The Nationals accomplished a big part of their winter to-do list when they acquired Josh Bell from the Pirates on Christmas Eve. “He exemplifies everything we’re trying to do here in Washington,” GM Mike Rizzo told NBCSports’ Todd Dybas and others during a Zoom call this afternoon (via Twitter). Bell fits the clubhouse ethos the Nats work hard to maintain while being a near-perfect on-field fit to join Juan Soto in the middle of the lineup. Ryan Zimmerman could still return to the Nats, per the Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli (via Twitter), as Rizzo notes that a right-handed bench bat remains an area of need [UPDATE: A new contract between Zimmerman and the Nationals “seems inevitable,” Ghiroli hears from sources.]
- Michael Fisher is helping pitchers take a proactive approach to retiring hitters through his data-analytics firm called Codify, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. Rather than telling pitchers what they’re doing wrong, he creates heat maps to help pitchers find the right areas to target. He focuses on where they should throw the ball instead of where they shouldn’t. Fisher’s approach works for a number of Oakland A’s pitchers like Jake Diekman, Jesus Luzardo, and Sean Manaea, Giants’ hurlers Tyler Beede and Logan Webb, as well as free agent closer Liam Hendriks.
- Despite the additions already made this offseason, the White Sox could use some more rotation depth, a closer, and a designated hitter, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Andrew Vaughn could be called upon to fill that designated hitter role or to spell MVP Jose Abreu at first base. Vaughn figured to be a fast-riser when the White Sox made him the No. 3 overall selection of the 2019 draft, and he made it to High-A in his first professional season. Had there been a minor league season in 2020, Vaughn might be ready for the Show, but under the circumstances, the Sox could look for a stopgap solution to give Vaughn some seasoning time and further build their offensive depth.
I really don’t see the fit between Josh Bell and the Nationals. Rizzo fumbled this move, should have went after CJ Cron via free agency and saved the prospect capital to make a bigger splash. Bell does nothing to move the needle and you’re basically wasting another season of Juan Soto in his prime.
I mean, they already won a title, I don’t think they’ve necessarily “wasted” Soto’s prime so far. He’s only 22 and already has a ring, I think that’s pretty good.
Cron would be a good pickup, but Rizzo likely looks at Bell as a higher upside option
He didn’t say they wasted Soto’s prime. He said they’re wasting a season of Soto’s prime which is arguably true.
They acquired Josh Bell and it’s a “waste of Soto’s prime”? Who said Rizzo is done with the offense? Eaton is gone, so they’ve got an OF spot to fill by free agency. They may possibly add a 3B if they deem Kieboom is not ready. Castro returns healthy. A little early for the twee dramatics that Soto’s prime is being wasted.
Soto is 22, he’s not even close to his prime yet.
I do agree that Cron would have made more sense as he only would have cost money (and probably not a lot) and has been much more consistent offensively. The prospect capital being a 26 year old possible starter/likely reliever and a lotto ticket isn’t that hard of a pill to swallow. Perhaps a change of scenery is what Bell needs to get going, going from a losing environment to a team that is one year removed from a championship could make for a big turnaround for Bell
to be fair, there is a lot of dispute about what “in his prime” means anymore.
The most recent research from folks at Fangraphs and the Athletic seems to indicate that for most position players their prime is actually the year after they make MLB an they typically plateu or decline from there (with huge variance an plenty of them also getting better).
Because pitching is so much more mental, & so much more finesse (not that those aren’t also important for position players, but less so), the peak for pitchers is still definitely after the age of 25 (on average). But the long-ago conventional wisdom that position players peak at ~age 27 is no longer considered accurate.
I think Soto will probably get better each of the next few years because he is such an outlier quality talent. But I do think people will end up considering his “prime” years more like 22-27 and not 25-29 once we’re looking back on his career from our flying cars in the future.
@Sox-papertrail
Then there are Late bloomers like Mikey Mo
His prime came between 25 and 30
If someone wants to bet their mortgage that Juan Soto will hit his prime at this age or that age than fine, go ahead and do that. It’s a waste of time even predicting it because there are so many variables and intangibles involved,
Nats fans, including me, were disappointed a few years ago that they had to “settle” for Daniel Murphy to play 2B.. Who then went on to have the best years of his career at Ages 31-33. No one saw those years coming. At all.
Am I missing something regarding these prospects? Neither appears to be a franchise changer. Did the Nats really give that much up for a switch hitter who has shown success?
No, they really didn’t. Crowe is at best a bottem of the rotation starter/reliever. Yean is only 19 so its tougher to gauge. He could be something, he could be nothing, it will be a while before we know
Yean is far more likely to be something than nothing. What that something is remains to be seen.
I don’t particularly love the return but they weren’t getting much quality back given how bad Bell has been.
Ask Mike Trout what he would give for one championship ring…..
Apparently not a lot because he chose a massive extension to stay with the Angels rather than try to sign with a team with a better chance of winning
Exactly. Every “pundit” cries about the Angels wasting Trout’s prime, but he doesn’t seem to have the hunger to win or be the face of MLB. While that’s his choice, it’s disappointing that he doesn’t value winning and helping to advance the game of baseball around the world. He’s not quite as “aw shucks” as somebody like Jim Thome, but he’s close.
While he’s undoubtedly a future Hall of Famer, this is something that might prevent him from becoming a unanimous selection when the time comes.
“Every “pundit” cries about the Angels wasting Trout’s prime, but he doesn’t seem to have the hunger to win or be the face of MLB.”
What more would Trout have to do to win, he’s already the best player in the game?
What you mean to, but won’t come right out and say is…
If Trout had “the hunger to win or be the face of MLB” he’d have signed with the Yankees or Dodgers.
I think Mike Trout is every bit as hungry to win as anyone else. Does he want to be the face of the MLB? It’s hard to say but he isn’t willing to be someone he’s not to achieve that which I think is very reasonable.
If Arte Moreno finally put the money in the rotation, the angels would be a playoff team honestly. Its what they are missing.
Nats gave up not much to get not much. “Near-perfect on-field fit” (in post) vastly overstates it.
Nice use of hyphen for “near-perfect“ though.
Bell fits the clubhouse ethos though and Cron does not like the article said, and that’s not something we can see in the Baseball Reference box score. Unless you are a scout with the team that can see Bell and Cron’s respective “grit” and “intangibles”, then it is only your opinion on who they should have targeted. Bill James is working on inventing some new sabermetrics that can combine intangibles with new algorithms and they are probably testing them out in front offices before they release them to the comment board-reading public.
Says the guy with zero MLB management experience
He’s a a power hitting switch hitter who gets on base, stays healthy and besides last year, has had a ops+ that’s above league average while Cron doesn’t draw walks and has played in more than 125 games in a season only once . The Nationals can afford to spend money like few other teams so i don’t see money being a significant factor in this and to give up two prospects that aren’t even top 100 prospects for a couple years of Bell is a steal. I get that he had a pretty horrible season last year but that’s is one year compared to 3 productive years and don’t be surprised if Putting Bell in a winning environment brings his game to a new level.. Even the year where he only hit 12 home runs, he still walked a good amount and had a ops+ that was a little above average. As long as he stays healthy, like he has his whole career and keeps getting on base at the rate he does, the Nats will come out on top with this trade.
“The Nationals can afford to spend like few other teams” – ?!
In 2021? Wrong.
Last season MLB teams’ main evenue source was from game broadcasts. And The Nats have one of the WORST TV deals in baseball. AND they were stuck with the 8th highest payroll last season. The Lerners are going to cautious re: what (if any) paid attendance will look like in 2021,
“The Nationals can afford to spend like few other teams” – ?!
In 2021? Wrong.
Last season MLB teams’ main evenue source was from game broadcasts. And The Nats have one of the WORST TV deals in baseball. AND they were stuck with the 8th highest payroll last season.
Soto is not going anywhere. He’s the next Nats to receive a Super Contract/or a Mega Extension for sure! Scherzer is coming of the books as well as Turner in a couple of yrs. So yeah, it’ll very realistic seeing the Nats lock up Soto on a massive offer he won’t be able to refuse.
Nah. C. J. Cron from 2017 -2020 has been with four different teams. He bats right handed, doesn’t walk much and is coming off an injury plagued season. I don’t see the fit there and don’t know what you’re talking about. Don’t forget the Nationals won in only Soto’s second season.
I do think that Collins/Vaughn DH combo could work, but that assumes the Sox will carry a 3rd catcher (Mercedes?). Looks like they will still add someone, but I think Collins could be a good player with some consistent ABs.
Collins/Vaughn will be the DH combo. Sign Colome. Cease/Lopez 4&5. Done.
Look out for this kid Burger.
A 24 year old who hasn’t hit above A-ball nor had a competitive AB in 3 years and can’t field is hardly something to look out for, especially on a team that already has enough 1B/DH guys.
you’re dramatically underselling Burger here.
Is he *likely* to be an impact player in 2021? Obviously not.
But the Sox thought he looked good enough at fall instructs (where other teams got a look at him) that they needed to protect him on the 40man and they were willing to lose a guy like Klade Mclure in order to give Burger a spot.
That means they thought there was a chance that some other team would grab him in the rule 5 and roster him for all of 2021.
According to scouts that saw him, while the injury history can’t be ignored, he actually looked *better* at third base during the fall this time than before his injuries. He may actually be a able to stick at third, at least part time. He doesn’t have the most elite range or even an elite arm. But he has exceptionally good instincts, first step, reaction time, and a reliable/accurate arm.
@keysox
Burger, lol??? How many DH’s do the W Sox carry. DH is the best position for about half of their non-pitchers.
And if Collins is as good as a couple of people, here feel – then why did the Sox not only sign Grandal to a 4 year contract, but want to bring back McCann?
Burger and Collins are all W Sox hype.
@Dogbone
DH is the best position for about half of their non-pitchers?
Eloy and Collins. That’s 2. Last I looked, there are 13 position players on the 26-man roster. I’ll even be kind enough to throw Mercedes in as a 3rd DH-first player, even though he’s far from a guarantee to be on the 26-man roster.
3/13 = 23.1%, just a bit shy of 50%. I take it math is not your strong suit (nor is logic or common sense).
Dogbone do your research on Collins to his connection with Grandal before you utter your nonsense.
What about Kopeck?
Kopech?
Not an option for DH.
I’m pretty sure he was replying to Keysox’ comment about Cease/Lopez as #4/5. I’d rather Kopech get a shot than either of those guys, but especially in place of Lopez.
My favorite amusing narrative is that Collins sucks. I just find it funny that some people have written him off despite the fact that he’s barely played. He should absolutely start the season backing up Grandal/rotating in at 1B/DH.
Either do that or trade him.
That should be his narrative. Collins can’t field his position nor hit 200. How in the world would you define those results………as awesome? PaaaaaLeeze. The White Sox didn’t give Yaz all that money because they believe Collins will be a stud.
That should not be his narrative at all. The kid slashed .282/.403/.548 with a 16.9% walk rate in 367 AAA plate appearances in 2019. If he can be even slightly below average defensively, his bat should bring enough value to make him a respectable backup at worst. His lowest wRC+ at ANY level in the minors was 128, yet he’s being written off as some bum that can’t do anything right because he hasn’t succeed in 120 sporadic major league at bats.
Let’s also keep in mind that despite his struggles so far, he carries a 13.3% major league walk rate and a 91.2mph average exit velocity, both of which would be top 20 in the majors over the last 2 years if he had enough AB’s to qualify.
What’s funny too is that people don’t realize his first year actually wasn’t all that bad. He had a terrible first cup of coffee because the team jerked him around and gave him a whopping 31 plate appearances over a full month (slashed .045/.222/.182). I’d argue not many young players are going to succeed under those conditions. When he was called back up in September and given a shot at consistent AB’s, he slashed .233/.343/.417 over 71 plate appearances (.324/.405/.568 over his final 42). Again, numbers that would land him in the top 20 of the position if he can at least be serviceable behind the dish a couple times a week.
He absolutely deserves a shot to be a major leaguer, whether that be in Chicago or somewhere else.
All that being said, I’m 100% on team Yermin for DH AB’s until they call up Vaughn.
#FreeYermin
Completely agree. Anyone who thinks Collins has had a chance is nuts. I mean, it’s actually ridiculous that we somehow still don’t have a good idea what he can do with the bat or the mitt at the MLB level.
He should have been catching a lot more in 2019 (why was Welington Castillo ever playing late in the season?), and I don’t understand why he didn’t get more DH at-bats in 2020 with how awful Encarnacion was.
I also wonder if the people absolutely trashing his catching have even watched him play there.
If they can get Schwarber on a 1yr deal where he is very motivated, that would be an intriguing DH platoon with Mercedes. The latter is way overdue to get his shot. Collins no brainer to see what he can do as backup C. Like some others said, Vaughn can use some work in high minors-that is not a knock at all until he earns a promotion.
Collins’ crappy MLB stats look nothing like his AAA stats. Peter principle. Sox should have kept McCann!
Maybe you should let Collins get a fair shot before judging him on his “crappy MLB stats.” If you’re judging him solely based on his MLB stats thus far, you’re clueless.
And no, they shouldn’t have kept McCann. As much as I’d love to have him back, that money can (and should) be used elsewhere.
If Grandal is injured, Sox WS chances are over. Need a solid C backup.
Collins is overhyped. You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip!
Lol you seriously believe Grandal is the glue holding this team together?
Best C on the roster, idiot!
Sox won’t win WS with Collins starting C if Grandal goes down.
Again, literally nobody is hyping up Collins. The fact that you continue to call him overhyped shows how out of touch you are. With the rest of their offense being what it is, if Grandal goes down, they can afford to bring in a defense only catcher for practically nothing. Backup C is not anywhere near as big of a concern at this time as you seem to think.
Stick to trolling the Cubs articles.
Sox are hiding Collins in hopes somebody values his draft position as trade bait I think. sox don’t see him in their future plans
Very true.
He is OBVIOUSLY a platoon only player. But if ask the average Sox fan about Collins and you ask them to estimate how well he has hit against righties in his MLB career, what do you think they would say?
Probably bad, yeah? 50 wRC+? like OPS 500 or worse?
But actually, his 2019 wRC+ against RHP was exactly league average.
(99 wRC+. 751 OPS.)
That’s obviously not very good for a platoon DH, but it was also his first cup of coffee and he was never given regular ABs and was frequently required to face MLB lefties which he is clearly never going to do well.
in 2021 the Sox need to give him regular starting DH at bats — only against RHP — and see if there’s something special there. He has an elite eye, and he has plenty of power. Let’s give the league a chance to figure him out and then lets give him a chance to respond. There is a reason he was an elite college player and why he was taken in the first round.
Even if he is only a backup catcher with high upside platoon power, that is still a very valuable player. We need to show MLB who that player is, so that when the universal DH finally shows up for good we can trade him to an NL team for a halfway decent prospect instead of giving him away for free.
(We can also keep him, but I don’t actually expect us to have any space at 1B/DH longterm b/c I’m very high on Burger, Sheets, & Vaughn and I’m very low on Eloy’s ability to stick in LF.)
That DH combo would work for 75% of teams but a team truly going for a title…..should do better than two rookies.
we’ve seen almost every single championship team the last 5 years rely on hot rookies to win their titles.
Vaughn is also not just “some rookie” he is literally the best pure hitting prospects on the top 100 list. He’s a rookie so good that the Sox seriously considered promoting him last year to be a a part of their playoff roster and he hasn’t even seen AA yet.
Collins hasn’t shown me anything, so I’m not sure why he gets so much hype. Vaughn needs about 500-600 ABs in the minors, which won’t happen until atleast next season. IMO, they’re better off making Eloy the permanent DH (keeps him healthy plus he’s not a good LFer, and signing Brantley to play LF. You chinced on Springer, so it’s not like you’re breaking the bank anyway. Get Hendrik on a 3-yr deal, re-sign Colome on a 2-yr.
Who is hyping him? Seems like everyone and their mom has written him off.
Literally nobody is hyping him. 99% of Sox “fans” are tearing him apart based on a tiny sample of sporadic playing time. He hasn’t shown you anything because he hasn’t been given a legitimate chance to show you anything. As I said above, the only time he has been given consistent playing time, he has played well. In September 2019, he slashed .233/.343/.417 over 71 plate appearances (.324/.405/.568 over his final 42).
@ChiSoxCity
Eloy won’t sniff the DH position as long as Abreu and Vaughn are on the team. I’m sure Eloy is better suited at DH, but is passable in LF (where teams usually put their weakest defensive OF). He will always be prone to embarrassing defensive mistakes, but he actually looked better overall in ’20 than in ’19 (at least from what I saw).
Plus, he looks like Willie Mays compared to what Manny Ramirez did during his tenure in LF. And Ramirez carved out a nice career despite his brutal D.
Eloy will stay injury prone (and out of the lineup) playing OF everyday. It’s difficult to swallow, with him being do young. But it is what it is. Moving Soler to DH paid dividends for the Royals (led the AL in HRs). Eloy is (quite possibly the best hitter on the team) has the same potential at DH.
@ChiSoxCity
Ideally Eloy is best suited as DH, I’m not going to argue with what you’re saying comparing him to Soler. But again, as long as Abreu and Vaughn are in the fold, they won’t put Eloy at DH (barring injuries). It would be foolish to platoon Abreu and Vaughn at 1st, and they can’t split the 1B and DH position between those 3. With 324 games available at 1B and DH combined, the average for the 3 players would be 108 GP each, and that’s way too few for 3 important bats in the lineup. Once Abreu retires (or if Vaughn gets traded, which I hope does not happen), then we can talk Eloy as DH.
Not to pile it on, but I do have to agree with the others regarding Collins. Maybe 3 or 4 years ago he was overhyped, but the last couple years he’s basically been forgotten. I really hope they give him a fighting chance in ’21, because they have yet to give him one. If they give him a true chance and he fails, then fine, cut him. But that’s BS cutting him now because of performance, because then it looks like they set him up to fail. I think he could do some damage offensively if given the chance, but playing once a week is certain failure for him.
I understand the White Sox have a logjam at DH. I think Eloy’s health should a bigger concern, and a top priority. You’re risking a year-end, or possibly a career ending injury every he crashes into a wall or falls awkwardly to make a play. He has too large a frame, and lacks the requisite body control/athleticism to play LF SAFELY. The Sox know this, but they want him out there because he’s young (and may not take a position change well). I hope I’m wrong, but we’ve all seen this before.
Launch Collins. He cannot hit.
Give Vaughn a chance to be regular DH with Abreu as DH to rest once in a while.
We need some big moves to happen already.
Bell and Lynn were big moves
Eh I’m talking about Bauer, JTR, Arenado, Lindor, Ozuna, Springer. Those are big moves.
it’s actually more exciting to me to leave Bauer, JTR, Ozuna, & Springer on the board.
Because we know those will happen, so it’s like Hitchcock’s definition of suspense vs thrill. A loaded gun that hasn’t been fired yet (but will be!) is much more exciting than just seeing the gun fired early in the play.
I want action, but selfishly, I hope it’s all trade action & rumor until the end of January.
Bell? Which Bell do you speak of
Mitch Moreland makes a lot of sense for the White Sox. Left handed power who could share 1B/DH with Abreu, and since he can likely be had on a one year contract doesn’t block Vaughn when he’s ready
Meh.
11 seasons in the majors and Moreland has been part of 7 postseason teams. Having him around probably wouldn’t be the worst thing for the White Sox
Unlikely since Reinsdorf isn’t likely to open his wallet, that much.
Will the Cubs ever make any changes?
“Unlikely since Ricketts isn’t likely to open his wallet [,] that much.”
Fixed.
Moreland signed with the Red Sox for one year and four million last winter. I don’t see him signing for more than that this winter. Even Reinsdorf can pay that
if we sign a short term DH, it should be someone who can backup Moncada at 3B. Expecting Moncada to play 160 games at 3B does not seem realistic based on his history so far.
But if he got more time off to rest his legs, we might be able to get 160 games of at bats out of him, which is more important.
Justin Turner would be a really interesting signing because it’s not like he is going to be expensive, he has plenty of playoff experience, and if he is good but we want to promote Vaughn it would not be too hard to trade him to an NL contender.
Interesting.
Analytics has been way off. Webb and Beede have averaged the highest pitches per inning for the Giants the last two years.
The Giants don’t have an Analytical or data problem
They have a TALENT problem
Despite the additions already made this offseason, the White Sox could use some more rotation depth, a closer, and a designated hitter, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
Aren’t the Red Sox the baseball team in Boston? I don’t know, just seems strange.
It’s not working for Beede lol
The Giants . Lol
I find it extremely surprising how much hate Josh Bell has had from MLBTR commentors over the last few articles about him. People are making him out to be Ryan Howard 2.0 when he has really been quite good. I understand that the crazy 2020 season wasn’t good, but over the course of his career he was solid. Yes, he may not get back to his 2019 status but even if he hits 20-25 HR with a .250/340/450 line, its a good deal for the nats. He also has the upside which is really nice. Just gotta shore up that glove and its a great deal imo.
I’m surprised how few people are betting on Bell to get back to his potential, given how the narrative after Cole, Glasnow, Meadows, etc. is that you need to get Pirate players some decent coaching before knowing what you have.
Maybe he won’t sniff it again, but if he does get back near his peak, the Nats got a star (a Boras controlled one they can keep if they like) for almost nothing.
And if he’s still mediocre at the plate and awful (yes, legit awful) in the field, oh well, they gave up almost nothing.
I know. It’s a valuable upside play, and considering how high the upside and what the Nat’s 2021 already looked like, it makes tons of sense to me.
The Nat’s are only able to beat the Mets & Atlanta in the 2021 season if they have some upside stuff go well. They just gave themselves another 3.5 WAR lottery ticket for very very little. Also, if Bell is mediocre but playable, he becomes that much more valuable in 2022 when the universal DH will probably come around again.
Yes, The Braves are the class of the NL East is, everyone knows that. But “The Nats are only able to beat The Mets…” — ? — I wouldnt bet the mortgage that over a 162 game season in 2020 that The Nats would tie The Mets for last place, and doubt anyone else would either. The Mets put up another joke season in 2020, and on top of that they no longer have Cano, who put up a .316/.352 and tracked to put up ,30+ HR’s in a normal season. That’s a huge void.
The Nats don’t need an “upside” year. They need to have a “normal” year to put The Mets way off in their rearview mirror. Until The Mets new owner starts walking it like he talks it, The Mets are not to be taken seriously………what is it you see that should make Washington fear The Mets ?
There is a lot of shoring necessary for that glove.
And no, he’s never going to be the next Ryan Howard or, for us Pirates fans, the next Pedro Alvarez. But he hasn’t really done much to warrant any kind of expectation. Yes, he was an all star in 2019 but he fell off the cliff in the second half and has never recovered.
Right.
Ryan howard had more then one season over 1.0 war. A few over 2.7 or whatever bells was. Bell is solid and has upside but if you remove one month, he hasn’t been anything special.
I don’t see how Codify has “worked” for Tyler Beede—the big time underachiever.
Unless the Nats add JTR and another good starting pitcher, they aren’t going to be good enough to compete in the NL East this year. The Braves are a much better team right now and all signs point to the Mets adding enough new talent to put them ahead of the Nats as well. Sure seems like the Nats, Phillies and Marlins will be battling it out for the 3-4-5 spots in their division. Bell really doesn’t move the needle much at all when it comes to the Nats’ success in 2021.
Every year people say the Mets are gunna win the division and every year they break down in June. I’ll give you the Braves but people need to look past ‘20, the Nats had Stras for 2 starts and had Soto/Howie out for several games, it’s impossible to judge them last “season” If they get one of Turner/Ozuna/Brantley/DJL they’ll be right there for the WC spot. All they need to do is get in with that rotation anything can happen.
I think it’s pretty obvious to figure out what has changed between the Mets previous offseasons and this one.
Betting that the LOL Mets would finally turn their exceptionally strong core into a contender has been a popular bet in the past that didn’t come true but also almost did several times.
Betting that the same team, but with $100m more in annual payroll, can pull it off is not so unreasonable.
(and no one is going to match up favorably in the first round of the playoffs to a rotation that has DeGrom, Bauer, Stroman, Syndergaard. That’s a terrifying rotation.
JTR is very unlikely to land with D.C. They need a right handed hitting outfielder, a third baseman and a lefty out of the bullpen.
Agree 100%.
Yes, they need a starting pitcher but the voids in RF and 3B are glaring.
Do pitchers really need this guy to tell them where they should throw the ball? I thought scouts have been doing this for decades.
That’s exactly what I was thinking Fisher is a idiot!
Can someone please mention something positive about Eduardo Suarez so LaughingAtYou can launch into a tantrum? Oh. Gosh. Did I do that?
How about Suarez has been a very productive offensive player over the last two season who’s still capabel of geting better on defense with work.
Further more (by Offensive production) he will probably be a bargain depending on the defense he is placed in
I am one of the few White Sox is glad the White Sox are moving on with letting McCann sign with another team and sticking with Collins as the back up for Grandal. Grandal has been a mentor to Collins during his time in college since they both went to the University of Miami. McCann was not really a good player before he signed with the White Sox. McCann had a great first half in 2019 and his numbers dipped after the All Star break. McCann did a lot of catching in 2020 while Grandal was the DH, since Encarnicon was plain terrible.
In a nutshell, I can see the White Sox using Abreu, Collins, Grandal, Jimenez, Moncada and Vaughn, if he is brought up, as the DH every other day to give one guy a rest at his position. There is no reason to bring in a full time DH when the White Sox have a pretty stacked line up. People still forget that the White Sox have Garcia who can play the infield and outfield.
I’m a little surprised the White Sox did not go for Carlos Santana. His quality at-bats and switch-hitting ability would have been a nice fit for the DH spot.