White Sox: Potentially the Biggest Surprise Team Heading Into This Season?

The Chicago White Sox have been one of the many teams who have undergone a rebuild from the bottom all the way to the top over the past few seasons and look as though they could finally be reaching a new stage in their rebuild. That could potentially pave a path for them to make themselves relevant again this coming season and play not only the role of spoiler, but even play meaningful baseball in September if all goes according to plan and the impact players on the team stay healthy.

Reason being is the division that the White Sox play in and the lack of several hurdles that stand in their way. Granted, their not at the level of the Cleveland Indians or Minnesota Twins by any means, but they are certainly well on their way and are poised for a bunch of future success thanks to their brilliant General Manager, Rick Hahn and his entire staff.

Since the White Sox likely only have to worry about the Indians and Twins heading into this season, that essentially allows them a potential path to locking down a Wild Card spot and if not a Wild Card spot, then playing competitive baseball all the way until the end of the season. For that to happen, good health would need to play a major role in the process, the White Sox rotation would have to step up, and Jose Abreu along with Avisail Garcia would need to provide the same thump that they did last season.

Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia 

Heading into this winter, there was potential talk that the White Sox could entertain offers on both Abreu and Garcia, but it looks as though they will stay in the Windy City for the remainder of their contract. Abreu, who has long been a household name for the franchise, is signed through the end of the 2019 season and led the team last year in home runs with 33 as well as RBI with 102 in 621 at bats. Garcia, on the other hand, led the team with a .380 OBP in 518 at bats last season and is under contract through the end of the 2019 season as well. To this point, there has not been any mention of possible extensions for either Abreu or Garcia, but it wouldn't be  surprising to see one or both of them stick around long-term.                                                                            

As for the other pieces that could be impactful this coming season, look no further than many of the young, up-and-coming prospects that Rick Hahn obtained last winter especially in the Adam Eaton trade with the Nationals. Some of the prospects to keep an eye on include: Carson Fulmer, Lucas Giolito, and Reynaldo Lopez all of whom are under 25 years-old and could take a significant step forward this coming season. All three of those pitchers come highly touted and should help to make up the next great White Sox starting rotation.

Elsewhere around the diamond, Nicky Delmonico looks to build upon the success he had last season when he finished with 9 home runs, 23 RBI, and a .373 OBP in 141 at bats. Add to the list, 22-year old second baseman, Yoan Moncada, who will be going into his third season in the MLB as well. Moncada came to the White Sox in the Chris Sale trade and finished the year last season with 8 home runs, 22 RBI, 29 walks, and a .338 OBP in 199 at bats.

Tim Anderson 

Beyond all of the potential that lies among the aforementioned names, another huge advantage for the White Sox is the fact that they have plenty of payroll space moving forward, with only Welington Castillo and the $7.25 million dollars that he will make in 2019 as well as the $1.4 million owed to Tim Anderson, on the books after this coming season. Of course, the team has several players that could potentially have options picked up prior to the 2019 season, if they're still on the team, including: James Shields, Joakim Soria, and Nate Jones. Essentially, that means that if the White Sox want to upgrade and be the big surprise team in the league this coming season, they can do it this winter or make
an impactful trade at the trade deadline to help boost their playoff chances.

As it stands right now, the team could probably use an upgrade such as a potential reunion with Todd Frazier at third base or even enter the Greg Holland sweepstakes to solidify the back end of their bullpen, but they could also elect to stick with their young group and let them mature together before looking for potential upgrades later on down the road. Given the weak free agent market this winter, it could allow a team like the, White Sox, to seriously consider locking down, Greg Holland long-term, even if it looked like he would be out of their price point heading into the winter.

Regardless with only the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins being the relevant teams within the AL Central, that could help to bolster the White Sox chances of contending for a Wild Card berth and playing meaningful baseball in September. Both the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals are in the midst of a rebuild and have their sights set further down the line which allows the White Sox to capitalize and surprise some folks around the industry.

As they say, anything is possible when it comes to baseball and the game lasts 162 games every season, so it is not out of the question that the White Sox could quickly become relevant again and bring back exciting baseball to the south side of the Windy City as soon as this coming season.