1 October 2023
Dylan Cease was in top form, pitching into the seventh inning.
Andrew Vaughn delivered the big hit, driving in two runs with a ninth-inning double.
Just about everything went right for the Chicago White Sox on opening day in a 3-2 victory against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
It turned out to be the team’s only day above .500 all year.
The Sox wrap up one of the worst seasons in franchise history against the San Diego Padres on Sunday at Guaranteed Rate Field. They entered Saturday needing to win their final two games to avoid 100 losses. They’ve only had four 100-loss seasons — 1932, 1948, 1970 and 2018.
The Sox have plenty to work of work ahead. Here are three offseason questions.
1. What’s the plan for Tim Anderson and Liam Hendriks?
Anderson won a batting title in 2019, his first of four straight seasons hitting above .300.
The shortstop earned All-Star selections in 2021-22 and was voted a starter in the event last season. But he never consistently found a rhythm at the plate this season after returning from left knee injury in May and was hitting .245 entering Saturday.
The Sox have to decide if they’re going to pick up Anderson’s $14 million club option for 2024. If the option is declined, Anderson will receive a $1 million buyout.
“He’s meant so much to this organization,” general manager Chris Getz said Tuesday. “He’s been an impactful player for this ballclub. We’re going to have discussions on the best step forward for the White Sox. Whether that be TA playing shortstop for us or not, yeah, there’s an option there that needs to be discussed, and it deserves an exhaustive discussion just because of what he’s meant to this organization.”
The Sox also have a $15 million club option or $15 million buyout in 2024 for Hendriks, who made five relief appearances in 2023 after an inspirational return from battling stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma before undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery in August. Hendriks was an All-Star with the Sox in 2021-22.
“Liam’s doing well with his rehab, and obviously it’s been a long year for him,” Getz said. “But he’s in the clubhouse bouncing around with good spirits. We’ll get to that decision soon.”
If the club option is declined, the buyout will be paid in 10 equal installments between 2024-33.
2. How is the rotation going to shape up?
Michael Kopech referred to his 2023 as a “season full of adversity.”
The right-hander went 5-12 with a 5.43 ERA before undergoing surgery on Sept. 22 to remove a cyst from his right knee. He made 26 starts and then three appearances in the bullpen. His final outing was as an opener.
“There’s many things to take away from this year, patience being one of them,” Kopech said Thursday. “Just not getting too far ahead of yourself, and there’s times when I can look back when I was looking ahead of results instead of in the present moment and attacking each day, each hitter, each pitch. It’s something I know already but to put in practice is a lot more serious and deliberate work. Overall I have to be prepared every day.
“The short stint in the bullpen reminded me of that.”
Kopech said the surgery shouldn’t affect his offseason as he looks for a bounce-back season in the rotation.
Cease, who was mentioned in trade speculation near the Aug. 1 deadline, performed well down the stretch. Saturday’s starter, Mike Clevinger, who has a mutual option for 2024, had the sixth-lowest ERA (2.73) in the majors since June 1. Touki Toussaint and Jesse Scholtens rounded out the rotation after the team dealt Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn to the Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers, respectively.
Getz said it’s “a little early to comment” on what the rotation will look like in 2024.
“We know the players to expect back here and we know the good group of pitchers that are in our system, but we’ve got some work to do,” he said. “That’s certainly an area that needs to be addressed, and we like a lot of the arms we have and we like a lot of arms coming through our system and we’ll learn more about what we need to do in the coming weeks to set up for the offseason.”
3. What’s ahead at second base, center field and catcher?
The Sox began the season with Elvis Andrus at second and Yasmani Grandal behind the plate.
Both will be free agents.
Korey Lee, acquired from the Houston Astros near the trade deadline, has done a bulk of the catching down the stretch. He has displayed a strong arm but has five hits in 65 at-bats. The concentration has been on Lee’s work with the pitching staff.
As for assessing second base in 2023, manager Pedro Grifol said Saturday that “our second base for the most part has been Elvis, he’ll be a free agent and that’s going to be a decision that Chris and his staff, all of us will get together to see which direction we want to go in there (at second).”
The Sox also have decisions to make in right field. Oscar Colás played the most games at the position this season. But the rookie slashed .216/.257/.314 in 75 games and finished the year in the minors.
“Oscar’s going to have the ability to compete for a spot on our major-league club,” Getz said. “We know he’s capable of doing more. Nothing’s going to be handed to Oscar Colás moving forward. He needs to go out there and have a great offseason. We’ll see what he looks like come spring training.”
There will be a lot to watch across the board between now and the spring.
“I feel extremely confident in what Chris and his staff are doing and are going to do,” Grifol said.
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