Chicago White Sox Reportedly Interested in a Pair of All-Stars This Offseason

The Chicago White Sox are reportedly interested in a pair of former Kansas City Royals All-Stars this offseason as they look to turn the franchise around.

Chicago entered 2023 with World Series aspirations but ended up losing more than 100 games (61-101) and finishing fourth in the American League Central. Now, new General Manager Chris Getz is trying to figure out how to move forward.

Per Bruce Levine of 670 The Score in Chicago:

It might start by making an offer for veteran Royals catcher Salvador Perez on the trade market and with a pursuit of second baseman/outfielder Whit Merrifield in free agency. The White Sox have discussed both of those possibilities at length, sources said.

Both Perez and Merrifield have ties to Getz and White Sox manager Pedro Grifol, who worked for the Royals from 2013-’22. Perez played for Kansas City for that entire time frame, while Merrifield played there from 2016-’22. Getz worked in the Royals’ front office from 2014-’16 before joining the White Sox.

Both of those moves would make sense in that there's a familiarity with the White Sox leadership structure. Also, both are veteran players who know what it takes to win.

The 34-year-old Merrifield is also a relatively easy target to go after given that he's a free agent this offseason. He's a three-time All-Star who just hit .272 for the Toronto Blue Jays this past season. Given that all he costs is money, that connection is logical.

Perez is a different case though. He has two years left on his contract with the Royals and would take real prospect capital and/or financial investment to acquire. Do the White Sox really want to give up a lot or spend a lot to get a player who is 33-years-old and coming off a year in which he hit just .255? He did hit 23 homers this year and is an eight-time All-Star.

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