5 reasons that the Chicago White Sox lost the offseason

Craig Kimbrel

The Chicago White Sox overvalued Craig Krimbel, making him hard to move.

The Chicago White Sox acquired Craig Kimbrel from the Chicago Cubs during last season’s trade deadline. He was supposed to team up with Liam Hendriks to put together a shutdown eighth and ninth inning combination. That never happened

Kimbrel had a terrible stint on the Southside last season after being dominant on the Northside. That did not stop Hahn from picking up Kimbrel’s $16 million option. The hope was Hahn could trade Kimbrel to a team desperate for a closer while overlooking his poor two months with the White Sox.

That trade still has not happened. As for now, the White Sox are stuck with Kimbrel and paying him big money to do the one thing he is not good at which is being a set-up man.

Plain and simple, the White Sox overvalued what Kimbrel could fetch in the trade market. Teams are just not going to pay $16 million for a closer (even one with Hall of Famer credentials) with a trend of having shaky seasons.

That $16 million is eating a hole into what the White Sox possibly could have done this offseason. That is not to say Kimbrel’s salary is the only reason Hahn passed on signing big-name free agents.

It sure does not help to pay a reliever that kind of money when all that reliever can do is close. Teams are looking for more versatility in their relievers and Kimbrel proved he is strictly a ninth-inning pitcher.

The only way the Sox can get any value back now is if Kimbrel closes and Hendriks moves to a set-up role, which is unlikely considering La Russa refused to do that last season. The other hope is Kimbrel has a few good relief outings to start the season and another team finds a desperate need for a closer due to injury.

The White Sox are still loaded with talent. The Twins and Detroit Tigers improved but they are still nowhere close to the talent on the Southside.

If Jimenez can be the hitter he was prior to last season’s injury, the White Sox have a chance to put up some big numbers. Despite the right field issues, Luis Robert is one of the best centerfielders in the game. Plus, he is an outstanding hitter. The bullpen is also elite outside of Kimbrel.

The Sox have more than enough talent to win the AL Central. The White Sox offseason was an opportunity to acquire enough talent to put them over the top.

This was offseason to remove any doubt that the White Sox could win the 2022 World Series. Instead, they chose to have an offseason where there is still plenty of doubt they can win the whole thing.