Getty Image / Ronald Martinez
The Chicago White Sox were about as consistently average as they could be this past season.
They spent the entire season hovering around .500 and finished the season with an 81-81 record.
Today they went out and signed an All-Star to try and change that and help them compete for a playoff spot next season.
According to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, the White Sox signed Andrew Benintendi to a 5-year contract worth $75 million today.
News: OF Andrew Benintendi is in agreement with the Chicago White Sox on a 5 year deal, sources tell ESPN.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) December 16, 2022
The White Sox will definitely be hoping Benintendi is a better investment for them than he was for the New York Yankees. The Yankees dealt 3 minor league prospects ahead of the trade deadline this past season to land Benintendi. Unfortunately, he only played in 33 games for them and missed the entire postseason because of an injury.
Before that injury, Benintendi had put together a strong season. He was batting .304 with 51 RBIs and 54 runs scored, which earned him the 1st All-Star nod of his MLB career.
The Yankees were reportedly interested in keeping him around because of how well he had been playing before the injury, but weren’t willing to give him a 5-year deal.
This was likely because of the massive contracts they already have on the books for Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, DJ Lemahieu, Giancarlo Stanton, and Carlos Rodon that they will be paying well into the future.
That hesitation from the Yankees worked out very well for the Chicago White Sox who didn’t have very many left-handed bats in their lineup. That led to them hitting just .251 against right-handed pitchers last season while hitting .271 against lefties.
The addition of Benintendi should help bring that average up against righties and could be just what the Chicago White Sox needed after missing the playoffs by just 5 games.