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3 White Sox free agents who won’t be back next year and why

By Vincent Parise |
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 05: Jose Abreu #79 of the Chicago White Sox at bat against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park on September 05, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 05: Jose Abreu #79 of the Chicago White Sox at bat against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park on September 05, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
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The Chicago White Sox are in the middle of a stretch where they are playing some pretty good baseball. However, most would agree that the 2022 regular season was not at all what they were expecting going in.

Some players have carried their own weight and some have underperformed a lot. Sometimes age, their contract, and draft/free agent status make expectations subjective but that is how sports work a lot of the time.

Coming up this offseason, the White Sox have a lot of work to do in order to make sure that 2023 doesn’t go as 2022 did. We don’t know what is going to happen in the MLB Postseason but nobody is predicting a deep White Sox run at this point.

Every now and then, seasons like these cause players you love to leave town. That is going to be the case for a few players on the roster. There are some free agents that certainly won’t be back and this is why:

79. player. 128. . 1B. Chicago White Sox. Jose Abreu

The Chicago White Sox have been led by Jose Abreu since his rookie season in 2014. At this point, he has to be recognized as one of the greatest players in the history of the team. He has been their best and most consistent player each and every season.

Now, however, as he approaches free agency again, the Chicago White Sox might actually consider letting him go. It isn’t a lock as they have been loyal to guys in the past and he clearly wants to be there but it might be smart to say goodbye.

He is getting into his 30s now and there is a logjam on the team. They have a lot of DHs that are first basemen if they have to play the field. That has caused guys like Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets to play out of position (in the outfield) more than they should.

Don’t be surprised if Abreu is gone for these reasons. He will always be remembered as one of the best to ever do it for this team but his 2022 season might be the last in a White Sox uniform.

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

47. player. 128. . SP. Chicago White Sox. Johnny Cueto

The Chicago White Sox might not be able to keep Johnny Cueto past 2022.

The Chicago White Sox really needed a new starting pitcher once Carlos Rodon left. They should have brought him back but they came in with Dallas Keuchel, Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Vince Velasquez, and Michael Kopech instead.

Keuchel was DFA’d because he was so bad and Velasquez wasn’t good enough to stay in the rotation. To replace these guys, Rick Hahn took a flier on Johnny Cueto. He ended up proving his worth in AAA and got the call to the White Sox relatively early in the season.

Since then, he has been better than pretty much every option available on the free agent market has been for their new teams. In fact, only Dylan Cease has been better on the entire White Sox staff. To say that Cueto has been a miracle for the White Sox would be an understatement.

Now, where does Cueto go after this magical season? Well, he could stay with the White Sox which would be nice to see but there is some risk in that. It is hard to see him repeating this year in 2023 but you just never know.

Unfortunately, it is likely that 2022 will be the only year for him in a White Sox uniform. No matter what, he will always be remembered fondly in town.

(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

Chicago White Sox. AJ Pollock. 18. player. 128. . OF

The Chicago White Sox are going to probably miss out on AJ Pollock next year.

AJ Pollock is an unrestricted free agent after the 2022 season. The Los Angeles Dodgers have a surplus of outfielders so they saw Pollock as expendable. They traded him to the White Sox in exchange for Craig Kimbrel.

Of course, Kimbrel’s tenure with the White Sox was not a good one as he simply didn’t pitch well in a setup role. They gave up Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer for him so they would probably like to have that back. However, Pollock has been okay for the White Sox this year.

He has dominated against left-handed pitching. In fact, his numbers against lefties rival the numbers that a superstar like Aaron Judge has against lefties. Unfortunately, Pollock isn’t even half as good as that against righties which is the type you see more often.

It would be nice to see Pollock back in 2023 because of how good he is against lefties but it might not be worth it for that and a couple of good defensive plays. The White Sox need to move on and find players that best fit their needs this off-season. He is a good player but they can do better.

All of these guys have served different roles for the White Sox. One has an MVP with the team in addition to many other elite seasons, one provided some amazing pitching when needed most, and one brought some stability to the outfield. Each of them is a free agent after this year and could be gone once it is over.

Related Story. Tony La Russa could be returning to the Chicago White Sox soon. light

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