After how last offseason went in regards to the White Sox pursuit of Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, White Sox fans might not be ready to go through this all again, but here we are.
The GM meetings started today, which means baseball executives, agents and reporters are talking and gossiping. Rumor season is heating up. While we may not get solid news and transactions for weeks or even months, the rumblings are picking up.
This latest set of rumors and speculation puts White Sox fans in position to get their hopes up yet again. First, it was Jon Morosi saying the White Sox are among the group of teams showing interest in Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler. Now it’s Jim Bowden of The Athletic putting hopeful words together in a brief offseason outlook for the White Sox.
For starters, he says the White Sox are primed to be the surprise AL team in 2020. The reasoning why is based around the team’s young talent and the potential to add in free agency.
“Don’t be surprised if they make a run at free agent Anthony Rendon with the idea of moving Yoán Moncada back to second base and then trading second baseman and Gold Glove Award-winner Yolmer Sánchez,” Bowden wrote.
That’s a lot for one sentence. Rendon is arguably the best third baseman in baseball and is coming off a World Series title with the Nationals. Even the idea of him playing on the South Side should be enough to get the fanbase excited.
The Sanchez trade part of that is a somewhat new wrinkle to the White Sox offseason. Despite winning a Gold Glove, there’s a reasonable argument to be made that Sanchez isn’t worth the somewhat high price tag he would earn via arbitration. If the White Sox can find a trade partner and get some assets in return, that could open up some possibilities for Rick Hahn and Co. in the White Sox front office.
MLB
Bowden didn’t stop there though.
“I would expect them to make a run at both Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg, but I don’t think either will have the White Sox at or near the top of their priority lists,” he wrote.
This is a logical pair of conclusions. Considering the White Sox are in need of starting pitching and Cole and Strasburg are both elite talents, they have to at least join the discussions regarding those two. It doesn’t seem likely that the White Sox would land either, but they will likely be named among the many potential suitors for those pitchers.
Buckle up, this is just the beginning.
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