During spring training last February at Camelback Ranch, I asked Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz if Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf was still patient with the state of the rebuild.
The Sox were coming off a third straight 100-plus loss season, and Reinsdorf was on the verge of turning 90, so I speculated about a sense of urgency from Reinsdorf’s perspective. You can do the math.
Getz went through a laundry list of areas where he said the Sox had improved, from amateur scouting to a commitment to international signings to R&D and to the major-league staff.
“He’s been a supporter of our commitment to improve those areas, and it’s gratifying to begin to see the fruits of that labor show up at the major-league level,” Getz said. “He sees the progress and has been great.”
So if the Sox need to spend at the trade deadline to contend for the postseason, will Reinsdorf shell out some money?
“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” Getz said. “Let’s put ourselves in that position first.”
There are still two months to go until the Aug. 3 trade deadline, and with a 32-28 record entering Tuesday’s game in Minnesota, it’s too soon to label the Sox as legitimate contenders. But more than one-third of the way into the season, they had a three-game lead in the second American League wild-card spot, and trailed the division-leading Cleveland Guardians by only 1 1/2 games.
So why not dream a little?
It’s a position few thought the Sox would be in at the start of June, even as shortstop Colson Montgomery was comparing them at SoxFest to Curt Cignetti’s national championship team at Indiana.
Several obstacles could derail the Sox, from Munetaka Murakami’s right hamstring injury to a lack of starting pitching depth to the simple fact that it’s a young team and most of them have never been in this position before.
Manager Will Venable told reporters Tuesday at Target Field the focus “is on the present … there’s no messaging from me or our staff about anything other than the support of them having a good day today.”
That’s the company line, of course, and to be expected. No need to put pressure on a team that’s suddenly gotten the attention of everyone in baseball circles outside of the schedule-makers at Apple TV, Fox, ESPN and NBC.
In case they haven’t noticed, this is the weakest the American League has been in several years. Only five teams are over .500, and only two — the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees — appear to be head-and-shoulders better than the Sox.
If that still holds true by the time Murakami returns in July, Getz should have no qualms about going to Reinsdorf with a request for money for a veteran trade acquisition that would improve the Sox’s chances. The Sox’s payroll of $90.99 million ranks 28th in baseball, and attendance is improving with an exciting team and warmer weather.
Likewise, Reinsdorf should open the checkbook without blinking, knowing he might not get this opportunity in 2027, thanks to a potential lockout stemming from the owners’ demand for a salary cap — $245.3 million — in the opening of CBA talks.
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Students of baseball history recall the Sox were well on their way to winning the American League Central in 1994 when the players’ strike ended the season in mid-August, eventually cancelling their World Series dreams. The Sox lost their mojo when play resumed in ’95, didn’t get to the postseason until 2000, and finally won in ’05. They have not won a postseason series since — not in 2008, ’20 or ’21.
Reinsdorf was not only one of the owners demanding a salary cap in ’94, he allegedly was one of the leaders, along with Tribune Co., the former owners of the Cubs. Reinsdorf was willing to sacrifice a World Series season for what he believed was a more fiscally responsible salary structure. “This is the best team we’ve had since I’ve been here,” he told Tribune columnist Bob Verdi that July. “But I’m looking for long-term sanity and solutions.”
As the strike neared, author John Helyar, who wrote “Lords of the Realm: The Real History of Baseball,” said of Reinsdorf: “He’s seen as a canny operator who’s able to do better within the system, an unsentimental guy who does what he thinks is best in the business sense.”
A lot has changed in 32 years, but Reinsdorf’s belief that baseball needs a salary cap remains firm. The players are unlikely to budge, even as fans appear to accept the idea. According to the Wall Street Journal, a Morning Consult survey last year had 79% of avid MLB fans and 69% of casual fans supporting a payroll ceiling.
In an agreement reached last year, Reinsdorf has the option to sell to Justin Ishbia between 2029-33, with Ishbia having the option to buy the Sox in ’34 if Reinsdorf remains in charge. Time is a factor, especially if ’27 is a goner.
That’s why the Sox need to focus on ’26 if they’re still in it by the All-Star break, and to do what it takes to compete with the likes of the Yankees, Rays and Guardians this season. After the Twins series ends Wednesday, the Sox schedule gets much more difficult, with 12 of their next 15 games against the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Yankees and Guardians. We’ll find out what they’re made of this month, and where they’ll need to patch holes.
Getz has dipped into the minors for help, including recent call-ups Jacob Gonzalez, David Sandlin and Rikuu Nishida, and top outfield prospect Braden Montgomery should be ready before too long to help the cause.
But another frontline starter to go with Davis Martin, Anthony Kay and Sean Burke would help, along with a couple of leverage relievers. The Sox should be looking at every option without worrying about the price tag.
This Sox offense is fueled on raw power, with 83 home runs, tied for third in the majors. Remember, in 2024, they were dead last in home runs with 133 in their 121-loss season. That’s a turnaround of epic proportions. Murakami’s absence will surely affect the power ball offense in the next month, putting more pressure on Colson Montgomery and Miguel Vargas to pick up the load. Vargas homered twice Monday in Minnesota and could be headed to his first All-Star Game.
But the Sox will have to scratch and claw and manufacture runs to get through June. With Montgomery getting a start off Tuesday against a lefty, Venable inserted Edgar Quero (2 home runs) in the clean-up spot and Sam Antonacci (1 home run) in the No. 5 hole.
Suffice to say, it was not exactly Murderers’ Row.
“Whether Mune’s here or not, that part of the order, we’re going to do whatever we can to score runs,” Venable told reporters.
Whatever works.