The Chicago White Sox continued to flounder as they missed the playoffs for the ninth year consecutive year. They finished under .500 for the fifth straight season. In what proved to be a very arduous, rebuilding year, the White Sox managed to win just 67 games. Only one other team in the American League and three other teams in all of baseball finished with less wins than that.
Rick Renteria will go into his second season as manager of the White Sox, but it would take a major leap all over the field for the White Sox to contend in 2018. Getting to the neighborhood of .500 would be a big victory for the White Sox.
2017 Season Recap
The White Sox finished 67-95 last season, which was good for fourth place in the American League Central. They were 35 games behind Cleveland and 18 games out of the wild-card race. To put it in perspective, the White Sox were just three games better than the worst records in the major leagues, which belonged to Detroit and San Francisco. The White Sox were 10-8 as a favorite, but 57-87 as an underdog, ending up $-733 in the money. The White Sox were 39-42 at home, a miserable 28-53 on the road and 33-43 against the Central Division, They were also bad in interleague play, going 6-14 against the National League and they were 76-80-6 in the over/under standings.
What Went Wrong
What went wrong is that the White Sox were simply a bad baseball team. They struggled at the plate, ranking 23rd in runs with 706, 25th in on-base percentage at .314 and 22nd in slugging percentage at .417, although they were a decent 15th in batting average at .256. Melky Cabrera and Todd Frazier were shipped off to Kansas City and the New York Yankees, respectively, but neither were setting the world on fire before they left. Then you have the pitching staff, which was 25th in ERA at 4.78, 23rd in quality starts with 63 and 24th in WHIP at 1.42. They were a solid 13th in batting average at .254, but teams still manage to drive in a lot of runs off of them. Derek Holland led the way with 26 starts and was 7-14 with an ERA of 6.20, and he might have been their best starter. Miguel Gonzalez was 7-10 with an ERA of 4.31, and he was traded to Texas. James Shields was 5-7 with an ERA of 5.23 and had to be shut down with soreness in his knees. Finally, Carlos Rodon doesn’t look like he’ll be ready for spring training after shoulder surgery. There isn’t much that went right for the White Sox, who were also 28th in errors and 29th in fielding percentage. Again, this was simply a bad baseball team.
What Went Right
Jose Abreu was almost a one-man show for the White Sox, hitting .304 with 33 home runs and 102 RBIs. Avisail Garcia batted .330 with 18 home runs and 80 RBI, while Matt Davison hit just .220, but he supplied 26 home runs and drove in 68 runs. These three were really the only reason to watch the White Sox in 2017, but teams have been sniffing around Abreu and there is a growing belief that he won’t be on the White Sox by Opening Day. If the White Sox are going to trade Abreu, who is still under contract until 2020, they need to get a good haul for him because Abreu turns 31 in January and could be getting into his power prime. That leads into another positive for the White Sox, and that is their farm system. The White Sox have a lot of good, young talent in their farm system and they should add to that if they trade Abreu, while Garcia and Davison are both 26 years old. They’re not going anywhere and the White Sox should look into bringing up more of their young talent to get them some major-league reps. They’re not going to be competitive anyway, unless something drastic happens, so you might as well see what you have.
Key Free Agents
There isn’t much in the way of free agents leaving that should worry the White Sox. Geovany Soto would only be a backup catcher anyway, but he is 34 years old and injury-prone. Mike Pelfrey is 33 years old, so the White Sox will look to replace him in the rotation and then all the other players are minor. The biggest concerns have to be an exit for Abreu and the White Sox might also be shopping Garcia, although they would do well to keep the latter. The White Sox haven’t been good for a long time and their fans are starting to get restless, and it might be bad for business if they get rid of their two best players. Abreu seems to be gone regardless, so again, the White Sox have to make sure they get a good haul for him. Garcia is more tricky, but the White Sox can get something good for him and the rumor is that Oakland is sniffing around. If the White Sox move both of these players, the 2018 season is basically over before it starts.
Where They Need To Find Help
It starts with Abreu and Garcia leaving, and the White Sox aren’t going to get anyone like them on the free-agent market. They need help all over the field, really, but who is going to come? They won’t be in the market for the likes of Jake Arrieta, or even Lance Lynn or Alex Cobb. Gonzalez might be open to to a move back to the White Sox, and there are also possibilities like Yovani Gallardo and Francisco Liriano. There are also rumors that Jake Peavy is looking for a way back into the league, but if the White Sox go that route, you know that their search is going bery badly. The market for the White Sox will be all about who wants to come to them, and right now, they should be focused on the future. If they’re going to trade Abreu and Garcia, then let the young guys come up and see what they can do. Don’t expect from the White Sox on the free-agent front.
The 2017 MLB season has come to a conclusion as the Houston Astros were crowned champions. The 2018 World Series futures are already posted, so if you’re looking at betting lines, click here to bet on MLB (or any other sports) at BetDSI!
