3 pending free agents the White Sox must let walk
2023 has been a disaster for the Chicago White Sox. It is almost over which is good news but that also means that some off-season decisions are going to be made.
With Chris Getz as the new head of decision-making when it comes to baseball operations, he has some big moves that he needs to make.
How Getz handles it will determine the direction of the team. It should be painfully obvious what his intentions are by the time we reach December.
The White Sox have a few pending free agents on the team right now. Most of the players need a makeover at some point but these 3 free agents must be let go right when the season is done:
1. Yasmani Grandal
Yasmani Grandal and the Chicago White Sox should be separating now.
Yasmani Grandal has had nothing but ups and downs since coming over to the Chicago White Sox. 2021 was brilliant but a few different factors have led to his decline since then.
Grandal is a free agent after this season after (at the time) signing the biggest contract in the history of the organization. At this point in time, it has been proven that he isn't the same player that he once was.
There was a time when Grandal was a top-three catcher in the league. Those were fun times but we are far removed from them. This can't be a player that returns to the team.
In 2022 so far, Grandal has a slash line of .236/.312/.343 for an OPS of .654. He has hit eight home runs with 33 RBIs and 33 runs scored. He has also not been catching as often lately so his value is just low right now. He has a WAR of -0.4 this season which says it all.
It will be interesting to see if his career is over or if he will land on his feet with another team in 2024. As long as it isn't the White Sox, it would be nice to see for him.
2. Elvis Andrus
The Chicago White Sox should not bring back Elvis Andrus again in 2024.
Elvis Andrus came to the White Sox at the end of the 2022 season to try and help them get the division title. They looked like they had a chance at one point there but they fell short.
When playing for them at that point in time, he was the starting shortstop because Tim Anderson was injured for the rest of the season. For whatever reason, he found extreme comfort in Chicago early on.
With Tim Anderson coming back ahead of 2023, they didn't need a shortstop anymore. They did, however, need a second baseman which they have needed for multiple years now.
After an off-season of no second baseman being added, the White Sox decided to bring back Andrus right before spring training began. He was going to play second for the first time in his career.
The idea of bringing back Andrus for another year was nice at the time because of how good he was in 2022. Unfortunately, he wasn't good this year at all. He is slashing .255/.309/.364 with an OPS of .673. He has six homers and 44 RBIs with 38 runs.
There is no reason for the White Sox to bring this player in his mid-30s back for next year. They should be working on the long-term second base plan instead. Andrus might have not even had a job in 2023 if it weren't for the White Sox and now we know why.
3. Mike Clevinger
The Chicago White Sox should get Mike Clevinger out of there.
The Chicago White Sox made the mistake of signing Mike Clevinger during the off-season. Once he was signed, he was investigated for some pretty big issues off the field which was yet another bad look for the White Sox. Don't they look into these things?
Then, Clevinger put them in a hard position because he ended up having a pretty good season. It wasn't Cy Young caliber or anything like that but he was statistically the best starter on the team. Although he was incredibly hard to cheer for this year, facts are facts when it comes to his play.
There is a mutual option for the 2024 season. Even if Mike Clevinger wants to pick it up, the White Sox should absolutely not and let him walk in free agency. They have no obligation to bring him back just because he had one good year on a really bad team.
Sometimes, the way you act and the way you treat people should matter. Clevinger has no business coming back to a White Sox team trying to reset their culture. They should absolutely make sure that he is on another team next year.
Next. The 15 worst contracts in Chicago White Sox history. dark