2023 was a horrific year for the Chicago White Sox. They were 61-101, good for the fourth-worst record in all of Major League Baseball.
The team allowed Jose Abreu to walk, but there was still talent in the lineup. The pitching staff was expected to be good enough to win games in the AL Central. Unfortunately, neither stayed true in 2023.
Lucas Giolito had a bounce-back year but he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels. In return, the White Sox received Edgar Quero and Ky Busy. Outside of Giolito, everyone not named Luis Robert Jr. and Mike Clevinger had subpar years.
Eloy Jimenez, Andrew Vaughn, and Dylan Cease were decent. However, given the seasons that were expected from them, they were disappointing. All of these factors led to the team having one of the worst years in franchise history.
The Chicago White Sox are content with being a bad team again in 2024
Coming into 2024, Chicago can make the moves necessary to bounce back. While they likely won't be a World Series contender in one offseason, they can avoid being a bad team if they're smart. The front office, however, is looking to be bad in 2024.
They didn't need to sign Shohei Ohtani to win the offseason. That was an unrealistic goal for 25-plus teams. Options like Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, J.D. Martinez, and Teoscar Hernandez should be veterans that the team shows interest in. The front office, again, hasn't shown any interest in these players.
Jerry Reinsdorf, White Sox owner, would rather save money than try to win. It's a real slap in the face to a fanbase who loves their team so much.
If they add high-end free agents to their lineup, rotation, and bullpen, they could end up being a decent team in 2024. With the talent the White Sox already have on the roster, it can be supplemented if the team truly wants to win. Luis Robert Jr. is an elite talent that can be built around. If they signed a power hitter, a right fielder, some starting pitching, and rebuilt the bullpen, they might be able to have a respectable season.
The AL Central is one of the worst in baseball. The Kansas City Royals have even been aggressive this offseason because they know they have a chance to win the division. The winner of the AL Central likely won't 90 games, just as they didn't in 2023 as the Minnesota Twins won 87.
Instead of being serious about improving, they make small trades, spend little money in free agency, and trust in prospects coming out of a poorly run development program.
Skipper Pedro Grifol was also disappointing in his first season. He didn't possess leadership skills, bullpen management, strategy, and overall rules that keep the team in line.
If they fired him and brought in a better manager, they'd already be better than they were last year. Instead, they won't let him go and they are sure to see similar results again.
2024 is going to be a bad year for the White Sox. It seems likely that the year will somehow be worse than last season. To make it worse, they won't be allowed to have a top-ten pick in 2025 as a result of the lottery results giving them the 5th overall pick in 2024.
There's ways to fix this and the front office has decided to not pursue those options.