Cleveland Guardians address need for designated hitter

Josh Bell

The Cleveland Guardians won the AL Central Division title in 2022, but it wasn't because they received good production from their designated hitters.

In fact, Cleveland DHs combined to bat .217/.276/.309 with only eight home runs and 57 RBIs last season. That's poor, given that whichever player you put in that spot in supposed to be able to hit.

The Guardians moved to address that weakness Tuesday, signing veteran switch-hitter Josh Bell to a two-year contract worth $33 million. The deal includes an opt-out clause after the 2023 season.

Bell split time between the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres last season. He was traded to the Padres midseason as part of the blockbuster Juan Soto deal.

He finished 2022 with .266/.362/.422 slash line, with 29 doubles, 17 home runs and 71 RBIs.

In other words, he performed better than all the Cleveland DHs combined. So, yes, I think this is a smart move by Cleveland.

I saw a lot of my fellow White Sox fans melting down on Twitter after this signing was announced. The reaction is somewhat understandable because, hey, the team that whooped your ass in the division last season just got better.

That said, it isn't like the Sox should have bid on Bell. They don't need anymore 1B/DH types, and while Bell is a good player, he wouldn't fit on the South Side of Chicago from a positional need standpoint.

I commend the Guardians for getting better. Of course, the problem from my perspective isn't what Cleveland is doing. The problem is what the Sox aren't doing. So far, Sox GM Rick Hahn gives the impression that he's sitting around watching the world go by.

Bellinger, Haniger also sign

A couple of free agent outfielders signed with new teams Tuesday. Cody Bellinger is joining the Cubs on a one-year, $17.5 million deal. Mitch Haniger is now with the San Francisco Giants after agreeing on a three-year, $43.5 million contract.

These signings also contributed to Sox fan angst, as we all know the Sox need outfielders. Obviously, these moves mean there are two fewer options available on the board, although I'm not sure either one of these two guys would have fit on the South Side.

Bellinger is still a good defensive outfielder, and he could help any club on that side of the ball. He will certainly make the Cubs a better defensive team. The question mark is his bat. Bellinger won the 2019 National League MVP award as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he's not been the same hitter the past three years after suffering a shoulder injury. He had a .654 OPS and 78 OPS+ plus last season, meaning he was 22% below league average.

Injuries limited Haniger to 57 games last season with the Seattle Mariners, and again, I'm not a huge proponent of signing injured guys -- although Haniger's production was fine when he was healthy. He had a .736 OPS and a 114 OPS+, meaning he was 14% above league average as a corner outfielder. 

Mainly, I look at these deals and come to the conclusion that it's going to take anywhere from $14 million to $20 million per season to sign a competent starting corner outfielder. The Sox need to do that this offseason, but until proven otherwise, I'm bracing to hear that they "weren't comfortable" going to those lengths for any of the available players.

If that's the case, the Sox should get "comfortable" with finishing second or third in the AL Central again next season.

Trea Turner to Phillies; Justin Verlander signs with Mets

Trea Turner

“I really philosophically believe that you win with star players."

It's hard to argue with Dave Dombrowski, president of baseball operations with the Philadelphia Phillies, because he's built a lot of winning teams throughout his years in baseball.

The Phillies came up just short in 2022, losing to the Houston Astros in the World Series. On Monday, the first day of the Winter Meetings in San Diego, Philadelphia moved to address one of its holes by agreeing to terms with superstar shortstop Trea Turner on a 11-year, $300 million deal.

Turner is 29 years old, and I'm sure by the end of that contract, he probably won't be worth his salary. But that's a problem for another day. The Phillies are looking to win in 2023, and that's commendable. Opportunity only presents itself so often, and it's important to push chips into the middle of the table when the time comes.

Philadelphia has a lot of big contracts on its books. Bryce Harper ($26 million), Zack Wheeler ($24.5 million), J.T. Realmuto ($23.9 million), Nick Castellanos ($20 million), Kyle Schwarber ($20 million) and Aaron Nola ($16 million) are raking in the money with the Phillies. Add Turner's $27.3 million AAV to that list. 

But you know what? Harper, Turner, Realmuto, Wheeler and Nola are all blue-chip players, and you win with those types of guys. And while I'm not a fan of "three true outcome" batters as a rule, credit Schwarber for leading the National League with 46 home runs last season.

I wish my favorite team had All-Star talent like the Phillies do. They are giving themselves a chance in the rugged NL East.

Verlander signs with Mets 

Speaking of the NL East, Justin Verlander is signing with the New York Mets, agreeing to a two-year, $86.7 million contract.

Verlander, the Cy Young Award winner in the American League in 2022, leaves the Astros and basically takes the place of Jacob deGrom at the top of the New York rotation.

The Texas Rangers signed deGrom to a five-year, $185 million contract over the weekend, and you figured the deep-pocketed Mets would respond quickly.

Indeed they did, as Verlander will join former Detroit Tigers teammate Max Scherzer to form a 1-2 punch with the Mets.

I think this is a win for New York because even though Verlander is 40 years old, I trust him to stay healthy more than I would deGrom. Verlander gave the Astros 28 starts and 175 innings last season, going 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA.

Meanwhile, deGrom has totaled only 26 starts and and 156.1 innings over the past two seasons combined. He's still one of the best in the league when he takes the mound, but at age 34, you have to wonder what the Rangers are getting there. I'm not a huge proponent of signing pitchers with long injury histories.

Granted, you never really know with pitchers, but I think the Mets are getting a little more certainty with Verlander.

Fred McGriff elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame

The 16-member Contemporary Baseball Era Committee on Sunday elected former big league first baseman Fred McGriff to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Whenever I hear McGriff's name, the first thing I think of is the Tom Emanski defensive drills video, which, of course, has McGriff's "full endorsement":

 

The irony is, McGriff was not a particularly good defensive first baseman. He's been elected to the Hall of Fame because he could hit the damn ball.

In 19 seasons, he totaled 493 home runs and collected 2,493 hits. He finished in the top 10 of MVP balloting six times and was chosen to the All-Star team five times.

McGriff had 10 seasons of 30 or more home runs, and he hit 30-plus homers for five different franchises. He was a member of the 1995 World Series champion Atlanta Braves. He had 1,550 RBIs in his career, and finished with a .284/.377/.509 career slash line.

In order to be elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee, a player needs 12 of 16 votes, or 75% of the ballots. McGriff was unanimously chosen.

Don Mattingly (8 votes), Curt Schilling (7 votes) and Dale Murphy (6 votes) were others who received consideration and fell short.

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Albert Belle and Rafael Palmeiro were also on the ballot, but all received less than four votes.

White Sox announce initial 2023 promotion schedule

The White Sox on Thursday announced their initial promotion schedule for 2023. You can look it over for yourself by clicking here.

Four quick thoughts: 

1. The bobblehead days are for Eloy Jimenez (May 13) and Luis Robert (July 8). Amid rumors that a core player will be traded this offseason, perhaps as soon as next week's winter meetings, does this mean Jimenez and Robert are safe? Do you suppose baseball operations and marketing communicate about stuff like that?
2. The Hawaiian shirts (June 10) the Sox hand out just keep getting uglier and uglier. The last two or three have ended up in my Goodwill pile. I'm pretty sure this game isn't part of my 2023 ticket plan. Just as well.
3. I'm excited to get the 1993 American League West Division Champs crewneck (April 15). As I get older, I have more nostalgia for good Sox teams of the past. Maybe that's because the present is nothing to celebrate, but I digress. Much like the current era, the Sox of the 1990s had a different player in right field every season. However, unlike the current era, whomever the Sox signed to play right field in the '90s actually produced. Remember Ellis Burks in '93? He only played one season in Chicago, but a solid season it was.
4. The Sox seem to have developed a fetish for creating jerseys for other sports. Get your Sox hockey jersey (April 29), your Sox basketball jersey (June 24), your Sox football jersey (Aug. 12) and your Sox soccer jersey (Sept. 2). OK, I'll admit I wouldn't mind the hockey one, as I am a big hockey fan. But the rest of this, I can take or leave.

Which Sox promotion are you most excited to stand in line for next season? 

Jerry Reinsdorf's statement on Jose Abreu inadvertently summarizes history of White Sox baseball

White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf released a statement after longtime first baseman Jose Abreu signed a three-year contract with the Houston Astros:

Here's the part that stands out to me: "Unfortunately, hope is not always translated into reality."

Hmmm ... Doesn't that sum up what we've been looking at these past few years with the Rick Hahn rebuild? Heck, doesn't that inadvertently summarize the entire history of White Sox baseball?

There's been plenty of time spent selling hope, but not much of it has brought results in reality.

Oh, the irony.

White Sox announce 2023 coaching staff

Daryl Boston

The White Sox have announced the complete list of coaches who will work for new manager Pedro Grifol. And here they are:

• Bench coach: Charlie Montoyo
• Pitching coach: Ethan Katz
• Bullpen coach: Curt Hasler
• Hitting coach: José Castro
• Assistant hitting coach: Chris Johnson
• First-base coach: Daryl Boston
• Third-base coach: Eddie Rodríguez
• Major League field coordinator: Mike Tosar
• Senior director of sports performance: Geoff Head

There are names both familiar and unfamiliar to Sox fans on this list. Montoyo, of course, started last season as the Toronto Blue Jays manager before being fired midseason. At the time of Grifol's hiring, it was mentioned that Montoyo would be coming aboard as bench coach. Katz and Hasler are holdovers from the Tony La Russa regime.

Castro comes to the Sox from the Atlanta Braves. He was their assistant hitting coach for the past eight years. Based on that, I think fans can be optimistic about this hire. The Braves are a successful organization; they are just 13 months removed from winning the 2021 World Series championship, and they were a division winner again in 2022. Johnson, a former MLB infielder, earns a promotion to the big-league level after earnings good reviews as the hitting coach at Triple-A Charlotte last season.

Rodriguez is a baseball lifer. He's 63 years old, and he's been coaching for 40 years. Like Grifol, he comes from the Kansas City organization, where he was a minor-league field coordinator. He's known for being a good infield coach, which the Sox could surely use. Basically, he's a replacement for Joe McEwing, who left on La Russa's coattails.

Tosar also comes from the Kansas City, where he served as a hitting coach. I'm not entirely sure how we define the role of Major League field coordinator, but I'm assuming it's a promotion for Tosar. Otherwise, the Royals might not have let him out of his contract.

Head spent the last three seasons as the senior director of health and performance with the Cincinnati Reds. Perhaps most notably, he owns three World Series rings from his tenure with the San Francisco Giants, which spanned from 2008-19. He had three different titles there -- strength and conditioning coordinator, Major League sports scientist, and assistant director of player development/director of sports medicine.

And then ... we get to Daryl Boston. The Sox just can't quit him. Grifol will be the fourth manager for whom Boston has worked. Under La Russa, Boston was in charge of baserunning and outfield defense. As all Sox fans are aware, the team has been absolutely terrible in those two areas.

I'm not sure why Boston was retained, but the folks on Twitter seem to believe he excels as a spy for Ken Williams. I have no evidence of that, but I wish I could laugh it off as being ridiculous. Alas, given the dysfunction in the Sox organization, anything seems plausible.

If the Sox fail in 2023 and start yet another rebuild, you can count on two things: Leury Garcia will still be on the 26-man roster, and Daryl Boston will still be on the coaching staff. They are immovable objects.

So long, Jose Abreu: Longtime White Sox first baseman headed to Houston

Jose Abreu

It's a bitter pill for White Sox fans to swallow, even though we knew it was coming.

Longtime first baseman Jose Abreu is leaving town. He's agreed to a three-year deal with the World Series champion Houston Astros. Terms of the contract have not been disclosed, but sources say Abreu will make about $60 million over the lifetime of the deal.

During his nine-year career with the Sox, Abreu appeared in 1,270 games and batted .292/.354/.506 with 243 home runs, 16 triples, 303 doubles and 863 RBIs. He posted five seasons of 30 home runs or more, six seasons of 100 RBIs or more, and he won the American League MVP with 19 homers and 60 RBIs in the COVID-shortened 60-game season in 2020.

For Abreu, Houston is a perfect fit. The Astros were ready to move on from Yuli Gurriel as their first baseman. Abreu, 35, will bat sixth in the Houston batting order -- behind Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker -- and he will not be expected to carry the team, like he was in Chicago.

This move also presents Abreu with his best chance to win a championship. The Astros have advanced to the AL Championship Series in six consecutive seasons. Four times, they have advanced to the World Series. Two times, they have won the World Series.

The Astros are actually "competing for multiple championships," unlike the Sox, who are established pretenders. 

So, it's a great move for Abreu, but where does that leave the Sox? 

Well, there isn't a single position player left on the Chicago roster who you can point to and say, "I know what that man is going to give me." Abreu was that guy, and now he's gone.

Go around the diamond, and you'll see that the Sox have a health question or a performance question at every position:

Catcher: Yasmani Grandal is coming off an injury-plagued season that was the worst of his career.

First base: How confident are you that Andrew Vaughn is ready to take Abreu's place?

Second base: We don't know who is playing second base for the Sox.

Shortstop: Injuries limited Tim Anderson to 79 games last season. He turns 30 in June.

Third base: Yoan Moncada was a combination of injured and bad throughout 2022.

Left field: We don't know who is playing left field for the Sox.

Center field: Because of injuries, Luis Robert had zero home runs and only two RBIs after the All-Star break in 2022.

Right field: Oscar Colas seems like he has a legitimate chance to win the job. Will he hit as a rookie?

Designated hitter: Injury questions have moved Eloy Jimenez from left field to full-time DH. Hey, he gets hurt running the bases, too, so hold your breath.

None of this inspires confidence, does it? Sure, Abreu's getting older, and his power has declined. But he's been the one guy the Sox can count on for years and years. Now, who are you leaning on?