Signing Melky Cabrera might be the best move White Sox have made yet

The goal of every team during the offseason is to improve its roster. Context aside, no club has been more successful doing that this winter than the Chicago White Sox.

Looking for context? The White Sox have added several impact players over the last month by forfeiting draft picks, trading away a young infielder for a rental player, shelling out tens of millions to relievers and spending on a first-base slugger with poor platoon splits.

Melky Cabrera's reported three-year, $42-million deal is the latest move in general manager Rick Hahn's efforts to rebuild Chicago into a legitimate division title contender. Since the middle of November, Hahn has upgraded his outfield (Cabrera), starting rotation (Jeff Samardzija), bullpen (David Robertson, Zach Duke) and infield/designated hitter (Adam LaRoche).

Using last year's figures, some quick math and lineup projections values the additions at a net worth around 10 wins above replacement. That's a remarkable swing for a club that won only 73 games in 2014 and still has holes around the diamond to fill.

Cabrera is a significant upgrade over Dayan Viciedo in left, both offensively and even defensively. And while Cabrera's work with the glove certainly leaves plenty to be desired, the disparity in offense alone makes this a major improvement.

(Courtesy: FanGraphs)

It's an even better acquisition given the current market. The White Sox desperately needed to add a corner outfielder, prefarably with a middle-of-the-order bat, and the options were beginning to look bleak. Yoenis Cespedes and Matt Kemp were traded this week, and rentals like Justin Upton would cost money and prospects. That Cabrera's the only consensus top 10 free agent to sign for less than four years is quite the coup for the White Sox.

Even when factoring in his dreadful 2013 season - the one in which he played with a tumor on his spine - Cabrera's last four years have been impressive:

The 30-year-old switch-hitter proved healthy last year and the results were very good. He's a contact hitter with favorable splits to both sides and his ability to hit his way on base makes him a good fit for the No. 2 spot in a lineup. There's no reason to believe he won't continue to hit - and keep his OBP above-average - during his age 30-32 seasons. 

Melky Cabrera wasn't the top player available this winter. Jon Lester will arguably have the most impact, Hanley Ramirez had the most accomplished bat, and the Toronto Blue Jays secured one of the top catchers in the game in Russell Martin.

But none of these teams addressed as many holes as the White Sox did, and none of those pickups came cheap. How Chicago still managed to sign the best position player left for Nelson Cruz money and one year less, is impressive. The White Sox desperately needed another outfield bat and they didn't have to overpay to get it.

That's why Cabrera's deal could very well be the best so far this offseason. Remember, context - and timing - is everything.