2021 White Sox decision review: Right field

There's no revisionist history in assessing the White Sox's decision to jump the right field market by signing Adam Eaton to a one-year, $8 million deal. It could be first-guessed as a bad idea, and with Chuck Garfien trying to soften the backlash with a preemptive podcast defending the deal before it happened, I think even Rick Hahn understood he might've been courting disaster.

There is, however, a little revisionist history in what exactly the White Sox should've sought from right field. The White Sox ended up with Eaton because they wanted to solve all their shortcomings in one player: left-handed hitter, OBP skills and experience in that specific corner. Even George Springer, the winter's star outfielder and the clear best choice for the White Sox, couldn't check all those boxes. Eaton theoretically came the closest, although only if you set aside the fact that he struggled with injuries in three of his four seasons with the Nationals.

Eaton made it four of five in his return to the White Sox. He was among the White Sox who battled persistent leg issues. He took three tumbles in the outfield on April 27, when he was hitting .243/.337/.443 at the time. He hit just .164/.270/.273 the rest of the way, with an injured list stint for a hamstring strain arising late. The White Sox cut him loose the week before the All-Star break, and his subsequent stint with the Angels showed no reason for regrets.

FROM JULY: White Sox couldn't wait to sign, DFA Adam Eaton

While and after Eaton flopped, the White Sox deployed a number of career infielders to the right field corner, from Jake Lamb to Gavin Sheets to Andrew Vaughn to even Danny Mendick. Granted, the Sox didn't immediately forfeit all standards. Adam Engel spent at least part of every month on the injured list, and even was replaced midgame in the postseason under suspicious circumstances. Brian Goodwin also could have calmed down the position if he weren't needed in center field, and if his back didn't seize up on him at the end of the year.

Thanks to the mix of bad health and bad performances, the White Sox ended up spending more than $2 million on a supposed upgrade over Nomar Mazara from the previous season, only to end up with a far more unsettled situation. Here are your innings leaders for that damned corner:

1. Adam Eaton, 420
2. Brian Goodwin, 313.2
3. Leury García, 235
4. Andrew Vaughn, 118.1
5. Gavin Sheets, 82
6. Adam Engel, 71
7. Jake Lamb, 66.2
8. Danny Mendick, 49
9. Romy González, 18
10. Luis González, 16.2
11. Billy Hamilton, 13

If we had a strong sense that right field would look that disheveled even around a predictable Eaton outcome, then we could've stumped for Michael Brantley or Kyle Schwarber unapologetically, as opposed to the semi-unapologetic approach that ceded the poor defensive fit, but still preferred adding a bat to push Vaughn outside the immediate picture.

As we assess the other options similar to the way we broke down the previous two positions of note ...

• White Sox decision review: Front-line starter (Lance Lynn)
• White Sox decision review: Rotation depth (Carlos Rodón)

... it's probably fairest to group them into players who would have helped the defensive picture, followed by the guys who wouldn't have ended up hurting it, seeing what we saw.

THE FIELD

REAL RIGHT FIELDERS

We wouldn't be talking about right field for a 27th consecutive year if the White Sox merely ponied up for Bryce Harper, but obviously a 13-year deal isn't something that can be expected from a Jerry Reinsdorf team. George Springer represented comparable certainty at half the commitment because of factors that naturally knocked down his price (31 years old, right handed), and the Sox still had no interest in paying retail. Springer validated some of those concerns by missing half the season with quad, knee and ankle injuries. He also showed why Toronto paid him six years and $150 million with a .907 OPS and a 5 WAR pace when he was in the lineup. Had Springer posted the same showing on the South Side, nobody would mind having him around entering Year Two.

Joc Pederson was a popular choice not just among fans, but even among the White Sox front office, which apparently first sought to sign Pederson, only to move on to Eaton for cheaper when Pederson spurned a $10 million offer. On one hand, Pederson wasn't worth the money, in the sense that he was limited to facing right-handed pitching and hovered around replacement level for the entire year. On the other hand, he was actually rosterable for an entire season -- Eaton's subterranean floor was my main argument against him -- and three homers in the NLDS and NLCS added to his list of big Joctober moments, including a second consecutive World Series ring.

Robbie Grossman was a preferred choice for budget-conscious Offseason Plan Project participants, and he gave Detroit a 20/20 season for a relative pittance. It's lopsided toward southpaws -- he hit .221/.347/.387 against righties -- but he turned out to be playable under any circumstances after being leveraged mostly against lefties for his entire career.

Hunter Renfroe is a more classic platoon bat, as he still struggles to reach base against righties (.285 OBP in 2021), but he cleared 30 homers for the second consecutive 162-game season in spite of his issues. Jackie Bradley Jr. would've been a defense-first signing under any circumstances, but his bat disappeared with the Brewers, and now he's back with the Red Sox. It's hard to see how David Dahl is ever going to happen, and Dexter Fowler blew out his ACL in April as part of a doomed Angels outfield.

Enrique Hernández wasn't really mentioned as a potential right field solution, partially because he's right-handed, partially because he plays as much middle infield as he does outfield, and mostly because his value comes from playing everywhere, not anywhere. He ended up having the best season of everybody, with two-thirds of his appearances coming in center field for Boston.

REAL LEFT FIELDERS

Eddie Rosario showed his 32-homer season in 2019 wasn't a fluke with a power-forward 2020 season, but the Twins non-tendered him instead of paying him $12 million because of some notable weaknesses (hyperaggressive profile, left-field only). He signed with Cleveland for one year and $8 million and gave them nothing (.254/.296/.389), but after the Future Guardians paid him to go to Atlanta, he rediscovered his old form. He hit .271/.330/.573 over 33 regular-season games with the Braves, then contributed to their World Series run with an unforgettable performance that netted him the NLCS MVP. You couldn't say he'd do the same thing for the White Sox against the Astros, but again, being eminently rosterable was a big plus.

Nobody had Adam Duvall as a right field solution, but nobody could foresee him winning the NL RBI title with a .281 OBP, or winning Gold Glove in right field after spending barely any time there. What a weird season.

Andrew Benintendi would've been a fine trade for the White Sox as they approached the end of their rebuilding period given the buy-low nature of such a trade, and so he fit the Royals under similar circumstances. He held down the position at Kauffman Stadium, but not in a remarkable way.

DESIGNATED HITTERS WITH OUTFIELD EXPERIENCE

Once the White Sox signed Eaton, the team's preferred media outlet informed everybody that Michael Brantley was out of their price range. Brantley joined the parade in showing the White Sox always get what they pay for. He hit .311/.362/.437 despite a knee issue with the Astros in the first year of a two-year, $32 million deal, and he torched the White Sox by going 7-for-19 in the ALDS. Brantley was seen as more of a DH solution than a right field possibility, but the White Sox had vacancies in both places, and thanks to Eloy Jiménez's injury, Brantley's left-field experience would've mattered, too. The Astros played him in right for only 61 innings.

The same can be said for Kyle Schwarber, who got non-tendered by the Cubs, only to sign for slightly more than his arbitration projection for one year with the Nationals. He turned out to be one of the winter's biggest bargains, hitting .266/.374/.554 with 32 homers in 113 games, producing for both Washington and Boston around a hamstring injury and a midseason trade. Schwarber played left field for the Nats, then bounced between left, first and DH once he had the option with the Red Sox.

Speaking of the option to DH, the Braves showed in 2020 that wanted a bat-only version of Marcell Ozuna. After nearly winning the Triple Crown for Atlanta over 60 games, the braves re-signed him for four years and $65 million, even though he'd have to return to left field. The encore turned out to be a major disappointment on the field, and a disaster off it, as his season ended in late May due to an arrest on domestic battery and aggravated assault charges. He spent the rest of the year on administrative leave and a suspension. The charges could be dropped if he completes a diversion program.

Nobody had Vaughn and (especially) Sheets logging serious time in right field, so it's slightly disingenuous to look at a square peg like Schwarber had and say he would've been fine at 9 the whole time. Second-guessers can find quarter in the idea that the Eaton signing was such a bad idea on its face that even the unconventional candidates would have been far better uses on the money. As I wrote two Decembers ago, the worst-case scenario for Eaton might've been the most realistic one.

If we're looking for silver lining, had right field been shored up with a Springer, perhaps the White Sox don't attempt to expand the versatility of a Vaughn or Sheets. That's something the White Sox have been loath to do with any position players with offensive upside, so perhaps necessity finally opened up their imaginations in a way that could benefit them in years to come. I used "silver lining" instead of a different cliché, because the White Sox should be discouraged from acquiring lemons.

(Photo by Matt Marton/USA TODAY Sports)