https://www.si.com/fannation/mlb/fastball/news/what-has-happened-to-the-chicago-white-sox-and-how-did-they-get-so-bad
Entering play on Monday, the Chicago White Sox are a Major League-worst 3-18, but just a few years ago, they looked like they were ready to take the league by storm. What's happened?
Furthermore, when teams rebuild, we ask them to not only play with prospects, we ask them to spend. The White Sox did, spending money on free agents Yasmani Grandal (an All-Star) and Dallas Keuchel (a Cy Young winner). They went and spent big on Liam Hendriks, an All-Star closer, before the 2021 season. They brought in Lance Lynn in a trade with the Rangers before the 2021 season, and then extended him. They added Joe Kelly before the 2022 season. They brought in Andrew Benintendi before 2023. They did everything that fans and pundits ask a team to do when they appear ready to win.
In addition to developing prospects and spending in free agency, we ask teams to take care of their own. They did that too, inking Jimenez, Luis Robert Jr. and Anderson to long-term deals at young ages. These deals all looked like wins for the organization at the time.
The question is what happened to this team full of potential that made two playoff appearances?
Well, let's just start here: Lynn was dreadful in the 2023 season, going 6-9 with a 6.47 ERA before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He's now with the Cardinals. Keuchel was let go in the 2022 season and is currently in Triple-A. Kelly had an ERA over six in the 2022 season and had ERA near five in the 2023 season before also being dealt to the Dodgers.
Lopez and Giolito were traded also during the 2023 season while Abreu was allowed to walk in free agency after 2022. Moncada, Robert Jr. and Jimenez are all still in the organization but all of them have spent considerable times on the injured list over the last three years. Anderson's numbers plummeted in 2023 and his team option was declined, so he signed with the Marlins this past offseason. Cease was traded to the San Diego Padres.
There was also the stink of the Tony La Russa managerial tender, questions about in-fighting in the clubhouse, and GM Rick Hahn was fired.
The White Sox are once again in a rebuild. They did everything right the first time, will things work out better this time around?