3 White Sox off-season additions we should already be concerned about
Spring training is officially over for the 2023 Chicago White Sox. Between their Cactus League games and the World Baseball Classic, there was a lot to like.
There is also a lot to work on as we move into the regular season. There is always going to be a health scare when it comes to this team in addition to hoping that everyone performs to the best of their ability once they are healthy.
Some players have been here for a while now that have no excuses going for them going forward. These people make a lot of money to play baseball and a lot of them haven't lived up to things. That needs to change.
The same can be said for the new additions to the team. A lot of the time, the White Sox don't get what they need from those they bring in during the off-season.
So far, the return on investment isn't looking good based on their performances during spring ball. These three off-season additions are players everyone should be a bit concerned about:
1. Andrew Benintendi
Andrew Benintendi is expected to be one of the best players on the team.
Andrew Benintendi has been a very consistent Major League Baseball player during his time. The Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, and New York Yankees were all happy to have him when they did.
That earned him a big-time opportunity during free agency. He signed the largest contract in total value that the Chicago White Sox have ever given out.
Well, during spring training, he wasn't that good. He ended the exhibition season with a .189 batting average, one home run, and two RBIs. His OPS was a very lousy .588. He is going to need to be much better than that if he is going to help this team win in 2023.
2. Mike Clevinger
Mike Clevinger has been a worry for the White Sox since he signed.
The Chicago White Sox let Johnny Cueto walk after 2022 which might have been a mistake. They opted to sign Mike Clevinger instead who has just been a disaster for them already and the season hasn't even started yet.
He got off to a bad start with his White Sox tenure as it came out that he is being investigated by the league for some serious off-the-field domestic issues. It came out that he won't face any discipline for his actions but you never know what that actually means.
He hasn't had a good spring training on the field either which makes you wonder why this team is taking on this headache of a player. He better find a way to improve otherwise things aren't going to go smoothly for him or the team in 2023.
It is fair to already be worried about him as a fan. His character off the field is questionable and he hasn't even been that good.
3. Hanser Alberto
Hanser Albert surprisingly made the White Sox roster out of camp.
The Chicago White Sox are not going to have Leury Garcia on the roster to start 2023 which is great news. No disrespect to him but he just wasn't a player that had any business being on this team anymore.
The problem is that they replaced him with Hanser Alberto. A lot of people are going to be excited about Alberto because he was so good during spring training. If he was as good during spring training in the regular season, he'd be in the MVP conversations.
The problem is that no way will happen. In fact, he has a much better chance of being as productive (if not worse) than Leury Garcia. Having him on the Opening Day roster is very concerning. You don't just magically become a good MLB player at 30 years old.
He might be hot to start the year but don't think it will last. All we can hope is that they don't rely on him too much because he won't deliver.
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