The Reclamation Project Team

I previously wrote about the Kenny Williams Dream Team that that White Sox could assemble this year.  While I would still love to see that, there are some guys floating around that we could sign to short deals in hopes of flipping.  These will all depend on them out-performing expectations, but with a team that is expected to lose, you can take these risks.  One thing to keep in mind, this will cost more than just signing a bunch of bums, but that should not be a major concern to us fans.  It is not like they were going to walk around the park handing out Comiskey Cash from all the savings on payroll.  So don’t worry about an extra $20 million on the payroll in 2017.

Matt Wieters

This one won’t be cheap, in fact, this is a long shot.  However, Wieters is still on the market, most likely because no contending teams are willing to give him a long term deal.  So let’s take a look at why.  Last year was his first year with over 100 games played since 2013 and his numbers were not that great.  He batted to a .711 OPS.  For reference, Tyler Saladino had a .725 OPS last year.  In addition to that, pitch framing has become a big selling point for catchers and Wieters is not very good at that either.  These are the reasons that the Nationals are not spending money to buy up his 31-36 year old seasons.  It’s also why the Orioles did not give him a qualifying offer.  So signing Wieters to a 1 or 2 year deal (2 year would have an opt-out) would not cost a pick.  It should be an easy risk for the Sox to take.  If he does well, he’s easily traded to a contender.  He is after all a switch hitting catcher with solid power, he can throw out runners, and he’s not as awful at framing as anyone the Sox had last year.  If he’s terrible, the only cost is money, since he is not blocking any catching prospects.  This is a mutually beneficial deal, so let’s make it happen.

Desmond Jennings

My head will explode if you say “What about Charlie Tilson?” so please just don’t.  Jennings is one of these guys that was supposed to be great, showed a few signs of it, but never really panned out.  This would be a relatively cheap deal to make and you would have CF filled with a pretty good defender.  If Jennings is actually healthy and continues to walk more than he did at the start of his career, he’s a good candidate to get traded to a contender as a fourth outfielder or a team desperate for CF help.  Both of those will exist in July, so why not give this a shot.  If he fails miserably (like in the pic below) or we are able to trade him, then we can get to Charlie’s time in the big leagues.

Adam Lind

I’ve always liked Adam Lind and he was probably on 80% of my fantasy teams when I played fantasy baseball.  He’s 33, so he’s on the downside of his career and coming off a not so great year.  But he’s a lefty power hitter that can play a little 1B and has a facial hair game that can rival Tyler Saladino.  Logan Morrison is probably the better version of this, but someone will scoop him up.  With Lind, you’re looking to trade him to an AL team that needs help in the power dept.  If that market exists in July, it should be an easy move.  If not, he’s not really taking at bats from anyone, unless you want Matt Davidson facing off against really good RHP.  I know I don’t want that.

Brett Anderson

This is even more attractive if we have already moved Quintana, but regardless, this could be a solid move.  I’m sure a number of teams will offer Anderson a minor league contract because when healthy, he’s solid.  So the Sox would most likely need to offer a major league pact as they did with Derek Holland.  But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  Anderson should look to go to the AL to keep his porcelain body out of the batter’s box.  Anderson is only 29 and he was good in 2015, so it’s not a stretch to say that if he has a good first half, teams will be knocking down the Sox door for him.  For a contender to sign him, that’s a pretty big risk, because you’re basically committing a rotation spot to someone you’re not entirely sure is healthy or if he’ll start tweeting pics from his hotel room again.

Drew Storen

Storen, like Anderson, is only 29.  Also like Anderson, he was solid as recently as 2015 where he had 29 saves for the Nats.  I’m not trying to say he’s a shutdown closer, but Storen could re-establish himself as a solid closer given the right situation.  This would do wonders for his trade value as well as his value in free agency.  For this one to fall in place, we really need Robertson to get moved.

-Chorizy-E