Jeff Passan gives White Sox their flowers for offseason performance

The Chicago White Sox had 10 more losses than the second-worst team in the American League and remained wildly irrelevant last season, but a young core began to emerge in The South Side. Diehard fans know this club inspired more optimism than its 60-102 record suggests, for they saw the outline of a hopeful vision. Although it has a long way to go before fully restoring trust with the city, management has made multiple moves that could push the franchise closer toward respectability.

ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan praised the Chris Getz-led front office for having a surprisingly productive winter.

“The Chicago White Sox have had a really good offseason,” he posted on X after the team’s latest acquisition. “Munetaka Murakami fell into their laps. Seranthony Domínguez is a proven late-inning reliever. Anthony Kay, Sean Newcomb, getting Luisangel Acuña in the Luis Robert trade. Not contenders yet, but it’s the right direction.”

Passan is complimenting Chicago for finally implementing an auspicious plan. It was only last year that the White Sox were considered one of the most dysfunctional organizations in baseball. A record-setting 41-121 record will obviously elicit such an opinion, but it was not just the losing that turned the squad into a laughing stock and cautionary tale. The culture seemed broken.

Repairs are still underway, to be sure, but an identity is seemingly taking shape.

Are the White Sox finding their way?

Getz and manager Will Venable are enacting their blueprint, and encouraging results already started to surface in 2025. Colson Montgomery blasted 21 home runs and recorded 55 RBIs in just 71 games. Fellow rookie Kyle Teel, who came over in the Garrett Crochet trade, posted a .786 OPS in a similar sample size. Shane Smith also enjoyed a positive first MLB season, posting a 3.81 ERA and .668 OPS against in 146 1/3 innings pitched. Lenyn Sosa led Chicago with 22 dingers and 75 RBIs.

The makings of a solid club are present, and another lauded prospect will soon join the organization.

Trading away a former Gold-Glove center fielder who also boasts some power like Luis Robert may delay the Sox’s competitive timetable, but he is a constant injury risk who has yet to recapture his 2023 All-Star form. Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami will ideally add vital firepower to the lineup after agreeing to a two-year, $34 million contract in free agency. Luisangel Acuña offers speed and defensive versatility. Seranthony Dominguez tallied a 3.16 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings of work last season.

Much like in 2024, the White Sox can take gradual steps forward, especially in an unpredictable AL Central. Jeff Passan is impressed by the franchise’s efforts, and other fans may soon hand out their own seal of approval. An interesting spring approaches.

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