Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz was not kidding when he said the team was not going to use free agency much this offseason to improve a club coming off a record 121 defeats.
Quite frankly, he was right.
The White Sox were so far behind the times that the most important thing for Getz to do this offseason was to bring the front office up to modern standards. The club was so far behind other teams that they lacked basic technology and data other franchises have been using for years to stay competitive.
Today at Sox Machine, @JRFegan reported out even more ways the White Sox were unable to convey consistent, accurate, relevant information throughout the system. https://t.co/ZZB2tf98zu
— Jim Margalus (@SoxMachine) February 17, 2025
That is why you can consider this offseason a success since Getz was able to hire the highly sought-after Will Venable to be the team's manager. Also, adding forward-thinking baseball people such as Ryan Fuller to be the director of hitting and Walker McKinven to be the bench coach was a huge boon.
Also, with owner Jerry Reinsdorf still loathed to pay the going rate for great players in free agency, and even when he did spend, it was limited, Getz should focus on rebuilding this team through the draft and international free agency.
Plus, the White Sox could have gone on a major spending spree and the club would still likely be a 90-loss team. FanGraphs Dan Szymborski, who runs all the ZiPS projections, ran a simulation just for fun where the Sox would have the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Tarik Skubal. The projection still spitted out the Sox finishing dead last in the AL Central.
Just for fun, from the extremely preliminary current ZiPS projected standings for the AL Central. That is, the AL Central if the White Sox acquired Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Tarik Skubal for free. pic.twitter.com/5AxeqtZbrw
— Dan Szymborski (@DSzymborski) February 4, 2025
So, if this rebuild is going to work, it means making sure the franchise is capable of developing players. Something this club has lacked. Well, at least when it comes to hitting. The Sox can develop pitching. The owner just does not pay once a pitcher is developed. Hence why Dylan Cease and Garrett Crochet are pitching elsewhere.
The focus of the offseason was also to restock the farm system by trading Crochet. That got accomplished and then some.
Also, signing or claiming failed prospects to see if there is something left untapped is what Getz should be doing this offseason.
Spending just $14.5 million on free agents was not a bad thing, especially since most of the signings were practical.
Mike Tauchman and Austin Slater should provide a professional right-field platoon. Josh Rojas plays much better defense at second or third than what the team employed last season. That is saying something because Nicky Lopez was a Gold Glove finalist. However, Rojas has the potential to hit better than Lopez.
Martin Perez can eat innings in the rotation better than Chris Flexen. So, while the spending was minimal, it did upgrade certain positions.
Bryse Wilson can help the bullpen get outs or cover some innings as the fifth starter while Drew Thorpe recovers from a setback after having elbow surgery to shave down a bone spur.
However, the White Sox may have been too frugal in their offseason spending.
For example, the White Sox must replace 209 strikeouts in their rotation now that Crochet is gone. Perez and Wilson are not exactly going to bridge that gap.
Maybe if the Sox had opened up the wallet just a bit more for say, Jose Quintana and Jakob Junis, the likelihood of filling that strikeout gap would be better.
It would have been great for the Sox to make a major free-agent splash and sign shortstop Willy Adames. Since major spending would not help the team's win outcome, signing Kevin Newman might have still been a good signing to have some veteran cover at shortstop just in case top-five prospect Colson Montgomery needs more time in the minors.
Instead, the Sox have Jacob Amaya and Tristan Gray in camp pushing Montgomery for the job who is coming off a season where he hit .214 in Triple-A.
Tauchman and Slater are solid signings, but maybe Austin Hays would have provided what the Sox are getting from these two in one player provided he has bounced back from an illness that ruined his season.
It comes down to the Sox could have been just a tad bit better in the margins had more money been spent. At least to where it would erase all doubt that this team would flirt with losing 120 games again.
While the belief is the White Sox will win more games in 2025, it is only because variance dictates it, not upgraded talent.