1) The next three draft classes and international free-agent signings infuse talent into the farm system to keep it highly regarded.
The White Sox have shot up the farm system rankings. They have six prospects in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 rankings. They also have the best left-handed pitching prospect in Noah Schultz.
However, three of those top 100 prospects came via trades with two of them recently coming over in the Garrett Crochet trade.
You want to see the Sox sustain this prospect momentum with a couple more strong drafts. Remember, at some point, those six will graduate from prospect status and if there is another strong group behind them, the Sox farm system rankings will plummet much as they did in 2021.
The lottery rules have prevented the White Sox from getting the No. 1 overall pick despite finishing with a record-setting 121 losses.
That still does not mean the team can get a franchise player with the No. 10 pick. The franchise must continue to string together three more strong draft classes after putting together a solid one in 2024.
First-round pick Hagen Smith projects to be a potential ace with his floor being a dominant closer. High school prospect Caleb Bonemer has a ton of upside. The Sox also found some solid college bats who can provide supporting roles in the big leagues.
However, more has to be done because one reason last decade's rebuild failed was the team never drafted enough prospects to backup the core of players acquired in the Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, and Adam Eaton trades.
Let's face it, the team's prospect pool was built up by getting Yoan Moncada, Dylan Cease, Eloy Jimenez, Michael Kopech, and Lucas Giolito. A slam-dunk international free-agent signing in Luis Robert Jr. rounded out the core.
There was nothing from the drafts that followed. When those guys either got hurt or underperformed, there was nothing to fill the void.
That is why these next three drafts must not only produce core pieces, but also depth in the farm system to use to make trades to put the team over the top.
Also, international free agency is a great way to find core players too. Getz spoke about overhauling that department. Now, the hope is that talent acquisition area can find better players than Lenyn Sosa.
Sosa is the last real hit the prior group had and that is not saying much.