The White Sox finalized his two-year, $20MM free agent contract Seranthony Domínguez in the afternoon. The hard-throwing righty is expected to pitch in the ninth inning for skipper Will Venable. That deal came on the heels of the Sox trade Luis Robert Jr. to the Mets, a move that reduced the center fielder’s salary by $20MM from the books.
General manager Chris Getz said after the Robert trade that the Sox would be “very active” in using that cap space. Domínguez will make $8MM in the first season of his lightly loaded deal. Even if the White Sox don’t intend to reallocate all of the $20MM to this year’s roster, there should be room in the budget for some additions.
Getz acknowledged that, saying Thursday that the front office remains involved in both free agent targets and trades. “We’re still officially in free agency and talking to other clubs,” Getz said in a TV appearance (video via CHSN). He said the same thing at a fan event before this weekend’s SoxFest Live event. “I believe there will be more. At what level, (I’m not sure),” the GM said (link via Scott Merkin of MLB.com). “What we can give you is an opportunity and a football game, and some of these players that we have found have not found this path in other places for various reasons.”
This is still a rebuild even if the White Sox had a much bigger season than expected. Domínguez is a guaranteed bargain, but Chicago’s other pickups have been upside icons for younger players or those whose roles could change. They jumped at the chance to add Munetaka Murakami on a two-year, $34MM contract when the Japanese slugger market didn’t improve. Sox sign NPB reliever Anthony Kay in a two-year contract that may include an exchange facility. Sean Newcomb He worked hard out of the bullpen last year but may struggle to start in camp. On the part of the local players, they have taken the flier from highly regarded prospects Luisangel Acuña again Everson Pereira in commerce.
Acuña came over from the Mets in the Robert deal. He is a .248/.299/.341 hitter in 233 MLB plate appearances but has never had consistent playing time in New York. Acuña has been a center fielder in his career, but he also plays center field in the Venezuelan Winter League. He has plus-plus speed that could be useful in the outfield. Jon Heyman of The New York Post writes that Acuña may have a chance to step right into Robert’s role as Chicago’s starting pitcher.
The flexibility means Acuña will likely still see some interior work. Chicago’s midfield tandem of Colson Montgomery again Chase Meidroth it’s more exciting than their post-Robert pitching, which is possibly the worst in MLB. Andrew Benintendi back to left field. Pereira, Brooks Baldwin, Derek Hill again Tristan Peters – and minor league signees Jarred Kelenic again Dustin Harris – make a wrong field mix. There’s a good chance they’ll make another outside move or two before Opening Day. There is also enough opportunity in the rotation led by Shane Smith, Sean Burke, Davis Martin and free agent signings Kay and Newcomb.
Although there are many moving pieces, Murakami should be a staple as an everyday first baseman. Major league clubs apparently had serious reservations about the extent to which he turned around and missed out on Japan. Murakami may have as much raw power as any hitter on the planet, though, and the Sox will undoubtedly have a long leash as they try to adjust to MLB pitching. It’s the kind of upside that no one saw coming at the start of the offseason, when Murakami was widely expected to land a nine-figure deal.
That doubt extended to the White Sox themselves. Getz spoke with MLB.com’s Scott Merkin about the signing and admitted that the NPB star was not the player they expected to add. “Obviously, I didn’t think it was going to be a realistic goal for us. I didn’t. The guesswork was huge, regardless of the years, and the dollars. … We did our due diligence. But I still didn’t feel like it was going to be realistic, even with the opening of free will.”
It went well until last season, as Getz said he didn’t see Murakami as a potential addition at the Winter Meetings in early December. Negotiations did not accelerate until a few days before the closing of the player’s 45-day posting window, which ended on December 22. When it became clear that Murakami was not going to get the long-term deal he wanted, the Sox moved.
“We’re looking at this as a real opposite,” Getz said of adding Japan’s marquee player. “The baseball side, the business side. It has a big impact and it leads to things that maybe we didn’t expect, honestly.” Sox fans will want to read Merkin’s full column, which includes additional details from Getz and Venable on the process leading up to the deal.
