Per the Chicago Sun-Times Daryl Van Schouwen, the White Sox inquired about the services of Yoenis Cespedes this offseason but "their pursuit never reached a serious stage."
We do know Dayan Viciedo reached out to Cespedes to talk to him about playing for the White Sox, and despite Kenny Williams' coyness at SoxFest, the Sox did have some level of interest. Initially, it was thought the White Sox were a fit for the 26-year-old Cuban defector because of their good track record with Cubans, from El Duque and Jose Contreras to Alexei Ramirez and Viciedo.
But from a monetary standpoint, Cespedes didn't make as much sense. The Sox haven't slashed and burned payroll this offseason like some thought they would, but they're hardly in a position to sign a guy for an average of 9 million per season.
And from a personnel standpoint, Cespedes didn't make a lot of sense either. Sure, he could be a good excuse for Robin Ventura to give Alex Rios and Adam Dunn time off, but both those players are essentially entering make-or-break seasons in 2012. Breaking them before the season started would cost the Sox quite a bit of money.
It would've been exciting for the Sox to land Cespedes, but it wouldn't have been necessary. The Sox appear to have recognized that early on in the proceedings and moved on.