The Chicago White Sox made a solid move on Friday afternoon, adding outfielder AJ Pollock via trade from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
To get him, they had to surrender reliever Craig Kimbrel, who had a year left on his contract and for a high price tag ($16 million).
Kimbrel is excellent, but he wasn’t very good for the White Sox last year, posting a 5.09 ERA in 23 frames after coming over from the Chicago Cubs.
Pollock, on the other hand, will be on the books for $13 million in 2022 and has a $10 million player option for 2023, so it will be up to him to stay in Chicago next year.
White Sox general manager Rick Hahn is excited to add Pollock to an impressive offense.
“Hahn: ‘We are thrilled to add a player of AJ Pollock’s caliber to this roster. We view him as making us better offensively as well as defensively and providing us with some important flexibility as we go through this season as well as some depth for whatever valleys may lie ahead,” Scott Merkin, the White Sox beat writer for MLB.com, tweeted on Friday.
Hahn: "We are thrilled to add a player of AJ Pollock’s caliber to this roster. We view him as making us better offensively as well as defensively and providing us with some important flexibility as we go through this season as well as some depth for whatever valleys may lie ahead
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) April 1, 2022
Pollock Is A Fantastic Addition To The White Sox Lineup
Since 2017, Pollock has been an above-average offensive performer year after year.
In 2021, he slashed .297/.355/.536 for the Dodgers, with 21 home runs, 53 runs, 69 RBI, and nine steals in 117 games and 422 plate appearances.
His OPS was a really solid .892, and it was the best mark of his career.
He is already 34 and is somewhat injury-prone, but as long as he is healthy, he will provide a boost to the White Sox’s lineup, one that has several stars such as Yoan Moncada, Yasmani Grandal, Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson, Eloy Jimenez, and Luis Robert.
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