Chicago White Sox: A Cubs fan’s perspective on their offseason
By Ryan Fedrau
The Chicago White Sox have made some eye-opening moves during the 2019-20 offseason. As White Sox are slowly becoming a favorite to make the playoffs, here’s my perspective on the team as a Cubs fan.
The Chicago White Sox went 72-89 in 2019. They completed the decade without making the playoffs even one time. It’s been 11 seasons since they have last made the playoffs. Digging deep into their past, the White Sox are 5-6 in winning playoff series. Three of those were World Series wins though, so not all is bad. One tad bit of bragging rights the White Sox have if you want to travel back in time to 1906 is them beating the Chicago Cubs in the World Series.
All jabs aside, let’s take a look at the 2020 White Sox. They’ve added talent all over the board. They started by signing Yasmani Grandal to a four-year contract, (2020-23). Grandal is currently 31 years old. He is also someone who Cubs’ fans would have loved to have. He is coming off of an All-Star season where he batted .246, hit a career-high 28 home runs and was ranked 15 in the MVP voting. The White Sox are getting a solid catcher to add to their lineup.
They re-signed the second-best first baseman in the city, Jose Abreu. The White Sox added on by re-signing James McCann and top-prospect Luis Robert.
Some notable signings are the 36-year old first baseman, Edwin Encarnacion, trading for outfielder Nomar Mazara, and adding depth to their pitching core by signing Gio Gonzalez to a one-year deal.
They closed off the New Year by signing starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel. The 32-year old pitcher is coming off of a season where he pitched in 112.2 innings, went 8-8, and had a 3.75 ERA. He downgraded from playing 34 games in 2018 with Houston to playing only 19 games with Atlanta in 2019. The eight-year veteran had added multiple Golden Glove awards to his name, a World Series, and a Cy Young trophy during the career.
At 32, he reminds me a lot of the Jon Lester signing for the Cubs back in 2015. The Cubs were signing a former 2x World Series champion, an All-Star pitcher, and a veteran who has done a lot in his career. Keuchel will do the same for the White Sox, plus add depth to the team while becoming a key factor for many years to come.
As much as I hate to say it, as of right now, the White Sox are in better shape than the Cubs. The Cubs have struggled at pitching and haven’t done anything about it in the offseason. The White Sox right now has a bigger upside but that can all change come April 2020.
What the problem with the Cubs is the money they’ve spent. They have the same issues the Chicago Blackhawks have faced. Poor contracts with veterans underperforming. If the team loses Kris Bryant, things could take a turn for the worse.
Next. Jerry Reinsdorf continues to bamboozle his loyal fans. dark
The 2020s might bring back competitive baseball in Chicago. It’s been since 1906 since they’ve both matched up the World Series. Why not have it happen this decade?