3 former White Sox players we'll be glad are gone and 2 we'll wish stayed

Chicago White Sox v Oakland Athletics
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The Chicago White Sox are going to be a decent team in 2023 but can they be better than decent? There were times they were decent in 2022 but they ended the season with a very mediocre 81-81 record.

Now, they are trying to bounce back from all of that. There is a lot of turnover in the roster including the manager.

Pedro Grifol was hired to replace Tony La Russa who didn't do all that good of a job in his second tenure with the organization.

Players on the current roster are going to need to be better. We need to see guys like Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada, and Tim Anderson be healthier and more productive.

A lot of Chicago White Sox players need to step up in a big way in 2023.

It is also important to have guys take big steps. Andrew Vaughn, Oscar Colas, and Michael Kopech are under that umbrella as well.

There are new faces on the roster that need to be good as well. Guys like Andrew Benintendi and Mike Clevinger need to step up to help this team.

The starting pitching needs to be better as well. Everyone has confidence in Dylan Cease but Lance Lynn, Michael Kopech, and Lucas Giolito have some questions to answer with their play as well.

They will try to bounce back with the team that they have assembled for the year. With that, there are three players that we will be happy that moved on and two players that we are going to miss. It should make for an interesting storyline this year based on how their current guys play:

3 players that the White Sox won't miss in 2023

1. Adam Engel

Adam Engel was a good White Sox player but he needed to move on.

We thought after the 2020 season that Adam Engel would become a great player for this team. If he was the fourth outfielder playing the way that he was that year, the depth would be what they need it to be.

Unfortunately, Engel was either hurt or inconsistent for the White Sox in 2021 and 2022. Eventually, it became clear that he wasn't going to get back to that level that he was once at.

There was even a point where he played Gold Glove-caliber defense despite his offensive struggles. It got to the point, however, where he wasn't even playing defense at that level anymore.

Now, he has moved on to the San Diego Padres. With Andrew Benintendi and Oscar Colas coming to the White Sox, they can use Eloy Jimenez from time to time as the fourth outfielder. Those are all obviously better options than Engel.

3 players that the White Sox won't miss in 2023

2. AJ Pollock

A.J. Pollock won't be missed by many White Sox fans in 2023.

Nobody is really going to miss AJ Pollock. After the 2022 season ended, it became pretty clear that he didn't like playing for the Chicago White Sox. He left a lot of money on the table to not play for them.

When the White Sox traded Craig Kimbrel for him, it looked like they might have gotten something out of that horrible trade that they made during the 2021 season.

That ended up not being the case for them as Pollock just wasn't very good for them. He did them a favor by leaving because it opened the door for others this year. When he is playing for the Seattle Mariners this year, they are going to hope he is better than he was with the Sox.

3 players that the White Sox won't miss in 2023

3. Josh Harrison

Josh Harrison wasn't what the Chicago White Sox needed anymore.

Josh Harrison was the second baseman for the 2022 White Sox most of the time. He was okay in his role but Elvis Andrus coming back this year is going to make it so that nobody misses Harrison.

He is going to play for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2023 so he should be a part of a very good team. It was fun at times with Harrison but it was clear that the White Sox could do better.

We can only hope that Harrison isn't missed because that will mean that both Elvis Andrus and Tim Anderson are having good years.

2 players that the White Sox will miss in 2023

1. Jose Abreu

Jose Abreu is a hitter that the Chicago White Sox will miss in 2023.

Jose Abreu is one of the greatest players in Chicago White Sox history. He left the team in free agency to join the Houston Astros. It is going to be very strange seeing him play for another team wearing different colors.

Abreu has been the best hitter on the team ever since he joined the team and that includes a very below-average (by his standards) 2022 season.

There is no doubt that the team is going to miss him in 2023. It isn't going to be easy to replace the production that he brought to the table every single day. Everyone is going to need to show up and play at their best in order for this team to succeed.

2 players that the White Sox will miss in 2023

2. Johnny Cueto

The Chicago White Sox rotation is going to miss Johnny Cueto in 2023.

Johnny Cueto was one of the best stories in baseball last year. Without him, the White Sox would have had an even more disappointing season.

He left in free agency to play for the Miami Marlins. He earned that right as nobody knew what to expect from him coming into 2022. He went out there and showed the world that he made the adjustments needed to keep his career going.

The White Sox signed Mike Clevinger to be his replacement in the rotation. You already know why that has been a risk. Based on things on and off the field, it was a questionable decision. Cueto is already missed and the season hasn't even begun yet.

We have to hope that the 2023 White Sox play so well that we don't spend much time thinking about players on other teams.

Next. The 15 worst contracts in Chicago White Sox history. dark

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