How much will the White Sox spend on payroll in ’15?

How much will the White Sox spend on payroll in ’15? by Stephen Forsha

Aug 29, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees relief pitcher(48) throws a pitch during the eighth inning in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The New York Yankees won 6-3.Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

In a recent tweet, Jon Morosi of Fox Sports said the Chicago White Sox are in the market for left-handed relievers due to the fact there are just two currently on the roster.

In fact, here is his tweet:

White Sox heavily involved in market for left-handed relief pitching. Currently have only 2 LH relievers on roster (Surkamp, Snodgress). — Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 16, 2014

In looking at the list of left-handed relievers on MLB Trade Rumors, one I want to take a closer look at is Josh Outman, formerly of the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians last season.

In ’14, in a combined 40 appearances with the Indians and the Yankees, he finished with a 2.86 ERA, along with a 4-0 record.

The LHP only pitched a combined 28.1 innings, which saw him walk just 16 batters and finish with 26 strikeouts. His ERA+ was 134, and he finished with a WAR (wins above replacement) of 0.3 with the Indians and 0.2 while pitching for the Yankees.

Also in his time in Yankee pinstripes, Outman pitched in nine games (3.2 IP), where he allowed two hits and had two strikeouts. He faced a total of 12 batters in his time with the Yankees.

May 31, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Josh Outman (88) stands on the mound after giving up a three-run home run to Colorado Rockies center fielder(not pictured) during the seventh inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Outman has pitched a total of 161 games in his six seasons in the majors, including stints with the Oakland Athletics and the Colorado Rockies from 2008-13. He didn’t pitch in the majors in 2010.

His career ERA is 4.43 with 226 strikeouts. Outman also has 32 career starts, with his last start in ’12 with the Rockies.

Being 32 years old, Outman might be the type of pitcher the White Sox are looking for to join a bullpen that struggled last season. He could bring some experience to the White Sox, and if we go by what he did last season, he pitched relatively well.

Last season, relievers of the White Sox combined for a 23-32 record with just 36 saves. The ERA of relief pitchers ended up being 4.38 in a total of 471.0 innings pitched. In ’14, the White Sox bullpen gave up 229 earned runs.

Compare those numbers to the AL Champion Kansas City Royals, who are also in the AL Central. The Royals bullpen has an ERA of 3.30 in 464.0 innings pitched in the regular season. They allowed 170 earned runs and had 53 saves.

Why shouldn’t the White Sox give Outman a look? By the way they performed last season, changes in the bullpen need to be made, and maybe Outman could be a small part of that change.

It couldn’t hurt to be interested in him, because going back with more of the same players like last season just will be more of the same type of disappointment.