White Sox reportedly adding Gio Gonzalez, Cheslor Cuthbert

Gio Gonzalez

The White Sox on Thursday agreed to contracts with left-handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez and infielder Cheslor Cuthbert, according to reports.

MLB.com is saying we don't know the terms on the Gonzalez deal as yet, because the Sox have not confirmed the move.

Gonzalez, 34, appeared in 19 games (17 starts) with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019, going 3-2 with a 3.50 ERA and 1.294 WHIP. He struck out 78 and walked 37 over 87.1 innings pitched.

We all figured the Sox would add a back-end starter eventually, and this signing is OK on one condition -- Gonzalez needs to be the second- or third-best starter the Sox sign this offseason. So far, he's the best starter they've signed, and that's concerning.

Maybe I should amend the projected rotation I posted yesterday to look more like this:

1. Lucas Giolito
2. ??????
3. Reynaldo Lopez
4. Dylan Cease
5. Gonzalez

The Sox still need another starting pitcher, and it needs to be somebody who can pitch deeper into games and be more reliable than a journeyman veteran such as Gonzalez.

Cuthbert, 27, is a former Kansas City Royals prospect who never panned out. Last season, he batted .246/.294/.379 with nine home runs and 40 RBIs in 87 games and 330 plate appearances. His career slash line is .250/.300/.378.

Meh. At least it's only a minor-league deal. Cuthbert has played third base and first base in his career. I guess he's around as protection in case Yoan Moncada suffers another nagging, soft tissue injury at some point during the 2020 season.

Other than that, I got nothing.

White Sox are bringing back Ross Detwiler (on a minor-league deal)

What? You hoped the White Sox would sign an actual starting pitcher today? Not a chance!

Instead, you will have to settle for the team signing journeyman left-hander Ross Detwiler to a minor-league deal.

Detwiler appeared in 18 games (12 starts) with the Sox in 2019, and he did little to distinguish himself. He went 3-5 with a 6.59 ERA and a 1.614 WHIP in 44 innings.

Like most fans, I had hoped the Sox were moving past guys like this, and I'm hoping this is nothing more than, "Hey, somebody's gotta pitch in Triple-A."

But then you look at the projected Sox rotation, and you can't help but wonder:

1. Lucas Giolito
2. Reynaldo Lopez
3. Dylan Cease
4. ??????
5. ??????

Yes, Michael Kopech should be ready to go when the season starts, but there are rumblings that the team will work him back into the mix slowly, maybe even starting him at Triple-A Charlotte.

In the meantime, somebody else has to fill those two spots. In the absence of another acquisition or two, we're looking at Detwiler, Dylan Covey and Carson Fulmer competing for jobs again.

That sends chills down my spine.

C'mon, Sox, sign a free agent pitcher already, will you?

Former White Sox outfielder Avisail Garcia signs with Milwaukee Brewers

Avisail Garcia

Former White Sox right fielder Avisail Garcia has agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, according to a report by MLB Network's Jon Heyman.

Garcia, 28, still needs to pass a physical before the signing becomes official. The outfielder spent 2019 with the Tampa Bay Rays, batting .282/.332/.464 with 20 home runs, 25 doubles, 10 stolen bases and 72 RBIs in 125 games and 530 plate appearances.

Previously, Garcia played for the Sox from 2013-18. During those six seasons, he batted .271/.322/.424 with 74 home runs and 289 RBIs over 585 games and 2,358 plate appearances.

Garcia is the second former Sox player to join Milwaukee this offseason. Earlier this fall, the Brewers acquired catcher Omar Narvaez in a trade with the Seattle Mariners.

Corey Kluber headed to Texas; Madison Bumgarner signs with Arizona

Corey Kluber

Two big-name pitchers changed teams Sunday. The Cleveland Indians traded two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber to the Texas Rangers, while longtime San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner agreed to a five-year, $85 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Kluber was limited to seven starts in 2019 because of a broken right forearm and a strained oblique muscle, but despite those injuries, the return in this deal seems underwhelming for the Indians.

Texas gave up outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. and relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase. DeShields, 27, has played 106 or more games in four of the past five seasons with the Rangers, and he's a speedy player and solid defender in center field. However, he's never become much with the bat. Last season, he batted .249/.325/.347 with four home runs and 32 RBIs in 118 games. Not impactful.

Clase, 21, appeared in 21 games with Texas last season and went 2-3 with a 2.31 ERA in 23.1 innings pitched. I had never heard of him until Sunday.

I like the deal for the Rangers, even though Kluber is 33 and coming off an injury-plagued year. He joins a Texas rotation that includes Lance Lynn, Mike Minor, Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles. The latter two were signed as free agents this offseason.

Credit the Texas front office for moving to fill the holes in its pitching staff. I wish a certain team that plays on the South Side of Chicago would do something similar. The Rangers have five big league-caliber starters now, and that gives them a chance.

Meanwhile, Bumgarner is staying in the NL West and joining the Diamondbacks. The 30-year-old is a three-time World Series champion with a career record of 119-92 with a 3.13 ERA. He's known for his postseason excellence; he's 8-3 with a 2.11 ERA in the playoffs, including 4-0 with a 0.25 ERA in five career World Series games.

He joins Robbie Ray, Luke Weaver, Mike Leake and Zac Gallen in the projected Arizona rotation, although Ray is entering the last season of his contract and could be traded before the offseason is over.

The price for Bumgarner seems reasonable in this market, five years and $85 million. The top two remaining free agent pitchers are Hyun-Jin Ryu and Dallas Keuchel, neither of whom should command as good a contract as Bumgarner got.

Maybe the White Sox should sign one of these guys, no? It would be better than starting the season with Dylan Covey and Carson Fulmer in the rotation, you know?

Anthony Rendon signs seven-year, $245 million deal with Angels

Anthony Rendon

Remember last year when the top free agents didn't sign until it was time for spring training to start?

Yeah, that's not happening this year. The top three free agents all came off the board this week at the Winter Meetings, with third baseman Anthony Rendon agreeing to a seven-year, $245 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Gerrit Cole signed with the New York Yankees, while Stephen Strasburg returned to the Washington Nationals.

Do you think the Angels are going to score some runs this season? Rendon is joining an offense that already includes the best player on the planet, center fielder Mike Trout, and outfielder/pitcher Shohei Ohtani.

So, Trout is making $36 million in 2019. Rendon is making $35 million. Albert Pujols is making $29 million, and Justin Upton is making $21 million.

That's $121 million tied up in four hitters for the Angels. And they haven't addressed the holes in their pitching staff yet. We'll see if they have more money they can spend.

Hawk Harrelson elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame

"Hawk" Harrelson

Our congratulations go out to longtime White Sox broadcaster Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, who on Wednesday was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as the 2020 Ford C. Frick Award winner.

The award is presented annually for excellence in broadcasting. Harrelson will be recognized during the Hall of Fame awards presentation on July 25.

For 33 years, Harrelson was the TV voice of the Sox. He is a two-time winner of Illinois Sportscaster of the Year, a five-time Emmy Award winner, and he won the 2010 Ring Lardner Award for Excellence in Sports Journalism.

But most of all, Harrelson changed the vernacular of the game of baseball, and of life itself, with his colorful catch phrases and the unique nicknames he gave to players -- many of which have stood the test of time.

From "He Gone!" to "Can of Corn" to "Mercy" to "You can put it on the board, Yes!" Hawk has been the summertime soundtrack in my home and in the lives of many Chicago baseball fans for years.

He was an unapologetic homer, and that's part of what made him one of kind. He was for the Sox, and he let you know it. He wasn't afraid to criticize the opposition or rip the umpires if he felt the Sox had been done wrong. That made him a polarizing figure, even among Sox fans.

When the Sox were bad, especially in Harrelson's later years on the mic, the broadcast could become a tough listen. Sometimes, Harrelson would just go silent with disgust, or he would make excuses for the team's poor play.

But, when the Sox were going good, Harrelson's passion for the game and pure joy would shine through on the broadcast. When the Sox won a big game, you KNEW the Sox had won a big game, because Harrelson was at his very best in those moments.

And, of course, Harrelson gave the greatest Sox player of all time his nickname. Hall of Famer Frank Thomas will forever be known as "The Big Hurt."

Harrelson earned this honor by amassing the highest point total in a vote conducted by the Hall of Fame's 15-member Frick Award Committee. This year's other finalists included Joe Castiglione, Jacques Doucet, Tom Hamilton, Pat Hughes, Ned Martin, Mike Shannon and Dewayne Staats.

White Sox acquire RF Nomar Mazara from Texas Rangers

Nomar Mazara

Unless there are more moves to come, your starting right fielder for the 2020 Chicago White Sox is Nomar Mazara.

Underwhelming, isn't it?

The Sox acquired the 24-year-old outfielder from the Texas Rangers on Tuesday in exchange for outfield prospect Steele Walker.

Before we talk about Mazara, let's be clear about one thing: While Walker had a good season at Class-A Winston-Salem in 2019, he was expendable. He's a 23-year-old who has never taken a single at-bat above A-ball. So, from that perspective, wouldn't you rather have a 24-year old with four years of MLB experience? That's Mazara.

Mazara batted .268/.318/.469 with 19 home runs and 66 RBIs in 116 games for the Rangers last season. I'm not impressed, but before we get to why, let's check off some of the good points for Mazara:

• He bats left. That's an area of need, and he did bat .288/.344/.500 with 13 home runs against right-handed pitching last season. You can do worse than an .844 OPS against righties.
• He's clearly better than Daniel Palka, Jon Jay or Ryan Cordell. Duh. As I indicated, you can do worse than an .844 OPS against righties, and the Sox did do worse last season when their right fielders posted a collective .565 OPS. Blech.
• Mazara has hit 20 home runs in three of his first four seasons, and he has a 101-RBI season under his belt (2017).
• He's only 24, so there's still a chance that he could improve, and he's under control for two more years.

Now, here's some of the reasons NOT to be excited about this trade:

• In his four seasons, Mazara has posted a career OPS+ of 93. In each individual season, his OPS+ has been 93, 90, 96 and 96. A league-average right fielder has an OPS+ of 100, so Mazara has been 7% below league average for his career. His career OPS is a pedestrian .754.
• Mazara has never posted a WAR of more than 1.1 in any season, according to baseballreference.com. In part, this is because he is a subpar defender with limited range, who takes poor routes in right field.
• He can't hit lefties and needs a platoon partner. He batted .220/.252/.394 against left-handed pitching in 2019.
• He strikes out a lot, just like everyone else who plays for the Sox. Mazara struck out 108 times last season, and that represents a career low.
• He doesn't walk. Mazara also walked a career-low 28 times in 2019, and his career on-base percentage is .318. That fits right in with an endemic problem the Sox have: They don't get on base nearly enough.
   

It seems to me this move is only good if Mazara is placed in a platoon role. There are better outfielders out there in free agency -- Nicholas Castellanos, Marcell Ozuna, Yasiel Puig -- and most of them swing from the right side of plate. Maybe the Sox need to bring one of these guys in to play right field against left-handed pitching and serve as the designated hitter against right-handed pitching. (For the record, Puig is my choice.)

Mazara just doesn't strike me as a good "Plan A" in right field for a team that claims to be taking steps forward toward contention over the next couple of years.

Of course, Mazara is 24, so he could get better, but given the Sox's track record, do you trust that they can unlock whatever untapped potential may be lurking inside this player?