MLB Preview: 30 Teams in 30 Days
The Chicago White Sox were supposed to be a behemoth of a team for years to come. Instead, they’re bottom dwellers. Well, almost. The Sox were one of four team in baseball to finish with 100+ losses in 2023, but it just so happens to be that the Kansas City Royals, also in the AL Central, were another one of those teams. Chicago ended 2023 with a 61-101 record, the best record among those that finished with at least 100 defeats.
Last season the White Sox offense finished 29th in wRC+ at 83, which is 17% below league average. If you want to put a positive spin on that, the Royals (87) and Detroit Tigers (89) were the two teams directly ahead of them a year ago. That said, Kansas City has added in free agency this winter and Detroit has made some moves plus has some top prospects ready to make their mark.
The White Sox big move may be trading away their best pitcher in Dylan Cease.
Chicago also ranked No. 26 in ERA at 4.88, just behind the Cincinnati Reds who play in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks, and just ahead of the rebuilding Washington Nationals. Needless to say, the White Sox window of contention that opened during 2020, has slammed shut after last season. That said, they have made some moves that will make them better in 2024 according to projections, but it’s tough to see this team finishing in the postseason picture. Let’s take a look at some of the team’s additions and subtractions, preview the 2024 campaign, and give you one player to watch out for on the White Sox.
Chicago White Sox additions and subtractions
The Chicago White Sox have been busy this offseason. They have parted ways with Elvis Andrus, Tim Anderson, Liam Hendriks, Mike Clevinger, Bryan Shaw, Yasmani Grandal in free agency, and also included a pair of releivers, Aaron Bummer (to Atlanta) and Gregory Santos (Seattle), in trades. In total, the losses of Clevinger, Andrus, and Santos will be the three biggest losses in terms of fWAR production with the trio totaling 4.9 wins. That is also the same total that the White Sox will be losing overall, with Bummer putting up another 0.8 WAR, but Anderson, Jose Ureña, and Grandal countering that with -1.1 of production.
The players that Chicago brought back in free agency, the Rule 5 Draft, and via trade are projected to be worth a combined 10.3 WAR. The only problem is that there have been 14 additions, and not all of them will receive the playing time to reach the projections that have been laid out for them. In a fun twist, the additions of reliever Tim Hill and catcher Martín Maldonado also netted the group -1.0 WAR.
The big additions for the club are Paul DeJong, the Sox projected shortstop, and Nicky Lopez, their projected second baseman. The pair is set to combine for 2.4 wins, while Anderson and Andrus put up 0.6 last season. Behind the dish they also nabbed a returning Max Stassi in a trade with the Atlanta Braves, and his defense is expected to carry him to a 1.4 win season.
The Sox also recently picked up Dominic Fletcher in a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he could end up being in the strong side of an outfield platoon, facing right-handers. The 26-year-old made his big-league debut last season with the D-Backs and hit .301 with a .350 OBP and a 113 wRC+ in 28 games. Against righties he hit .369 in 72 plate appearances with a .423 OBP and a 156 wRC+. After debuting at the end of April, he was on fire for the first couple of weeks in The Show, going 18-for-42 (.429). He has the talent to have success in the majors, and now the White Sox will give him a chance to show what he can do.
Michael Soroka may be the highest-profile addition to the roster, coming over in the Bummer deal. He has racked up just 46 innings in the big leagues since 2020, but he is still just 26 years old and was Atlanta’s top prospect in 2019 and the No. 24 ranked prospect in all of baseball behind Cease (21) and Michael Kopech (18). He’s projected to be roughly league average in 2024, but maybe he turns into either a value trade piece, or a potential extension candidate this year.
Chicago White Sox 2024 outlook
The White Sox have made additions that should make their club better. They brought in two solid defensive catchers that should help their pitching staff, and there are some nice players here and there, but this is still a team in transition. They should be better in 2024, but not by much.
The team’s win total is currently set at 63.5 over at BetOnline, even with all of the moves the club has made. Even the Kansas City Royals have their over/under set at 72.5. The Twins are expected to take the division at or around 86.5 wins, while the Tigers (80.5) and Guardans (77.5) are projected to finish second and third, respectively.
It’s going to be a long season on the South Side, but if the team ends up trading Dylan Cease, then hopefully they can maximize that return to help them kickstart their return to contention in the coming years. Baseball America ranks the farm system at No. 18 in all of baseball, up from numbers 28 and 30 the previous two seasons. Grab a top-100 prospect in the Cease deal, then have a solid Draft in July, and all of a sudden the Sox may have a formidable farm. Chicago holds the fifth pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
Chicago White Sox player to watch out for in 2024
While it may not be wise to take your eyes off of Luis Robert Jr. because you might miss something, if you have the chance, you might want to check out right-hander Prelander Berroa, whom Chicago just acquired in the Gregory Santos deal with Seattle.
Berroa, 23, has already been involved in three trades, and his past two teams, the Giants and Mariners, have been pretty good at identifying pitching talent in recent seasons. For each of them to have given up on Berroa may be a little worrisome, but that’s what we’re going to find out.
He made his big-league debut with the Mariners last season, tossing 12/3 innings to the tune of a 0.00 ERA. He walked three and struck out three. In his brief stint in Seattle, he unleashed a 96 mile per hour heater and an 86 mph slider and had a 50% whiff rate. FanGraphs’ scouting tools have his fastball at a 60 on the scouting scale, while his slider is a 70. These are two supremely impressive offerings. The trick for Berroa to having sustained success will be whether or not he can command those pitches.
In the final game of the season, he came on in relief against the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers, and got Mitch Garver to ground out before striking out Adolis Garcia and Nathaniel Lowe looking. Three of the five sliders he threw were swung on and missed.
He’s going to be the player to watch on the White Sox in 2024.
Jason Burke covers MLB for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.