It's time for White Sox' active offseason to show improved results on the field

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hite Sox general manager Chris Getz’s competitive instincts kicked in after news broke that the Tigers were signing left-hander Framber Valdez to a three-year, $115 million contract. With two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal already on the roster, the Tigers have arguably the best 1-2 punch in the sport.

“Your mind goes to what are our weapons to combat that level of talent, what the Tigers are bringing to the table,” Getz said Thursday on a Zoom with reporters. “As a competitor, naturally, your mind goes there. But it’s not, ‘Oh man, he’s going to the Tigers.’ There is a level of it would be nice for him to be outside of the division because he’s a really talented pitcher, but that’s not how we operate.

“We just [think about] how do we deploy the best team that we can put together against the Detroit Tigers, knowing that they have Framber Valdez now.”

Despite the second-half strides and some meaningful offseason additions, a chasm still exists between the Sox and the upper echelon of a relatively weak American League Central.

As pitchers and catchers begin workouts Tuesday, and Getz scheduled to speak Monday, the Sox are more optimistic than in years past. Playoffs are probably too ambitious, but avoiding a fourth consecutive 100-loss season should be the bare minimum for this group.

“We’ve added to the group of talent currently there,” Getz said at SoxFest Live. “The process is only getting stronger. We do feel like we are going to take another step forward.”

Valdez’s signing showed that no matter how much the Sox offense has improved this offseason, they still have a long way to go before they’re ready to compete near the top of the division.

Since Getz took over in 2023, the Sox’ rebuild has moved at a glacial pace, filled with struggles and embarrassing moments as the bottom fell out for the organization. They became a national laughingstock. Fans showed up in September 2024 to watch the team lose and jeered when they won as they set the modern-era record of 121 losses.

But this offseason differed from previous offseasons. Getz dealt Luis Robert Jr., the former face of the previous rebuild, but added left-hander Anthony Kay, Japanese MVP Munetaka Murakami, high-leverage reliever Seranthony Dominguez to augment their young core of Kyle Teel, Colson Montgomery and Chase Meidroth. Sox fans should expect a more competitive product this season.

“We saw some [signings] the offseason, and we’re all very excited to come in the field and see what can happen,” first baseman Miguel Vargas said. “We showed last season in the second half that we could win games and figure it out.”

New outfielder Austin Hays — who has played in the last three postseasons with the Reds, Phillies and Orioles — already has the organizational directive to reference the second-half record.

“They’re starting to turn the corner,” Hays said Thursday. “The opportunity to play a lot and to go somewhere where things are looking up . . . it’s going to be a young, fun team.”

Hays was another Getz addition with the goal of upgrading the team in the interim — and not blocking a young player from receiving at-bats — without hampering its long-term payroll flexibility. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship with Hays and the Sox, who had a sizable hole in the outfield.

With the Reds last season, Hays was the veteran leader in a clubhouse that skewed young. But the Reds were at a different phase of their rebuilding effort than the Sox.

Entering the 2025 season, the Reds were coming off a 77-85 season. The Sox are coming off a 60-102 season. Their most optimistic outcome is to reach that 77-win threshold, but Hays liked what he heard about the club from former teammates around the game — he also overlapped with director of hitting Ryan Fuller in Baltimore.

Unlike past Sox veteran leaders, Hays should bring an impact to the lineup after posting a .768 OPS with 15 homers and 64 RBI with the Reds over 103 games last season.

And that’s where this year will differ from the previous two full seasons under Getz. As spring training begins, the on-field impact will be judged and dissected from the beginning of the season to the end. The fruits of the rebuild are starting to sprout at the major-league level.

With players openly discussing playoff ambitions, the deconstruction phase of Getz’s rebuild is over. Now, the results have to translate into the win column.