White Sox: History could limit Chicago’s outfield options

The White Sox have a history of bungling free agent options at outfield. Are they destined to repeat their mistakes once the MLB lockout thaws?

The MLB lockout isn’t necessarily “good” for anyone in baseball, but in the spirit of finding silver linings, the two-month hiatus could be a chance for troubled teams to collect and reflect.

Despite a brief playoff run, the White Sox are still in need of developing their options at outfield. The Sox had the opportunity to sign Joc Pederson over their crosstown rival, but they lost out when they refused Pederson more than $10 million for a year.

Pederson pulled away and signed with the Cubs for $7 million, while the White Sox signed Adam Eaton for $7 million. Pederson was traded to the Braves to fill Ronald Acuña Jr.’s role, and the rest is MLB history. If Pederson were on Chicago’s roster instead, that history could have been quite different.

Is the Joc Pederson debacle a cautionary tale for chronic White Sox mismanagement?

While Pederson did decline his mutual option in November and remains a free agent, there’s doubt as to whether the South Siders could land Pederson with a second opportunity.

The sad thing is, the White Sox could still use Pederson since the Adam Eaton experiment failed miserably. Eaton cleared the benches last April when he started shoving Cleveland infielder Andres Gimenez for guarding second too closely as he tried to steal. By July, the White Sox cut their losses by cutting Eaton altogether.

Somehow, the 2019 World Champion with the Washington Nationals managed a lowly .201 batting average and career low .642 OPS.

Chicago have found a way to mismanage Craig Kimbrel, disinterest Joc Pederson, and bring out career lows for Adam Eaton. As they ponder their options during the MLB lockout, the White Sox have a lot to consider.