Chicago White Sox
2024 record: 41-121
Fifth place, AL Central
Team ERA: 4.68 (28th in MLB)
Team OPS: .618 (30th in MLB)
What Went Right
Amazingly, beyond reason, something. Even in a year where, well, look above, the White Sox were able to get two strong pitching performances; one from a player that will (maybe) be there in 2025, one from an arm that they were able to receive some young talent for at the deadline. Garrett Crochet had no issues adjusting to being a starter this year, and while he faced controversy for some comments about pitching in the postseason if he was to be dealt — something he didn’t need to worry about with the White Sox after May — he still was among the best bat-missers in baseball and should only get better with more experience on the bump. Erick Fedde was just as good if not better before being dealt to St. Louis, and Miguel Vargas along with Alexander Albertus have a chance to be regulars for Chicago in the coming seasons. If we’re being forthright, the best thing that happened to the Chicago White Sox is that you’ll never forget how truly, truly, truly atrocious this baseball team was. Why go 64-98 when you can set a modern loss record?
What Went Wrong
Oh gosh, where to start? No one expected the White Sox to be good — their general manager literally said so before the start of the season — but no one could have seen them being quite this bad. The White Sox could have played another half a season, gone 79-2, and still finished with a losing record. Chicago fired Pedro Grifol with a 28-89 record, and interim skipper Grady Sizemore wasn’t much better at 13-32. They lost 20 straight games at one point, and didn’t pick up a sweep until the second-to-last series of the year. They were outscored by 306 runs; the eighth worst mark since 1950. Luis Robert Jr. was limited by injuries, wasn’t good even when healthy (.657 OPS) and still led all qualified hitters in bWAR with 1.4 by over a win. The starters outside of Fedde and Crochet were ineffective to say the least, and the bullpen blew 37 saves in 58 chances. Maybe it wasn’t the worst team in baseball history, but at the very least, it belongs in the discussion.
Fantasy Slants
– To say that Robert didn’t follow up his strong 2023 season (.857 OPS, 38 homers, 20 stolen bases) with a similar year is quite the understatement. His counting stats were hurt by missing two months with a hip flexor strain, but it was the end of the year that was particularly concerning for the 27-year-old. From the start of August to the conclusion of the season, Robert hit .226/.260/.301, picked up just 10 extra-base hits, and struck out in 59 of 197 plate appearances. It is possible he was dealing with injury, and it’s beyond possible that there was a lack of motivation. Whatever it was, Robert was not a competent MLB hitter for close to a third of a year. That makes him a very, very risky fantasy addition for 2025.
– It wasn’t just a disappointing season for the major-league roster. Colson Montgomery entered the 2023 season as one of the top prospects in baseball, and many were hopeful he could help the White Sox and fantasy teams in turn this summer. Instead, the 2021 first-round selection hit .214 with a .710 OPS, and struck out 164 times in 485 at-bats. He did draw 69 walks in that timeframe and he won’t turn 23 until the end of February, so it wasn’t a completely lost season and there is time to turn things around. That being said, his struggles in 2024 suggest he’s more of a “hope it works out” prospect than one fantasy players should expect results from. Keep an eye on Noah Schultz, however, as one of the top left-handed pitching prospects in the sport who could make starts for the White Sox by the end of 2025.
– Andrew Vaughn has not exactly been a model of consistency in his (relatively) short career, but 2024 was an extreme. Just take a look at his OPS by month: .497, .655, .933, .592, .705, .813. He was well above-average in expected slugging (.451) and average exit velocity (90.4 mph), but his lack of a competent approach at the plate continues to be his downfall. The talent is here for Vaughn to be a quality fantasy option at first base, but the volatility — and lack of players to drive in, if we’re being honest — makes him more of a bench option to open 2024.
– Drew Thorpe was acquired from the Padres in the deal that sent Dylan Cease to San Diego, and got a chance to make nine starts with the White Sox before undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur in his right elbow at the start of September. His 5.48 ERA and 25 strikeouts are far from impressive, but there was some good for the rookie right-hander. His change was an elite offering, with hitters hitting just .164 on the offering, and he generated a 37.9 percent whiff percentage when throwing it. He also gave up a .566 slugging percentage on his four-seam fastball, and none of his other pitchers were anywhere close to even average offerings by the majority of metrics. That change isn’t going anywhere, however, and it wouldn’t be a huge upset if he develops into being a usable fantasy starter in 2025 — assuming good health, of course.
– No one on the White Sox finished with more than nine saves, and that one player — Michael Kopech — was moved at the deadline. The next closest were Jordan Leisure and John Brebbia, and they finished with two each. Someone has to start the year as the closer for 2025, and while it could be an external option, it also could be someone like Prelander Berroa. Acquired in the trade that sent Gregory Santos to the Mariners, Berroa has big time swing-and-miss stuff, and he was able to register a 3.32 ERA and 26/13 K/BB ratio over his 19 innings. Those free passes are scary — and again, the White Sox aren’t good enough to make any potential closer a worthwhile fantasy investment — but Berroa does offer at least a semblance of intrigue.
Key Free Agents
Yoan Moncada ($25 million club option), Max Stassi ($7.5 million club option), Mike Clevinger, Dominic Leone, Michael Soroka.
Team Needs
Patience. When you are this bad, and the majority of your prospects are mostly a few years away, you have zero chance of being even remotely competitive in the 2025 season. It seems likely that they’ll add a mid-rotation arm — maybe two — just to eat some innings, and a couple of bullpen arms. They can literally upgrade at any position outside of first base and center field without trouble — and first base isn’t exactly filled by a superstar — and just to prevent losing 120-plus games again, they probably will. But because they’ve screwed this up so badly, the White Sox have no choice but to go all-in on this tankathon, and they aren’t likely to pursue any notable free agents this winter. This is gonna be ugly.
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