The idea of getting Kris Bryant was always a pipe dream for the White Sox. Despite appearing in fans’ wish lists, Bryant seemed to be out of the White Sox price range.
Former Rookie of the Year, MVPs, and four-time All-Stars usually carry a high price tag. Bryant caught the baseball world by surprise when it was announced that he had accepted a seven-year, $182 million contract with the Colorado Rockies.
That comes out to only $26 million a year for a franchise-changing player. Rick Hahn just spent $25 million a year on utility players and three pitchers.
While Joe Kelly and Kendall Graveman are nice additions, Harrison is only a slight upgrade over Leury Garcia. None of those moves have significantly changed the White Sox World Series chances either. The White Sox already have the most expensive bullpen in baseball and have been unable to move Craig Kimbrel.
Bryant has a career 28.7 WAR. He has also accumulated 914 hits,487 RBIs, and 167 home runs during his seven major league seasons. While his production dropped in 2020 he rebounded in 2021 by hitting 25 home runs and making the All-Star team.
He is a battle-tested postseason veteran. Adding another player that knows what it takes to win a World Series would have been very beneficial for the clubhouse.
Most importantly Bryant would have filled a glaring hole for the White Sox in right field. Rick Hahn cannot afford to slap together some makeshift platoon of Andrew Vaughn, Gavin Sheets, and Adam Engel to address the problem. He has failed to properly address right field the last three seasons and now it feels like a must if the White Sox want to get over the top.
As currently constructed the White Sox have a very good roster. Good enough to easily win the American League Central Division. However, they are on a collision course with another first-round exit unless a meaningful free agent is added.
The White Sox have a history of avoiding handing out big contracts to superstars. Yasmani Grandal’s four-year deal represents the largest investment the team has ever made in a player. Passing on Kris Bryant was predictable.
But when it was revealed that his price tag was nothing overwhelming then it makes you wonder if the White Sox even made an offer.
Adding Michael Conforto or Nick Castellanos feels like a must for this team. Their core group of players will need to be paid in a few years so time is of the essence to take advantage of this championship window. Having a so-called “seat at the table” is no longer good enough.
