Trust Chicago White Sox’s Rick Hahn When It Comes To Adam Eaton Deals

Rick Hahn is going back to familiar territory in signing Adam Eaton to file a vacancy in the White Sox outfield, and if you’ve been paying attention there’s no way you can blame him.

While trading Chris Sale to Boston for Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech has been the most talked about deal during Hahn’s eight years in charge on the South Side, none have worked out as well as his two previous ones involving Eaton — and indirectly the three previous ones, including Monday night’s trade of Dane Dunning to the Texas Rangers for workhorse starter Lance Lynn. 

Let’s recap:

— In December 2013, after watching Alejandro De Aza serve as the Sox’s primary center fielder, Hahn obtained Eaton from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-team trade that included the Los Angeles Angels. The price for the Sox was lefty Hector Santiago and Double-A outfielder Brandon Jacobs.

Eaton spent two years as the White Sox’s primary center fielder and one after a move to right field, where in 2016 he delivered a career year. In those three years the pugnacious little outfielder delivered 15.9 WAR while earning about $4.1 million. He signed a five-year, $23.5-million contract before 2015, which included two options.

— In December, 2016, shortly after the Sale trade to the Red Sox, Hahn shipped Eaton to the Washington Nationals in a dazzling three-for-one trade. It included Lucas Giolito, whom the Nats had compared to Tom Seaver the previous spring, along with right-handers Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo spoke about both Eaton’s impact and the flexibility gained with the under-sized contract.

Over the following four seasons, Eaton compiled 1.0 WAR, including a -0.9 WAR total during the abbreviated 2020 season. To his credit, he played like his hair was on fire in the 2019 World Series, hitting .320 with two homers, six RBIs, one stolen base and five runs scored. Rizzo rejected his 2021 option after poor production during the pandemic season.

Meanwhile Giolito got his career back on track after a woeful 2018 season, earning Cy Young votes in 2019 and ’20. He has compiled 7.0 WAR while earning about $1.4 million and the White Sox have him under control for three more seasons, with his salary projected to come in around $3.25 million this season.

— Lopez has been a hard-throwing tease for the White Sox, going 21-31 with a 4.77 ERA in 81 starts. He was a non-tender candidate this off-season but the Sox decided to give him one last shot, based on a projected 2021 salary of $1.4 million. 

Dunning meanwhile has developed into a possible low-ceiling starter, getting a start in Game 3 of the Wild Card series against Oakland last fall and appearing to be a likely member of the 2021 rotation. That changed when he was the asking price for Lynn, who generated 9.7 WAR in 46 starts the last two seasons.

— On Tuesday Hahn agreed to a one-year deal with Eaton, including an option for 2022. It guarantees him $8 million, which matches what the White Sox will pay Lynn in the last season of his three-year, $30-million deal with the Rangers. 

Summing up these transactions, the thrifty White Sox have paid Eaton, Giolito, Lopez and Dunning about $7 million combined to produce roughly 23 WAR.

How good is that? Well, on the open market a player is believed to be worth about $8 million for every 1 WAR he produces.

Hahn has flipped that formula on its head, generating about 3.2 WAR for every $1 million spent in his transactions involving Eaton. That’s how you manage a payroll while rebuilding for future success.

There’s already a lot of complaining that Hahn bought low when he settled for Eaton — admittedly coming off a horrible 2020 season — over available, left-handed-hitting free agents like Michael Brantley, Joc Pederson and Kyle Schwarber. 

Eaton enters his age-32 season at a career crossroad. But the history of these transactions suggests he and Lynn will either be keys to the White Sox have a successful run in the upcoming postseason or Hahn will trade them at the next deadline for young prospects superior to Dunning and young lefty Avery Weems. 

When Eaton is involved, you should to trust Hahn. He’s a savant on those deals, which must appear on the ceiling over his head, like chess pieces do to Beth Harmon in the limited series “The Queen’s Gambit.’’