Report: White Sox add Jake Marisnick to outfield mix

Jake Marisnick

Maybe the Charlotte Knights need outfielders? They probably do, especially if Oscar Colas is expected to start the 2023 season with the White Sox.

I'm just trying to think of reasons why the Sox are stockpiling veteran outfielders on minor league contracts. Earlier this offseason, they picked Victor Reyes and Billy Hamilton off the scrap heap. According to reports, they added 10-year veteran Jake Marisnick on a minor league deal over the weekend.

Marisnick, 31, is getting an invitation to spring training, and if he makes the club, he will reportedly earn a salary of $1.3 million.

We've asked the question before on this blog: If Luis Robert gets hurt at any point during the 2023 season, who plays center field?

Marisnick is a possible answer. He's always been a good defensive player. He can play any of the three outfield spots and do so in an above-average way.

Unfortunately, he's bounced around the league -- five teams since 2019 -- because he's never been a good hitter. His career slash line is .228/.281/.384 over 831 games. He's passable against left-handed pitching -- a career .704 OPS -- but he's struggled to a .640 OPS against right-handers over his career.

Injuries have also crept in. Thumb surgery limited Marisnick to only 31 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022. He batted. .234/.272/.390 with two homers, six doubles and six RBIs in 82 plate appearances.

Obviously, there's a reason he's available on a minor league deal. 

As we've noted, the Sox have question marks in the outfield once you get past Robert and free agent acquisition Andrew Benintendi. The rookie Colas is the presumptive favorite to play right field, and nobody knows who the fourth outfielder will be. 

Perhaps the Sox are counting on one of Reyes, Hamilton or Marisnick to win the job. I'd prefer a more solid option in a "win-now" season, but we know the Sox are prone to "knocking on wood" more often than not when it comes to matters of roster depth.

White Sox make Andrew Benintendi signing official

Andrew Benintendi

Andrew Benintendi is now wearing No. 23 for the White Sox. His signing became official Tuesday after he passed his physical, and the outfielder met with the media Wednesday afternoon.

The structure of the five-year, $75 million contract is notable. Benintendi receives a $3 million signing bonus, and the rest of it is backloaded:

• 2023: $8 million
• 2024: $16.5 million
• 2025: $16.5 million
• 2026: $16.5 million
• 2027: $14.5 million

We've discussed before how the Sox are bumping up against their self-imposed payroll limits for the 2023 season, so perhaps they convinced Benintendi to take a little less money in the first year of the contract in order to free up space to make one more free agent signing.

All of the big free agents are off the board now, but the Sox still have needs at second base, in the outfield and in the starting rotation.

We're hearing more talk of the Sox being satisfied with their internal options at second base and starting pitcher. I'm not satisfied, but my roster evaluations tend to be different than those of the Sox front office. 

But I digress.

Is there another outfield signing in the future? Perhaps the Sox would be interested in Adam Duvall, or some other right-handed hitting outfielder? 

It would make sense. The projected starting outfield is Benintendi in left, Luis Robert in center and rookie Oscar Colas in right. (Eloy Jimenez is a designated hitter, as far as I'm concerned.)

Victor Reyes and Billy Hamilton will be in spring training on minor league contracts, but neither man should be anything more than a fifth outfielder.

The Sox need a reliable fourth outfielder in case the rookie Colas struggles. Not to mention, they need a reliable fourth outfielder in the event that Robert gets injured again. We've yet to see Robert play 100 games in a season, so it only makes sense to have a sensible option in place should a backup center fielder be needed.

Right now, Colas is probably the backup center fielder, which isn't fair to the rookie. Or, maybe Hamilton is the backup center fielder, but frankly, he's not good enough to be trusted in that role.

I'd prefer a right-handed bat for the outfield, since Colas bats left. We'll see if the Sox have a move up their sleeve.