When the White Sox improved by 19 games from 2024 to 2025, most fans were excited by the jump. They still lost 100 games, so there was still a long way to go, but it felt like the White Sox were finally heading in the right direction. Heading into 2026, the universal expectation was another step forward, though the idea of another 19-game jump seemed a bit optimistic. Instead, 19-games was selling this team short. The White Sox improved by 24 games, jumping from 60 to 84 wins and reaching the Postseason for the first time in five years. They look like one of the most exciting young teams in baseball for the next few years.
YOUR 2026 CHICAGO WHITE SOX ARE HEADING TO THE POSTSEASON! pic.twitter.com/2ndXpkoqwU
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 24, 2026
This week, ESPN published its way-too-early power rankings for the 2027 season, and their ranking of the White Sox shows they aren’t as high on the team’s future as most. The White Sox ranked 13th in the rankings, behind teams like Detroit, Pittsburgh, Miami, and Seattle, who failed to make the Postseason in 2026. The Cubs and Padres are the only teams that made the playoffs this year to rank behind the White Sox, likely because of the caliber of free agents they’re set to lose.
In his write-up, David Schoenfeld of ESPN says:
“Years ago, Bill James coined the ‘Plexiglas Principle’: Teams that improve dramatically in one season tend to decline the next season (and teams that suffer a big decline tend to bounce back). While the White Sox have an exciting young core, after a 24-win improvement from 2025 to 2026, they might fall prey to this theory. They’re thin on the pitching side of things, and the offense wasn’t as good in the second half, as the strikeouts started piling up”
The White Sox have the means and opportinity to improve in 2027
While I don’t disagree with the sentiment that the White Sox are thin on the pitching side, there’s an entire offseason for that to change. All indications are the team will be relatively aggressive in adding to their starting rotation this offseason. Chris Getz has already identified it as a need, and MLB.com’s Scott Merkin indicated that “money will be spent” in that area.
As far as the lineup goes, the strikeouts became a problem down the stretch. But this is a team full of young players who are still learning how to hit at the big league level. The White Sox emphasized bat speed a lot last year, which will naturally lead to a spike in strikeouts, and it’s something that can be fixed as players settle in and mature. I also expect a couple of additions to bolster the lineup and bullpen with the impending departures of Sean Newcomb and Randal Grichuk.
The reality is, the White Sox know about their needs and should have some flexibility to address them. They’re going to do everything they can to keep the contention window as wide open as it got in 2026. Is that a guarantee they’ll make the playoffs again? Certainly not. But predicting them to take a step back before you’ve even seen how the offseason goes is a bit disrespectful.
I’m not saying the White Sox are going to go all-in this offseason and recklessly spend money, and they’re going to have to continue to take a step forward to be a legitimate World Series contender again, but I think they should get the benefit of the doubt.
Hopefully, in one year’s time, we can look back at this publication and see the White Sox listed as the third-best team in the AL Central and laugh after a deep Postseason run. There’s work to be done to make it happen, but maybe this can be bulletin board material for 2027.
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