CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 14: A fan wears a paper bag over his head during a game between the … [+]
The Chicago White Sox are proof of the resilience inherent in the structure of MLB. After setting a modern record with 121 losses, they still get to play a fresh 162-game schedule the following season. If last year wasn’t enough to knock them out of the league, nothing ever could.
The challenge facing the stewards of the franchise is figuring out where to go from a 41-121 record. The main decision-makers remain the same people, chiefly owner Jerry Reinsdorf and general manager Chris Getz. Reinsdorf, who is now 88 years old, purchased the team in 1981 and has a reputation for being hands-on in every facet of baseball operations, leading them to spurn modern advances, such as the use of analytics in player personnel decisions, and superseding hiring choices ranging from the manager to the play-by-play broadcaster.
Former manager Pedro Grifol was ousted on August 8 following a 21-game losing streak. His .319 winning percentage over parts of two seasons is the lowest of any MLB manager with at least 200 games at the helm since the 1940s. This season, Will Venable will lead the team having supposedly been hired without Reinsdorf putting his thumb on the scale. He’s a 42-year-old Princeton graduate and nine-year MLB veteran who most recently served as associate manager of the Texas Rangers.
The franchise that often seemed directionless now has a clearer path. They spent the previous trade deadline and the offseason trading off any players of value for prospects. The first major move was a three-way trade that shipped starting pitcher Erick Fedde and outfielder Tommy Pham to the St. Louis Cardinals as well as reliever Michael Kopech to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In return, they received infielder Miguel Vargas and two mid-tier prospects. Vargas hit .104 over 157 plate appearances after the trade and has a .175 average over 591 career plate appearances spread across three seasons. He has also struggled to find a defensive home.
In December, they sent highly-coveted ace Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox for four prospects, headlined by catcher Kyle Teel. He is a consensus top 100 overall prospect in the game and should make an impact in Chicago starting this year. However, one of their other consensus top 100 prospects is Edgar Quero, who is also a catcher close to MLB-ready. It could be a challenge to develop them both at the same level at the same time.
On the position player side, the team lost third baseman Yoán Moncada, shortstop Paul DeJong, right fielder Gavin Sheets, and designated hitter Eloy Jiménez. They replaced them with low-cost veterans like infielder Josh Rojas and outfielders Austin Slater, Mike Tauchman, and Michael A. Taylor. None of them were highly sought by other teams as anything other than part-time role players.
The 2025 White Sox have a projected payroll of $74.4 million, which is the second-lowest in MLB and $48.7 million lower than last year’s. Two players—left fielder Andrew Benintendi and center fielder Luis Robert Jr.—will account for nearly half of it.
On paper, it’s hard to say the team has improved. The changes in the lineup are a wash at best, and they haven’t replaced their two excellent pitchers in Crochet and Fedde. The farm system is stronger thanks in part to the Crochet trade, but that will pay minimal dividends this coming season.
Can a team get worse after setting a record for futility? Probably not. A few players will have rebound years more likely than not. With a few luckier breaks and, hopefully, a less acrimonious clubhouse environment, they should surpass the lowest possible bar of beating last season’s winning percentage. Their farm system will set them up for a brighter future in the next few years, but 2025 is going to be another long season for the White Sox.
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