Back for another installment of my MLB Offseason Breakdown for the 2021 season. If you are new here, what I do is write about all the acquisitions and losses the team had, my projected lineups and rotations, grade for the offseason, and my prediction for the team in the 2021 season. I’m also going to some different things now during the 2021 predictions so check that out at the bottom. Let’s get into it.
Acquisitions and Losses:
RHP Liam Hendriks signs a 3 year $54 million contract
This was a very good pick-up from the White Sox because Henriks has sneakily been one of the best closers in baseball for the last couple of years now. It didn’t help that he was on the A’s, but he’s still been pretty good having a 1.79 ERA and 39 saves over the last two seasons. Hendriks will be a very solid closer for the White Sox this season and will be huge for the progression of this team.
C James McCann signs a 4 year $40.6 million contract with the Mets
Now losing a catcher like James McCann might be a big deal for any other organization in baseball because he is a pretty solid catcher. Since McCann joined the White Sox in 2019 he has a batting average of .276 and an on-base percentage of .334. Very solid numbers, especially for a catcher, but the White Sox are fine with losing McCann. You have an even better catcher in Yasmani Grandal who can now play full-time at catcher. No need to pay both McCann and Grandal, especially when you have the better one already locked up for the next couple of years.
White Sox trade RHP Dane Dunning and RHP Avery Weems to the Rangers for RHP Lance Lynn
A very good pickup and I hate to keep repeating myself, but Lance Lynn has been a very solid pitcher in the last two years. Since joining the Rangers in 2019, Lynn had an ERA of 3.57, 10.3 K/9, a total of 335 strikeouts, and two top-6 Cy Young voting finishes. Very solid stuff for a guy who was chased out of New York in 2018. Lynn will help this rotation that still has some young guys who you do not truly know what you’re going to get out of them.
OF Adam Eaton signs a 1 year $8 million contract
Eaton returns to the team he spent 3 years with before being shipped out to Washington in 2017. I like the return of Eaton because after a down year last year, I feel like he can get things back on track. I can easily see Eaton get his batting average back around the .270 mark once again, showing us that he still has some good years to come.
RHP Alex Colome signs a 1 year $6.25 million contract with Minnesota
To be honest, I did not even know Alex Colome was on the White Sox last year, and I also did not know that he was traded from the Rays back in 2018. Regardless, it’s a pretty decent loss because Colome was dominant in his 18 appearances last season. In 22.1 innings pitches, Colome had a 0.81 ERA. Those are some wild numbers, even for a COVID season. The White Sox should be fine because they did replace him with Liam Hendriks, but it is still a big loss regardless.
Projected Lineup:
C: Yasmani Grandal
1B: Jose Abreu
2B: Nick Madrigal
3B: Yoan Moncada
SS: Tim Anderson
LF: Eloy Jimenez
CF: Luis Robert
RF: Adam Eaton
DH: Andrew Vaughn
Projected Rotation
1. Lucas Giolito
2. Dallas Keuchel
3. Lance Lynn
4. Dylan Cease
5. Reynaldo Lopez
Offseason Grade: A-
2021 Predictions:
Best Player: Jose Abreu
No shock here as the MVP of the 2020 AL season will be the best player on the team. Abreu will continue to do great things this season and once again compete for the MVP.
Biggest Progression: Lucas Giolito
Lucas Giolito will compete for the Cy Young this season. Giolito has all the potential in the world and everything will come together this season as Giolito will be in the Cy Young conversations. He also needs to have at least an All-Star-like season because if not I don’t see him getting any better than this.
Biggest Regression: Dallas Keuchel
Keuchel doesn’t have a lot left in the tank and I do not see him having a good season this year. The White Sox are going to need to find another starter if they want to compete, but at the same time, he probably won’t be the worst starter on the team this season.
Biggest Surprise: Adam Eaton
I alluded to it earlier, but I think Adam Eaton will go back to his 2019 form and have a huge impact on this White Sox team. Expect Eaton to have a +.270 batting average and +60 runs.
2021 Finish: 1st in the AL Central
Last season we saw how good the White Sox were in 60 games, now we’re going to see how good they are going to be in a 162. The White Sox are a very good, fun, young team that’s going to win the AL Central against the Minnesota Twins.
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Previous Offseason Breakdowns:
Arizona Diamondbacks
Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs
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