The Chicago White Sox enter the 2017 season with little to no expectations at all. The fact that the White Sox are so bad on paper is even more glaring when you consider that the rival Cubs are coming off a World Series title and have the potential to repeat as one of the best teams in the majors once again. The White Sox actually opened last season with a 23-10 record but they lost 15 of their next 19 games and never recovered on their way to finishing the season six games below .500. Now Chicago will attempt to remain competitive at least until the All-Star break, when there is a good chance some of their best players will end up being traded.
Key Additions: 2B Yoan Moncada, SP Derek Holland, SP Michael Kopech, SP Reynaldo Lopez, C Geovany Soto, OF Peter Bourjos
Key Losses: SP Chris Sale, DH Justin Morneau, OF Adam Eaton, CF Austin Jackson, RP Matt Albers
Strengths
The White Sox pulled off the biggest blockbuster of the summer when they traded Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox for star prospect Yoan Moncada and three prospects. Moncada has the potential to be an absolute star and should compliment the young pieces Chicago already has in place like first baseman Jose Abreu, who is looking to bounce back from a sub-par season. The acquisition of Derek Holland gives the White Sox some decent arms with Carlos Rodon, Jose Quintana and James Shields in the starting rotation while closer David Robertson anchors a decent bullpen. Chicago might not be the deepest team on offense but they do have some veteran talent in Melky Cabrera, Brett Lawrie and Todd Frazier, who could all be trade bait for more prospects if they deliver strong performances this season.
Weaknesses
The rotation might be a little deeper than a year ago but the lack of elite arms is a concern following Sale’s move to the Red Sox. Moncada has the potential to be a star in the young run but for now he is a young and inexperienced player that will take time to develop at the major league level. Meanwhile, the bullpen isn’t dominant by any means and the offense still has holes. Even if the veteran hitters perform at a higher level than they did last season there is a good chance they will be traded at the deadline to contenders in exchange for pieces that can help accelerate the rebuilding process for the White Sox.
| Catcher | Omar Narvaez | Kevan Smith | |||
| First Base | Jose Abreu | Todd Frazier | Tyler Saladino | Matt Davidson | |
| Second Base | Brett Lawrie | Tyler Saladino | Carlos Sanchez | ||
| Third Base | Todd Frazier | Matt Davidson | Brett Lawrie | Tyler Saladino | |
| Shortstop | Tim Anderson | Tyler Saladino | Carlos Sanchez | ||
| Left Field | Melky Cabrera | Charlie Tilson | Avisail Garcia | ||
| Center Field | Charlie Tilson | Leury Garcia | Adam Engel | ||
| Right Field | Avisail Garcia | Charlie Tilson | Willy Garcia | ||
| Designated Hitter | Matt Davidson | Avisail Garcia | Jose Abreu | ||
| Starting Pitcher | Jose Quintana | Carlos Rodon | James Shields | Miguel Gonzalez | Derek Holland |
| Relief Pitcher | Nate Jones | Dan Jennings | Zach Putnam | Michael Ynoa | Jake Petricka |
| Closer | David Robertson | ||||
Projected Win Total: 73.5
World Series Odds: +10000
Outlook
After their hot start fizzled into a disappointing season in 2017, Chicago could be in trouble again with too many holes on both sides of the ball. The pitching staff takes a hit with the loss of Sale while the offense isn’t nearly talented enough just yet to make up for the lack of elite arms on the roster. The White Sox will remain a team in transition throughout the coming season and it won’t surprise anybody if they take a small step back in terms of their overall record without the benefit of another scorching hot start. Looking at the division, it is not the toughest road to sow as the Cleveland Indians are elite and the Detroit Tigers figure to be decent, but there is weakness behind them. The Minnesota Twins are lousy and the Kansas City Royals might regress to about .500. Still, the White Sox are – at best – the fourth-best team in the division.
Prediction: 72-90
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