MINNEAPOLIS -- The White Sox lost 121 games in Chris Getz's first full season as general manager, so between that and his two most recent payrolls running well below $100 million, he's understandably spoken about improving his team as a long-term project. Up until the Sox went 18-10 in May, team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf in Getz's introductory press conference in 2023 was the only prominent person arguing otherwise.
But even after a 9-6 defeat in Minnesota to open their road trip, the Sox are into June with the fourth-best record in the American League, and the fifth-best run differential. This doesn't mean they'll be dangling Caleb Bonemer in talks for a Tarik Skubal rental, but a 32-28 record -- with half of those wins requiring comebacks -- means the GM has to talk about this current team's chances with a deserved level of reverence.
"They play to win, clearly. Even the games that we're maybe even out of it, or certainly down, they just don't give in," Getz said. "We are focused on 2026. I know I have stated that it's not about 2026, but this team is playing really good baseball. We know where we are in the standings, both within the division and wild card, and we're monitoring it. If there's opportunities to add to this -- we have higher hopes than just 2026 because we want to have a continual winner here -- but if there's chances to really add to this group, we're going to do that."
Repeatedly mentioning the hopes to build a continual winner is a pretty telling qualifier for the types and levels of trades the Sox could and will pursue. Getz reaffirmed his expectation that Braden Montgomery will at some point make his major league debut this year, which along with previously stated similar ambitions for Hagen Smith, and even the rehabbing Tanner McDougal, provide internal solutions for the outfield and rotation; two areas on the roster that would be logical targets for midseason upgrades.
For all the team's belief that there are valuable lessons to learn from how the Rays and Brewers win with lighter payrolls, the way those two teams regularly pull some combination of both adding and subtracting at the deadline could certainly prove instructive. Like the depth-laden, transactional clubs they so admire, the White Sox have built themselves quite a looming 40-man crunch, with both a full roster and a whopping seven players on the 60-day injured list. So, dealing some blocked young players for relief help would be one potential very Rays-ian method to add more than they have in years, just for the sake of spitballing.
But even thinking of the roster in June in terms other than imagining the prospect haul every productive player might bring is a relative breath of fresh air.
"We're always looking for opportunities to improve our roster," Getz said when asked how aggressive the Sox will be. "A deal might come together later today [note: it did not] or by the deadline. You look at the talent that we brought up this year and we still have talent in the minor league system as well at Triple-A and Double-A. There's going to be opportunities to bring up those guys and get what we feel like is a real boost, because these other guys have boosted this as well.
"We'll continue to monitor the trade market. This team's playing good baseball and we're staying in it. These guys believe in themselves and we believe in them. So any way that we can continue to fuel this team somehow, some way, we're going to look to do that."
If the belief level and confidence, and obviously, the quality of play coming out of the Sox clubhouse has become this element that deserves respect and support from the front office at the trade deadline, it would be an ironic twist of fate that their free agency activity is what nudged their players into thinking this team can contend.
"There are individual players like Mune [Murakami] and Seranthony [Domínguez] and different guys where they didn't come here to be a losing team," said Grant Taylor. "They came here to win and contribute to a winning program. We have veteran guys, and Mune coming from Japan who are saying, 'We are going to be a winning ball club.' So it's different perspectives of how we're going to win, and as we have more success, it becomes more of a real expectation. The preparation and execution follows that."
Reaffirming the team culture and leadership structure that started to settle in during the second half last season might have been a more typical, less tangible preseason goal. But yet another rub is the players buying into that only heightens their focus on getting the immediate result the Sox find themselves delivering.
"The team camaraderie in this group is unbelievable," said Kyle Teel. "This is the most fun team I've ever been a part of. I'm just honored to be with this group of guys. Not that guys don't care about individual success, but it's about the team right now. Guys care more about what's on the scoreboard than anything."
The White Sox have already seen 11 major league debuts this season, with surely more on the way. Getz spent as much time on Monday praising the club's slate of minor league managers for preparing their prospects to make smooth transitions as he spent discussing possible trade activity, and he spent even more time talking about the draft. Therefore, it should still be expected that the highest impact midseason additions likely will come from within.
Still, there's a certain tentativeness to focus on this year's postseason chances that this Sox team has pushed aside, seemingly through their sheer force of will.
"It's a testament to the players stepping up, and they enjoy playing with each other," Getz said. "To see them to respond the way they have is great, and to see them get the support from our fans like we have is really cool to see. They're really embracing the energy they bring and the joy they have in a winning style of baseball."
