According to Jon Morosi on Twitter, the White Sox could be dealing center fielder Adam Eaton during the Winter Meetings. The tweet was in the context that he was more likely to be dealt than 1B/DH Jose Abreu, however both have been said to be on the trade block.
Eaton, 27, has been a very consistent player in his career. After being a backup outfielder in Arizona from 2012 to 2013, he went to Chicago and hit the ground running. In his three years with the White Sox, he has hit .290/.362/.422 with 29 home runs, 28 triples, and 47 stolen bases.
He finished 19th in MVP voting this season, after he hit .284/.362/.428 with 14 home runs, nine triples (most in the AL), and 91 runs scored while providing solid defense in the outfield. This season he played mostly right field, but still logged over 300 innings in center.
He is a left handed hitter, however the handedness of the pitcher doesn’t make much of a difference to him. Since 2014, he has hit .282/.354/.343 against lefties and .293/.364/.450 against righties. His batting average and on-base percentage are very comparable, but he clearly has more power against righties as you can see in his slugging percentage.
Eaton is owed $4 million in 2017, $6 million in 2018, and $8.4 million in 2019. He has options of $9.5 and $10.5 million in 2020 and 2021 respectively, each with $1.5 million buyouts.
The Mets currently have an overflowing outfield, but that is destined to change once the Mets trade Jay Bruce and/or Curtis Granderson. They have Gold Glovers Yoenis Cespedes in left field and Juan Lagares in center field, however the addition of Eaton couldn’t hurt, especially if they trade both Bruce and Granderson.
Adam Eaton is a remarkably consistent player who would improve any team he plays for. His acquisition, though, would further curtail the playing time of both Juan Lagares, who is a vastly better player when he gets consistent playing time, and Michael Conforto.
Acquiring Eaton would take a fair number of prospects as well, and knowing how Sandy Alderson operates, I don’t see him coughing up young talent when he already has the option for a solid center field platoon with Lagares and Conforto. If both Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson get dealt, Eaton would give Terry Collins some good flexibility in the outfield.
Against righties, Adam Eaton could play center field and Michael Conforto would play in right. Conversely, against lefties, Juan Lagares would play center field and Eaton could play in right.
We will, of course, keep you posted on any developments.
