Recently, the White Sox shocked everyone by not picking up Tim Anderson’s team option for the upcoming season. While Tim did struggle last year, many figured they could pick up the option and trade him midseason if they were not going to resign him next offseason. The White Sox decided against that and thought that 14 million was too much to pay Tim Anderson this season. Now, the White Sox are left with a hole at shortstop and not a lot of resources to fill it properly. We look at some potential replacements that could fill the hole in 2024.
Unfortunately, unlike the last few years, the shortstop market is very bare this offseason. There are no superstars the White Sox could go after, so it is likely a downgrade at the position this season.
There are some potential one-year stop-gaps that could fill the hole until Colson Montgomery is deemed “ready” by the organization. The one that stands out the most is Brandon Crawford. He will be 37 years old, but he still is a very good defender. This would be a nice quality to have behind what will be a lot of young pitchers. He doesn’t provide much with the bat, but if the White Sox are looking for a cheap, one-year deal, Crawford could be their guy.
There could be some high-upside guys that the Sox could go after, as there are a few players that have had some success in the past but have struggled recently. The first is Paul DeJong, who the White Sox have been linked to already. This could be a high-upside one-year deal, as if he can go back to his Cardinals days where he showed 20+ homerun power, this would be a solid move.
The same could be said for Adalberto Mondesi, who has had success before in the past with the Royals. The link is there, as the White Sox seem to be interested in former Royals. Mondesi didn’t play in 2023, but he has very good speed that would be a nice jolt to the White Sox lineup. Again, he unfortunately doesn’t provide much with the bat, but perhaps in a new organization, he could figure it out.
There are really no surefire options in free agency. The Sox could make a trade, but they don’t have many prospects to pull a big deal off. If they do trade Dylan Cease, they could target an SS in that deal, but it is unlikely that they would be major league-ready. This may show the White Sox go in-house for shortstop in 2024.
Immediately, people think that Colson Montgomery could take over. While he will at some point, I am not sure 2024 is the year. He hasn’t had much time at AA so the Sox might want him to get more time there. If he shows he is ready at some point this season, I would love to see him up, but at this point, I’m not sure he will start the year there.
Lenyn Sosa is another option, as shortstop is his natural position. He has shown flashes in the big leagues, but he hasn’t put it all together. If he makes some strides this offseason and shows out in Spring Training, it might be nice for him to get the chance to play his natural position every day. This might be the most logical pick, as he is already on the team. If the White Sox aren’t competing, it might be nice to see what he can do in a full season.
Jose Rodriguez is another option, as he is on the brink of promotion from AAA. He got some time in the MLB last year, but never got an at-bat. He is a toolsy prospect and it is likely, barring any significant moves at SS in the offseason, that he gets an opportunity to compete. I would like to see him and Sosa get an opportunity, just so we can see what they’ve got.
Elvis Andrus could be resigned, but he doesn’t really fit the timeline if we are not competing. He is likely better than most of the free agents, so a reunion is possible, but he is not the most flashy pick.
There is also the possibility that Tim Anderson will return. He could go out and look for another contract that would pay him more than the Sox would, but if he can’t he could return. He has been here his whole career, so he may want to stay if possible. I’m not sure what the price tag would be, but I would love a potential reunion, at least for one more year to let Colson Montgomery get ready for the pros.
