The 2023 season has come to an end! It is officially over as the World Series concluded on Wednesday night. The Texas Rangers won their first-ever title with a five-game victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
It was an incredible run for the Rangers as they asserted themselves as one of the best franchises in all of baseball. They dealt with some adversity when they allowed the Houston Astros to take the division (and first-round bye) from them in the final days of the season.
They also were the underdog in every game that they played in this series. It got even tougher when they trailed in the ALCS 3-2. No matter what issues they faced, they found a way out and got it done. Now, they are world champions for the first time ever.
The Chicago White Sox can learn a lot from a franchise like this. There are some things that they did that the White Sox never do but they should. Calling up good prospects is something the White Sox have done. They have made aggressive trades like the Rangers but don't hit on them enough.
The Chicago White Sox don't make decisions that help them win games.
The thing that they absolutely never do is hand out big money to players that are worth it. Marcus Semien and Corey Seager and significantly more expensive than Yasmani Grandal and Andrew Benintendi. You now understand why.
There are a few former White Sox players to be happy for here. Both Marcus Semien and Dane Dunning are former White Sox players.
Semien was traded by the White Sox when they sent him to the Oakland A's in the deal that landed them Jeff Samardzija. Since then, they have needed a second baseman. They have had multiple chances to add him in free agency as well and didn't even bother trying. It's a horrible look now.
As for Dane Dunning, he was sent to the Rangers in exchange for Lance Lynn. That one is less painful. It didn't work out with the core that the White Sox built but Lynn was incredible with the White Sox. That was especially true in 2021 when he was a Cy Young nominee.
Dunning is great for the Rangers as a guy who can make starts and come out of the bullpen. However, trading for Lynn made sense and is a move that they probably would do again. It was always clear that the trade was short-term for the Sox but long-term for the Rangers.
There always seem to be some former White Sox players that end up playing well in the playoffs but these two deserve extra praise this year.