Adam Eaton rejoins Chicago White Sox, ending Nationals tenure

When the Washington Nationals declined an option for Adam Eaton’s contract in late October, the move was a sign the right fielder would not be with the team next season. And on Tuesday, that finally became official.

Eaton signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Chicago White Sox — rejoining the club that traded him to the Nationals in 2016. According to multiple reports, the White Sox also have a team option for Eaton for the following season that’s worth $8.5 million.

Eaton, 32, joins a young White Sox team that made the playoffs last season. After years of rebuilding, the White Sox expect to be a contender in 2021 and Eaton will get an opportunity to start in right field.

Four years ago, the Nationals paid a heavy cost to acquire Eaton. Washington sent top pitching prospects Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning to Chicago, players that accounted for three of the organization’s top six minor leaguers.

Of those three, Giolito’s departure is now particularly tough to swallow for Nationals’ fans. The 26-year-old has become an ace for the White Sox and finished sixth in voting for the American League Cy Young.

Eaton, though, was an important contributor for the Nationals throughout his tenure, especially during the team’s championship season in 2019. That year, he often batted leadoff and hit .271 with 15 home runs. He also was very productive in the World Series, recording eight hits, six RBI, two homers and four walks. In Game 7, he singled with the bases loaded to knock in two runs to give the Nationals’ breathing room with their lead.

In all, Eaton spent four years with Washington. His first season ended abruptly when he tore his ACL just 23 games into the year — an injury that may have contributed to his defensive downfall. Injuries also plagued his 2020 campaign. He was sidelined in September with a broken finger. That capped a disappointing season in which he only hit .221.Without Eaton, the Nationals will have to find a replacement in right field. That could come in free agency, though this year’s market has been slow to develop with most teams cutting back on payroll.

Washington could also look to Andrew Stevenson, who filled in for Eaton last year and ended the season on a hot streak. Stevenson, 26, batted .366 in 15 games.

Before joining the Nationals, Eaton spent three years with the White Sox. He was traded there from the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015. Eaton’s first tenure in Chicago came with plenty of drama. He notably feuded with teammate Todd Frazier over a dispute when in-fielder Adam LaRoche retired when his son was no longer allowed in the clubhouse. That feud surfaced again in 2019 when Frazier, then with the New York Mets, and Eaton exchanged words — both on the field and through the press — during a three-game series.

Eaton will now get an opportunity to play with Giolito and Lopez. The White Sox, however, traded Dunning on Monday to the Texas Rangers in exchange for starter Lance Lynn.