Are White Sox turning attention to Cespedes, Upton?
There was finally a break on the free-agent outfielder front Wednesday.
Alex Gordon - one of the three premier players the Chicago White Sox have been monitoring - opted to return to the Kansas City Royals on a four-year, $72 million contract.
Yoenis Cespedes and Justin Upton are still on the market, and the Sox are very likely in play on both outfielders as they look to add one more bat to an off-season haul that has addressed holes at third base (Todd Frazier), second base (Brett Lawrie) and catcher (Dioner Navarro, Alex Avila).
"That's conceivably a third of the lineup where we've made progress offensively," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said after acquiring Frazier from the Cincinnati Reds in a three-team trade on Dec. 16. "We certainly feel better than we did at the end of the season.
But the American League's lowest scoring team last year still can use an additional upgrade, and Hahn admitted as much after landing Frazier.
"The way we approach things, we are not satisfied at this point," Hahn said. "We are going to continue to look for other means of upgrading the club over the coming weeks and months."
It's been three weeks since the Frazier trade, and the critical question remains. Can the Sox afford Cespedes or Upton?
Reportedly willing to offer only three-year contracts to either player, the White Sox could very well be outspent by teams like the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels or Detroit Tigers.
The Sox still have Avisail Garcia in right field, with Melky Cabrera in left and Adam Eaton in center.
Garcia was quickly identified as a core piece after joining the White Sox from the Tigers in a three-team trade on July 30, 2013.
Big, strong and fast, Garcia posted a .304/.327/.447 hitting line with 5 home runs and 21 RBI in 42 games with the Sox to close the '13 season.
The following year, Garcia injured his left shoulder diving for a ball early in the season and was limited to 46 games.
Last season, Garcia put up a disappointing .257/.309/.365 slash line with 13 homers and 59 RBI in 148 games. He also struck out 141 times in 601 plate appearances.
Only 24 years old, the White Sox could conceivably give Garcia another shot this season.
"He's really only had one full year in the big leagues," Hahn said. "And he certainly has a world of talent, a lot of tools. So there is reason to believe it's going to get better. At the same time, we are not leaving any stones unturned in terms of getting this club better, especially from an offensive standpoint."