Well, how the tables have turned. Only 1 day after the 1 year anniversary of the White Sox shipping Adam Eaton to the Washington Nationals, Chuck Garfien announced that Adam Eaton would be returning to the Southside.
The White Sox needed to address Right Field once again this offseason and with the other options available in free agency, I don’t think Sox fans were expecting to see Adam Eaton back on the team. As a matter of fact, Sox fans were very upset expressing their displeasure on Twitter. The Sox view Eaton as the everyday Right Fielder going forward in 2021.
Eaton in 2020 had a down year, batting .226/.285/.384 (.669 OPS) with the Nationals in 2020. Eaton did end up winning the World Series with Nationals in 2019, but ultimately, that has been the highlight of his Nationals run. While again winning the World Series, most of Eaton’s tenure in Washington has been plagued with injuries, as he only played 310 games in 4 seasons. That is what is worrying White Sox fans the most: will Adam Eaton be able to stay healthy? In my opinion, he will be able to, as Eaton really only started to experience injuries when he arrived in Washington.
There are also age concerns, as Eaton will turn 32 next season. However, to this point, he has still had a solid career, and per Baseball Savant, his speed has not suffered from age, and he has good bat-to-ball contact skills. This will be important to the White Sox lineup.
Eaton now returns to the Southside, where he spent three years and will be once again the starting Right Fielder. Eaton will look to prove White Sox Twitter wrong and be the player he was during his first tenure as a member of the Chicago White Sox.
Featured Photo: Ron Schwane/AP
