The Chicago White Sox made a few nice trades this offseason, and now seem like favorites to sign Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. This, added to Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie, would bolster a roster that disappointed greatly last season. Unfortunately for the team, they still have way too many holes to be considered legitimate contenders in 2016. It will take more than one player to save such a weak line up.
Looking at the Sox's 40-man roster, there are still spots that just don't seem like they have any MLB level talent. Catcher, short stop and basically the entire pitching staff besides Chris Sale are all question marks. In the current day-and-age, that many holes do not lead to success.
While Jose Quintana is right behind Sale in the rotation, as of now, he is not a good No. 2 pitcher on a playoff team. Quintana is considered underrated, but for me, he is only good enough to be a No. 3 pitcher on a playoff team. Since he is No. 2 on the Sox, their starting pitching has to be seen as a weakness, even with Carlos Rodon showing signs of dominance.
The team is one of the weakest in baseball at the catcher position. Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro are just not good catchers. Add that to the fact that the team does not have a real plan at short stop right now. Tyler Saladino might flex into the position, but it's not natural for him.
Adding Cespedes, or even Alex Gordon to the Sox would improve them tremendously. Melky Cabrera, Avisail Garcia and Adam Eaton are three average outfielders, and a boost to that group would put them into a spot to fight for a playoff spot. But to consider them a contender would still be foolish.
