-
Comment -
Lynn is very under ratedComment -
White Sox going to rule that division.Comment -
Carlos Santana signs 2 year deal with the RoyalsComment -
Lynn reunited with LaRussaComment -
The White Sox have brought a familiar face back to the South Side, as NBC Sports Chicago’s Chuck Garfien (Twitter link) reports that the Sox have signed outfielder Adam Eaton to a one-year, $7MM contract. The deal contains a club option worth $8.5MM for the 2022 season, with MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reporting that the option has a $1MM buyout. Eaton is represented by Diamond Sports Management.
Eaton previously played for the White Sox from 2014-16, emerging as a reliable and productive everyday outfielder over those three seasons. With Chicago embarking on a rebuild, Eaton was traded to the Nationals almost exactly four years ago to the day in a very notable deal that brought the Sox a trio of young arms — Lucas Giolito, Dane Dunning, and Reynaldo Lopez.
Flash forward to today and Giolito is the ace of Chicago’s staff, Lopez is on the roster though perhaps looking at a move to the bullpen after struggling as a starter, and Dunning was just traded to the Rangers yesterday in the swap that brought Lance Lynn to Guaranteed Rate Field. Between adding Lynn and Eaton within 24 hours, the White Sox have now checked two notable items off their offseason to-do list.
After Nomar Mazara didn’t produce much in 2020, the White Sox were known to be looking at outfield help, with such names as Michael Brantley and Joc Pederson linked to the team. (USA Today’s Bob Nightengale also reported this morning that Eaton was “on their radar.”) With Eloy Jimenez in left field and Luis Robert in center, Eaton will be slated for right field, his regular position over the last three years in Washington. Adam Engel, coming off a strong 2020 season, now looks to be set for fourth outfielder duty, though the right-handed hitting Engel could spell the left-handed hitting Eaton when a southpaw is on the mound.
Eaton’s lefty bat will provide some balance to a White Sox lineup that leans to the right, though Eaton will be looking to rebound from his worst offensive season as a starter. He hit .226/.285/.384 over 176 plate appearances for the Nats last season, with his lowest walk rate (6.8%) since 2013. Between this lack of hitting and a tough year defensively (-6.1 UZR/150, -6 Defensive Runs Saved over 335 innings in right field), Eaton was a sub-replacement level player, with -0.5 fWAR. These numbers led the Nationals to decline their club option on Eaton’s services for 2021, instead buying him out for $1.5MM.
The White Sox are clearly hoping that Eaton’s struggles were due to the abbreviated and unusual nature of the 2020 season, and that he’ll produce something closer to his usual numbers (.289/.367/.423 over 3066 PA from 2014-19) under somewhat more normal circumstances next season. The one-year deal doesn’t represent a huge investment on Chicago’s part to see if the 32-year-old Eaton can bounce back, and by signing Eaton rather than investing in a more expensive option like Brantley or Pederson, the Sox now theoretically have more money to spend on other potential roster moves later in the winter.Comment -
I do like the Twins chances, Indians don’t like to pay their good players.Comment -
Shit -Give me Minny all day---they have Cleveland's # .....and everything you said is true..but you cant keep letting all your talent leave and expecting results...owners are cheap and their outfield is trash---Mercado-DeSheields-Luplow-Naquin, Bauers ect.....As far as pitching IMO they have Beiber and McKenzie....rest can win a game but are 50/50 guys....Comment -
Anybody heard of Sugano from the Nippon Professional Baseball league? MLB trying to sign him.
I heard he has a low ERA but will he be a bust just like Hideki Irabu?Comment -
I like the move.
We need a vet like that.
He still has pop, his defense is getting better with age too.
KC just had their second consecutive top five draft, we got kids on the way up, and two kids (Merrifield and Mondesi) already proven.
I love the direction KC is going in.Comment -
The Giants announced they have extended invites to four minor league organizations to be their affiliates. If they are all accepted, the High-A team will be in Eugene, Oregon, with the San Jose Giants moving down to Low-A. Sacramento remains the Triple-A affiliate and Richmond will still be Double-A after some uncertainty earlier in the process. The moves came as about 40 teams were cut from the minor leagues, with short-season affiliates -- the Giants had Salem-Keizer in Oregon -- being eliminated.
I remember the Giants A team being in Fresno during the 70's....lots of great players came through... fun games to watch.Comment -
I'd like the Indians more if they weren't constantly selling off their best pieces. I think it'll be tough without Lindor whom they're sure to move this winter. They have the pitching but I think the White Sox and Twins are better than them at this point at least for the next year or two.Comment -
If you don’t want to keep Francisco Lindor, why are you owning a damn team?!? Makes me sick.Comment -
The Mets are interested in righty reliever Liam Hendriks, arguably the No. 1 bullpen arm available on the open market, per Andy Martino of SNY. He’d be the second major relief addition this offseason for the Mets, who signed Trevor May to a two-year, $15.5MM guarantee last week. Hendriks, previously with the Athletics, was perhaps the most dominant reliever in baseball during the previous two seasons. In that 108 1/3-inning stretch, the 31-year-old logged a matching 1.66 ERA/FIP, notched 13.21 K/9 against 1.83 BB/9, and recorded 39 saves in 47 opportunities. While the New York club has some level of interest in cross-town star D.J. LeMahieu, David Lennon of Newsday writes, it’s more on the “periphery” in that pursuit at the moment.
More from the eastern divisions:
- The aforementioned Hendriks and fellow free-agent reliever Brad Hand “are believed to be” on the Blue Jays’ radar, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet writes (their interest in Hand was previously reported). Either pitcher would further strengthen a Toronto bullpen that finished 24th in the majors in ERA and 28th in K/BB ratio last season. It seems the Toronto organization is still casting rather a wide net in its free agent search. Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star recently linked the team to a number of big names at a variety of positions.
- Orioles general manager Mike Elias said Tuesday that the team is unlikely to give out any multiyear contracts in free agency (Twitter links via Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com and Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun). However, Elias acknowledged the Orioles are hunting for a new shortstop after trading Jose Iglesias to the Angels last week. Elsewhere, Elias said the Orioles plan to keep righty Alex Cobb, who has one year and $15MM left on his contract. Cobb had a decent year in 2020 (4.30 ERA/4.87 FIP in 52 1/3 innings), though he may be a tough sell at his current salary.
- Sticking with the Orioles, beleaguered first baseman Chris Davis revealed Wednesday (via Melo) that he has no plans to hang up his cleats at this point. “I don’t want it to end the way that things have gone the last few years for me. I think there’s more of a story to be told but as far as my contract is concerned, it is what it is,” said Davis. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not giving up. I’m not throwing in the towel. I understand the club is in a position right now to where they’re trying to cut payroll, and I’m the one big lump that they’re kind of stuck with. But they knew what they were signing up for when they took the job.” Davis’s seven-year, $161MM contract has been an unmitigated disaster for the Orioles, but he’s certainly not obligated to walk away from the remaining two seasons even if the club would prefer it. The 34-year-old is coming off a third-straight woeful season. Davis took just 55 plate appearances, failed to hit a home run and posted a brutal minus-14 wRC+.
- Moving south on 95, the Nationals have a need for just the sort of player Davis once was. The D.C. organization put in an effort to lure Carlos Santana before he latched on with the Royals, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports on Twitter. Missing on the veteran slugger makes it likelier that the Nats will end up putting together some kind of timeshare at first, as there isn’t a clear everyday alternative available in free agency. It also keeps the door open to a return for Nationals stalwart Ryan Zimmerman, whose intentions remain unknown.
Comment -
-
Where does Lindor end up??Comment -
Does anybody in this thread want to partner up in the bowl contest? I am short on betpoints but I'm willing to do an 80/20 split just so I can participate. PM and let me know if one of you guys wants to team up because it would be cool if I partner with someone I know.Comment -
The Mets lost right-handed pitching prospect Dedniel Nunez in the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday, when the 24-year-old was selected by the San Francisco Giants.
Per the rules of the draft, the Giants must carry Nunez on their big league roster for the entire 2021 season or offer him back to the Mets for $50,000.
Nunez was ranked by SNY contributor Joe DeMayo as No. 17 on the Mets' top 20 prospects list heading into the 2021 season.
He's probably going back...
Comment
