Guardians' division rival begins roster teardown process

It is a little over a month into the season, but one of the Cleveland Guardians' rivals in the American League Central division has begun to tear down their roster. The Chicago White Sox have agreed to a deal with the Texas Rangers for the services of outfielder Robbie Grossman. 

Grossman returns to Texas after his third stint in the American League Central comes to a close with the fewest games played yet (25). The 34-year-old switch-hitter has previously spent time with the Minnesota Twins (2016-2018) and Detroit Tigers (2021-2022).

Even though Grossman's 72 OPS+ when facing the Guardians is on the lower end of his career splits, his 14 doubles against Cleveland is the third-highest total. With that in mind, it is pretty safe to say that he will not be missed by the Guardians' pitching staff as he makes his return to Texas.

With a record of 8-28, the Chicago White Sox beginning to dismantle their roster by moving the few tradeable players they have is far from a surprise. The White Sox are one of two teams yet to reach double-digit wins on the season (the other being the Colorado Rockies, who are 8-27). Both teams have stumbled out of the gate and have not really given any reason to show that they will improve all that much, if at all, in 2024.

The expectation from now until the trade deadline should be for the White Sox to trade any usable player they have in their quest to completely tear down their roster. A recent report from USA Today's Bob Nightengale suggests that other players besides Grossman could be on the move, including pitchers Michael Kopech, Mike Clevinger, Erick Fedde, and Chris Flexen, in addition to designated hitter Eloy Jimenez. 

Should these players be moved, the White Sox would have even fewer MLB-caliber players on their roster, and that should make future matchups with Chicago much more winnable than they were previously expected to be. While this obviously helps the Guardians, the rest of the division will also benefit from the White Sox waving the white flag, making it an absolute must to win every series with Chicago, if not sweep the AL Central basement dweller.