2023-24 MLB Offseason Recap: Chicago White Sox

After a selloff and the dismissals of Ken Williams and Rick Hahn in August 2023, it appeared likely that the White Sox’s offseason this winter would be one of turnover. That bore out to be true, as new GM Chris Getz was highly active throughout the offseason. Here’s our 2023-24 MLB offseason recap for the White Sox.

Notable Additions

After a 101-loss campaign, the White Sox jumpstarted their rebuild this offseason by doing a couple of things.

One, the White Sox added veterans on short deals to not only fill holes but also could be trade chips at the trade deadline. Tim Hill was a valuable, deceptive lefty during his time with the Padres. John Brebbia, meanwhile, did well in a middle relief/opener role with the Giants.

Chicago also landed starter Erick Fedde, a former first-round pick who reinvented himself in Korea. Fedde received a two-year deal with the Sox this winter and should be a virtual lock to be in the rotation provided he’s healthy.

Additionally, Chris Getz loaded up on lottery tickets. Chicago acquired pitchers Mike Soroka and Jared Shuster from the Braves, the former of whom was a dominant starter five years ago but injuries derailed his progression. The White Sox also acquired a good left-handed bat in Dominic Fletcher from a deep Diamondbacks team and a loud arm in Prelander Berroa from Seattle.

Now, let’s move to the subtractions part of our White Sox offseason recap.

Notable Subtractions

The White Sox began the offseason with a stunner, as Chicago opted not to pick up Tim Anderson’s option for 2024. Anderson was arguably the worst statistical hitter in baseball last season but the veteran batted .318 (.820 OPS) from 2019-22.

Aside from no Anderson, Mike Clevinger went to market after his best season since the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.

Other notable players no longer on the Sox include Yasmani Grandal, whose production dropped considerably after the 2021 season, lefty Aaron Bummer, and controllable reliever Gregory Santos.

Bummer and Santos were used to obtain Mike Soroka, Jared Shuster, Prelander Berroa, and Zach DeLoach.

What to Expect in 2024

Look, the flurry of activity from Chicago doesn’t change the White Sox’s trajectory. The Sox are very much in a rebuild and, likely, the pain isn’t done yet. However, there are some positive signs.

One, the acquisitions of those aforementioned lottery tickets could give the White Sox some potential building blocks. Soroka looked to be a potential star thanks to plus command and a good arsenal. Now with the Sox, he’ll likely have more rope to work with, a sharp difference from when he was trying to come back to pitch on a deep Braves team.

Second, the Sox are not set up terribly for the upcoming deadline. But, the question that many likely have is whether Chicago will be willing to deal either Dylan Cease, Eloy Jimenez, or both.

Jimenez’s injury problems have been problematic. However, he does have a lot of pop and with two team options after 2024, Jimenez is controllable. Cease is also controllable through 2025 and teams always need pitching. However, the price thus far has reportedly been very high.

If the Sox do hold Cease until this year’s deadline, Getz has a chance to accumulate even more assets.