2021 White Sox: Where are they now?

With the White Sox poised to spend yet another season as the punchline of Major League Baseball, it's hard to believe they are only four years removed from being American League Central Division champions.

Yes, the 2021 Sox were a one-ply roster. They were not built for long-term success, regardless of what the talking heads in the organization sold you, and it was no surprise that they did not win a playoff round.

Still, the fall from a 93-69 season has been steep, and most of the players from that postseason-qualifying team are gone. Many of them have fallen on rough times. Here's a look at where key players from that team are heading into the 2025 season:

Yasmani Grandal, C: The 36-year-old batted .228 with nine homers and 27 RBIs last year for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He remains a free agent heading into spring training.

Jose Abreu, 1B: The 38-year-old left the Sox after the 2022 season and signed a three-year, $60 million contract with the Houston Astros. But he didn't make it through the second season. The Astros designated Abreu for assignment in 2024, when he batting .124 with only two homers in 35 games. He hasn't officially retired. He's a free agent, but his career might be over.

Cesar Hernandez, 2B: Hernandez last played in the majors in 2022 with the Washington Nationals.

Tim Anderson, SS: The Sox let their former batting champion go after he slumped to a .245 average with only one homer in 2023. Things did not improve for Anderson in 2024, as he batted .214 with no home runs in 65 games with Miami Marlins. He was designated for assignment midseason. He's signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels this offseason.

Yoan Moncada, 3B: Injuries limited Moncada to only 12 games in the 2024 season. The Sox understandably tired of him and declined his contract option for the 2025 season. Unlike some of his former teammates in Chicago, Moncada has a guaranteed major league contract for this year. He's with the Angels on a one-year prove-it deal worth $5 million.

Eloy Jimenez, LF/DH: The Sox were lucky to find a taker for Jimenez at the trade deadline last season, but his struggles continued with the Baltimore Orioles. He batted just .232 with a homer and seven RBIs in 33 games. The lack of power is notable -- Jimenez totaled only six home runs in 98 games between Chicago and Baltimore. He'll be with the Tampa Bay Rays on a minor league deal this spring.

Luis Robert Jr., CF: Hey, someone who is still with the Sox! For now. Robert is coming off a terrible season that saw his home run total slip from 38 to 14, and his OPS slip from .857 to .657. Ouch. The Sox are hoping he can stay healthy the first half of the season and regain some value, so they can deal him for futures at the trade deadline this summer.

Leury Garcia, Utility: The three-year contract former GM Rick Hahn gave Garcia after the 2021 season is finally off the books. Garcia hasn't played for the Sox since being designated for assignment in spring training 2023, before the second year of his deal even started. As a matter of fact, Garcia hasn't played in the majors since he left the Sox. He was in the Atlanta Braves organization last year. He's currently a free agent. 

Lucas Giolito, SP: Giolito has fallen on hard times since he left the Sox. He had a 6.89 ERA in six starts with the Angels. Then he went to the Cleveland Guardians and a had 7.04 ERA in six starts there. He missed the 2024 season with an arm injury after signing with the Boston Red Sox. He is expected to pitch for Boston in 2025.

Dylan Cease, SP: The Sox traded Cease in spring training 2024, and he made 33 starts for a playoff team, going 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA with the San Diego Padres. He pitched a no-hitter during the 2024 season. He has one year remaining on his contract with San Diego.

Carlos Rodon, SP: Rodon left Chicago in free agency after the 2021 season. He went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA in 2022 with the San Francisco Giants, then hit the open market again and cashed in big. He's entering the third year of a six-year contract with the New York Yankees that will pay him $162 million over the life of the deal. He was a 16-game winner with AL champion New York last season.

Lance Lynn, SP: The Sox traded Lynn to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the middle of the 2023 season. He then signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in free agency, where he went 7-4 in 23 starts in 2024. The 37-year-old is looking for a team again this offseason. Despite a decent campaign last year, he remains a free agent.

Dallas Keuchel, SP: The veteran lefty started the 2022 season by going 2-5 with a 7.88 ERA in his first eight starts. The Sox decided to eat his contract, and Keuchel has since been roaming aimlessly around the league. He has since pitched ineffectively for Arizona, Texas, Minnesota and Milwaukee. He's now under contract with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Nippon Professional Baseball League.

Liam Hendriks, Closer: Hendriks just turned 36 on Monday, and his story is familiar to fans. He beat cancer in early 2023 and returned to the mound to make five relief appearances with the Sox. Alas, he blew out his arm and needed Tommy John surgery. The Sox bought his contract out after the 2023 season, and he signed a two-year deal with the Boston Red Sox. He didn't pitch in 2024, but is expected back for the second season of his contract this year.

It's remarkable how quickly these guys have all scattered to the wind, isn't it?

Tim Anderson still without a team; Yasmani Grandal signs with Pirates

Tim Anderson

When the White Sox fired former general manager Rick Hahn and promoted Chris Getz into the position, one of the key questions posed to Getz was, "How are you different from Hahn?"

Actually, I think there are some differences. What I'm about to say is speculation here, but I think Getz handled Tim Anderson's situation much different than Hahn would have.

Getz declined Anderson's $14 million contract option for 2024 and let the former All-Star become a free agent. Then he brought in a glove-first shortstop in Paul DeJong. 

I believe Hahn would have picked up Anderson's option and bet on him having a "bounce-back year." Hahn had a lot of difficulty moving on from his beloved "core players," even when reality was slapping him in the face. Accordingly, Hahn lost his job.

As we sit here on the evening of Feb. 12, two days before pitchers and catchers report, Anderson is still without a team. I feel as though this confirms Getz made the right choice not to pick up that option. Anderson isn't worth a $14 million contract coming off the worst season of his career, and clearly, 29 other teams feel the same way as the Sox.

It stinks to have to talk bad about Anderson, because he was a good player for the Sox from 2019 through the first two months of 2022. But since Anderson suffered a groin injury against the Cubs on Memorial Day weekend 2022, he's never been the same player.

After June 1 in 2022, Anderson played only 39 games and delivered just five extra-base hits -- four doubles and one home run. His batting average plummeted from .356 down to .301. His slugging percentage took a massive nosedive. He was slugging .503 at the time of the aforementioned injury against the Cubs. He finished the year at .395, after suffering a hand injury Aug. 6 that cost him the rest of his season.

We know the story in 2023. Anderson homered only one time in 524 plate appearances. He batted .245/.286/.296. There was no power in his swing whatsoever. You could almost knock the bat out of his hands at times. Even in his prime, Anderson was never a plus defender, and he struggled in the field, as well, in 2023. 

In past seasons, Anderson's good bat covered up for any defensive problems, but what happens to a bat-first player who can't hit the ball with authority anymore? Well, he's still a free agent on Feb. 12. That's what happens.

Rumors have tied Anderson to both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Miami Marlins. I don't have any bad feelings toward the guy. I hope he gets a job soon. But I'm good with him no longer being a member of the White Sox.

I'm just not sure what Anderson does well at this stage of his career. What role can a team trust him to play? I don't have an answer for that.

Grandal to Pirates

Speaking of players in decline, former Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal agreed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on a one-year deal worth $2.5 million.

I'm somewhat surprised Grandal is hanging on for another year at age 35. He was really bad for the Sox the past two years -- a .570 OPS in 2022 and a .647 OPS last season. Grandal hit only five homers in 2022 and eight homers last year, after totaling 23 home runs for the Sox in 2021.

Injuries have taken their toll. Grandal is arguably the slowest runner I've ever seen in baseball. Yes, I'm taking both Paul Konerko and Greg Luzinski over him in a race. And Grandal's defense declined to the point where there was talk that Sox pitchers preferred to throw to Seby Zavala.

This is another example where I'm good with a player no longer being a member of the White Sox.

White Sox make offseason changes at catcher

Martin Maldonado

When the offseason began, it looked as though the White Sox were poised to play younger players at catcher in 2024.

Both 25-year-old Korey Lee and 27-year-old Carlos Perez had spots on the 40-man roster. Both have some major league experience, and the conventional thinking was at least one of them would be with the team when the season starts in March.

Now, perhaps not.

The Sox are adding 37-year-old catcher Martin Maldonado on a one-year deal, according to reports. The contract is worth $4 million, and reportedly contains a vesting option for the 2025 season.

Earlier in December, the Sox acquired 32-year-old veteran catcher Max Stassi from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for cash and a player to be named later.

Maldonado comes to the Sox from Houston. He was the starting catcher for the Astros from 2019 to 2023, and he was part of two American League pennant winners (2019, 2022) and one World Series champion.

He has a reputation as a terrific defensive catcher, although his framing statistics fell off a cliff in 2023. He's still a good blocker and thrower, but he's a notoriously weak hitter.

Here are his offensive numbers from the past three seasons:

• 2021: .172/.272/.300, 12 home runs, 36 RBIs
• 2022: .186/.248/.352, 15 home runs, 45 RBIs
• 2023: .191/.258/.348, 15 home runs, 36 RBIs

In short, expect Maldonado to bat ninth, hit the occasional home run and otherwise be terrible with a bat in his hands. The Sox will be counting on him to provide veteran leadership and game-planning to help what figures to be a young pitching staff.

Stassi did not play during the 2023 season because of a hip injury and a family health emergency -- his son was born three months premature in April. 

When he was last seen on a major league field in 2022, Stassi struggled with the Los Angeles Angels. He batted .180/.267/.303 with nine home runs and 30 RBIs in 102 games.

But, in 2020 and 2021, Stassi was serviceable for the Angels. If you combine his numbers over those two seasons, they pencil out to a .250/.333/.452 batting line with 20 homers over 118 games. His defensive metrics all were strong, so that's a useful profile if he can regain that form.

Perez was recently designated for assignment, so we can eliminate him from the 2024 catching mix. Maldonado will certainly be on the team, if healthy, so that leaves Lee and Stassi competing for a roster spot.

Lee got 24 games in with the Sox last year, after coming over from the Astros in the Kendall Graveman trade, but he didn't do much with the opportunity. His defense was OK, but it certainly wasn't enough to overcome a .077/.143/.138 slash line in 70 plate appearances.

Also notable on the organizational depth chart is 24-year-old Adam Hackenburg, who has a good defensive reputation and ascended to Triple-A Charlotte by the end of 2023.

Hackenburg also had his best season at the plate. He batted .271/.366/.388 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs in 101 games split between Charlotte and Double-A Birmingham.

The intrigue here comes with whether Maldonado and/or Stassi can improve the Sox's game preparation. The 2023 season began with manager Pedro Grifol and field coordinator Mike Tosar boasting about how the team would be "elite" in that area.

After 101 losses, the season ended with Grifol lamenting how the Sox were actually subpar in that area. Interestingly, he didn't make those remarks until after the previous catching duo (Yasmani Grandal and Seby Zavala) had been shown the exit. 

If Grandal and Zavala were poor in that area, Grifol should have stepped in and addressed it during the season. Perhaps he tried and failed. From the outside, how are we to know? 

But, it is 100% fair to not trust Grifol to deliver on his promise of "elite preparation" after what we saw last year. So, perhaps it falls to Maldonado to clean up the mess. That won't be easy for a player in his first (and maybe his only) year with the organization, but that's the task at hand.

'Winter with the White Sox' apparently replacing SoxFest

The White Sox haven't conducted SoxFest since 2020, and there won't be such an event this January either.

However, there will be a "Winter with the White Sox" gathering for season ticket holders on Jan. 26, 2024. I received a "save the date" email on Tuesday afternoon. 

This is a little surprising because I have not renewed my season tickets for the 2024 season, and frankly, I do not intend to renew. I do not expect to be included on emails such as this. 

Perhaps they are trying to entice me to renew by offering me access to this special event. That will not work.

It's bizarre for the Sox to send a "save the date" without telling potential attendees what the venue will be, or what the event will entail.

I mean, are they going to host this at Guaranteed Rate Field? It's a little cold there in January, right? Maybe they'll have the event in Nashville, since Jerry Reinsdorf wants to move the team there, LOL.

To be honest, even if I were invited, I don't think I want to go to this event. I'm not excited about the 2024 Sox. They haven't made any impact acquisitions this offseason, coming off a 61-101 season. And that, ultimately, is the reason I'm not renewing my season tickets. It isn't fun to be a fan of this organization anymore.

I will be interested to hear what type of activities they will be offering at this occasion. Here are a few guesses:

• Meet your ticket representative and discuss upgrading your seats!
• Purchase a spring training travel package now! See Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch (and the Sox too)!
• Buy discounted merchandise! You will never get a better deal on Ronald Belisario's game-worn pants from 2014!
• Enter a raffle to win a White Sox bobblehead! Multiple winners will be drawn! (We have to get rid of these damn Yasmani Grandal bobbles sometime.)
• Meet "White Sox legend" Ron Kittle! Sure his career WAR is like 4.7, but he won American League Rookie of the Year 40 years ago! Bring your kids for autographs, even though Ronny retired 20 to 25 years before they were born!

That's the kind of stuff the Sox generally come up with these days. They are simply out of ideas. I wish I had better things to say about the organization, but it's just a sorry state of affairs.

Notice how I managed to work Ohtani into this blog. The metrics show that mentioning him increases traffic by leaps and bounds. 

You don't think people are actually visiting this site because they enjoy reading about the Sox, do you?

White Sox offense continues to disappoint

I didn't want to dump on the White Sox after they swept the Detroit Tigers over the weekend. When your favorite team is 26-35, you have to take the positives when they come, right?

But the fact is the Sox won those three games almost solely on the basis of their pitching. They scored only 11 runs in the series, even though the Detroit pitching staff doesn't have anyone who will be confused with a Cy Young contender.

During those three games, the Sox went 19 for 97 (.196) with 16 singles, two doubles and only one home run. They struck out 31 times against nine walks -- two of which were intentional. Not good.

Fortunately, Sox pitching only gave up three runs total in the three games. But with stronger teams lurking on the June schedule -- the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Texas Rangers, to name a few -- the Sox are going to have to start hitting.

The pitching staff could perform well and still give up four or five runs per game to the aforementioned playoff contenders. If that's the case, the Sox better be able to score five or six runs every now and then. It hasn't happened much, because there are too many guys struggling.

Let's take a look at some of these lineup spots that aren't generating much:

Tim Anderson. The Sox leadoff hitter has yet to homer in 2023, and he has only eight extra-base hits (all doubles). A .633 OPS and a 76 OPS+ isn't going to get it done from a player who has made the All-Star team in past years.

Yasmani Grandal. The slow-footed catcher is 4 for 28 in his past eight games and has no extra-base hits in that span. That's not good, because when Grandal singles, he clogs the bases. The Sox need him to provide some power.

Yoan Moncada. The switch-hitting third baseman is 2 for 22 with no extra-base hits in his past eight games. He has a .684 OPS and a 88 OPS+ for the season. Moncada hit two home runs in the season-opening series against the Houston Astros. He hasn't homered since April 2.

Andrew Benintendi. His next home run in a Sox uniform will be his first. Benintendi is now 231 plate appearances into his career on the South Side, and he's yet to take advantage of the relatively short fence in right field at Guaranteed Rate Field. He has a .686 OPS and a 90 OPS+.

Luis Robert Jr. The team leader in home runs with 13 has not gone deep since May 21. He is 6 for 36 with 16 strikeouts in his past nine games. Robert Jr. has already struck out 70 times this season in 240 plate appearances.

Gavin Sheets. In his past five games, Sheets is 0 for 11 with five strikeouts. That's not going to cut it for a player whose only value comes from being a left-handed bat.

I could go on, but you get the idea. 

If you look at WAR on baseballreference.com, six of the top eight Sox players this season are pitchers. Only Robert Jr. and Jake Burger crack the top eight among position players.

In all of baseball, the Sox rank 21st in batting average (.240), 28th in on-base percentage (.297), 23rd in slugging percentage (.386), 25th in OPS (.683) and 25th in OPS+ (87). Those numbers are entering Monday's play.

So, by almost every metric, the Sox are a bottom-third offense in MLB. I don't think they are going to storm back into contention this way. The bats have to wake up soon, or else the good vibes from this recent series with the Tigers will be short-lived.

White Sox bats arrive in late innings at Cleveland

Dylan Cease

Remember when the White Sox were 15-0 against left-handed starters in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season? 

Unfortunately, you can't count on that as an offensive strength for the Sox anymore. Entering Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians, the South Siders were 2-7 this season when facing a left-handed pitcher.

Make it 3-7.

It didn't look good early, but the Sox bats arrived in the late innings to beat Cleveland and lefty Logan Allen, 4-2.

Through four innings, the Sox managed only one hit and trailed, 1-0. But catcher Yasmani Grandal hit his fourth home run of the season -- on an 0-2 pitch, no less -- to tie the game at 1.

Cleveland retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double by Josh Naylor, but the 2-1 advantage would be short-lived.

The first five Sox batters reached base against Allen in the top of the seventh. Andrew Vaughn reached on an infield single and advanced to third on a double by Andrew Benintendi.

Vaughn scored when Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez booted a grounder off Grandal's bat. Clint Frazier walked to loaded the bases, with still no outs, and Romy Gonzalez delivered a two-run double to put the Sox ahead, 4-2.

The line stopped moving there, however. Enyel De Los Santos relieved for Cleveland, and he struck out Tim Anderson, Jake Burger and Luis Robert Jr. in succession to strand runners on second and third.

That was a missed opportunity to blow the game wide open, but it turned out that was all the runs the Sox needed.

Dylan Cease (3-3) picked up his first win since April 10 with six innings of two-run ball. The Sox ace was once again lacking his swing-and-miss stuff, as he struck out only three. But he walked only two and limited the Guardians to five hits.

Keynan Middleton, Joe Kelly and Kendall Graveman each worked a scoreless inning of relief. Graveman -- who earned his fourth save of 2023 -- allowed a walk and a hit, but a well-timed double play kept the Guardians off the board. 

The Sox are 20-30. The Guardians are 21-27.

White Sox limited to three hits in loss at Cleveland

So much for the good vibes from that series sweep of Kansas City, huh?

The White Sox managed only three hits Monday and lost, 3-0, to the Cleveland Guardians in the first game of a three-game series in Cleveland. 

Cleveland starter Hunter Gaddis entered this game with a 6.86 ERA in five previous games. He last faced the Sox on Sept. 15, 2022. In that game, he gave up seven earned runs -- including five homers -- over four innings pitched.

But on Monday, he threw six scoreless innings of two-hit ball to earn his first major league victory. 

Embarrassing for the Sox, although we shouldn't be surprised.

What's frustrating is the Sox got exactly what they needed from Triple-A call-up Jesse Scholtens (0-2), who was added to the roster after Mike Clevinger hit the 15-day injured list with right wrist inflammation.

Scholtens pitched five innings and allowed one run on two hits. The only run scored on a wild pitch, which should have been caught by Yasmani Grandal -- frankly, I thought it was a passed ball.

The Guardians got some breathing room in the seventh inning when Mike Zunino hit a two-out, two-strike, two-run homer off Gregory Santos to make it 3-0. 

Zunino had been in a 1-for-31 slump, so giving up a big hit to him right now is tough to accept.

As a matter of fact, everything about this game was tough to accept, but there is a reason the Sox are 19-30.

White Sox take two of three at Cincinnati; Eloy Jimenez back to the IL

Coming into the weekend, we stated that the White Sox needed to win at least two out of three games on the road against the Cincinnati Reds.

That's exactly what they did. The South Siders scored 11 runs in the top of the second inning Sunday and went on to beat the Reds, 17-4, in the rubber match of the series.

Hanser Alberto's two-run homer and Gavin Sheets' 3-run homer on a 3-0 pitch highlighted the rally, which was the biggest inning the Sox have had since they hung 11 runs on the Kansas City Royals on Sept. 17, 2007.

The 17 runs are the most the Sox have scored in a game since they put up 17 against the Cubs on Aug. 27, 2021. (As a cautionary tale, the Sox got shut out in their following game, so you can't be assured that the momentum will carry over into Monday.)

In any case, the Sox lost Saturday's ballgame, 5-3, because they were only 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position. That's been a severe problem as of late. Since April 22, the Sox rank last in the league with a .176 batting average in those situations.

But on Sunday, they went 8 for 13 with runners in scoring position, including 5 for 6 in the second inning alone.

Alberto had his best game as a member of the Sox. He went 4 for 4 with a homer, two doubles, a single and a walk, plus four RBIs. Luis Robert Jr. reached base in all four of his plate appearances -- two doubles and two walks -- and he came around to score all four times. With the score out of hand, Robert was subbed out in the late innings. Andrew Vaughn finished a home run short of the cycle. He was 3 for 5 with four RBIs.

Michael Kopech (1-3) picked up his first win of the season. He wasn't sharp, but he didn't need to be. He lasted six innings, giving up four runs -- all on solo homers. He struck out only two, which shows his stuff wasn't his best. We know from the past that Kopech misses bats when he's on, but he generated only six whiffs on 99 pitches Sunday. 

The good news is Kopech walked only one. He was staked to an 11-1 advantage by the time he hit the mound in the second inning, and it's never a bad idea to throw strikes with a double-digit lead.

In the big picture, the Sox's record is still an ugly 12-23, but if you're looking for silver linings, they are 5-2 in their past seven games.

But, of course, all good news must be balanced out with some catastrophe. This weekend, Eloy Jimenez was hospitalized with severe stomach pain. He had surgery for acute appendicitis, and he is expected to be out for four to six weeks.

The Sox placed Jimenez on the injured list Sunday and recalled catcher Carlos Perez from Triple-A Charlotte.

I'm a little surprised we aren't seeing Oscar Colas, but it looks as though the Sox have decided to carry an extra catcher and give Yasmani Grandal more at-bats as the DH.

Grandal was the DH on Sunday, and he went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. For the season, he's batting .275/.357/.441. That's much, much better than anything we saw from Grandal during the 2022 season. He has recently left a couple of games early because of back spasms, so maybe catching less and DH'ing more will keep him healthy. The Sox need him to continue producing while Jimenez is out.

White Sox bullpen locks up 4-3 win in Minnesota

Dylan Cease

There is no such thing as a "big game" in April, but it felt as though the White Sox needed a win Monday against the Minnesota Twins.

They were coming off a lackluster series in Pittsburgh, during which they lost two of three games. Ace Dylan Cease was Monday's starting pitcher, and he was facing a short-handed Twins lineup. Byron Buxton took a scheduled day off, while Carlos Correa and Joey Gallo were out of the lineup with minor ailments.

Well, it wasn't pretty, but the Sox won, 4-3, behind four scoreless innings from a combination of four relief pitchers.

Cease (2-0) earned the win, but his outing was limited to five innings because poor infield defense cost him three runs and about 15 to 20 extra pitches. Hanser Alberto made two miscues -- one an error and one not (because you can't assume a double play) -- that cost the Sox a run in each of the third and fourth innings.

Elvis Andrus and Gavin Sheets both made errors in the bottom of the fifth that cost Cease a third run. 

Cease's final line: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 6 Ks, 2 BBs.

But for all his shortcomings on defense, Alberto delivered the decision blow of the game -- a 3-run homer off Minnesota starter Kenta Maeda (0-2) that capped a four-run fourth inning. Andrew Benintendi and Sheets singled. Yasmani Grandal singled, scoring Benintendi, and setting up Alberto's blast on a hanging slider.

Cease exited the game after 99 pitches. Jimmy Lambert worked a scoreless sixth, and Kendall Graveman worked around a single to deliver a scoreless seventh.

Aaron Bummer got two outs in the eighth, and left with the tying run on third base. Reynaldo Lopez struck out Michael A. Taylor to end that threat, then worked a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts for his second save of the season.

The Sox are 5-6.

Andrew Benintendi agrees to 5-year deal with White Sox

Andrew Benintendi

These days, a 12-pack of Pepsi costs $7.99 at regular price. That seems like a lot, but it's actually the going rate in today's inflationary economy.

Similarly, it costs about $15 million a year to add an average starting outfielder in free agency. That seems high, but when you look around baseball, it's actually about par.

And that's the way I look at the deal the White Sox gave left fielder Andrew Benintendi. According to sources, the 28-year-old agreed to terms Friday on a five-year, $75 million contract. It is the most lucrative deal the Sox have ever handed out in free agency.

That last sentence sounds weird to say, doesn't it? When you're handing out the biggest contract in team history, shouldn't that money be going to someone who is a perennial All-Star? You would think so, but that's not the way the Sox operate. 

What the Sox have done here is pay market rate for adequacy at a position, and there's really nothing wrong with that. It just invites ridicule when the biggest deal a team has ever handed out goes to a decent-but-not-great outfielder.

Benintendi does most things reasonably well, although he lacks a carrying skill. He swings left-handed, which is something the Sox need. He plays respectable defense in left field -- he won a Gold Glove in 2021 as a member of the Kansas Ciry Royals -- which is also something the Sox need.

His career slash line is .279/.351/.782 over seven seasons, with OPS+ of 109 -- meaning he's been 9% above league average as an offensive player for the totality of his career. Benintendi's contact rate is good; he takes his fair share of walks (a bonus for the free-swinging Sox); and he's a decent baserunner.

One big concern: While Benintendi hit a career-best .304 last season, he managed only five home runs. He's hit as many as 20 in a season (2017 with the Boston Red Sox), so cross your fingers and hope that a little bit of that power returns playing in hitter-friendly Guaranteed Rate Field. The Sox struggled last season, in part, because of the lack of home runs in their lineup. Benintendi does not solve this problem.

In fact, this signing does not change the fact that the Sox are counting on healthy, more effective seasons from Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson and Yasmani Grandal. They are counting on Eloy Jimenez to finally play 100-plus games in a season, too.

The Benintendi signing helps in that regard, because he's going to play left field. Jimenez can put away his glove for the most part, and focus on being the best designated hitter he can be.

Essentially, Benintendi raises the floor of the 2023 Sox. He's not a All-Star. He's not going to carry the team. But he can provide some stability, and prevent the Sox from being tempted to play a first baseman in the corner outfield. 

The expectation should be a 2.0 to 3.0 WAR season for Benintendi. If he does that, he's a complementary piece to the so-called "core," whom the Sox are counting on to carry them back to the playoffs in 2023.

New York Mets continue to spend money in free agency

It feels as though not a day goes by without the New York Mets signing another free agent.

The Mets added to their starting rotation on Friday by signing right-hander Kodai Senga to a five-year deal worth $75 million. For those not familiar with Senga, he's a 29-year-old who has pitched 11 seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball league, going 104-51 with a 2.42 ERA over 275 starts.

Earlier this offseason, the Mets signed AL Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander and veteran left-hander Jose Quintana. With ace Max Scherzer and right-hander Carlos Carrasco also in the rotation, New York seems set on the starting pitching front -- even though Jacob deGrom is now a member of the Texas Rangers.

This offseason, the Mets have also retained outfielder Brandon Nimmo on a eight-year, $162 million deal, and closer Edwin Diaz on a five-year, $102 million deal. They also added veteran reliever David Robertson for one year and $10 million.

New York's estimated payroll is now about $345 million, which would be an all-time high if they don't shed salaries in trades between now and the start of the 2023 season. If the payroll holds, Mets owner Steve Cohen will have to pay $76.2 million in luxury tax penalties. With the way that team is spending, it seems as though he doesn't care.

Must be nice as a fan.

In case you were wondering, the biggest free agent contract the White Sox have ever handed out was to catcher Yasmani Grandal, who is entering the fourth and final year of a $73 million contract.

In other words, Cohen could pay more in luxury tax penalties in 2023 than Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has ever paid to a free agent.

So long, Jose Abreu: Longtime White Sox first baseman headed to Houston

Jose Abreu

It's a bitter pill for White Sox fans to swallow, even though we knew it was coming.

Longtime first baseman Jose Abreu is leaving town. He's agreed to a three-year deal with the World Series champion Houston Astros. Terms of the contract have not been disclosed, but sources say Abreu will make about $60 million over the lifetime of the deal.

During his nine-year career with the Sox, Abreu appeared in 1,270 games and batted .292/.354/.506 with 243 home runs, 16 triples, 303 doubles and 863 RBIs. He posted five seasons of 30 home runs or more, six seasons of 100 RBIs or more, and he won the American League MVP with 19 homers and 60 RBIs in the COVID-shortened 60-game season in 2020.

For Abreu, Houston is a perfect fit. The Astros were ready to move on from Yuli Gurriel as their first baseman. Abreu, 35, will bat sixth in the Houston batting order -- behind Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker -- and he will not be expected to carry the team, like he was in Chicago.

This move also presents Abreu with his best chance to win a championship. The Astros have advanced to the AL Championship Series in six consecutive seasons. Four times, they have advanced to the World Series. Two times, they have won the World Series.

The Astros are actually "competing for multiple championships," unlike the Sox, who are established pretenders. 

So, it's a great move for Abreu, but where does that leave the Sox? 

Well, there isn't a single position player left on the Chicago roster who you can point to and say, "I know what that man is going to give me." Abreu was that guy, and now he's gone.

Go around the diamond, and you'll see that the Sox have a health question or a performance question at every position:

Catcher: Yasmani Grandal is coming off an injury-plagued season that was the worst of his career.

First base: How confident are you that Andrew Vaughn is ready to take Abreu's place?

Second base: We don't know who is playing second base for the Sox.

Shortstop: Injuries limited Tim Anderson to 79 games last season. He turns 30 in June.

Third base: Yoan Moncada was a combination of injured and bad throughout 2022.

Left field: We don't know who is playing left field for the Sox.

Center field: Because of injuries, Luis Robert had zero home runs and only two RBIs after the All-Star break in 2022.

Right field: Oscar Colas seems like he has a legitimate chance to win the job. Will he hit as a rookie?

Designated hitter: Injury questions have moved Eloy Jimenez from left field to full-time DH. Hey, he gets hurt running the bases, too, so hold your breath.

None of this inspires confidence, does it? Sure, Abreu's getting older, and his power has declined. But he's been the one guy the Sox can count on for years and years. Now, who are you leaning on?

3 good changes Miguel Cairo has made to the White Sox lineup

Miguel Cairo

The White Sox are 13-6 since Miguel Cairo took over as acting manager on Aug. 30. Tony La Russa remains sidelined while dealing with a heart problem, and while I wish La Russa all the best with his health, there's no getting around the fact that the Sox have played much better baseball under Cairo's direction.

That said, the Sox remain in dire straits in the AL Central Division race. Their hot streak has coincided with a hot streak by the Cleveland Guardians, who have won 12 of their past 15 games.

The Guardians (80-67) come to Chicago for a three-game series that starts Tuesday night, and they own a four-game division lead over the Sox (76-71) with 15 games left in the season. 

Yes, it feels like a must-sweep for the Sox, especially since the Guardians own a 9-7 edge in the season series, and they will secure the division tiebreaker with just one more win over Chicago.

That means any Sox loss to Cleveland, in effect, is like losing two games in the standings.

As Sox fans, the only comfort we can take is that team is playing as well as it's played all season right now, and focusing on some positives, here are three things Cairo has done with the batting order that have really helped:

1. He made Eloy Jimenez the full-time DH. Jimenez remains a prodigious offensive talent, and he's a destructive force in the middle of the lineup when he's healthy. The problem is he's rarely healthy, and many of his injuries have occurred during his misadventures in left field.

What's the answer to this problem? Get Jimenez the hell out of left field, where he's a hazard to himself and everyone out there. Yes, birds too. Cairo has done just that. Jimenez has started 18 games at DH and zero games in the outfield since Cairo took over the team.

In those games, Jimenez is batting .348 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs. That is excellent production. Jimenez's job is to hit, and he's getting it done right now.

There's always the chance Jimenez will hurt one of his balky hamstrings when running the bases, but keeping him out of the outfield maximizes his chances of staying in the lineup. When he's in the lineup, he hits.

2. Yasmani Grandal does not DH anymore. Putting Jimenez in the lineup as the DH means that Grandal cannot DH anymore. ... Praise Jesus!

We've heard Sox GM Rick Hahn talk a lot this year about expecting players to "play to the back of the baseball card" over a 162-game schedule. Well, anyone who is watching Grandal's at-bats knows that he's not going to finish anywhere near his career norms this season.

He's batting .202/.305/.274 with only five homers and 26 RBIs. Inexplicably, La Russa started him as the DH 24 times this season, even though those offensive statistics are terrible.

Sure, Grandal was a dangerous hitter the second half of 2021 -- he hit 23 home runs last season, which is terrific production for a catcher. However, injuries have taken their toll on Grandal in his age-33 season. His swing has been all upper body all season. His legs aren't helping him, and his power is gone. In other words, his bat is a minus, and if he's not catching, he's not helping.

As a matter of fact, Grandal's defense has suffered this season, too. He's a -1.2 WAR player, and Seby Zavala, an average defensive catcher, is arguably a better option behind the plate at this point. But kudos to Cairo for not trying to force-fit Grandal's struggling bat into the lineup at the expense of the team.

3. Leury Garcia is stapled to the bench. It truly boggles the mind that La Russa found a way to pencil Garcia into the starting lineup 71 times in the first 128 games of the season.

Under Cairo, Garcia has started only five times in 19 games, and he's started only once since Sept. 4. In other words, Garcia has been picking splinters out of his ass ever since Yoan Moncada came off the injured list.

You might say, "But Garcia had to play because of all the injuries!" To which I reply, "You know damn well that Garcia would be playing second base right now if La Russa were managing the team."

Cairo has wisely alternated between Josh Harrison and Romy Gonzalez at second base -- both of those two players have simply outperformed Garcia, who is batting .211/.234/.268 for the season and is a -1.0 WAR player. Garcia's OPS+ is 42, which means he is performing 58% below league average.

Garcia is another one who simply isn't going to perform to "the back of his baseball card" this year. He's rightfully taken a seat as the Sox fight to stay relevant in the AL Central.

Jose Abreu homers twice as White Sox win in Lance Lynn's return

Jose Abreu

Jose Abreu hit a pair of two-run homers -- one in the first inning and another in the ninth -- to lead the White Sox to a 9-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Monday.

For Abreu, the home runs were his eighth and ninth of the season, and he finished the game 3 for 4 with a walk and four RBIs. The power numbers have been down for Abreu this season -- he has only 28 RBIs -- so it would be nice to see him start hitting the ball out of the park a little more often.

Through the first 13 days in June, Abreu, Jake Burger and AJ Pollock are the only Sox players with a home run this month.

Not to mention, the rest of the core of the Sox lineup is mostly absent right now:

Tim Anderson: injured

Yasmani Grandal: injured

Eloy Jimenez: injured

Yoan Moncada: batting .137 with a .399 OPS

Luis Robert: has only two extra-base hits in June (both doubles), although he was 2 for 5 with two singles in Monday's win

But, point being, a lot is on Abreu's shoulders right now with other key players either injured or not producing up to their capabilities.

The other big news Monday night was Lance Lynn's return to the starting rotation. The veteran right-hander had not pitched yet this season after having right knee surgery during spring training.

Lynn received a no-decision, going 4.1 innings. He allowed three runs on 10 hits. He struck out four and walked none. He threw 52 of his 88 pitches for strikes.

The 10 hits are the most Lynn has allowed in a single game since joining the Sox, so the rust was evident. In particular, Lynn struggled to retire left-handed batters.

The Detroit lefties combined to go 9 for 15 against Lynn, while righties were only 1 for 6. Something to keep an eye on in Lynn's next start, which no doubt will be against a better lineup than the Tigers.

The Sox are 28-31.

Remember, being available to play is a skill

The White Sox are 23-26 are getting swept by the Toronto Blue Jays this week. Their run differential is minus-55, so they are lucky their record isn't even worse.

I've been guilty of not blogging as frequently this season, and there's a reason for that. The truth is, I don't enjoy watching this team, and I don't have much to say about them. How many different ways can you write, "They stink"? 

It's June 2, so we've passed the threshold of using the weather as an excuse. It's warm enough to hit now, but the Sox still aren't hitting. 

I'm sure injuries will be cited as the excuse now. The team is without its best offensive player, Tim Anderson, who strained his groin Sunday against the Cubs. He's expected to miss three weeks, and make no mistake, that's a big blow.

Injuries have limited Yoan Moncada to 17 games, and he's hitting a measly .138 with a .422 OPS when he has been on the field. As per usual, Eloy Jimenez is injured. He's only appeared in 11 games this season, although he's rehabbing in Triple-A Charlotte now. But how long until he gets hurt again?

Catcher Yasmani Grandal has cited offseason knee surgery and a short spring training as reasons for his slow start. But it's June now, and he's still looking terrible -- a .160 batting average, a .483 OPS and only four extra-base hits (2 home runs, 2 doubles) in 174 plate appearances.

Andrew Vaughn, AJ Pollock and Luis Robert have also missed time at different points this season, although all are healthy now.

But here's something to keep in mind: Being available to play is a skill, and teams that win championships usually have their players in the lineup more often than not.

Robert, Jimenez, Grandal and Anderson all missed significant time last season, too, so waiting for guys to return to the lineup is a familiar Sox lament. At some point, you just have to admit that this core group can't stay healthy, and it's time to change the mix. How long are you going to wait for the band to get back together, especially since they were never really together in the first place?

Obviously, the Sox have won only one championship in my lifetime. Here are the games played for the regulars on the 2005 Sox:

C: A.J. Pierzynski -- 128 games

1B: Paul Konerko -- 146 games

2B: Tadahito Iguchi -- 133 games

SS: Juan Uribe -- 146 games

3B: Joe Crede -- 130 games

LF: Scott Podsednik -- 124 games

CF: Aaron Rowand -- 157 games

RF: Jermaine Dye -- 140 games

Imagine that ... six regulars with 130 or more games played, and a catcher who almost got there while playing the most demanding position on the diamond.

People have said of the current Sox, "Just wait until they get healthy." Well, what reason do you have to believe they are ever going to be healthy?

No way in hell they have six regulars who approach 130 games played; I can promise you that.

Carlos Rodon does not receive qualifying offer from White Sox

Carlos Rodon

Left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon did not receive an $18.4 million qualifying offer from the White Sox on Sunday, meaning he will become a free agent.

Rodon, 28, had the best season of his career in 2021, going 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA in 24 starts. He was selected to the All-Star Game for the first time in his seven-year career and pitched a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians on April 14.

Sox general manager Rick Hahn said during his end-of-season press conference Friday that the team would like to find a way to bring Rodon back, but clearly, that $18.4 million price tag is too high for a pitcher with Rodon's injury history.

Even in this, his best season, shoulder problems limited Rodon to 132.2 innings -- and that was the most innings he's pitched since 2016. If he had been 100% healthy at the end of the season, he probably would have been the Sox's Game 1 starter in the ALDS. Alas, the balky shoulder kept him off the mound until Game 4, and he went only 2.2 innings in a season-ending 10-1 loss to the Houston Astros.

Educated guess here: Rodon will be elsewhere in 2022.

That's because Hahn also stated Friday that Michael Kopech will be moving into the starting rotation next season. Kopech would join Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Dylan Cease and Dallas Keuchel. Unless there's a trade in the works, there's no room for Rodon.

A few other notes and thoughts from Hahn's press conference:

What to do with Vaughn and Sheets?

According to an article from James Fegan in The Athletic, Hahn said, "We feel very bullish on the futures of Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets. We envision them playing significant roles on multiple White Sox clubs going forward. We will spend some time over the next few months figuring out what is the best fit for them in 2022. Could be DH possibilities, right-field possibilities. They’re both natural first basemen and we’ve seen how quickly Andrew acclimated to left field. They provided us with good options and flexibility.”

Let me say this: I don't mind Vaughn and Sheets rotating with Jose Abreu and Eloy Jimenez in some sort of time share at first base, designated hitter and in left field.  

Abreu is entering his age-35 season, and if we're being honest, he ran out of gas in 2021. He homered only twice after Sept. 1, and dealt with numerous nagging injuries. It would be beneficial for him to DH more. He should still play every day, but fewer games at first base are in order. Vaughn and Sheets can fill in.

Vaughn has shown me that he's better in left field than Jimenez. I have no problem whatsoever giving Vaughn some starts in left and using Jimenez as a DH.

BUT, I don't want to see a right field time share involving Vaughn and Sheets. I don't think either of them are good defenders at that position, and Sheets is downright poor. The Sox have ignored defense far too often over the course of my lifetime.

Sign an actual outfielder to play right field, please.

Coaches back, but Allen Thomas is not

Manager Tony La Russa will return in 2022, along with his entire coaching staff. However, the Sox have parted ways with director of conditioning Allen Thomas, who had been in that role for 18 years. Thomas worked for the Sox for a total of 27 years.

The Sox seemingly lead the world in hamstring injuries -- Tim Anderson and Adam Engel had multiple issues in 2021. And Luis Robert and Nick Madrigal suffered catastrophic leg injuries performing the simple act of running out a ground ball.

Hahn said the Sox would be "reimagining" the strength and conditioning department this offseason. I don't know what the hell that means, but in the abstract, I endorse taking a hard look at training techniques after long-term injuries to key players threw a wrench in the season for the Sox.

Catching situation

I wasn't happy with the backup catchers on the Sox roster this year. Seby Zavala can't hit, and while his pitch calling and framing are decent-to-good, his pitch blocking is terrible. Zack Collins is supposed to be a hitter, but he's yet to prove that to me. And I don't have anything nice to say about his defense, frankly.

The Sox really had some problems when Yasmani Grandal had to sit in July and August with a knee injury.

Here's what Hahn said, again in an article from Fegan on The Athletic:

“(Collins and Zavala) both grew from the experience and they both are viable options next year. Obviously with Yasmani as valuable as he is offensively, as well as when healthy, what we get out of him from a defensive standpoint behind the plate, you want to do what you can to protect him and to have him viable over the course of the entire six months, much less into October. So having a backup that we have confidence in and can be a suitable sub for Yasmani when the needed breaks arise, would be of good benefit to us. Certainly have the internal options, we think they’re going to continue to get better and we’ll see how the offseason unfolds.”

Not to be a jerk, but these "internal options" stink. Sign a backup catcher this offseason.

White Sox make six roster moves ahead of series with Angels

Lucas Giolito

The White Sox open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. Here are six roster moves that were made in advance of this series:

1. Pitcher Lucas Giolito has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.
2. Shortstop Tim Anderson has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.
3. Catcher Zack Collins has been recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.
4. Outfielder Andrew Vaughn has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Sept. 10, with lower back inflammation.
5. Infielder Danny Mendick has been optioned to Triple-A Charlotte.
6. Catcher Seby Zavala has been optioned to Triple-A Charlotte.

Giolito is expected to be the starting pitcher Tuesday night. It's reasonable to assume Anderson will be in his customary leadoff spot for the series opener.

Vaughn was unavailable for the weekend series against the Boston Red Sox, and he's mired in a 4-for-50 freefall over his past 13 games. The rookie clearly needs a rest.

The Sox obviously want to take a longer look at Romy Gonzalez as a backup infielder. He's sticking on the roster over Mendick.

Why the catcher shuffle, you ask? Well, Collins was sent to the minors Sept. 1. As long as he was brought back within 21 days, the Sox would avoid burning his third and final option. So, he's back, and he'll still have an option remaining for the 2022 season.

Collins certainly did not distinguish himself during his two weeks in Charlotte. He batted .143/.211/.400.

Zavala, meanwhile, has only one hit in his last 22 at-bats with the Sox, so neither man is an inspiring option as a backup catcher.

Pray Yasmani Grandal stays healthy for the playoffs.