10 free agent outfielders for the White Sox to consider

With free agency officially beginning this afternoon, the White Sox will be able to get to work on completing their team for the 2023 season. With AJ Pollock officially opting out of his contract, the White Sox enter the offseason with Luis Robert as their only *true* outfielder on the roster. While Oscar Colas is likely to be an option at some point at the position, the White Sox will need to build some depth while also finding a top-of-the-line option to get most of the at-bats in left field.

Here are 10 players the White Sox could look to sign in free agency to help fill their outfield holes, why they make sense for the team, and what a contract may look like for each of these players.

Brandon Nimmo

2022 Statistics: .274/.367/.433, 16 HR, 134 wRC+, 5.4 fWAR

When you look at the White Sox’ roster, defensive limitations, lack of plate discipline, and lack of left-handed hitting options have been a plague for the team. Nimmo impacts all three weaknesses and does so as a player who put up nearly a 6-win season in 2022. His career 13.6% walk rate (10.5% in 2022) would be among White Sox leaders, while his +6 Outs Above Average (91st percentile) make him a great option in the outfield. While he played center field for the Mets last season, he does have experience as a positive defender in left field as well, so the White Sox would not have to be concerned about him out there.

A Brandon Nimmo – Luis Robert – Oscar Colas outfield to start the 2023 season would be an excellent one. The risks with Nimmo, however, are obvious, as 2022 was the first time since 2018 in which he played at least 140 games in a season. However, whenever he is on the field, he makes an impact offensively and defensively, and he should be the big name the White Sox go after on offseason this offseason.

Potential Contract: 5 years, $110M. Nimmo’s age and production are going to get comparisons to George Springer; however, his defense is not as good as Springer’s, nor is his health history. Anywhere in the $20M – $23M AAV range is where Nimmo is likely to end up this offseason, and he is the perfect player to be the first the White Sox give more than $100M guaranteed to.

Michael Conforto

2021 Statistics: .232/.344/.384, 14 HR, 106 wRC+, 1.4 fWAR

Another former Mets outfielder could help the White Sox in one of their corner outfield positions. After turning down a massive contract extension from the Mets and needing shoulder surgery last year, Conforto will be looking for a pillow contract after having to sit out the entire 2022 season. However, prior to 2022, Conforto had been an incredibly productive player that many White Sox fans had been looking to potentially sign.

• 2017-2021: .259/.364/.473, 12.6 BB%, 23.9 K%, 127 wRC+, 16.3 fWAR

Even in a down year in 2021, Conforto still managed a 106 wRC+ and was a clear platoon option: .243/.348/.444 with a 119 wRC+ against RHP. Conforto’s career walk rate and wRC+ are well above what the White Sox have gotten from a corner outfield position recently. In addition, he’s also been a serviceable outfielder with a +1 OAA season in 2021 in RF and a +5 OAA season in LF back in 2018.

If the White Sox are able to find a cheap right-handed outfield option to platoon with Conforto, the White Sox could create a left fielder for the same price as signing the highly sought-after Nimmo – 29 teams will lose out on that sweepstakes, so it’s good to have backup options.

Potential Contract: 1 year, $13M with second-year player option. With the league’s worst walk rate in 2022, the White Sox could benefit from someone whose walk rate was the 25^th-highest from 2019-2021, similar to that of Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, and Mookie Betts. While the risk is plenty here due to the shoulder injury and the loss of a full season, Conforto has the floor of a hitter that the White Sox lack and the ceiling of someone who well outperforms his contract.

David Peralta

2022 Statistics: .251/.316/.415, 12 HR, 104 wRC+, 1.7 fWAR

If the White Sox do decide on the platoon route, Peralta would be a solid choice for the ball club. Peralta posted a .778 OPS against RHP last season (116 wRC+) between the Diamondbacks and the Rays, and while he did fade down the stretch in Tampa Bay (82 wRC+ in September/October), he does have a power history and posted the second-highest hard hit rate of his career last season. He also is a plus defender, accumulating +5 OAA in each of the past two seasons.

With Peralta, the White Sox would be taking a risk on his age, but would conceivably have a cheaper platoon option than some of the others on the market. His defense alone makes it worth at least exploring what his role could look like on this team in some capacity, and he does fit the White Sox well.

Potential Contract: 1 year, $8M. The soon-to-be 36-year-old is likely coming towards the last few contracts of his career, but this deal makes use of the $8M saved from AJ Pollock’s opt-out and instead distributes it to the left-handed half of a platoon. From there, it shouldn’t be too hard for the White Sox to find a platoon right-handed option.

Joey Gallo

2022 Statistics: .160/.280/.357, 19 HR, 85 wRC+, 0.6 fWAR

Probably the most controversial name on this list, Gallo is another name that could use a bounce-back season in 2023. The best definition of a three-true outcome player, Gallo has a career batting average under .200 but, remarkably, an OPS just south of .800. When it comes to home runs, on-base percentage, and defense, Gallo certainly provides all of these things.

Gallo certainly wasn’t the same player he used to be once he got traded to New York. Whether offensively or defensively, Gallo just never got comfortable in New York – and the fans probably didn’t help that. A Gold Glove finalist at points in his career, Gallo was worth +6 OAA in Texas in 2021, but -1 OAA in New York after the trade. This season, Gallo was worth -5 OAA in New York, but +2 OAA in nearly the same number of chances in LF with the Dodgers. Perhaps New York just wasn’t the place for him?

Potential Contract: 1 year, $11M. Gallo provides plenty of upside that could make this sort of contract a steal. The risk with him is obvious, and things didn’t get better for the soon-to-be 29-year-old when he went to Los Angeles from an offensive standpoint. However, he would help balance out a White Sox lineup that had become too singles-happy, and you can guarantee Gallo won’t be doing that anytime soon. He’s definitely the biggest risk on this list, but can come close to providing some of the highest reward.

Andrew Benintendi

2022 Statistics: .304/.373/.399, 5 HR, 122 wRC+, 2.8 fWAR

Andrew Benintendi experienced a resurgence of sorts in Kansas City in 2022, posting more than 2.5 fWAR as a player for the first time since his 4.9 fWAR season in 2018. His approach guided him away from home runs and towards contact and walks. If this is the strategy Benintendi continues with moving forward, then it’s rational to question his fit for this team offensively, given what the lack of home runs did to the White Sox in 2022. However, if Benintendi can find some sort of balance between his 2022 season and the 15-18 home runs power he’s shown he possesses, he would be a great fit in left field for the White Sox.

Potential Contract: 4 years, $56M. Benintendi is competent enough against LHP to at least pretend he isn’t a platoon option, and in terms of price, he’s going to be middle-of-the-road this offseason. With vastly improved defense since his worst days in Boston, if the White Sox are indeed a bit tight on money, Benintendi provides a clear mid-tier free agent option that should be well within their price range.

Kevin Kiermaier

2022 Statistics: .228/.281/.369, 7 HR, 90 wRC+, 1.1 fWAR

Kevin Kiermaier is, at the end of the day, a play for defense primarily. He provides very little offensive upside but is still among the best center fielders in baseball. If the White Sox feel strongly enough about the rest of their lineup that they can afford to make a defense-only upgrade to the outfield, a Kevin Kiermaier – Luis Robert – Oscar Colas outfield could be one of the best in baseball. Alternatively, if Robert does have to miss any extended time, Kiermaier is the aforementioned “among the best centerfielders in baseball.” The team would lose nothing defensively with him in center field. However, after a season in which the team famously did not produce on offense, that area likely remains priority number one this offseason.

Potential Contract: 1 year, $7.5M. Assuming Tampa Bay does not pick up his $13M club option, Kiermaier will likely get this sort of deal based on his defense alone. He needs to stay healthy more often, but if he can find a way to keep his OPS in the .740 range as he did way back in 2016, he could be a steal of sorts for teams. However, defense is likely who Kiermaier is nowadays, and he doesn’t present the best use of nearly $8M for the White Sox at current construction.

Michael Brantley

2022 Statistics: .288/.370/.416, 5 HR, 127 wRC+, 1.2 fWAR

A famous name among White Sox fans for a long time, Brantley is entering the stage where we are thinking about this contract being one of the last ones he gets in his career. He missed a large chunk of his season due to shoulder surgery, and in his time in Houston, he took a step back in the power department – though he still hit .303 in three combined seasons. He’s been good against RHP (130 wRC+) in his career and passable against LHP (92 wRC+), but he once again presents most like a platoon option at this point in his career. Still, Brantley is a true hitter in every sense of the word – it’s just a matter of if Father Time is prepared to catch up.

Potential Contract: 1 year, $13M. Between Conforto and Brantley, players coming off of shoulder surgeries are getting the rate of about $13M “prove it” deals. The $13M price tag may end up being a bit high due to his age and a saturated left-handed hitting outfield market, but Brantley serves as the most consistent of those on this list – you know what you’re getting when he’s on the field.

Mitch Haniger

2022 Statistics: .246/.308/.429, 11 HR, 113 wRC+, 0.8 fWAR

A personal favorite of mine, Mitch Haniger would make plenty of sense for the White Sox, though wouldn’t necessarily help their handedness problem. However, to his credit, he has hit both RHP (118 wRC+) and LHP (132 wRC+) well throughout his career. The soon-to-be 32-year-old has had health issues throughout his career, and last season was no exception. He did play a full season in 2021 and hit 39 home runs in the process, so he does have the sort of power that the White Sox would be looking to add to his lineup. He was solid defensively in RF in limited time last season (+2 OAA), and with Luis Robert roaming in CF for the White Sox, he isn’t necessarily getting a downgrade from Julio Rodriguez in Seattle.

Potential: 2 years, $24M with third-year club option. Haniger’s contract is going to be extremely difficult to predict. He does things well (8.9 career BB%, 122 career wRC+), but also has a spotty enough health history that teams may not be overly excited to take an extended chance on him. A deal similar to the one Mark Canha got last year from the Mets feels like a good starting point (2/$26.5M), but don’t be surprised if Haniger might get more. Though he doesn’t solve the handedness problem for the White Sox, he does a lot of good things that would add positively to the roster.

Joc Pederson

2022 Statistics: .274/.353/.521, 23 HR, 144 wRC+, 2.1 fWAR

If you’re looking for power from the left side, Joc Pederson is definitely your guy on this list. With a career walk rate over 11% and 84 home runs over the last four seasons, Pederson has provided any team he’s played for with plenty of power. In doing so, he’s also kept his strikeout rate relatively low throughout his career, and he’s coming off his best season in terms of batting average (.274).

He’s not the worst defender in the world (-9 OAA in LF in 2022), but, as far as I can tell, Pederson hasn’t presented himself as a liability to himself just yet – but he does appear to be a liability in LF. This will limit his contract, as teams may start to view him more as a Designated Hitter. So, he would fix one area for the Sox (offense) while leaving much to be desired in another (defense).

Potential Contract: 2 years, $26M. Pederson should rightfully earn among the most money and guaranteed years of this group, but will still have a ceiling due to his defense. White Sox fans have been connecting Pederson to the team for years – it would be fitting that the team gets him when they arguably need him most.

Tyler Naquin

2022 Statistics: .229/.282/.423, 11 HR, 93 wRC+, 0.3 fWAR

Consider Naquin to be, yes, yet another platoon bat available to the White Sox. His .746 OPS (105 wRC+) makes him the least appealing in terms of production, and in addition, his defensive production leaves plenty to be desired. However, he does have one of the strongest arms in baseball (94th percentile arm strength), so at the very least, Naquin could present himself as a fourth outfielder with the ability to start if necessary due to injury.

Potential Contract: 1 year, $6M. Naquin is the cheapest of the options, which should come as no surprise considering his level of production is well below the others. The White Sox would probably have to feel really good about the other half of the platoon to turn to Naquin or make him a fourth outfielder – or they would have to strike out on a lot of other targets.

Final Thoughts

As you can tell by the list of options, platoon bats are pretty popular in a saturated outfield market. Should the White Sox be looking to add left-handed options to their outfield (they should), they will have plenty of affordable options available to them. However, as they are starting the team with just one outfielder on the depth chart and – apparently – a limited payroll, it’s going to be important for the team to get their few signings right.

While Brandon Nimmo – and of course, Aaron Judge – are the top of this year’s class, there is plenty of talent to go around. Let’s hope that the White Sox are able to continue the momentum they gained by hiring Pedro Grifol when it comes to free agency.

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