Twins landing Correa another sign White Sox are in for much tougher test in AL Central
GLENDALE, Ariz. - Last year, the White Sox pulled into first place in the AL Central on May 4 and they never looked back.
When the regular season ended, the Sox won the division by 13 games and the other four teams, Cleveland (80-82), Detroit (77-85), Kansas City (74-88) and Minnesota (73-89) couldn't even crack the .500 mark.
The Sox were undoubtedly the very best of a bad bunch, but things should be a little different in the Central this year.
Before the lockout, the Tigers made an effort to improve, signing former Cubs star Javier Baez to a six-year, $140 million contract and starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez to a five-year, $77 million deal.
After the lockout, Detroit added two more quality arms, starter Michael Pineda and reliever Andrew Chafin.
The Twins, who finished last in the Central in 2021 after two straight first-place finishes, shocked the baseball world Saturday by signing free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa to a three-year, $105.3 million contract.
Minnesota also added starting pitcher Sonny Gray last week and acquired catcher Gary Sanchez and infielder Gio Urshela in a trade that sent fading third baseman Josh Donaldson to the Yankees.
"I've seen Minnesota my whole career," White Sox manager Tony La Russa said. "They had a tough year (in 2021), but they're going to be great this year, assuming they got Correa. They're better. They were going to be better before Correa."
The Guardians are in decline, but they still have solid starting pitching and one of baseball's top players in third baseman Jose Ramirez.
The Royals are stacked with young talent and could also be a factor in the division this season.
"I think the Central will definitely be more competitive," La Russa said.
As for the Sox waltzing to the division title last year, La Russa said it wasn't as easy as it looked.
"We were in a position, just because we were short (due to injuries), that we were fighting all the time," the White Sox's manager said. "Luckily, our guys came through but we were never comfortable. One of the things I feel the most, looking back, is we had six winning months. That shows you how consistent our guys were."
Playing in a soft division seemed to hurt the Sox in the playoffs, as they were easily dispatched by the Astros in the ALDS. Playing in a stronger Central this year should help.
"I do believe overall the tougher the season is, you pick up scabs and toughness, if you qualify for October, it's a plus," La Russa said.
The big key is health, especially with a short spring training.
Last year, the White Sox lost key players like Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez and Yasmani Grandal for long stretches due to injuries.
"We were talking about that, just to keep that as our goal," first baseman Jose Abreu said through a translator. "Just try to stay healthy, as healthy as we can because we know if we are healthy around the field we can do very good things. But when you are injured, you are not on the field, there is nothing you can do to help the team.
"That's going to be our goal for this year, just try to stay healthy and do our best every day."