What’s Next for the Worst Team of All Time?

With a number of talented arms on the way soon and some that already began to emerge in 2024, finding offensive core pieces is the priority. The only way that happens is by trading one of or both star players still remaining on this roster.

Furthermore, while Crochet hasn’t closed the door on an extension, it feels less than likely after such a tumultuous situation at the deadline this year.

Those factors don’t even include that Crochet remaining healthy and maintaining his level of success is far from certain. Pitching 146 innings after not even having 100 total under his belt prior to 2024 is extremely difficult for anyone, even someone with Crochet’s talent level.

While a deal didn’t matriculate at the deadline, the offseason opens up an opportunity for even more teams to get involved and drive the price up.

A number of smaller market teams ready to push toward contention can get involved compared to at the deadline where they may not have been able to do so.

I’m going to start working on some trade packages soon, but the White Sox netting two or three impact young hitters for Crochet is the first necessary step to forming a future competitive roster.

This package should be a balanced one though with an ideal combination of one MLB-ready hitter, one high-end not far off prospect, and a younger development project.

The White Sox have to make this move and they have to maximize the value by creating a bidding war for this trade to live up to its potential.

Crochet being moved seems like a near certainty to me, but the other star on the roster may need to stick around for a little. Luis Robert was one of the best outfielders in baseball in 2023, but is coming off a really rough season. His value is lower than the White Sox would like and he does have another year on his contract compared to Crochet.

That being said, they should still explore the market for the center fielder to see if someone is willing to largely overlook the 2024 season.

If they are able to get appropriate value, go for it. But there’s also no need to force a deal when he’s under contract through 2027. Considering the market is worth it, but allowing Robert to rebuild his value in 2025 prior to a deadline or next offseason trade seems likely.

Sign a Couple Decent Pieces

Trying to get free agents to sign in Chicago after this past season will not be easy for GM Chris Getz, but a few additions have to be made.

While the biggest acquisitions of the winter in terms of value are likely to come from the potential Crochet deal, adding some pieces is a necessity given how many first and second year players will be on this team.

I don’t believe much needs to be done on the pitching side given the magnitude of starter and reliever options in the upper levels of the farm system. Signing possibly one starter and at least one or two bullpen arms that can return value at the deadline makes sense and should happen. Primary additions have to be made on the other side of the ball though.

Depending on who is non-tendered or traded from the current roster, the White Sox only retained veterans in the lineup could be the aforementioned Luis Robert, Andrew Benintendi, and maybe one or two others at most. The lineup needs serious help and while the priority will be on youth which I’ll get to shortly, some consistent experienced bats have to join the mix.

The duo of Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets has not shown much growth over the past few years and has frankly regressed. While Tim Elko has been a fun watch in MiLB, he’s a 26-year-old prospect with a high whiff rate. There are plenty of veteran first baseman that would provide pop and could give way to Elko or others at the deadline if valuable enough to be moved.

Josh Bell, Rhys Hoskins, Joey Gallo, Wilmer Flores, and others could make sense here on a one or two year deal. Additionally, regardless of a Robert trade happening or not, a veteran outfielder addition seems likely given the lack of progress shown from the likes of Oscar Colas, Dominic Fletcher, and others last year.

A dream world would be adding someone like Anthony Santander or Tyler O’Neill, but both are set for big pay days that will likely price out the White Sox given their status. Veterans Michael Conforto, Michael Taylor, Harrison Bader, or Max Kepler could viably start in right field next year.

Other positions could use help too, but I do believe that allowing prospects deemed ready to grow at the MLB level this season is more important than anything else.

Prioritize Youth Throughout 2025

The White Sox will not be good in 2025 even if they execute the previous steps, so why not spend the season determining which pieces can be penciled into future rosters. I’m not advocating to rush prospects, but there are countless players with nothing or little left to prove in MiLB within this farm system. Let the youth shine and develop.

On the pitching side, Drew Thorpe showed positive signs while also struggling in his first taste of MLB experience. His season ended due to surgery but he’ll be ready for Spring Training. Jonathan Cannon had a solid rookie season and profiles as a solid back-end starter. Sean Burke, once healthy and ramped up, excelled down the stretch in Charlotte and in his first four MLB outings.

Nick Nastrini, Ky Bush, and Jairo Iriarte had a tough go in their first taste of the big leagues, but are ready soon for more of a chance whether it be as starters or shifting to a relief role moving forward.

Mason Adams was a massive breakout in 2024 and figures to get a shot in Chicago sometime in 2025. The top two left-handed prospects in MLB, Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, aren’t ready yet but it wouldn’t be a shock to see either reach Chicago at the end of the season.

One veteran add makes sense, but the rotation can largely be made up by all of these exciting young arms which allows the team to determine who will stick long-term. The bullpen is a similar situation where it should be comprised of largely young guys with maybe a couple veterans rounding it out.

Frasier Ellard and Prelander Berroa both finished the season in excellent fashion, which should earn them a bullpen spot next year. Jordan Leasure was expected to be a key piece but struggled and missed months with injury. If fully healthy, he figures to make the roster.

There’s also a trio of relievers who finished the year in Triple-A Charlotte and are just about ready. Adisyn Coffey, Trey McGough, and Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa deserve MLB innings soon.

Some of the young starters could also shift to the bullpen with Jake Eder being another name who seems destined for a bullpen role. In-house veterans such as Jimmy Lambert, Enyel De Los Santos, Ron Marinaccio, Steven Wilson, and others are also options to grab a bullpen spot out of camp.

While the bullpen was one of the worst in baseball on the year, it was actually quite solid down the stretch with young players prioritized more.

In September, the bullpen ranked 12th in ERA and 16th in strikeout rate. Add one or two pieces, but allow the young pitchers who have succeeded in MiLB to prove themselves.

The offense, while much thinner throughout the farm system, features a few key pieces who should get reps in Chicago. Bryan Ramos and Brooks Baldwin both did not have much success as rookies but both only got around 100 MLB at-bats and should open the year with the team.

Meanwhile, Colson Montgomery had a tough year after being aggressively sent to Triple-A last spring. However, he had a strong September and he’s playing in the Arizona Fall League right now to get ready to push for a MLB spot early in 2025.

Just Baseball’s top-ranked system hitting prospect, Edgar Quero, took another big step forward this year with an .829 OPS and 16 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. He’s the catching of the future and should form the catching duo with Korey Lee this season.

Quero’s extensive work with all the pitching prospects mentioned is another exciting factor as these young arms are comfortable working with him.

The heavy majority of infield innings should feature all of these young players, even if they take time to find success. It may not be good just yet, but it will at least be fun and feature potential. The youth movement needs to be on full display in 2025 and I’m here for it.

Patience

Every fan’s least favorite thing to hear has to be said. No matter how well these steps are executed, this is probably still one of the worst teams in baseball next year. But it won’t be the worst ever again and at least it will have upside!

Nobody from the fans to the front office wants to be in this position. But alas, this is reality for the Chicago White Sox right now. It doesn’t have to be a constant stream of negativity though.

Will it be a rough path to relevance given the ownership and current status of the team? Yes.

But let’s head into the offseason considering ways it can get better rather than just how terrible it is right now.