White Sox: Looking at the AL Central’s offseason needs

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(Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
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The Chicago White Sox play in a division that has five very different teams that are looking at the 2019-20 offseason very differently.

The Chicago White Sox are playing in an up and down American League Central Division. The White Sox are off to the biggest start out of anyone in the division. They have made some big moves this offseason already and they aren’t even close to done. They have a lot of work to do to make sure that the 2020 season lives up to the hype. They have a lot of talent in the organization that they are hoping can turn the corner and come together to be a winning team.

They are in a division with two other good teams and two bad teams. They are all going into the offseason with different goals for themselves as they all prepare for Spring Training 2020. Once they get going it will start to become more apparent who the favorite in the division is but there is a lot of work to be done for all of them.

They all have their different roster needs and desires for themselves as they look to make moves. They also all have different expectations for what the immediate future has in store for them. We have taken a look at all of the different teams in the division and looked at what it is they are going to need going into the offseason. They all want to win as they have all had success over the last decade. You can make an argument that the White Sox are the least successful team of the decade in the AL Central but that is all about to change. Here is what we believe each team needs:

(Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)
(Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images) /

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are the worst team in Major League Baseball. They might not be in 2020 by a few games but there is no reason to believe they will not be in the running for the worst record in the league once again. They are one of those teams that are in the early stages of a rebuild. They were so good in the early 2010s as they were looked at as an American League powerhouse during that time. They even had an appearance in the World Series in 2012.

They at one point had a starting rotation that included Rick Porcello, David Price, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and Anibal Sanchez. All five of those guys are now World Series Champions with other clubs. They had Miguel Cabrera in his prime joined by J.D. Martinez and Prince Fielder to set the tone in a really good lineup at different points during those years. Now, they are all either gone or past their prime as the team looks to rebuild.

The Tigers are not going to get good overnight so the key for them is to sell off any veteran players and try to rebuild from the ground up. They are going to also need to add some guys on short term deals to eat innings for them in 2020. There is a good chance that they will have another top-3 pick after next year is over so they should just keep stockpiling prospects and then they can look to add to it from there.

(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals had a tough year in 2019. They are a few years away from winning the World Series and now they are in transition. We reached out to site expert Jordan Foote from Kings of Kauffman for some expert insight on the Royals and how their offseason will look. Here is what Jordan had to say:

“Overall, and stop me if you’ve heard this before, the Kansas City Royals are still quite a ways away from being contenders. After a season in which the team lost 103 games, there are still multiple problems to fix and holes that need to be filled. The team has some pieces it can use as hope for the future, though, as the general consensus in the KC area is that the Royals will be competitive again two seasons from now. First and foremost, keeping the infield intact is key. Salvador Perez, Hunter Dozier, Adalberto Mondesi, and Nicky Lopez are all in it for the long run. Outside of that, both Whit Merrifield and Jorge Soler figure to fit into the club’s long-term plans as well. In terms of additions that need to be made for the lineup, the Royals will probably stand relatively pat. Ryan O’Hearn and Ryan McBroom could platoon and allow the club to find out what each truly offers at the plate. Bubba Starling and Brett Phillips are facing make-or-break years in the outfield. The 2020 team won’t look much different than it did this past season. As far as the rotation goes, Brad Keller is the best pitcher currently on the staff. This five-man staff has a long way to go before it’s even average. Adding the likes of Brady Singer and other minor league studs at some point in 2020 should help but until then, perhaps a depth signing or two could be made. As new owner John Sherman takes control of the team, expect Dayton Moore to make a concerted effort to keep payroll low for the first season of the Sherman era. If we talk about the Royals’ offseason plans a year from now, though, things should be quite a bit different — and in a good way.”

We thank Jordan for this insight on the Royals. Clearly, he sees the 2020 season as one that will be more of the same from a year prior. The White Sox need to take advantage of there being two teams in the division that are completely rebuilding. It should be interesting to see how the Royals go about this offseason but they are in a little bit of a better spot than the Tigers.

(Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images) /

Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians have been at or near the top of this division for most of the decade. They even have a World Series appearance as recent as 2016. They weren’t able to get it done in that series unfortunately but there is no doubt that they have been one of the elite teams in the American League for a long time. They still have some really good players on their team but there is no doubt that the prime of the team is in the past and there is room for a new team to dominate the division for the next half-decade.

We received some insight on the Cleveland Indians’ offseason needs from Believeland Ball site expert Steven Kubitzka. He was thoughtful about the things he believes the Indians need to do and this is what he had to say:

“The Cleveland Indians are once again fighting for the division crown. Yet the top question of the day, every single day, is what the team is going to do with Francisco Lindor. He is under team control for two more seasons. There is a zero percent chance he hits free agency, so if he won’t accept the team’s best offer it is time to trade him. Sad, but true. This is where the offseason is up in the air. If he stays, re-signing someone like Yasiel Puig stands out as a smart move. It is hard to make predictions and begin talking money until we find out the 2020 plans for Lindor. If he is indeed traded, it must be for some major-league ready talent. The Indians already have a dominant rotation with the only needs really being another outfield bat, like Puig, and some experience in the bullpen. Yet the latter is always a work in progress for every team throughout any given season. Thus, the focus remains on Lindor.”

Francisco Lindor has been one of the best players in all of baseball for a long time. He constantly puts up elite numbers and ranks amongst the best shortstops in the league. He had a 4.7 WAR so clearly he impacts the game in ways that most players can’t. He hit 32 home runs and had 74 RBIs for Cleveland last year along with a .284 batting average.

It feels like the offseason of the Cleveland Indians solely depends on what Lindor decides to do. If he gives them a reason to trade him then there is no doubt that the Indians will spend that money elsewhere but they are going to be a worse team because of it. This could be a situation that the White Sox are able to take advantage of on the field.

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(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins cruised to a division title in 2019. They had some heat put on them by the Cleveland Indians down the stretch but they eventually pulled away and dethroned Cleveland. They are a great team and the number one issue for the White Sox going forward. They have an interesting offseason ahead of them because they are going to be looking to basically just add what they need to have another great year in 2020.

They were defeated in the American League Division Series by the New York Yankees. It wasn’t particularly close as the Yankees made short work of them. The Twins used the home run ball to their advantage in 2019 but it wouldn’t go out for them in the playoffs. If the balls aren’t juiced in 2020 that could really hurt the Twins in their race for the top of the division.

They are going to be looking for some pieces this offseason that will help them continue to score more runs. They are also going to be looking for some pitching help as they move into next year. They know that they have the Chicago White Sox and to a lesser extent Cleveland Indians on their tale coming for them. Any opportunity they get to better their team this winter, they will.

They were probably the smartest team during the 2018-19 offseason. Instead of worrying about Manny Machado or Bryce Harper, they spent their money on lesser players but still ones who can hit home runs and contribute to wins. They might be looking to do some more of that this time around.

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This division has been weaker than the other AL divisions over the past three or four seasons but the rise of the Chicago White Sox could change that narrative going forward. Now you know what each team will be looking for the most this offseason as the White Sox look to be better than them all. It is going to be interesting to see how they all do.

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