The Chicago White Sox have not made a whole lot of offseason moves, to nobody's surprise. After selling pretty much every valuable veteran outside Jose Abreu last season, GM Rick Hahn has rebuilt the Sox farm system to begin a rebuilding process. This is year two of the said rebuild and the main goal is to develop the likes of Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito, and Reynaldo Lopez. The overall goal of time to begin contention right now seems to be around 2019-2020.

Though in the middle of rebuilding, reports are surfacing from Jon Morosi of MLB.com and USA Today's Bob Nightengale that the White Sox are keeping in touch with third baseman Mike Moustakas.

The long-time Royal has yet to sign anywhere despite spring training already starting. Moustakas is 29 years old and likely was originally seeking a multi-year deal when the offseason began.

Moustakas on the Sox radar

The reports from Morosi and Nightengale have said that Moustakas is on their radar and the two sides have been "in touch." It may not seem like much but consider the fact that Moustakas has not been strongly linked anywhere else and the interest does not seem to be there. Nothing has been ruled out in terms of him returning to the Royals, but even so, there has been no real progress made there. This could mean the White Sox are the team with the strongest interest and if he gets no other offers, Hahn could make the jump to him on a reasonable deal.

Moustakas is coming off a career-high 38 home runs in 2017. Overall he slashed .272/.314/.521 in 148 games and was an overall 2.2 fWAR player.

In seven years in the majors, he is a .251/.305/.425 hitter with 119 home runs and a 12.1 fWAR player. While he is traditionally a good third baseman, the defensive metrics last year were not as good as he posted a -8 defensive runs saved and -3.1 Ultimate Zone Rating, both career lows. His career ultimate zone rating is +24.5.

Is he a fit in Chicago?

Looking at those career numbers reveal that he is a solid baseball player, but not the stud he was projected to be when he was drafted. He has good home run power and is productive, but not an on-base machine by any means. He had only one year in his career (2015) when he had an on-base percentage over .320. At 29 he has plenty left in the tank to play for a number of years. Despite his poorer fielding last year, he is overall a very good third baseman and can easily rebound in 2018.

Is he a fit with the White Sox? Right now it seems a little odd, but bringing in a veteran who has won it all might be great for developing the young Sox. Because the demand for his services is not high right now, he can come to Chicago as a bargain.

Depending on years of control, he could be either a placeholder or a long-term asset. Playing home games at Guaranteed Rate Field would be good for his bat as it is a very hitter-friendly park and that might intrigue him. If he continues to be a free agent, expect these rumors to boil up a little more again.
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