3 White Sox players worth 100 million dollars or more
The Chicago White Sox are not known to be a team that pays a lot of money for its roster. The entire roster might be worth a fair amount but they don't give single players what they are worth almost ever. It has caused them to be a mostly dissapointing Major League team.
The White Sox are one of just a handful of teams to never give out a 100 million-dollar contract. The highest-paid player in the history of the franchise is actually Andrew Benintendi who just signed this last off-season for 75 million dollars. He narrowly broke Yasmani Grandal's White Sox record.
Coming into every off-season, there are always roster needs. For example, this year it was second base and the outfield. Pitching is a need for all 30 teams every single off-season. However, the White Sox never spends top dollar on help which is sometimes needed to get teams over the edge.
If they would have handled free agency like a serious team during this rebuild, they would still be a World Series contender instead of the window only lasting for about two years. They could still be very good but it will get harder and harder without more help.
What happens when their own players worth over 100 million on this market come up to get paid? Are they going to just let them walk away because they are too cheap to retain them? These are the three players that might need that type of contract in the very near future:
Tim Anderson
Tim Anderson is a very important player for the White Sox organization.
The Chicago White Sox have a very good shortstop in Tim Anderson. He can always work on his defensive game a little bit but they don't need him to be a Gold Glove winner out there. They just need him to be solid enough to complement how good of a hitter he is.
We have seen moments of greatness from Anderson on the field. The highlight so far is his walk-off home run at the Field of Dreams on the national stage with the whole baseball world watching. He has a knack for the dramatics and it showed well in this one.
Anderson is considered to be a leader on the club as well. When he is there, he is the leadoff man that drives the bus for this team in every way. He is a leader for this team both on and off the field. The things he does for the community are incredible as well as his great play.
An injury took the second half of Anderson's season away in 2022 but he is a mostly healthy player otherwise. When it is time for him to get paid, it is almost certain that a 100-plus million-dollar contract will be needed for him to stick around.
The White Sox should absolutely be paying something like that for their franchise shortstop. This is a player that you can't be cheap on.
Dylan Cease
Dylan Cease is one of the best pitchers to ever pitch for the White Sox.
The Chicago White Sox do a lot of things wrong. One thing they did right, however, is land Dylan Cease. He was the secondary prospect in the trade that sent Jose Quintana to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Eloy Jimenez. Now, the White Sox love both Cease and Jimenez.
Jimenez has dealt with some bad injury luck over the years though despite some amazing moments with his bat. However, Cease has turned into an absolute superstar. He was so good in 2022 that he came in second place for the American League Cy Young Award.
He was nothing short of elite for his team when they needed him the most. If it wasn't for his big step taken in 2022, the year would have been even more of a disaster than it already was which is saying something. Going into 2023, the sky is the limit for his potential because his stuff is that good.
His agent is Scott Boras so getting something done with him before he reaches free agency is going to be tough if he keeps pitching this well. However, when the time is right, if he doesn't get a 100 million or more contract from the White Sox, they might literally never do it.
Michael Kopech
Michael Kopech has the talent to do something very special one day.
This one is mostly a projection. Michael Kopech is as talented as any pitcher to ever come through the White Sox organization. He could be as good as Chris Sale from the right side if things go well for him health-wise. Dylan Cease is the ace of the staff right now but Kopech's ceiling is just as high.
He had to have Tommy Johny at the end of 2018 which wiped out the rest of that season and all of 2019. He also opted out of the 60-game COVID-19 2020 season so he didn't come back until 2021. That year, he was outstanding out of the bullpen as the team eased him back into things.
In 2022, he worked his way back to being a starter for the White Sox. He had his ups and his downs but he showed moments of brilliance which is why he could absolutely be the ace of an MLB staff one day. His stuff is so good when he is on that he becomes virtually impossible to hit.
If he can find a way to stay healthy for long periods of time in a row now, he should be able to continue his development. If he reaches that potential, he might be worth a lot more than 100 million. Kopech with Dylan Cease could end up being a lethal 1-2 punch. If Lucas Giolito bounces back, watch out.
To be honest, it is hard to see the White Sox pay any of these guys what they are worth if it comes down to it. A different team is much more likely to pay them for their services which is very scary to think about. Hopefully, the Sox are able to change the narrative sometime soon.
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