The World Series is over, and the offseason has commenced for Major League Baseball. As a Chicago White Sox fan, we may still be reeling from the poor season that the Sox put together but there is hope in the offseason. Moves are being made and will be made to help this team better and make it a winner. And even though it appears as if there isn’t much hope for a bright 2024 season right now better things are coming. There are many things that can help set the Sox ship in the right direction and the offseason should be full of such things.
There are several things that the White Sox can do to bolster the team, but this team seems to be forever low on capital, so they struggle to sign big free agents. It would be awesome if the White Sox could somehow swing bringing in a guy like Shohei Ohtani who is a free agent this offseason. Even a mid-priced free agent would be nice for the Sox to bring in but with such tight purse strings, it’s impossible to tell just what they will want to spend.
With their payroll restrictions, just how can the White Sox rebuild this offseason? Will they be able to afford some key pieces that they need to make themselves a winner? And will they be able to fill all the positions that they need help with? Knowing how the White Sox operate, my guess is they will go for a couple of high-priced heavy hitters and then fill things in with lower-priced and therefore less talented players off the free-agent scrap heap. While this is not the ideal scenario for the White Sox it’s likely what will have to happen.
Building the perfect White Sox offseason
The White Sox have several needs that they must fill. Perhaps their strongest need is at the starting pitcher position. After what some consider a significant purge of talent at the starting pitcher spot (when the smoke cleared the only starting pitchers that have survived this purge are Dylan Cease and Michael Kopech. Cease is likely to be traded and Kopech will most likely be relegated to the bullpen) the White Sox need some serious help at the starting pitcher spot. They should place most of their focus there this offseason and grab some talent that’s going to help them win in 2024.
A few of the free-agent pitchers that are out there might be worth a look by the White Sox this offseason. Guys like Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, or Tyler Mahle could go a long way towards helping to improve the White Sox pitching staff. and they need that. To have a perfect offseason, the White Sox need to seriously upgrade their pitching staff.
There are other positions of need that Chicago has heading into the offseason. The next one that comes to mind after starting pitching is the catcher position. The White Sox have some of their own prospects there that could help them in the future, but in the near term, the White Sox need help at that position. There has been talk that the White Sox could acquire Kansas City’s aging catcher, Salvador Perez (thanks to the connection between himself and White Sox Manager Pedro Grifol) but the Sox need to steer clear of that potential trade. Perez is older and not a viable solution for the White Sox.
Acquiring him will not make it a perfect offseason for the Sox if they decide to grab him in a trade with the Royals.
The White Sox need to reach for a younger guy at the catcher position but one that still has some god Major League experience. If you look at the crop of free-agent catchers that will be available this offseason, you see names like Mitch Garver, Yan Gomes, and Roberto Perez on the list. Any one of those three, among others, would do well with the White Sox and would easily help fill their need at the catcher spot.
Finally, a good White Sox offseason is not going to be complete without them filling two key spots in the infield, second baseman and shortstop. With the departure of Tim Anderson and Elvis Andrus, the White Sox have two holes to fill in the infield. Second base seems like it is handled now after the White Sox acquired Nicky Lopez from the Braves last night and shortstop may not be as big of an issue if the team feels that Colson Montgomery, a minor league shortstop who has been playing well, can step in and fill the role that has been vacated by Anderson’s departure. That problem may be more easily solved.
There are many other facets that would help make a perfect offseason for the White Sox and we will cover those as the offseason goes on. For right now, the White Sox need to get a plan together execute it and prepare to win in 2024.