Hitting rock bottom turned out to be even tougher for the Chicago White Sox than they expected. Now, second-year general manager Chris Getz faces the difficult task of pulling the team out of a deep hole after a 121-loss season, the worst in modern MLB history.
Recent examples show that a big rebuild won’t be simple, but it is possible. In fact, it can happen quicker than expected.
“One of the things I learned is that we weren’t as far off as it felt at times,” said Texas Rangers GM Chris Young, whose team won the World Series in 2023 after losing 102 games just two seasons earlier.
“We had the 102-loss season, followed by a 94-loss season, but there were some things just beneath the surface that indicated it could turn quickly,” Young said. “And it did.”
The Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, and Arizona Diamondbacks are among the teams the White Sox can look at as examples of how to improve fast. The Orioles and Diamondbacks both lost 110 games in 2021.
By 2023, the Orioles won 101 regular-season games, while the Diamondbacks and Rangers made surprising runs to the World Series, with Texas winning in five games. All three teams are also set up well for the long term.
Even more recently, the Royals made the playoffs in 2024 after losing 106 games in 2023.
“You look at different blueprints for teams that have gone through similar situations, and how they’ve gone about it,” Getz said on Tuesday at the Major League Baseball GM meetings. “These things can change quickly.”
Texas had the easiest route to bouncing back from triple-digit losses — spending a lot of money. After their rough 2021 season, the Rangers went hard after free agents, committing $500 million to sign All-Star infielders Marcus Semien and Corey Seager.
Arizona moved up the standings with a mix of smart trades, unique signings, and strong draft picks. The Diamondbacks have always been in a position where they can go after free agents but have to be careful not to overspend.
General manager Mike Hazen made a key trade in 2019, getting ace Zac Gallen from the Miami Marlins. He also signed right-handed pitcher Merrill Kelly after he had some good seasons pitching in South Korea.
The farm system also helped by developing several strong players, like 2023 NL Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll, All-Star shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, and starting pitchers Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson.
Not every move worked out — the D-backs spent $85 million on a five-year contract for left-handed pitcher Madison Bumgarner, which didn’t pan out — but there were more successes than failures.
The Orioles’ rebuild was similar to the Diamondbacks. General manager Mike Elias built the team around young stars like 2023 AL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson, catcher Adley Rutschman, and power hitter Anthony Santander, adding a few free agents to help the team.
Now, Baltimore looks like it will be a strong team in the American League for the next decade. But Elias admits the rebuild wasn’t easy.
“Even if you know it’s moving in the right direction long term, it’s really hard on the players and coaching staff in the dugout those first few years when the immediate results aren’t there,” Elias said.
“When you’re spending all day preparing for a game, and way more often than not you’re losing that game, you feel like a failure, even if things are moving in the right direction.”
The White Sox might be following a similar path to other teams. They’ve already made a change in the dugout by hiring 42-year-old Will Venable to replace Pedro Grifol, who was fired in August. Grady Sizemore had been serving as interim manager.
Chicago’s big-league roster is a bit lacking in talent right now, but the minor league system is much stronger. The team has several highly ranked prospects, including left-handed pitchers Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, and shortstop Colson Montgomery.
The franchise’s Double-A team in Birmingham won its first Southern League championship since 2013. The hope is that some of those players will make their way up to the big leagues soon.
Chicago also has a couple of valuable big-league players who could be traded, such as outfielder Luis Robert Jr. and right-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet. However, Getz said he’s okay with keeping them if no trades happen.
Even though things may look bad right now, the White Sox are optimistic about the next few years. Based on recent history in baseball, that optimism seems reasonable.
“It’s about rounding out our roster, balancing it with offensive players to add to our pitching, and you go from there,” Getz said. “You put together the best roster you can, compete on a regular basis, and before you know it, you’ve won eight out of 10 or 18 out of 20.
“It happens organically. But it starts with accumulating talent in your organization.”
