Catching up on a few things ... the Seattle Mariners are selling everyone, I guess. Here are three transactions that have happened in the past few days:
The Washington Nationals have signed left-handed pitcher Patrick Corbin to a six-year, $140 million contract.
The last move is too bad, because Corbin was one of the players who was on my wish list as a White Sox fan. Of course, if the Sox signed him, he'd probably blow out his elbow next season anyway.
The White Sox must be confident that they can sign a corner outfielder as a free agent this offseason.
How else to explain their decision Friday to non-tender right fielder Avisail Garcia? Infielder Matt Davidson also was non-tendered, and utility player Leury Garcia was signed to a one-year, $1.55 million contract.
First, Avisail Garcia: In principle, I agree with the decision to move on from him. Yes, he was a 2017 All-Star, but that .330 batting average and full season of health from that year was the exception in his career, not the norm.
Avisail Garcia in 2018 reverted back to what we've seen him be throughout most of his Sox career -- injury-plagued and inconsistent. While he hit a career-high 19 home runs, injuries limited him to 93 games, and his .236/.281/.438 slash line was not up to par. In particular, the batting average and on-base percentage were poor, well below his career norms.
But let's take a longer term view of Avisail Garcia's career. He's been with the Sox for five years, so we have a good sample size:
I think it's time to cue up our friend, Cookie Monster:
That's right, Cookie. One of these things is not like the other things. And, in this case, that thing is Avisail Garcia's 2017 season. We can wish for him to be that guy all we want, but I think he's much closer to the player we saw from 2014-16 and again in 2018.
It's OK to move on from Avisail for just that reason: Four years of mediocrity or worse trumps one career year. The key is, you have to replace him. So, Rick Hahn, spend some money and replace him, please.
As for Davidson, he's had two full years with the Sox and hit 20 home runs or more in both, but he's also a career .226 hitter. Sure, he improved his on-base percentage from .260 to .319 in 2018. He's to be commended for that, but that's still not good enough from a bat-only player. Davidson came up as a third baseman, but he rarely plays there anymore. He's been mostly a designated hitter and a first baseman, and guys who do that either need to bat higher than .230, or hit 30-plus homers. I don't think Davidson is that guy. Let's move on.
Leury Garcia, hey, his ability to play center field might be saving him. Jose Rondon, 24, is a younger, cheaper and possibly more effective option than the 27-year-old Leury Garcia as a backup infielder. However, we've not seen Rondon play outfield, and we have seen Leury Garcia fill in at all three outfield spots -- including center field.
That sort of utility, the ability to play six positions, keeps guys around in this era when teams are carrying 13 pitchers and only 12 position players. Now, I would argue that Leury Garcia plays none of those six positions particularly well, but the Sox don't seem to care about that. They want roster flexibility, and this is a player who provides it.
I'm assuming a prospect eventually will come up from the minors and unseat the Adam Engel-Leury Garcia combination in center field, and I'm not expecting that position to be addressed in free agency this offseason.
Catcher Omar Narvaez has been dealt to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for relief pitcher Alex Colome.
I can't say I mind this trade. The Sox's defense behind the plate has been terrible the past few years, and Narvaez's questionable framing and blocking skills were a big part of the problem.
However, Narvaez made significant strides with the bat in 2018, finishing with a .275/.366/.429 slash line with nine home runs and 30 RBIs in 97 games. He was one of the few Sox hitters who took his walks, and his power took a significant leap forward. Narvaez's slugging percentage was 89 points higher last season than it was in 2017.
When Kevan Smith was lost on waivers to the Los Angeles Angels, I assumed the Sox would go into 2019 with Welington Castillo and Narvaez as their catching combination, with Seby Zavala as a fallback option.
Evidently not. Is Zavala a candidate to make the team out of spring? Not sure. Or is there another move to come?
I'm good with the addition of Colome, a 29-year-old veteran reliever with 243 career appearances and 96 saves on his resume. In 2017, he had a league-high 47 saves for the Tampa Bay Rays.
This past year, Colome struggled in Tampa Bay. He went 2-5 with a 4.15 ERA and 11 saves over 23 appearances. He was dealt midseason to Seattle, where he regained his form.
In 47 games with the Mariners, Colome went 5-0 with a 2.53 ERA, one save and a 1.036 WHIP. If that's the pitcher the Sox are getting, he will look good in a bullpen that is young and short on experience in high-leverage situations.
It's only Nov. 29. The winter meetings haven't happened yet, but still, I'd say the free agent market is off to a slow start this year.
I was looking at the recent transactions on mlb.com, and there are only three of them that I would say are significant or even somewhat notable:
Josh Donaldson signed a one-year, $23 million contract with the Atlanta Braves.
Brian McCann signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Braves.
Lonnie Chisenhall signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Yeah, that's about it. Two of these three are not even that interesting.
McCann is 34 years old and coming off an injury-plagued season in which he batted .212. He lost his starting job with the Houston Astros, and as far as I can tell, he's going back to the place where he had his best seasons -- Atlanta -- to finish up what has been a respectable career.
Chisenhall is a platoon corner outfielder who likely will have some utility for the Pirates as a left-handed bat off the bench. He's not a bad role player, but not a huge difference-maker, either.
Donaldson's signing easily is the most interesting of the three. He's three years removed from his MVP season of 2015, and he had a three-year stretch of brilliance from 2015-17 in which he hit 33 or more home runs in each season and posted an OPS of .939, .953 and .944, respectively.
However, injuries hit hard for Donaldson in 2018. He was limited to 52 games, and the Toronto Blue Jays traded his expiring contract midseason to the Cleveland Indians. Finally healthy down the stretch, Donaldson appeared in 16 games for Cleveland, posting a .280/.400/.520 slash line with three home runs and seven RBIs.
Donaldson will turn 33 years old in about a week, so that combined with his injury history depressed his market to where he was willing to take a one-year deal. It's a very lucrative one-year deal with the defending NL East champion Braves, mind you, but a one-year deal nonetheless.
The Braves are getting a great hitter if Donaldson is healthy, but there's an increased risk of injury with this player going to the National League. The DH is not an option in Atlanta, so Donaldson will need to play third base every day.
I have no doubt the guy still can play. It's just a question of whether he can stay on the field.
Remember my last post? I noted that left-handed pitcher Ian Clarkin had been claimed off waivers by the Cubs, and thus he was no longer a part of the White Sox organization.
Pitchers Dylan Cease, Jordan Stephens and Kodi Medeiros and catcher Seby Zavala were added to the 40-man roster Tuesday. The moves protect each of these players from being selected in the upcoming Rule 5 draft.
Cease was the most obvious addition. With Michael Kopech out for 2019 with an elbow injury, Cease is the top-rated healthy pitching prospect in the Sox's system. He finished the season at Double-A Birmingham, where he went 3-0 with an 0.94 ERA in his last nine starts. If Cease remains healthy and continues on a positive development path, we could see him in Chicago during the second half of the 2019 season.
Medeiros, a 22-year-old lefty, was acquired in July in the trade that sent relief pitcher Joakim Soria to the Milwaukee Brewers. Combined between the two organizations, Medeiros appeared in 27 games (22 starts) at the Double-A level and went 7-7 with a 3.60 ERA.
Stephens, 26, is a right-hander who is reaching that pivotal point where he either makes it to the big leagues and fades away. He split time between Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte in 2018, going 8-10 with a 4.23 ERA over a combined 28 starts at the two levels.
Zavala, 25, becomes the third catcher on the roster behind Welington Castillo and Omar Narvaez, and he figures to be the guy to get the call should either of those two incumbents get injured or falter in 2018. Zavala was a Southern League All-Star at Birmingham before earning a midseason promotion to Charlotte. He hit .258 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs in a combined 104 games at the two levels. He also threw out 32.7 percent (18 for 55) of attempted basestealers.
Left-handed pitcher Ian Clarkin, who was acquired from the New York Yankees in the 2017 trade involving David Robertson, Todd Frazier and Tommy Kahnle, no longer is with the Sox organization after he was claimed off waivers by the Cubs.
Of note, pitchers Spencer Adams and Jordan Guerrero were not added to the 40-man roster, which makes them vulnerable to be chosen in the Rule 5 draft. It's clear from these decisions that the Sox believe Stephens and Medeiros are more likely as middle tier prospects to make contributions at the major-league level moving forward.
Right now, the Sox have three starting rotation spots filled (Carlos Rodon, Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito). The other two spots seem likely to be addressed through free agency or trade, but if not, Stephens and Medeiros would have an inside track over Adams or Guerrero in competing for a job.
After these moves, the Sox's roster stands at 38. So, for those of you dreaming -- and you are dreaming -- that the Sox could sign BOTH Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, there are two roster spots open.
