MLB Offseason: Cubs, White Sox Answer The Call
The Hot Stove turned up for both Chicago teams, who were able to lure key free agents in Swanson and Benintendi
Well, it's about time.
These words are echoing throughout both baseball communities in Chicago in reaction to the most recent free agent signings made by both the North Side’s Cubs and the South Side’s White Sox.
With the off season nearly two months in, both teams have finally made their stamp regarding improvements for 2023.
To be fair, the Cubs have been active pretty much since the beginning of the “hot stove” period, signing a handful of players headlined now by all-star shortstop Dansby Swanson and veteran right-handed starting pitcher Jameson Taillon.
Meanwhile, the White Sox had been quiet for the first month of free agency but in the wake of the owner’s winter meetings they struck with a long-awaited move for a starting outfielder and reliable left-handed bat in all-star Andrew Benintendi.
Tick, Tick, Boom
If you want to tell someone in three words how the Cubs’ off season might be, the most effective words may be “tick…tick…boom.”
The Northsiders made some meager headlines early in the off season, starting off with a couple of important moves but nothing jaw-dropping. This could be seen as disappointing for many Cubs fans who were hoping for a sooner impact on the free agent rather than a delayed one.
Business picked up during the winter meetings in San Diego as the Cubs went out and signed 2019 National League Most Valuable Player Cody Bellinger to a one-year deal worth $17.5 million and career starting pitcher Jameson Taillon to a four-year, $68 million deal.
That was a solid pair of additions.
On the one hand, you have Bellinger, who while he has not been in MVP form since 2019 should be motivated to perform with a change of scenery and a one-year deal to prove his worth. A classic low-risk, high-reward proposition.
Bellinger’s batting numbers have reflected a recent downturn but he has retained a great glove throughout and he can man the center field position as well as first base, a position the Cubs are looking to fill.
Then in Taillon, you have a workhorse who recorded a manageable 3.91 Earned Run Average last season in New York for the Yankees and has made at least 25 starts in three of the last four campaigns.
While these moves signaled a desire to build on the measured success of the Cubs’ second half of 2022, the team’s perceived role in the shortstop market, which entered the off season as the hottest in baseball by far, was getting cloudy. Big money started to get distributed and connections were being made by each of the big names at the position while the Cubs and their faithful began to worry about being stood up for the dance.
Trea Turner went to the Phillies, Xander Bogaerts went to the Padres and only two legit star shortstops were left on the market in Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson.
With the way that the contracts looked for Turner and Bogaerts (each going over 11 years and $280 million), the Cubs eventually bowed out of the Correa conversation and set their sights on Swanson, a key member of the Atlanta Braves for several seasons.
Some tea leaf reading caused pundits to imagine a good fit for Swanson in Chicago, he recently married U.S women's soccer National Team member Mallory Pugh, who plays her club soccer with the Chicago Red Stars.
In the end, Swanson did choose to join his bride in the Windy City, agreeing with the Cubs on a 7-year, $177 million contract, the second most expensive deal in franchise history.
Many were surprised at the dollar amount, perceiving it to be a deal in the wake of the prices yielded for Bogaerts and Turner.
Beyond the price, the Cubs value in this signing comes in getting a leader and all-star with big game experience who will man the shortstop position with great defense and locks up the middle of the Cubs’ infield with another stud defender in Nico Hoerner, who will now post up at second base — the Cubs' defense is looking quite good going forward.
Swanson can also swing the bat. In 2021, he hit a career-high 27 home runs, and he followed that up with 25 in 2022.
An all-around player, Swanson’s true value statistically is highlighted by the career-high 5.7 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) he compiled in 2022.
With these three signings, the Cubs hope that they’ve marked the beginning of the start of their next great team.
Slow Burn
On the South Side of town, the White Sox started their off season by signing starting pitcher Mike Clevinger to a one-year deal worth $12 million.
In 2022, Clevinger pitched over 100 innings for the first time since 2019. This was a positive development for a hurler who made his name with five seasons in Cleveland, where he posted a 3.20 ERA in 88 starts.
Eventually, Clevinger was dealt to San Diego and suffered though a short stint with the Padres that was marred by injury. Now back on the market, Clevinger chose the White Sox as his platform in which to possibly bounce back and re-establish himself as a top-line starting pitcher.
The Clevinger move, like the Cubs’ Bellinger signing, could be seen as a reasonable and calculated risk, but it wasn’t a bullseye in the minds of the Sox faithful.
Its been years now that the White Sox have been looking for a reliable, left-handed hitting outfielder and they may have finally found that guy in Andrew Benintendi.
Last Friday, the Sox went out and signed the former Yankee and Royal to a club-record $75 million for five years.
Benintendi, who was a notable trade deadline acquisition for New York this past season, finished 2022 with the sixth-best batting average against right-handed pitching. For a team like the Sox, whose left-handed hitters last season had a league-worst on-base plus slugging of .585 against right-handed pitching, this is a perfect fit.
Adding to his situational hitting prowess, Benintendi brings great defense, best shown in the 2021 Gold Glove he earned in Kansas City. On that Royals team new White Sox manager Pedro Grifol served as bench coach. The great relationships that Grifol has with his players likely played a role in Benintendi making the decision to come to Chicago.
This is a move whose benefits should ripple through the Sox roster, first hitting Eloy Jimenez, who can now shift his focus solely to the designated hitter role and who’s below replacement-level defense won’t have to drag the team down in either corner outfield spot going forward.
Now attention turns to whether or not the White Sox will further restructure their roster via trades. All-star closer Liam Hendriks has already been served as bait unsuccessfully, could something come about with him?
Saul Rodriguez is WARR Media’s associate producer, lead Bears reporter and host of the At Bat Podcast