Ask these young White Sox when they thought this team would be pretty good, and prepare to hear more about last year's 28-37 second half (albeit with a positive run differential) than you likely anticipated.
"There was definitely a momentum swing last year when a lot of the guys came up," said Chase Meidroth. "This group kind of just plays together and plays for each other, and nobody's selfish in here. You have a lot of really good dudes, and a good amount of talent in a clubhouse, I think good things can happen."
"We really believed that coming out of spring, and then we got punched in the face to start the year, but the test of a really good team is one that can bounce back from struggles," said Erick Fedde. "The Arizona series we were really crushing the baseball. That series it was like, 'All right, we're going to hit. If we can pitch OK, we can be good.' That was kind of the problem here, we couldn't score runs. It was in '24. It really felt like that, like we were never going to score."
There was at least some indication that the White Sox had actively done something to make their offense more viable. Sure, maybe Luisangel Acuña can't actually switch-hit, and Austin Hays and Everson Pereira have been too snakebitten by injury to make a dent, but there were signs.
"It started last year after the All-Star break, kind of the success we had and taking steps in the right direction," said Grant Taylor. "And I think going into the offseason one of the signs we had was Mune [Murakami] for example, just solidified it. We're going to come in ready to go, we're signing a guy from Japan who's pretty dang good. So I think that kind of set the stage."
Which is to say that as much as the White Sox thrive on some proprietary brew of goofiness, naiveté but also self-awareness about their naiveté(?), and Strokin', or something, the front office making win-now moves can also resonate and affirm the self-belief of the player group.
"We think we're good, we think we're going in the right direction," said Davis Martin. "When the front office makes acquisitions that spur us forward and almost accelerate us into that, it makes all of us excited. Because basically what they're doing, their actions are the same thing we're feeling. It's, hey, we're really good. We can do really cool things, and then they just continue to add pieces that are going to help us get into that position."
Which brings us to the trade deadline. The Sox have maxed out at seven games over .500 this season, and most of the world still doesn't really understand how they're doing this, so their contender status is something that needs to be reaffirmed all the time. But they also feel like they did that in their first road trip of the second half, setting the assumption that trade additions are coming over the following week.
"We're beating good teams on the road out of the break and not really missing a beat or anything," said Sean Burke. "I don't think we're too focused on what the front office is doing anything. That's their job. We try to just focus on what we're doing. But I think the fact that they're also interested in trying to make the team even better than this, is a good sign for us that we're playing well and they like the direction we're headed in."
Whether or not the players are focused on what the front office is doing, the Sox are trying to add a catcher to address the absence of Kyle Teel, a reliever they can add to their leverage mix, and a starting pitcher; ideally one with team control that becomes a part of their core. While the impact of the deadline is definitely overhyped by media because trades are cool and interesting, the impact is still tangible, and can be significant.
"It kind of gives a little energy and a boost for sure," said Andrew Benintendi. "Pieces at the deadline are big. I've been a part of teams where we've added guys at the deadline that have made a huge difference going forward. Like Steve Pearce, when I was in Boston, that was a World Series MVP. I think everybody knows what can happen."
A hamate injury cut it short after 33 games, but the last time Benintendi was a part of a team that added at the trade deadline, he was the addition for the Yankees in 2022.
"You want to produce and help the team, but you also don't want to step on toes and things like that," Benintendi said. "But I think whoever comes here, we should make it pretty easy to acclimate to this clubhouse."
Perhaps this is the area of discussion of the trade deadline where this young, inexperienced White Sox player group can speak with the most confidence.
"For anybody who comes into the clubhouse, it's not going to be difficult for them to one be themselves right away," said Mike Vasil. "It's, like, literally the least judgmental clubhouse and team I've ever been a part of. So whoever you are and your personality, whether you're more introvert, extrovert, whatever, it doesn't matter. You're gonna fit in."
To a very real extent, Sox players have already demonstrated this, throughout the season.
"[Murakami has] fit in perfectly, and he didn't miss a beat right when he got here," Meidroth said. "Having him has obviously been a huge spark for us this year."
"We're just in such a good spot with where our clubhouse is, where a guy like [Randal Grichuk] comes in, 13 years in the show, there's a precedent and blah, blah blah, but he just assimilated into the group so fast and he's having a good time," Martin said. "It's just where our culture is, where the clubhouse is in general, I feel like whoever comes in is going to be able to hit the ground running."
Hit the ground running, and also probably have some inscrutable clubhouse nickname that will take weeks for the public to decipher.
"That could happen first day, there's no timetable for that," Vasil said. "Grich came in, I think it literally was Day 1, he was like, 'Oh wow, like this team's truly a one of one, huh?' And I was like, 'Yeah, just wait.' I mean, obviously everyone loves Grich, but he was just himself right away. So, I think that's the thing: Whoever comes in here, feel free to be whoever the hell you are."
