Friday, October 10

CHICAGO -- The White Sox jumped from 41 wins in a forgettable 2024 campaign to 60 wins this past season.

What’s next for this rebuilding crew? Here are five questions for this offseason:

1. Does Luis Robert Jr. remain part of the team?

This is not a repeat of last offseason’s five questions, although the Robert situation has been a topic since the 2024 Trade Deadline. White Sox general manager Chris Getz has all but guaranteed the team will pick up the $20 million club option on the 28-year-old center fielder’s contract, but will he stay in Chicago after that action or again be the topic of trade discussions?

There’s no questioning Robert’s five-tool talent. In ’23, he showed his across-the-board prowess when healthy and operating at full speed. But was that spectacular year an outlier?

If the White Sox keep Robert, following their plan to be strong up the middle, how does his $20 million salary affect the organization’s spending going into a 2026 campaign for which they have little currently committed on the budget? The team’s young players started making their presence felt in ’25, but the White Sox don’t have a plethora of outfielders close to Major League ready. Robert would help this team, but does he help them more overall via a trade?

2. Is Colson Montgomery a power force?
Montgomery’s 21 home runs, 55 RBIs and .840 OPS over 71 games after his July 4 callup are the most positive statistics for this burgeoning rebuild, not to mention his stellar defensive play at shortstop. Those impressive numbers translate into somewhere around 48 homers for 162 games, which certainly falls under the "unrealistic added pressure” category in what will be Montgomery’s first full big league season.

But penciling in Montgomery as a middle-of-the-order and middle-of-the-infield presence from the get-go should help the White Sox in their quest to move forward.

3. Will there be a catching conundrum?
It’s not really a problem when there are too many good players for one position, but the White Sox have talent congestion behind the plate in Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero and Korey Lee. The White Sox won’t keep all three on the active roster, although they did at the end of the ’25 regular season. Manager Will Venable doesn’t seem inclined to play Teel and Quero in the same lineup for any extended period.

Lee has worked pregame on other positions. Will Teel’s athleticism allow him to try the same? Could the White Sox consider trading either Teel or Quero, even this early in the rebuild? Otherwise, it’s incumbent on the White Sox to answer the challenge of finding continued at-bats and development chances for Teel and Quero.

4. What are the areas for improvement?
The White Sox were a better team in September than in the first half.

Even with the focus of this team on the increased development of its young core, the White Sox need to take another step forward in ’26 following three straight 100-loss seasons.

Enhancing the bullpen became a topic during my final weekend talk with assistant general manager Josh Barfield, as the team was far from satisfied with 30 losses when ahead after six innings and its 15-36 mark in one-run games. And Venable is a manager ready to oversee any sort of style, from rebuild on up, according to Getz.

“We knew where we were at as an organization and why we brought him in,” Getz said. “But he’s a dynamic person. He’s an intelligent guy that can relate to the veteran player, the younger player, the developing player.

“I’m always motivated to improve our club. There’s different ways to do it. Most importantly, it’s continuing to support these guys in the offseason and get ready for 2026. I’m motivated to improve the club for Will, but also others in the organization and our fans most importantly.”

5. When will Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith arrive?

One White Sox goal for 2025 was to have Schultz and Smith, the No. 40 and No. 88 prospects overall, per MLB Pipeline, ready for the Majors at the start of the ’26 campaign. That target looks unlikely, with Schultz finishing at 73 innings and working his way back from right patellar knee tendinitis and Smith ending a successful run with Double-A Birmingham at 75 2/3 innings before now pitching for Glendale in the Arizona Fall League.

Both left-handers should make a significant impact with the White Sox at some point in ’26. The same holds true for switch-hitting outfielder Braden Montgomery, the No. 1 White Sox prospect and No. 35 overall whose Fall League time has been slowed as he gets ready following a small fracture in his right foot.

• There’s nothing better than playoff baseball, and I had that point reinforced last week when I assisted in coverage of the Cubs-Padres Wild Card Series. In the deciding Game 3, the fans at Wrigley Field rose to their feet when Jameson Taillon went 0-2 on leadoff hitter Fernando Tatis Jr. in the first inning and almost never sat down and never got quiet. The South Side needs a return to October.

• I saw the documentary "John Candy: I Like Me” on Sunday night at the Chicago Theatre. It was brilliant -- hilarious and poignant. I forgot how unbelievably talented he was.

• It’s not so good for the Cubs or Chicago baseball, but it’s great to see former White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn continue to excel as a Brewers middle-of-the-order contributor.

“I never thought I would get to 20 homers this year. But it goes back to the preparation. We all put in the work so all you can do is get ready for the next day.” -- Montgomery

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