The all-time Chicago White Sox roster of washed up players

The Chicago White Sox have a history of acquiring former All-Star players well past their prime. The team signing Noah Syndergaard to a minor league contract earlier this week feels like a natural move that the franchise would make.

Now, there are some practical reasons for the White Sox to take a flyer on Syndergaard. He provides starting pitching depth as a veteran who could eat some innings in August and September in case veteran starters Adrian Houser and Aaron Civale are traded before the deadline.

But at the same time, this is a move that former front office head Kenny Williams would make regularly when he was running the team from 2000-2023. The ongoing joke was that Kenny was going to get his man eventually. It did not matter if a star player he coveted was completely cooked; Williams was going to bring that big name player to the South Side if he got the chance.

I feel like Syndergaard's signing, in a way, is carrying on a tradition I was hoping would end once Williams was fired.

It's nothing to get too bent out of shape about considering Syndergaard might not even make it to the big league roster. He has an opt-out cluase in his contract after August 1.

Daniel Victor of FutureSox has theorized that the White Sox acquire star players past their primes because ownership does not pony up the money to get any of them during their peak performance years.

It also got me thinking about all the washed up players that the White Sox have signed over the years and which players would make the all-time White Sox roster of washed up talent.

C Sandy Alomar Jr.

Sandy Alomar Jr. came to the White Sox when he was 31 years old in 2001 after making six All-Star appearances with Cleveland. He had three separate stints with the White Sox.

In the first run, Alomar was respectable. He was the starting catcher in 2001 and had a solid .287/.309/.485 slash line in 2002 before being traded to Colorado.

Alomar returned to the South Side that offseason and played two more respectable seasons as a backup catcher.

What gets him on this list is that he returned to Chicago in 2006 at the age of 40 in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He produced a .217 average with a .603 OPS in 19 games. The idea of bringing Alomar back as a veteran backup was not a terrible idea, but trading future assets for a 40-year-old is never a good idea.

1B Justin Morneau

Some might nominate John Kruk for this spot, but Justin Morneau was a former American League MVP. He also used to torture the White Sox when he was with the Minnesota Twins.

Morneau was a four-time All-Star and a two-time Silver Slugger for a White Sox division rival. He also won the NL batting title in 2014 with the Colorado Rockies.

By the time Morneau signed with Chicago in 2016, those stellar days were behind him. He was 35, played in 58 games, and finished with a .261/.303/.429 slash line. It was his final season in the big leagues.

2B Roberto Alomar

I could also make the case for Jimmy Rollins at second base, but Roberto Alomar is a Hall of Famer that made 12 All-Star teams during his career.

He was nowhere close to that amazing player when he came to the White Sox in 2004. He played just 18 games for the Sox with an average below .200.

SS Omar Vizquel

Infielder Omar Vizquel was another former Cleveland star player the franchise added well past his glory days. He was 43 when he joined the Sox. Vizquel was actually decent in 2010 when he played in 108 games and hit .276.

Father Time then caught up to him in 2011 when he posted a .592 OPS. Plus, his days of winning Gold Gloves were long gone by the time he got to Chicago.

Vizquel was a manager in the White Sox minor league system after his playing days ended. However, he was sued by a former batboy over allegations of sexual harassment and was dismissed by the organization.

3B Kevin Youkilis

Kevin Youkilis was starting to show signs he was no longer the modern-day Greek God of walks when the team traded for him midway through the 2012 season. He was a beloved figure in Boston with his split-handed grip that, despite being unorthodox, earned him three All-Star appearances.

Youkilis did have a .771 OPS and 15 home runs when he came to the South Side. But his addition was another last ditch effort to save an underachieving team. It was the start of the franchise becoming mired in mediocrity, as he was meant to help the Sox get back into the playoffs. The team finished 85-77 that season and they did not have another winning season until 2020.

OF Andruw Jones, OF Ken Griffey Jr., OF Manny Ramirez

Andruw Jones will eventually get elected to the Hall of Fame. However, his time in Chicago will just be a footnote on his plaque.

Jones earned his 10 Gold Gloves and five All-Star appearances with the Atlanta Braves. He produced a .230 batting average during the 2010 season, his only season with the White Sox. He had 19 home runs with a respectable .827 OPS that season, but he was 33 years old and removed from his peak performance.

Griffey Jr. was also well past his prime when he came to the White Sox in a midseason trade in 2008. However, "The Kid" did make a huge play in the famous 2008 Blackout Game between the Sox and Twins.

It was Game 163 between the division foes with the AL Central title on the line. In the fifth inning, Griffey showed he still had that cannon arm as he gunned down Michael Cuddyer at home.

Griffey's throw kept the Twins off the scoreboard and the White Sox went on to win 1-0.

Manny Ramirez only played 24 games in 2010 and hit just one (1) of his 546 career home runs for the White Sox. He came over in late-season trade from the Dodgers and produced a .261/.420/.319 slash line.

Ramirez was out of baseball the next season after a second failed PED test. It is one reason he will likely be barred from the Hall of Fame.

DH Jose Canseco

Jose Canseco was an admitted steroid user. He finished his controversial career with the White Sox in 2001.

The former AL MVP and Rookie of the Year was brought in to DH after Frank Thomas was lost for the season with an injury. He had an .843 OPS and 16 home runs in 76 games.

P Steve Carlton

I could make the case for Tom Seaver as the starting pitcher, but Seaver actually had a solid 1985 season - his first year with the White Sox.

Steve Carlton was still trying to keep his Hall of Fame career going in 1986 when he caught on with the Sox after getting released by both the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants that year. He was 41 when he signed with the club in August of '86.

The Hall of Famer and four-time Cy Young winner started 10 games late in '86. He went 4-3 (when wins and losses still mattered for a pitcher) with a 3.69 ERA.