5 popular moves the Chicago White Sox should make in the offseason

Retain Johnny Cueto and Elvis Andrus for depth purposes.

Cueto was not even on the Opening Day roster. The veteran was signed to a minor-league deal on April 4th after Lance Lynn had knee surgery.

He turned out to be an absolute steal once he debuted on May 16th. Cueto threw over 150 innings, had a 3.35 ERA, and was the Sox second-best starting pitcher.

Not bad for a guy who was supposed to provide some pitching depth. The Chicago White Sox could use his crafty arm again for the 2023 season.

Now he may not be as good as he was last season. He certainly does not have his ace stuff as he had in his days with the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals.

He still has deceptive stuff that can get hitters out. Cueto can provide value at the back of the rotation or in the bullpen.

Andrus went from not being wanted by the Oakland A’ to nearly being a team savior the Chicago White Sox. He was released by the Athletics on August 17th and signed with the Sox.

He was outstanding, especially with Tim Anderson on the shelf with an injury. His defense was sorely needed and brought much-needed hustle to the lineup.

Expecting him to replicate his end of season numbers with Sox is wishful thinking. Andrus could still provide value to the White Sox coming off the bench.

Spend money in free agency.

The Chicago White Sox are expected to keep their payroll around last season’s numbers.

That is a big mistake. The Chicago White Sox can move some players to address needs. They can trade Eloy Jimenez, Lucas Giolito, or Liam Hendriks. They could also move some prospects.

Then again, they could act like a large market team and realize the teams that win the World Series spend money in free agency to get themselves over the hump.

The Sox need to finally address their problems in rightfield and second base. They could also use another starting pitcher. This year’s free agent class at least offers solutions at rightfield and pitcher. There are some big-time names at shortstop that could be signed and Anderson can move to second.

The Chicago White Sox should have spent the last offseason but did not. They missed the playoffs as a result. If they choose to go the same route again, expect the same result in 2023.