MILWAUKEE — Chris Getz inherited an organizational dumpster fire when he was named the White Sox’ general manager late in the 2023 season.
He oversaw the worst season in modern MLB history while tearing it down to the studs in 2024, and a promising wave of new talent wasn’t enough to avoid a third consecutive triple-digit-loss finish in 2025.
So after an astounding 223 losses — 243, if you don’t want to give him a pass on those last few miserable weeks of ’23 — plus bursts and starts of incremental progress that have frustrated a beleaguered fan base, the clock on Getz’s front-office tenure starts in earnest Thursday in Milwaukee.
“What we’re doing is headed in the right direction,” Getz said Wednesday during the Sox’ final workout before the season begins. “As the season progresses, much like the second half last year, there’s going to be stretches where, wow, we’re really starting to be competitive on a regular basis and win series against clubs that are at the top of the division or top of the league.
“We just want to stay the course. Obviously, we’ll adjust as things happen. We’re going to have younger players from our minor league system that are welcomed to the big leagues to help this group. I want [fans] to enjoy the ride because we feel like there’s a lot of good things happening on this roster, and that it’s going to start showing up in the win column.”
While the ride has rarely been fun for fans for over the past five years, there are plenty of reasons to buy into the theme of “momentum” that the Sox’ marketing department is selling this season.
Look no further than Opening Day starter Shane Smith, the Sox’ lone All-Star last year who will be carrying an even bigger chip on his shoulder than usual against the Brewers, who let him slip away to Getz in last season’s Rule 5 draft.
Then there’s the shortstop, Colson Montgomery, whose career almost looked to be in jeopardy after a brutal start last year at Triple-A Charlotte, only to storm to the majors with flashes of superstardom in the second half.
Montgomery comprises half of a Chicago baseball bromance-in-the-making with second baseman Chase Meidroth, who plays the style of grinder-ball that’s praised on the concourse walls of Rate Field but that has been sorely lacking on the diamond itself this decade.
Getz even showed flashes of building rather than rebuilding over the offseason, bringing in Japanese slugging wunderkind Munetaka Murakami and making a two-year, $34 million bet that his overseas power will translate against big-league pitching. The GM also bolstered last year’s heartbreaking bullpen with a legitimate back-end option in World Series-tested right-hander Seranthony Domínguez.
Perhaps most importantly, Getz has a respected partner in the clubhouse, a far cry from the cantankerous ex-manager Pedro Grifol, the misguided hire whom Getz was stuck with when he walked in the door. Manager Will Venable is as beloved by his players as he is adept at shifting focus on win totals to the process of creating a winning atmosphere.
“We want to take a set forward for sure,” Venable said on the eve of his second Opening Day as skipper. “When we really pin down the step forward we want to take, it’s executing those plays, and knowing that if we’re able to do that on a … more consistent basis, then we’re gonna get the results that we want.”
After dealing Luis Robert Jr. for the unproven Luisangel Acuña, the only thing Getz doesn’t have are any more big trade chips — or any more excuses. He’s had over two years to address an outfield that remains full of question marks and a rotation with even more.
No one’s expecting a playoff run. No one’s ruling out a wild-card flirtation, even if it’s just a week or two of meaningful games after the All-Star break.
But looking at this Opening Day roster, no one can rule out the possibility of a fourth straight year of 100-loss futility, either.
It’ll be Getz’s mess to own, or his claim to executive fame. Either way, it’s all on him now.
The Sox designated Lee for assignment as freshly re-signed catcher Reese McGuire made the 26-man active roster.
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“We’ve become accustomed to winning and being a postseason team, being a team that’s competing for the division,” Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich said. “That’s definitely not changing this year.”
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The Sox enter this season with expectations for the first time in three years.
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The Hall of Famer is seeking more than $50,000 over the team’s use of his name to sell the popular red-and-black City Connect jerseys.
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