After the Chicago White Sox won 93 games and the AL Central division back in 2021, it felt like they'd be at the top of what appeared to be a weak division for years to come. Unfortunately, not all things go to plan.
An 81-81 season in 2022 was followed by a disastrous 2023. The White Sox have fired their GM Rick Hahn among several front office moves, and will field a team that looks entirely different in 2024.
Chicago has some pieces to build around like Luis Robert Jr. and Dylan Cease. Even if the right move might be to trade one or both of them in exchange for prospects to rebuild the franchise around, it feels highly unlikely that new GM Chris Getz actually trades one of those stars. With that being said, there're several others who are on the team right now who won't be in 2024.
1) Yasmani Grandal will not be on the White Sox roster next season
James McCann broke out for the White Sox as their primary catcher in 2019, hitting 18 home runs and making the All-Star team. Despite that great season, the White Sox opted to sign the best catcher available, Yasmani Grandal, to a lucrative four-year deal.
Grandal didn't do much in the shortened 2020 season, but showed fans why the team chose to sign him in 2021 with a really strong year. Grandal hit 23 home runs and had a .939 OPS on the year. He missed substantial time due to injuries and was limited to just 93 games, but was a big reason the team wound up winning 93 games. The White Sox were 55-38 when he played and were 38-31 when he didn't. Quite the contrast.
Unfortunately, Grandal's injury issues continued in 2022 as he played in just 99 games, but the bigger issue was his production plummeted. He had a .570 OPS that season, and while he's been healthier in 2023, he has a .654 OPS in 115 games. Grandal's defense has faltered, and his bat has been subpar.
The White Sox catcher is in the midst of the final year of his deal, and the team just traded for a pair of catching prospects at the deadline in Korey Lee and Edgar Quero who figure to both be MLB-ready at some point in 2024.
Grandal is 34, has played 100 games in a season once for the White Sox in four years, and the team has replacements already in the organization. I think both sides will want a fresh start.
2) Tim Anderson will not be on the White Sox roster next season
Tim Anderson at one point was one of the best shortstops in baseball. He made the all-star team in 2021 and 2022 after a seventh place finish in the AL MVP balloting in 2020. Unfortunately, things have really gone downhill for Anderson in 2023.
The White Sox shortstop wound up landing on the IL after just 11 games and just hasn't looked like the same hitter since returning. He's slashing .240/.284/.294 with one home run and 24 RBI in 111 games this season. Yes, he has one home run in 445 at-bats. This is a guy who hit 17 home runs two years ago and hit 20 home runs in 2018. One home run in 445 at-bats.
The White Sox dangled Anderson at the deadline and there was some rumored interest around the league, but ultimately nothing came into fruition and Anderson remained with the club. Since the White Sox opted against moving him, it feels likely that they'd exercise his $14 million club option. Even with that, Anderson can still be traded this offseason, and I believe he will be.
Some team out there will be interested in buying low on Anderson, and the White Sox have no reason to hold onto the 30-year-old when they should be getting younger.
3) Mike Clevinger will not be on the White Sox roster next season
In a year of disappointment for the White Sox, Mike Clevinger has been a pleasant surprise. Clevinger was coming off a down year with the Padres but has a 3.61 ERA in 21 starts and 114.2 innings of work for the White Sox this season.
Even with Clevinger pitching well and the White Sox not going anywhere, the team was not only unable to trade him, they were also unable to shed his salary as nobody claimed him off waivers. The reason for that is Clevinger has a mutual option for the 2024 season worth $12 million. If that option is not exercised, there is a $4 million buyout.
Again, the White Sox willl be focused on getting younger and keeping 32-year-old Mike Clevinger around doesn't accomplish that. The likely scenario with him is they decline their end of the mutual option and watch Clevinger sign elsewhere.
Chicago has gotten pretty decent value out of their Clevinger commitment, but the team is going nowhere and the timelines just don't match up for this marriage to continue.
4) Elvis Andrus will not be on the White Sox roster next season
Few players randomly revive their careers in a short amount of time the way Elvis Andrus did with the White Sox in 2022. The White Sox signed Andrus to a one-year deal when Tim Anderson was hurt last season after Andrus was released by Oakland and he went on a random tear. Andrus hit nine home runs in 43 games and had a .773 OPS for Chicago. While playing for the A's in 2022, he had eight home runs and a .673 OPS. He went from a guy who was trending towards being out of the league to a player who was going to get another contract that offseason.
The White Sox wound up re-signing Andrus, but his play has declined. He's slashing .254/.312/.353 with five home runs and 39 RBI this season. He had a 112 OPS+ for Chicago last season and has seen that number dip to 82 this season.
Andrus has played a lot of second base this season and has even sprinkled in a couple of starts at third base, making him a decent bench option for a team out there trying to win.
The deal the White Sox gave Andrus to return was just a one-year contract worth $3 million. With the 35-year-old hitting free agency after a year of doing virtually nothing to help the White Sox win, it's likely that the team will have little interest in bringing him back for another year.
5) Eloy Jimenez will not be on the White Sox roster next season
Eloy Jimenez is the least-likely to be moved of this list, but with everything going on with the White Sox, it feels more and more likely that he'll be on the move.
Jimenez is in the middle of a six-year deal worth $43 million. He's set to make $13 million in 2024 with club options for $16.5 million in 2025 and 2026. It's an awfully team-friendly deal for a really good hitter, but there're a couple of reasons the White Sox would move him now.
First, Jimenez has had issues staying healthy. This season is just his second playing over 100 games, and he's played in 105. The talent is there, but he doesn't provide much value when he spends a large portion of the season on the IL.
Second, the White Sox should be looking to rebuild. Trading Jimenez, a 26-year-old approaching his prime with another three years of control will help them get jumpstarted with that. Eloy has his durability concerns and isn't a good defender, but if he is made available in the offseason there will be plenty of teams looking to acquire him. The White Sox won't be good while he's on this deal, so might as well sell high now.
Third, Jimenez has had his own issues with the team regarding his leadership. Jimenez has said he feels no desire to step up and be a leader after Chicago traded away some of the teams veterans at the deadline. Keeping Jimenez around to not lead what will likely be a young team.
The time to capitalize on Jimenez's value is now, and Chris Getz hopefully will realize that.
