A closer or set up man
The Chicago White Sox need a man pitching in the back of their bullpen.
The central theme of this article seems to be on full display now, the White Sox needs to prioritize all aspects of pitching this offseason. In regard to the bullpen, a solid closer or setup man seems to be a good place to start.
Unfortunately, it seems that Liam Hendriks may have played his last game in a White Sox uniform. The team reported a few weeks ago that he has successfully undergone Tommy John surgery and has the possibility of missing the entire 2024 regular season.
After 2024, Hendriks will be a free agent and will most likely try to sign with a contender as he will probably have 1 or 2 more good years left in him.
The Sox also have another quality reliever on the injured list in Garrett Crochet. Unlike Hendriks, Crochet will be able to play in 2024 and has plenty of good years left.
It seems the team will build their bullpen around Crochet but the lingering question will be whether or not he is ready to be the closer in 2024.
If he is, the Sox should invest in a proven setup man to provide as much security as possible for innings 8 and 9. If the team prefers Crochet to set up, the White Sox should then look into a closer that still has some years left in him.
Virtually no one expects to be a contender come next season but if the White Sox can acquire these pieces, this can put the team in the right direction and most importantly, start to see our win total climb each season.
A team like the Miami Marlins can be a great example for the White Sox. Miami has focused heavily on all aspects of their pitching whether that be through the draft or making trades for solidified arms such as Jesus Luzardo, Dylan Floro, and David Robertson.
Miami has boasted one of the best starting and relief units in all of baseball but lacked a little bit of hitting power which resulted in them acquiring Josh Bell and (unfortunately) Jake Burger.
Even lacking some hitting depth, the Marlins have been able to drastically improve after being one of the bottom teams in the league a few years ago and are now contending for a wild card spot due to solid all-around pitching.
It will be interesting to see first and foremost, who Jerry Reinsdorf brings in to run baseball operations and then how they attack this first offseason. Let's hope they can focus on pitching and start the process of solidifying the weakest area of our team.