For the first time in forever, the release of next year's White Sox schedule is no longer a welcome distraction from the remainder of the current one.
Granted, you might be able to say the same thing even if the White Sox weren't about to start the second half of the season tied for first place in the AL Central, due to the specter of a lockout and the potential for lost or delayed games. But that's not the point right now. For once, the remaining 67 games of the 2026 season matter far more.
Nevertheless, with 1½ off days until the White Sox can resume their quest to steal a spot in the American League postseason, it doesn't hurt to look.
Assuming Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association ratify a new collective bargaining agreement in time, the 2027 season would once again have the earliest start date in league history, opening on March 25 in Detroit, so let's start there.
A cold open: The White Sox will be outdoors and in the Midwest for their first four series -- Detroit, Kansas City, and then six in Chicago against the Brewers and Orioles.
Getting the West Coast out of the way: The White Sox get to break up all of those cold-weather dates with their two road trips out west, with Sacramento and Seattle April 9-15, then the two Los Angeles teams April 23-28.
One three-team homestand: The White Sox host the Twins, Rangers and Royals from June 18-27.
One three-city road trip: The White Sox close out the season with a difficult September on paper, including a three-city jaunt through Atlanta, New York (Yankees) and Washington.
About that September: Those nine games are surrounded by series against Toronto and Minnesota on the front end, and Detroit and San Diego on the back end. At least those last six games will be at home, with an off day in between.
The most grueling part: The White Sox come out of the All-Star break with 17 consecutive games without an off day.
Crosstown series on weekends: The first three games of that stretch will take place at Wrigley Field July 16-18, and then the Cubs will head south to Rate Field Aug. 6-8.
Interleague road trips: The alternate-year format has the White Sox traveling to Dodger Stadium (April 26-28) Pittsburgh (May 21-23), Cincinnati (June 29-July 1), Denver (Aug. 13-15), Citi Field (Aug. 27-29), Atlanta (Sept. 10-12) and Washington (Sept. 17-19).
As for whether these dates will hold, it's worth going back to 2022 and looking at how the league rearranged the dates in order to get all 162 games in despite starting eight days later. Here was the initial schedule:
And here's how they reworked it once a new Opening Day was established.
Basically, they took one of the series they missed and tacked it to the end of the schedule, and then made doubleheaders out of the other one. That same move will be a little bit tricker since division rivals play each other fewer times now, but that's at least one option, should the upcoming round of negotiations play out like the last one.
