The Chicago White Sox and all of Major League Baseball saw a lot of arbitration cases be avoided last week as players and teams came to agreements to avoid any issues for 2023.
For the White Sox, they needed to get a deal done with five people. It is never fun when you go to arbitration with your players because you have to argue with them over their value when everyone is actually very valuable to winning.
Obviously, the one that worried the team the most was Lucas Giolito. He was not as good as we've known him to be in 2022 and there were even times when he was awful. However, he was very good (All-Star worthy) in 2019, 2020, and 2021. They were smart enough (both sides) to settle on a deal.
The White Sox also got Dylan Cease taken care of and he is now one of the biggest bargains going in the league right now. As the Cy Young runner-up from last year, we can expect big things again in 2023.
Michael Kopech, Jose Ruiz, and Reynaldo Lopez round out the players that got deals done to avoid arbitration. Obviously, each of them means something different to the team. Hopefully, this group all reaches their potential in 2023 because that will help the team bounce back in a big way.
The Chicago White Sox are hoping for big years from these guys in 2023.
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The Chicago White Sox could have really used a guy like Trey Mancini. He would have provided leadership, good vibes, and the ability to play first base if Andrew Vaughn doesn't do well filling Jose Abreu's shoes. He also would have been a cheap leadership option.
Unfortunately, he is coming to Chicago but to the wrong side of town as the Chicago Cubs signed him to a one year deal. He will platoon with Eric Hosmer at first base which is an upgrade over what they've had since Anthony Rizzo left.
There are only a few more weeks until spring training starts so the rest of this off-season will begin wrapping up.
We are already seeing it as teams fill in the cracks of their lineups with the leftover free agents in addition to all of the arbitration players getting deals. Hopefully, the White Sox are able to get one more deal done in order to increase their chances of success in 2023.