The Chicago White Sox had a good year in 2021. In fact, they had a great year when you consider some of the things that they had to deal with. However, things did not go well for them in the postseason against the Houston Astros. As a result, it is back to the drawing board for 2022.
Well, actually, not exactly. They have a lot of elite players in place at key positions. The starting rotation is electric, the bullpen has the ability to be shut down, and the batting order should be able to score lots of runs if Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, and Yasmani Grandal are all able to stay healthy with their teammates.
With that said, there is always room for improvement when you aren’t the last team standing. One thing that the White Sox needs to address this offseason is the position of second base. Nick Madrigal and Cesar Hernandez are gone. Leury Garcia is better suited as a utility player. Danny Mendick isn’t an everyday MLB player on an elite team.
As a result, they should consider trading for Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets. The White Sox have a lot of nice things that they can trade away to New York if they wanted to get this guy. He would be a great player to have come in and play second right away.
Jeff McNeil could be a great addition to the Chicago White Sox if they wanted him.
By his standards, he had a down year in 2021. A lot of players did in either 2020 or 2021 but have bounced back from it. McNeil could come back in 2022 on a new team and get back to the way that he played in 2018, 2019, and 2020 before his down year. The White Sox would be smart to take this risk if there are no better options out there.
The New York Mets are reportedly looking to trade him if someone offers something good. His down year would probably be the reason for that as the Mets have revamped their whole team this offseason.
However, the White Sox might be just a step ahead of them which means that someone like McNeil could be good for them. The worst thing that could happen is that he is closer to the 2021 version of himself than the 2020 version of himself and the White Sox move on quickly.
He is worth a try. He was once an All-Star which is not something every player on the White Sox can say. If he got back to that level, he would look great in the middle of a Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, and a Jose Abreu-led infield.