The Chicago White Sox have been having a little bit better of an off-season than some might have expected when it first started. It was really tough to see Jose Abreu leave but adding Mike Clevinger and Andrew Benintendi are both moves that could really help them.
The roster was incredibly flawed in 2022 because of a surplus of players that play the same position which is something that they are clearly trying to fix right now. If they play their cards right, 2023 could end up being a really nice year for them.
That is why trading Liam Hendriks is a bad idea. It should be considered a "loser move" because a winning team should not be trading a top-five closer that is on a fairly friendly contract. Unfortunately, that could be something that they do before the off-season comes to a close.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Tuesday that the New York Mets are one of several teams (including the White Sox) interested in having Liam Hendriks on their roster for the 2023 season. He is sure to note that it would be crazy to have him and Edwin Diaz on the same team.
The New York Mets are interested in Liam Hendriks for the 2023 season.
The Mets are among teams showing interest in White Sox star closer Liam Hendriks, Would be quite a pen tandem with Diaz. But many like him, including White Sox. @mikemayer22 on it
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 20, 2022
Of course, Diaz is right there with Liam Hendriks as the top closers in the game. There aren't many others that can shut down the final inning better than these guys. If the Mets had both at their disposal, they would be very powerful late in games.
That would, however, depend on how they used the two of them. You might remember how much of a failure it was for Craig Kimbrel to join the White Sox in 2021. Tony La Russa used Kimbrel in the 8th inning as a setup man which was a terrible idea.
If the Mets pulled off a trade like this, they would be wise to use them both as closers. Keeping them both fresh could absolutely pay dividends when October comes around in 2023. Having two electric closers like that could be really fun to watch.
From the White Sox's point of view, they better be getting something good if they made a move like this. It isn't necessary to better their team for 2023 as he is one of their best players. Hopefully, whatever decision is made leads to success.