If you say the phrase “free agency” in front of a White Sox fan, they will almost certainly start rambling about Manny Machado playing on the South Side in 2019. While that would make everybody drool with undeniable excitement, it is still a long shot that the All-Star infielder will sign with Chicago. He is going to go to whoever gives him the most money. While The White Sox will be able to offer him a lot, it will be hard for anyone to outbid the Yankees. But don’t worry, this winter will have a gold mine of grade-A free agents. One potential consolation prize for Rick Hahn is the Arizona Diamondback’s center fielder A.J. Pollock.
The story on Pollock is that he is a hell of a player, but is currently in his age 30 season and has had a history of injuries. But when he is healthy, boy is he fun to watch. In 61 games this season, he is slashing .293/.353/.573. Good for a .926 OPS and a 2.7 WAR. In 2015, he was an All-Star, received MVP votes, and won a Gold Glove.
Before he went down with an injury this season, he won N.L. Player Of The Month in April for doing things like this:
Because of how good he is when he is healthy (but also how rare that is) it is tough to predict how much he will make in free agency. He is currently making just under 8M, so it’s probably safe to say he’s going to get a decent raise. But again, it comes down to how comfortable teams are with his injury history.
The White Sox do have a ton of outfield depth in the minors and Luis Robert will be the eventual everyday center fielder for a very long time. But until that time comes, Pollock would be a great option to bridge that gap. Imagine going from an outfield of Charlie Tilson, Adam Engel, and Leury Garcia for the majority of 2018 to Eloy Jimenez, A.J. Pollock, and Avisail Garcia for 2019. Throw in Michael Kopech, a full season of Carlos Rodon, and an improved bullpen and suddenly the White Sox look like a very formidable team.
The worst case scenario would be that Pollock signs and then gets hurt. Best case scenario is that he stays healthy, produces to the tune of his career average (.288/.345/.475) and the White Sox stay competitive in the weakened A.L. Central until the rest of their prospects arrive.
