Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The Chicago White Sox could finish the 2022 season below .500 after winning the AL Central in 2021. As a result, they could look to make some changes this offseason.
The Chicago White Sox have been a huge disappointment this season. This offseason, they could decide to tear most of their core down or they could decide to spend a lot on the free agent market and/or make some big trades for some players that would be key to the 2023 White Sox.
This offseason, the White Sox have a few key players who will be free agents who may not return. Here are three of those White Sox and where they will sign.
3 White Sox who won’t be back and where they’ll sign
1) White Sox 1B/DH José Abreu – San Francisco Giants
José Abreu is the most-tenured member of the Chicago White Sox but he is a free agent this offseason. Since he is the most-tenured player and he has re-signed with the team before, he could do it again … but both sides could look to move on. If they do, the San Francisco Giants would be the perfect team to sign Abreu.
The Giants won 107 games last year and have really fallen off in the second half of this season. However, they have a lot of payroll space, a need at first base, and a need at DH.
At first base, Brandon Belt will be a free agent after this season. They signed him to the qualifying offer last offseason (1-year, $18.4 million) but he has missed half of the season due to injury (he’s played in 78 games). He missed more than 60 games due to injury last year so the Giants may not re-sign him.
At DH, the Giants have had a cavalcade of players at the position … and they have all been below league average. They have had five players with at least 15 games as a DH. Two of them have an OPS+ above league average: Wilmer Flores and Evan Longoria. Flores has been the team’s primary first baseman since Belt has been out and Longoria is the club’s third baseman and he is a free agent at the end of the year.
The Giants currently have $103 million on the payroll for next year, according to Spotrac. They currently have a payroll of $168 million and in 2018, their payroll was nearly $201 million … so they stand to add a hefty amount to their payroll this offseason.