By Dominic DalDegan | December 14, 2022

The Winter Meetings in San Diego proved to be an active time for general managers across baseball. Many clubs with aspirations for 2023 made additions to improve their major league rosters. The AL Central Champion Cleveland Guardians signed left-handed slugger Josh Bell much to the dismay of White Sox fans. Even teams who did not make the postseason went to work. The Texas Rangers signed generational pitcher Jacob deGrom despite already taking on multiple 9-figure deals just last offseason.

For the White Sox, the Winter Meetings came and went. General Manager Rick Hahn pointed out at the Winter Meetings that you do not get any bonus points for signing somebody on December 6th versus December 16th. What you do get however are the scraps that are left on the table when you wait that long. We have already seen a number of premium free agents sign on with other teams, many of whom were included in my free agent wish list for the White Sox. To combat the notion of the team’s limited spending budget, Hahn mentioned that they went out and signed Mike Clevinger before the Winter Meetings. In my opinion, Hahn felt there was no chance to out-negotiate the other teams at the Winter Meetings.

In the same interview, Hahn stuck to his guns about potentially making an impact trade. Hahn said, “We have seen a little movement in the shortstop market, obviously one that we’re not currently in. But perhaps that has some impact on some of the other clubs that we’re talking about in terms of pivoting towards some trades.” Many White Sox fans believe that Hahn was alluding to trading White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson. But considering the White Sox need a second baseman, Hahn could have meant that teams who acquire shortstops may look to move on from their middle infield depth. The Giants, Phillies, and Padres have all acquired premium shortstops. I listed an intriguing middle infielder from the Phillies to acquire via trade in last week’s post.

The White Sox did make some minor league signings to improve the team’s depth. The Sox signed former Tigers outfielder Victor Reyes to a minor league deal. Reyes can be a serviceable player at times being a career .264 hitter, but should only be relied upon occasionally. The White Sox also signed right handed relief pitcher Nick Avila during the Rule 5 Draft, giving the team some bullpen depth.

We could be seeing some more interesting action on the White Sox front soon though. According to Herb Lawrence on a recent CHGO podcast, outfielder Joey Gallo could be joining the White Sox. Lawrence stated that the signing is “imminent”. If this rumor is true, signing somebody like Gallo would fall right in line with the White Sox’ spending habits. Gallo will likely command a one year deal, and would be yet another rental in a corner outfield spot for the White Sox. That said, Gallo would solve some needs for the White Sox. Despite having holes in his game,  Gallo possesses elite gold glove defense, massive power, and swings the bat from the left-hand side. 

Overall, the White Sox did nothing of impact at this year’s Winter Meetings. Between the front office’s glaring inactivity and the canceling of SoxFest a couple months ago, there is a lot of unrest among White Sox fans.