After a supremely disappointing season, the Chicago White Sox are looking to bounce back in 2023. Inconsistent and awful play (mixed with some terrible managing) led to them completely missing the playoffs after surprising everyone in 2021. The team would love to get back on track with a winning 2023 record. However, a couple of divisional rivals stand in their way, and White Sox star pitcher Lance Lynn talked about one of those rivals: the Cleveland Guardians.

“Cleveland is the most unselfish team I saw last year,’’ White Sox veteran starter Lance Lynn said. “They play the game hard. They catch the ball. They run the bases. They pitch. They’re not afraid to do anything in the box. They put the bat on the ball. And they score runs.”

One could argue that the Guardians are the favorites to win the AL Central this year. They have more talent than the White Sox, and their main stars are not as injury prone as those of the Twins'. They have an elite pitching core led by the immortal Shane Bieber. And while their batting may leave something to be desired at times, players like Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan bring hope to the team. They did also have an encouraging playoff run, sweeping the Rays before losing to the Aaron Judge-led Yankees.

Can the White Sox play spoiler to the Guardians, though? Lance Lynn and ace Dylan Cease make up a beastly pitching duo. They also acquired another arm in Mike Clevinger, as well as the bat of Andrew Benintendi. Time will tell if it truly was La Russa holding this team back.