Change is coming all across the White Sox roster after 101 losses, but the end of the 2023 season marked the potential swan song for a trio of mainstays.
Yasmani Grandal, Liam Hendriks and Tim Anderson were all at the top of their games powering the Sox to a 2021 division title, but are all beset by injuries and affected performance as decisions loom on their future with the team.
“I have unfinished business here,” Hendriks said. “It was a different attitude when I got back this year. Think we already had almost given up at that point. Now hopefully we have a bunch of young guys who are eager to learn and improve and to listen, and hopefully take that next step forward next year and maybe add a couple guys around to supplement that and be back to winning.”
Unlikely to pitch beyond a few weeks at most in 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, Hendriks’ situation is the sort of scenario for which the Sox secured a deferral option on the final year of his contract. By declining Hendriks’ option, the White Sox would pay the $15 million owed to him in 15 annual installments, rather tying up a substantial amount of payroll room for a player who will be rehabbing most of next season.
It all makes cold, logical sense, except for the part where Hendriks’ energy, charitable efforts and inspiring return from cancer have made him one of the few bright spots on this Sox team. The White Sox could struggle to recruit veterans to try to turn around this mess, but not Hendriks, which at least provides hope an alternative deal could be worked out to keep him in Chicago.
“Other than yelling at him as he walks past, not so much,” Hendriks said to whether he’s spoken with general manager Chris Getz about his future. “But there’s a lot going on there and I’m not exactly anticipating too much.”
Anderson was the heartbeat of the Sox and arguably their best player when both were at the heights of their powers in the first half of 2021. But a similarly cold and logical discussion of his $14 million team option for 2024 would begin with him as a 30-year-old shortstop, beset by injuries that have contributed to the worst season of his career, a startling erosion of his power, and kept him from playing 130 games in a season since 2018.
Getz has notably held off on committing to a direction on retaining Anderson for next season, and with nothing more definitive to add on the situation, Anderson politely declined an end of year session with reporters on Sunday.
Signing what was then the biggest free agent contract in franchise history signaled Yasmani Grandal as the Sox starting catcher heading into 2020. Just as clearly, Grandal being reduced to a reserve/mentor role behind trade acquisition Korey Lee has indicated the Sox will be moving on from the veteran backstop as his four-year deal ends this season.
After a solid start, Grandal hit .211/.289/.292 after June 1. He regards this as his first full, healthy season in a Sox uniform and came off as optimistic, if not fully dead set, about playing next year.
“I’m going to test the market and see what’s out there,” Grandal said. “I’ve got two young boys that love baseball, love sports but don’t really like to be away from dad too much. I’ve got to take that into consideration as well.”
Unable to claim success over these last four years, Grandal expressed hope that a Sox team moving on from him is at least suited to turn the page with Grifol at the helm.
“He’s going to look back and understand what it is exactly that he needs to do moving forward,” Grandal said. “They’ve got the right guy for the job. Especially for a young team like they have now.”
