The Chicago White Sox have a lot of really good players on their team. 2022 was a disappointing year but it wasn’t for a lack of talent. It was a poorly constructed roster with a bad manager leading the way.
With all of that in mind, it was obviously a mistake to trade Fernando Tatis Jr. away to the San Diego Padres in the deal that landed the White Sox James Shields. It is one of the most lopsided trades in Major League Baseball history.
When Tim Anderson is healthy, he is elite but he isn’t Fernando Tatis Jr. at shortstop. Luckily, only injury will ever keep Anderson out because he is committed to playing baseball and being there for his teammates when he can.
The same can’t be said for Tatis as he has not played this season and won’t. He missed the early stages of the season recovering from injuries that he sustained riding a motorcycle. Obviously, taking part in dangerous activities like that doesn’t exactly scream commitment to baseball.
The Chicago White Sox aren’t going to be facing Fernando Tatis Jr. this weekend.
Secondly, Tatis was suspended for 80 games as a result of PED use. He is never going to be looked at the same as he once was an electric player that brought fans out of their seat. Now, he has to earn lots of people’s trust back.
It will be a while before we see him play again as he let his teammates down in the middle of a contention window. With other stars on the squad like Manny Machado, Yu Darvish, and Juan Soto amongst others, he is missing an opportunity to try and do something special.
Luckily for the White Sox, in their rare appearance on the same field as these San Diego Padres, they won’t have to face Tatis Jr. You know that would be the leading story for the series if he was playing and the White Sox have already been embarrassed enough this year.
They might not be as lucky in 2023. The last series of the season next year is a home series against this same Padres team. By then, you’d think that Tatis is healthy and in the lineup as his suspension will be long over.
This was supposed to be the last opponent of this year too but the lockout pushed the opening series against the Twins to the end of the year. Regardless, the White Sox have a chance here to play spoiler and they won’t be facing Tatis Jr. who makes the team look very bad.