Andrew Benintendi Is An Improvement For Chicago White Sox, But Not Enough

There is a lot of offseason left, but the bulk of free agency activity is done. A few contenders and other hopefuls have been very active, but the White Sox were not among that group.

Other than signing outfielder Andrew Benintendi to a five-year, $75 million deal, they essentially stood pat. On paper, that’s not a terrible thing. They may have disappointed with an 81-81 finish last season, but the roster is still loaded with talent.

Benintendi only adds to that talent, and he should provide needed depth in the outfield. Eloy Jiménez and Luis Robert should be pillars in left and center, but neither has had any luck staying healthy through a full season, and Jiménez is probably better suited as a designated hitter.

A career .279 hitter, Benintendi will provide consistency to a White Sox offense that struggled to score enough in 2022. Their 686 runs scored ranked 19th in baseball last season. And Benintendi has been a solid defender in the outfield throughout his career. Another place where the White Sox could badly use some help; in 2022 they collectively added up to -35 defensive runs saved, putting them at a tie for 26th in the league with the Reds. Not good company.

In general, Benintendi has been a reliable hitter throughout his career. He was good enough to finish second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2017, and he was an All-Star for the Royals this year before being traded to the Yankees.

There’s unquestionably a lot to like about this Benintendi deal for the White Sox. That this will be the largest contract ever issued by the organization is possibly both an indictment on owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s approach to spending through the years and a hopeful sign of a shift in a new direction. The latter might be wishful thinking, but if it’s not, it’s a good sign of what might be to come on the south side of Chicago. Their estimated 2023 payroll sits at $193 million, which puts them in the upper third of teams payrolls. Nowhere near the big spenders like the Mets, but a far cry from some of the true small market teams. The Athletics are projected to spend a paltry $54 million next year, and both the Orioles and Pirates in the low sixties. Their in-division rival, Cleveland, is projected to have a payroll next year of just around $93 million.

Again, there is plenty to like about the White Sox signing Benintendi. But there are also problems if this is their only addition to the lineup.

One area of concern, and part of the reason the White Sox needed more this offseason, is Benintendi’s power production. His 2022 slugging percentage (.399) was a career low, excluding the numbers he put up in just 14 games of the 2020 season. Benintendi hit only five home runs last season. That’s a major drop off from the 17 he hit in 2021 and his rookie year career high (20).

If this decrease in power continues, it is especially of concern to the White Sox because as a team their home run totals were down in 2022. They hit 149 as a group last season, good for 22nd in baseball. And to make matters worse, José Abreu contributed 15 of those, and he will be wearing an Astros uniform for the next three seasons.

Looking around the field, there is still a major hole at second base. There is not a fully reliable right fielder on the roster — Benintendi has played mostly left field and never in right in his career. The White Sox have plenty of talent, but if Benintendi is going to be their only move, then the organization is pinning a lot of its hopes on resurgent seasons from most of the rest of the lineup.

This is not to disparage Benintendi as a player. There’s a reason the playoff-bound Yankees traded for him last season. But there are simply too many cracks in the White Sox foundation that need mending for one player of his caliber to fix. One could argue that with the loss of Abreu, getting Benintendi is at best a wash.

There is still the possibility the White Sox make further changes. They have been rumored to be shopping closer Liam Hendriks — the Mets are a possible suitor — and while trading him would create a question mark at the back end of the bullpen, he could fetch a return that helps some of their other issues.

Ultimately, for as much as Benintendi is a good player who would help any team, the White Sox have deeper issues that he alone can’t address. In short, unless they get bouceback years from several bats, another disappointing season is probably on the docket.