Why MLB.com says Sox have 2nd-best rotation in AL

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After an exciting regular season and playoff push in 2020, it was a lack of starting pitching depth (and a touch of clutch hitting) that sunk the White Sox in the Wild Card round against the Oakland A’s. In response, one of their biggest moves of the offseason was trading Dane Dunning — who only lasted 2/3 of an inning in the Game 3 loss in Oakland — to the Texas Rangers for Lance Lynn. Now, the White Sox can go toe-to-toe with practically any team over a three game series with Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel and Lynn. Dylan Cease offers incredible upside as a fourth starter. If Carlos Rodon can stay healthy, he could be one of the best back-of-the-rotation starters in the game. And Michael Kopech, of course, is waiting in the wings in case any of the starters falter along the way.

With Opening Day just days away, MLB.com has ranked every rotation in baseball, and they took notice of the White Sox staff, placing them No. 7 overall and No. 2 in the American League.

“Chicago’s trade for Lance Lynn didn’t get quite the attention that the Padres’ deals for Snell and Darvish did, but, over the past two seasons, Lynn is first in the Majors in innings (292 1/3) and fifth in FanGraphs WAR (8.3),” Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com wrote. “The Sox have added him to a staff that already produced the sixth-best adjusted ERA, per FanGraphs, in MLB last season. Lucas Giolito has finished in the top seven of the AL Cy Young voting each of the last two years, and Dallas Keuchel was a fifth-place finisher in 2020 after posting a 1.99 ERA in 11 starts in his first season on the South Side.

“Granted, the Sox traded off some upside in the form of Dane Dunning to get Lynn, but they still possess plenty in the form of 24-year-old Michael Kopech, who is slated to return to the rotation after missing all of 2019 due to Tommy John and '20 due to his decision to opt out, and 25-year-old Dylan Cease, who had a 111 ERA+ in 12 starts in 2020.”

The only team in the league with a better rotation, according to Castrovince, are the New York Yankees, who will trot out Gerrit Cole, Corey Kluber, Domingo Germán, Jameson Taillon and Jordan Montgomery. While that rotation has a ton of upside, it carries plenty of question marks as well. Kluber only pitched one inning last season as he battled a shoulder injury. Taillon and Germán didn’t pitch at all, with Taillon recovering from Tommy John surgery and Germán serving a suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence policy. All three could be great this year. But just as easily, all three could stumble as they shake off the cobwebs.

Beyond the rotation, the White Sox have one of the best bullpens in baseball. With Liam Hendricks closing and relievers Aaron Bummer, Garrett Crochet and Evan Marshall ready to bridge the gap, opposing teams will struggle if they’re not able to pounce on the Sox starters early.

MLB.com may think the South Siders have the seventh-best rotation going into the season, but by the end of the year, we might be talking about the best pitching staff in all of baseball.

Related: How to bet Opening Day: White Sox-Angels

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