It’s cute you think that’s how this works.
Eaton has to accept an outright assignment, which is unlikely. He’s not going to get claimed at his salary, and he’s likely not going to play in Charlotte on the very, very slim chance the White Sox recall him.
He’ll choose free agency and hope someone else takes a chance at him at the league-minimum.
Hahn deserves credit overall, but this was another in a trend of signing aging, injury-prone or washed-up position players on a false discount hoping for a rebound in production or sustained production after a single good season. Jeff Keppinger, LaRoche, Alonso, Encarnacion, Austin Jackson, Jimmy Rollins, Orlando Hudson, Brett Lawrie, John Jay . . . And every year it comes back to haunt them.
Credit for building more depth to sustain this year, but that’s tens of millions of dollars wasted on guys when they could have spent just a little bit more (or in case of Eaton and this season, less) to get a more reliable player.
I don’t think anyone is shocked they are getting more from spring training castoffs, because Eaton has been unreliable for years.
I hope this is the last of a disturbing trend, because having a tight budget is no excuse for throwing good money after bad players. Nor is winning.
Spot on. No reason to waste money on bad players like they keep doing, exactly right.
I’m hoping this means a deal for a RF is in the works. Even if not, though, I’d rather have Sheets learn the position full-time than Eaton struggling out there.
@hyraxwithaflamethrower
Yes, just stick Sheets out there and see what he can do over this month. If he isn’t the answer by a week before the deadline, then they can get a temporary RF (unless Eloy and/or Robert look like they are out for the year–we should have a much better idea by then).
Of course, if they come up with a deal that makes great sense within the next week, absolutely go for it. But at least they still have a few weeks to make a deal.
Unfortunately, the M’s look increasingly likely to hold onto Haniger and K. Marte would be very expensive (justifiably so). If S. Marte declines the Marlins’ extension offer, he might make a fine candidate. It would take some shuffling in the OF, but what else is new this year? Another option is getting KB from the Cubs. If they become sellers, he could give the Sox a great bat out in RF.
What would the Sox give up for Kris Bryant? Consider a few factors:
#1: Bryant is super popular for the Cubs.
#2: Trading for a cross-town player usually comes at a premium (See: Jose Quintana trade)
#3: All of the White Sox’ elite or semi-elite prospects are currently on the MLB roster.
You aren’t acquiring guys like Kris Bryant for Jared Kelley, FYI.
The Cubs are likely to lose KB at the end of this year. Assuming they make him a QO, they’ll get a draft pick in the low 30’s. This means anything above that should get their attention. Maybe Kelley by himself isn’t enough, but he’s a good starting point. He would have gone 1st round if teams had thought he’d be easier to sign. Don’t think other teams overvalue rentals just because y’all overvalued Chapman.
“Y’all”??? I’m not a Cubs fan, friend. I don’t think the Cubs are getting Gleyber Torres for KB, but I also don’t think they are simply getting a package led by a 19-year-old pitching prospect for him, either.
If the White Sox want KB, I think it’s going to require they draw from their MLB roster, and I’d project it probably starts with Crochet, and someone like Kelley is a toss-in.
Wouldn’t give up Crochet for a rental.
For someone who has it figured out, you have way overvalued what a rental of KB fetches the Cubs. They will be fortunate to land 1 pitcher/player with the upside of either Crochet or Kelley from a club and a mediocre second piece. KB is also making a lot, which affects the line suitors put on the added prospects.
For what it’s worth, I think very, very low of Kelley & Crochet. Just so we’re clear: they are not the desirable pieces Sox fans think they are. They just stand out because the system is *that* thin.
But you’re out of your ever-loving mind if you think Kris Bryant could be acquired from the White Sox for anything less than one of their top prospects at this point. The Cubs aren’t taking your 40 FV prospects for him.
More volume like Machado rental few yrs ago. Stiever, Adolfo and Pilkington. Someone like Mets love brand names more to be desperate, but we shall see. There will be more supply of players than demand to not get fleeced.
If you want to use the Machado trade as a litmus, here’s a breakdown of what the Orioles got, for 3 months of Manny Machado:
Diaz (50 FV), Kremer (45 FV), Pop (40 FV), Valera (40 FV), Bannon (35+ FV).
So if that’s the basis, here’s an example of what a White Sox trade could look like:
Garrett Crochet, Zack Burdi, Yolbert Sanchez, Gavin Sheets, Bryce Bush.
@JohnJaso, you said it yourself: *you* think very, very low of Kelley and Crochet. That doesn’t meant other teams do. And if you’re not a Cubs’ fan, why the hell do you hate the White Sox so much? Did one of their scouts run over your dog on their way to a game? Your girlfriend cheat on you with Southpaw?
Yeah, when I say “I don’t think every highly of them”, that obviously proves it’s MY opinion. I didn’t think that needed to be clarified, but here we are.
I don’t know how, say, the Cubs, would view Crochet, Kelley, or anyone else in the White Sox system, but outside the top guys (who are all in the majors), it’s not a very strong system. This isn’t just my opinion, it’s pretty obvious they don’t have much in the way of can’t-miss prospects to acquire game-changing players.
White Sox fans should settle for Eduardo Escobar or Adam Duvall-type players.
As far as your last part, LOL. Why are White Sox fans so incapable of hearing anything other than a circle-jerk of praise for their team? It’s a cult mentality, honestly. I’m not on here trolling. I’m not saying things just to get a rise. I’m having honest discussions about why I don’t think the White Sox are as good as you think.
If you don’t like that, use your free hand to mute me.
Tigers should DFA Mazara and give Eaton a try after he clears waivers.
The Nats don’t need him… Maybe he will just hang them up…
All I can say in response to this news is… praise Jesus!!!
Jesus doesn’t care about baseball, mutterfudger.
I don’t know if “surprised” is the right word, because he needed to go, but I wasn’t expecting that move this morning. I might be wrong when I said a while back next year could be Eaton’s last year (if any other team took a gamble on him). Once he clears, he might get the last gamble in his career.
It’s good to have Engel back. Hopefully he stays healthy the rest of the year. Now if they can get both Eloy and Robert back by Sept 1, that would be very nice.
Fascinating career. 15.9 cumulative BWAR from 2014-2016. Other seven years, an aggregate of 3..4.
Sox definitely sold high on him.
The White Sox gambled that Adam Eaton could duplicate his 2019 season with the Washington Nationals. That season isn’t far removed and was the last full time one until this year with COVID-19 wiping out most of 2020. You might recall that Eaton was instrumental in helping the Nationals to their only World Series title, basically replacing Bryce Harper who had fled as a mega priced FA the previous offseason. Eaton was healthy in 2019 and posted outstanding offensive numbers from from the left side of the plate, something the White Sox were desperate for in a batting order that still leans heavily right-handed. Eaton also was also outstanding in the Nationals 7-game World Series victory versus the Houston Astros, slashing .320/.433/.560 with 4 walks and just 2 whiffs. He lost out in the World Series MVP vote to an even more spectacular Stephen Strasburg.
Is it wrong that this news produces an uncontrollable sense of joy? The ultimate in addition by subtraction.
Hindsight is a wonderful trait. How many White Sox fans were clamouring for the front office to sign far more costly FA’s like George Springer, Marcell Ozuna and Michael Brantley this offseason to play RF? Fact is, Brantley and Ozuna couldn’t play RF while Springer preferred to remain in CF which was not happening with the White Sox. Of the three, only Brantley has been productive this season as a LF/DH, positions the White Sox already had an abundance of internally with Eloy Jimenez, rookie Andrew Vaughn along with PA’s for whichever of their 3 catchers were not in the starting lineup. The late spring training injury to Jimenez opened up an opportunity for Vaughn in LF and Yermin Mercedes as the full time DH.
The White Sox offseason RF free agent options basically came down to Adam Eaton and Joc Pederson. They pursued and made comparable offers to both but Pederson held out for a guarantee of playing full time which he eventually got from the Cubs…to be their everyday left fielder for less money than what the White Sox offered back in December. I was also hoping the front office might take a flyer on former Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber but clearly they did not feel comfortable with him playing RF on a regular basis despite his improved OF defense and strong arm.
Actually, not signing Eaton at all was also an option, and frankly, a pretty easy one.
Anyone could easily see that he can’t stay healthy, and was in rapid decline by simply following his career the past several seasons.
He belonged in the bargain bin with guys like Billy Hamilton and Brian Goodwin.
Additionally, they could have signed Schrwarber, and designated him as the DH, and could have done the same with Eddie Rosario.
It was a bad move, period, and hardly anyone should be surprised that a declining player who is always hurt looked the part.
@max That’s a perfect take. Instead of signing a predictably injured/useless player, for a few million more could have had Schwarber. It’s not so much that it was a bad move, but that it was so predictable, and wasteful, and goes along with their pattern of prioritizing being cheap over winning. As you said, even if they did nothing else instead, they would still have been much better off not signing Eaton at all.
We can only hope they do better this offseason, and that they don’t make a trade that is a stupid overpay in the meantime.
The White Sox took an inexpensive gamble that Eaton could duplicate his 2019 season with the Nationals when he was instrumental in helping them to their only World Series title. The team’s only clear opening in 2021 was in RF and they also preferred adding a left-handed bat with a lineup that still leans heavily right-handed. Their only realistic FA options were Eaton, Joc Pederson and perhaps Kyle Schwarber.
I would have welcomed a trade and had been hoping the front office would continue to pursue Alex Verdugo even after he was dealt to the Red Sox as the centerpiece in the Mookie Betts trade to the Dodgers. I believe Verdugo would have been the perfect fit as the White Sox core RF ever since his rookie season with the Dodgers.
There is a lot you can do with $8 milliion. This was not an inexpensive gamble.
And sorry, Eaton should have never been on the LH list, and frankly, he wasn’t when you look at predictions from the preasons. No one had Eaton as an option, because he didn’t belong in the same tier as Schrwaber, Rosario or Pederson.
You look at 2019. Most look at 2020, and 2017-18. And even 2019 wasn’t that special and showed signs of his decline.
Sometimes “declining players” bounce back. I bet Larussa knows a lot more about that than you do.
First off, LaRussa isn’t the GM.
Second, sometimes, if I live in Minnesota in December, and don’t bother to look at the forecast, I can go outside with shorts and a T-shirt and be perfectly fine.
But doing so is pretty no-so-smart.
Banking every year on declining players is exactly how you end up having to sign guys at the same position over and over and over and end up with teh same bad result, which is what the White Sox have done in RF for years.
This. Was. Predicatable.
Mozeliak isn’t the Caridnals GM. But he’s in charge. The White Sox have made moves that have LaRussas fingerprints all over them since he came aboard. I know I saw them as a Cards fan. He’s the one driving this team.
To be fair, Eaton was one of the Sox best hitters for the first month of the season. Thru April 27th, he had a 117 wRC+ with 16 R and 18 RBI. But having to play everday because expected starting OFs were on the IL and the Sox lack of minor league depth (which forced them to play Vaughn — and now Sheets — in the OF) was more than Eaton could handle, resulting in a pathetic 57 wRC+ since then.
I’m surprised he was DFA’s before they made at least one trade acquisition for an OF or a 2B or a catcher. I guess they figured they were better off keeping Billy Hamilton, Goodwin, Sheets, Burger, and Mendick regardless, so might as well cut bait now. I think it was the smart move, but the Sox don’t normally throw away millions in salary like that. Good for them.
This is a solid take. Adam Eaton was everything the White Sox hoped he would be to begin the 2021 season. He was forced to play full time when his primary RF platoon partner Adam Engel went down on the heels of the Eloy Jimenez injury late in spring training. When the White Sox lost Luis Robert in May, Eaton was again forced to play everyday with 3 of the White Sox top 4 OF’s all on the IL.
Eaton wasn’t exactly fully healthy himself but continued to battle while also trying to adapt a new batting approach in order to compensate for his waning bat speed as he aged. He was a work in progress and just wore out as the season continued. He eventually lost his job to other veteran OF pieces who were added later, Billy Hamilton and Brian Goodwin. Eaton also lacked the versatility of super utility player Leury Garcia and now injured Jake Lamb who could play at the infield corners. The recent promotions of rookies Gavin Sheets and Jake Burger, two players who just might be top showcase pieces for a deadline trade ultimately made ‘Spanky’ the odd man out on the White Sox.
And THAT was an even better take.
Still my GM Aaron !!!
@ Oddv Eaton has been hurt on average half the time over the past 4 years and was healthy and productive only one year during that time. They did not get unlucky, and the fact that he was good for a month is meaningless. He was not the type of player that a team that is serious about winning in the prime of their rebuild should sign. It was predictable that he would miss close to 1/2 a season and be relatively ineffective just based on his averages over the past 4. No hindsight there, just common sense rather than wishful thinking. Glad they are done with him, can only hope they do not go dumpster diving again this offseason if they want to give themselves an improved chance at a meaningful run in the postseason.
The signs were he was cooked last year. Not a surprise outcome.
Adam Eaton always came with injury concerns dating back to his first stint with the White Sox. He played full throttle and finally had learned to stop running into walls. Some of his injuries with the Nationals were more of the ‘freak’ variety but he was healthy enough in 2019 to help the Nationals to a World Series title. The White Sox were gambling he could do the same in 2021 for a team with their own designs on postseason hardware.
The front office had two other ring bearers to choose from in Joc Pederson and Kyle Schwarber. Pederson rejected a similar offer to what the front office gave Eaton because he was looking for full time PA’s despite sucking versus LHP his entire career. Schwarber was signed by the Nationals to basically replace Eaton’s bat in their lineup. Nationals manager Dave Martinez was very familiar with Schwarber as Joe Maddon’s long time bench coach with the Cubs and helped recruit him to the Nationals this past offseason despite knowing there would likely be no DH in the NL in 2021.
Nat, Yankees, Angels should get this guy
He’ll be really busy playing for three teams. Imagine the jet lag!
Dump Jake Lambs sorry ass next please.
White Sox cleared up a 40 man roster spot. I don’t see any of the 60 day IL guys coming off soon. Something’s up.
Personally, my fingers are crossed for S. Marte. Engel’s back in RF, Marte can take CF, then they can shuffle around as needed once Eloy and Robert get back.
Acquiring Starling Marte ahead of the July 30th trade deadline would be huge. The Marlins are trying to work out a midseason contract extension with their 32-year old CF as we post. Marte would like to continue playing in Miami but if no deal is reached he is a virtual lock to be dealt this month.
@Aaron, I know, but I’m hoping he wants to chase a title. Miami’s not awful, but they’re not contenders. If he realizes he’s likely to be traded if he turns down an extension (which can always be re-visited in the offseason), then he also knows he’s likely to end up on a team with a good chance of making the playoffs. Nobody among contenders has a deeper OF need than the Sox.
Marte is probably the best and most realistic suggestion I’ve heard. If they don’t trade for him, I hope he is the top FA on their list, as he would be perfect. He is a right handed hitter, but his splits show he hits righties better than lefties actually. So he would be the equivalent of a left handed hitter, which is better than an actual left handed hitter that cannot hit right handed pitching (aka Eaton).
I agree who can it be is the question !
About time was terrible signing from the get go
Yankees maybe? They need all the help they can get in the OF
I personally would have signed Mel Rojas Jr instead of Eaton (even without hindsight) at two years and $7 million over those years. Would have considered Preston Tucker at about $2 million or Sung Bum Na at about $3 million on one year deals as well.
Not shocking, as the production they have gotten from others has been much better than expected, especially with Engel coming back.
The interesting part is what this means going forward as far as news on Jimenez and Robert, as well as what this means regarding trade prospects. If Vaughn and/or Sheets were being considered as part of trade packages, this move may mean the Sox are not inclined to move either.
Two names, Joey Gallo.
Gallo will cost you Kopech or Vaughn plus a couple lesser prospects. Sound good?
What will it take White Sox fans to understand:
A. Their farm system is absolutely terrible and
B. No one is giving up their elite trade chips for their 45 FV prospect.
All day to obsess about the Sox despite being just a “disinterested outsider” and not a Cubs fan. A couple dozen posts. Creepy.
LOL. You’re following me around and making off-topic posts about who I am.
That’s all you’ve done. For what it’s worth, I’m married and 100% not interested in you. Go find someone else outside your cult to stalk.
They could dust off Hawk Harrellson and get better production from him compared to what Eaton has been providing. You’re awesome, wimpy!
For a team decimated by injuries, the ChiSox haven’t had many roster changes. They are hitting on their replacements.
Are they?
The reason they are winning is because of the starting pitching.
I’ll give you that the replacements have often gotten off to hot starts, but all of them have or are returning to their typical profiles.
That’s fine when you are playing bad teams, but you see what they can’t do against solid teams.
They need to make moves to improve the roster soon.
They will. “White Sox activate Eloy Jimenez.” “White Sox activate Luis Robert.” “White Sox activate Yasmani Grandal.” They don’t need additions to win the ALC. Most of their season has been without arguably their two best hitters. I wouldn’t mind an OF or 2B upgrade for the right price, but if those three come back strong, they change the face of the whole lineup. They don’t need a bunch of big moves to have a real shot in the playoffs, just to get healthy and make sure their starters are well-rested.
If you look at many other team; when they lose players, the replacement players are so bad they are soon DFA then replaced by yet another player soon to be DFA. The ChiSox’s replacements are doing relatively well in comparison.
Back to the Nationals?
I could see CWS going after Conforto in the offseason.
Comforto is a good player…but the CWS don’t anticipate any OF openings in the future with Jimenez, Robert, Vaughn, Cespedes, Engel of if Adolfo continues to hit.
Agree with msq. Plus, Conforto’s a Boras client and the Sox don’t have a lot of history signing top Boras clients. Too pricey for JR.
Msq, you also forgot Sheets and the likely addition of Colas. I don’t think Jimenez will be a LF for long after Abreu retires and Vaughn shifts to first, but that still leaves Robert, Cespedes, Engel, Adolfo, Colas, and Sheets for three spots, with Robert a lock if he stays healthy.