The Chicago White Sox and Austin Jackson agreed to a one-year, $5 million contract on Sunday, in what was a somewhat surprising move considering the team was more in need of a corner outfielder rather than a center fielder.
However, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn made it clear how the outfield situation will unfold now with Jackson in the picture.
Hahn said Jackson will get "most, if not all" of his time in center field and alluded to the fact that Adam Eaton will likely shift over to a corner spot, which means Avisail Garcia will likely become the team's fourth outfielder. Hahn said the White Sox are "stronger" with both Jackson and Eaton playing in the outfield at the same time.
After Jackson and agent Scott Boras reportedly turned down a one-year offer from the Los Angeles Angels due to playing time concerns, it should have been somewhat expected he was going to undertake a much bigger role in Chicago once his deal was announced.
As for Eaton, when asked by a fan on Twitter about moving to a different position, he replied, "I want to win."
Chicago toyed with the idea of signing Ian Desmond to play the outfield earlier in the offseason, but it's probable the team wanted a true outfielder (Desmond is primarily a shortstop) considering it had the worst defense in the MLB last season. Jackson provides experience as a reliable center fielder and the versatile Eaton will provide an upgrade over Garcia, who finished last season with -11 defensive runs saved (DRS) and -12 defensive runs above average (DEF).
The White Sox' outfield will now consist of Jackson, Eaton and Melky Cabrera.
Jackson, 29, made his MLB debut with the Detroit Tigers in 2010 and was then traded to the Seattle Mariners in 2014. The M's traded him to the Chicago Cubs late last season and then he hit free agency. The former eighth-round draft pick hit .267/.311/.385 with 56 runs scored, 9 home runs, 48 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 136 games last season and finished with a 9.1 DEF total.
He owns a career .273/.333/.399 stat line with 522 runs scored, 55 home runs, 296 RBI and 106 stolen bases in 860 career games (six MLB seasons).
