With the Winter meetings clearly in the rear-view mirror, the baseball offseason again delves into the dark areas of trade rumors, minor league transactions and coaching changes. Baseball fans find themselves holed up once again counting down the days until Spring Training.
For the White Sox, the wait is compounded by a season that collapsed early and only briefly resembled functional baseball. The standings don't show when the year slipped away, or when it momentarily steadied. That contrast is what makes it worth it to revisit the raw data now.
April vs July: A tale of two teams
It's very difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you look at the White Sox overall stats. A 60-102 record can do a pretty efficient job of blotting out the sun. But when you read between the lines, you can see that the development this team desperately needs is there, even if it's not visible in the results.
The Sox started the season on a high note going 2-2 in March before an abysmal start to April saw an eight game losing streak. Beginning the season with an eight game climb just to get back to .500 is a tall order, especially for a young team in development with a first-time manager. Overall in April, the Sox posted a 5-21 record. Scoring 82 runs while allowing 128 (a -46 differential) is a deep hole, one that would be difficult for even the league's top teams to overcome. Take the Atlanta Braves for example, who began the season 0-7 and never truly recovered. They played nearly .500 ball the rest of the way, but could never overcome the early deficit.
The MLB season is a contest in longevity, not sprints. 162 games is a very long season. And although April brought some serious early season lows, July brought some much needed positives. Despite still earning a losing record, July saw a 12-13 record, just one game shy of .500. But that's not the full story. The White Sox outscored their opponents 129-113 in the month of July, outscoring their April total by nearly 50 runs and posting a positive run differential. Amid plenty of trade deadline headlines, July was the only month in 2025 that the White Sox achieved this feat.
Context, Not a Turnaround
For a team in development, it's best not to ignore the positives, even in they're far between. The Bullpen is a piece in development, and the roster is evolving. The next step for this team is to take their foundational ways and develop a strong core. From there, the wins will not only feel more natural, they'll be more natural. July does not erase April, but it offers a clearer reference point for what this roster can look like when it functions. Chris Getz and the White Sox staff are hopeful that the White Sox are more like the second-half team that went 28-37, and will look to carry the momentum into 2026.