White Sox Interest In Adam Ottavino Remains Consistent

The White Sox surfaced yet again as interested in free-agent reliever Adam Ottavino. The right-hander is poised to earn a valuable contract this offseason given his recent performance: 2.45 earned run average over 77 innings with a 193 ERA+ and a 0.991 WHIP in 2018.

Sources: #RedSox, #WhiteSox showing continued interest in free agent Adam Ottavino, and #Rockies — his most recent team — are open to bringing Ottavino back, as well. @MLBNetwork @MLB

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 27, 2018

Just a few weeks ago, the White Sox were labeled as interested in Ottavino and for good reason. MLB Traderumors places him in the same echelon as Jeurys Familia, Joe Kelly and Andrew Miller.

Sources: #WhiteSox have shown interest in free agent reliever Adam Ottavino. @MLBNetwork @MLB

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 13, 2018

All three of those relievers earned multi-year deals in the $25-$30 million range. Here is what MLB Traderumors wrote about the market for a 33-year-old Ottavino:

“As one of the top relievers on the market, the 33-year-old Ottavino should have no shortage of clubs inquiring about his services, though the asking price on top-end bullpen arms could prove prohibitive for some clubs. To this point, Jeurys Familia(three years, $30MM), Joe Kelly (three years, $25MM) and Andrew Miller(two years, $25MM) are among the relievers MLBTR ranked in Ottavino’s tier of free agency to have cashed in quite nicely. Given his 2.43 ERA, 2.74 FIP, 2.82 SIERA and 13.0 K/9 mark, Ottavino figures to have a fairly high ask, as well. The interest from each of the three teams listed by Morosi has been previously reported, and there are some issues with some of the fits.”

The article adds that Ottavino might be a tough fit for the Red Sox while the Rockies might not be willing to blow through the $100-million threshold they set last season for their bullpen.

If the White Sox could grab a reliever like Ottavino they would instantly improve their staff. There are a gaggle of minor-league prospects ready to break the big-league roster, but Ottavino would be one hell of a grab.

If you haven’t already seen Ottavino pitch, I’ll just leave this here for you.