- Editor's Note: "10 free agent outfielders for the White Sox to consider" originally appeared on Sox on 35th. Jordan Lazowski of Sox On 35th will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports Chicago's White Sox coverage for the 2022 season. You can read more of their coverage at SoxOn35th.com, and follow them on Twitter at @SoxOn35th.
With free agency officially beginning this afternoon, the White Sox will be able to get to work on completing their team for the 2023 season. With AJ Pollock officially opting out of his contract, the White Sox enter the offseason with Luis Robert as their only *true* outfielder on the roster. While Oscar Colas is likely to be an option at some point at the position, the White Sox will need to build some depth while also finding a top-of-the-line option to get most of the at-bats in left field.
Here are 10 players the White Sox could look to sign in free agency to help fill their outfield holes, why they make sense for the team, and what a contract may look like for each of these players.
Brandon Nimmo
2022 Statistics: .274/.367/.433, 16 HR, 134 wRC+, 5.4 fWAR
When you look at the White Sox' roster, defensive limitations, lack of plate discipline, and lack of left-handed hitting options have been a plague for the team. Nimmo impacts all three weaknesses and does so as a player who put up nearly a 6-win season in 2022. His career 13.6% walk rate (10.5% in 2022) would be among White Sox leaders, while his +6 Outs Above Average (91st percentile) make him a great option in the outfield. While he played center field for the Mets last season, he does have experience as a positive defender in left field as well, so the White Sox would not have to be concerned about him out there.
A Brandon Nimmo - Luis Robert - Oscar Colas outfield to start the 2023 season would be an excellent one. The risks with Nimmo, however, are obvious, as 2022 was the first time since 2018 in which he played at least 140 games in a season. However, whenever he is on the field, he makes an impact offensively and defensively, and he should be the big name the White Sox go after on offseason this offseason.
Potential Contract: 5 years, $110M. Nimmo's age and production are going to get comparisons to George Springer; however, his defense is not as good as Springer's, nor is his health history. Anywhere in the $20M - $23M AAV range is where Nimmo is likely to end up this offseason, and he is the perfect player to be the first the White Sox give more than $100M guaranteed to.
Michael Conforto
2021 Statistics: .232/.344/.384, 14 HR, 106 wRC+, 1.4 fWAR
Another former Mets outfielder could help the White Sox in one of their corner outfield positions. After turning down a massive contract extension from the Mets and needing shoulder surgery last year, Conforto will be looking for a pillow contract after having to sit out the entire 2022 season. However, prior to 2022, Conforto had been an incredibly productive player that many White Sox fans had been looking to potentially sign.
- 2017-2021: .259/.364/.473, 12.6 BB%, 23.9 K%, 127 wRC+, 16.3 fWAR
Even in a down year in 2021, Conforto still managed a 106 wRC+ and was a clear platoon option: .243/.348/.444 with a 119 wRC+ against RHP. Conforto’s career walk rate and wRC+ are well above what the White Sox have gotten from a corner outfield position recently. In addition, he's also been a serviceable outfielder with a +1 OAA season in 2021 in RF and a +5 OAA season in LF back in 2018.
If the White Sox are able to find a cheap right-handed outfield option to platoon with Conforto, the White Sox could create a left fielder for the same price as signing the highly sought-after Nimmo - 29 teams will lose out on that sweepstakes, so it's good to have backup options.
Potential Contract: 1 year, $13M with second-year player option. With the league’s worst walk rate in 2022, the White Sox could benefit from someone whose walk rate was the 25th-highest from 2019-2021, similar to that of Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, and Mookie Betts. While the risk is plenty here due to the shoulder injury and the loss of a full season, Conforto has the floor of a hitter that the White Sox lack and the ceiling of someone who well outperforms his contract.
David Peralta
2022 Statistics: .251/.316/.415, 12 HR, 104 wRC+, 1.7 fWAR
MLB
If the White Sox do decide on the platoon route, Peralta would be a solid choice for the ball club. Peralta posted a .778 OPS against RHP last season (116 wRC+) between the Diamondbacks and the Rays, and while he did fade down the stretch in Tampa Bay (82 wRC+ in September/October), he does have a power history and posted the second-highest hard hit rate of his career last season. He also is a plus defender, accumulating +5 OAA in each of the past two seasons.
With Peralta, the White Sox would be taking a risk on his age, but would conceivably have a cheaper platoon option than some of the others on the market. His defense alone makes it worth at least exploring what his role could look like on this team in some capacity, and he does fit the White Sox well.
Potential Contract: 1 year, $8M. The soon-to-be 36-year-old is likely coming towards the last few contracts of his career, but this deal makes use of the $8M saved from AJ Pollock's opt-out and instead distributes it to the left-handed half of a platoon. From there, it shouldn't be too hard for the White Sox to find a platoon right-handed option.