While their overall expectations might be much different, both the Cubs and White Sox are looking to make noticeable improvements in 2026 as they ramp up spring training in Arizona.
The Cubs have come into spring training with much loftier goals than just making the playoffs for the second year in a row. Their most popular player also wants to justify all of the attention that comes his way.
Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong comes to spring training focused on finding consistency in his third full major league season.
“It’s definitely the swing decisions. I know what I do well. I know what I don’t do well. I know that I chase. I know that I can get away with hitting bad balls and doing damage on bad balls. But the consistency there is … there is no consistency there really. It’s very sporadic,” he said.
After an All-Star first half last year, with 25 home runs and 71 RBI, he hit just 6 homers with only 24 RBI after the break, and saw his on-base percentage dip drastically as well.
“I like how Nico [Hoerner] put it. I’ve said it a lot this offseason. He’s like, ‘You look back at the year, and you’re disappointed about hitting 30 homers and stealing 30 bags and hitting 37 doubles.’ I am, but if I hit six homers in the first half versus the second half, and I hit 25 homers in the second half, I’m probably pretty fricking happy. I don’t know how it’s going to happen, I don’t know how it’s going to work out, but it’s about the work I put in now, and that’s fun to do.”
Crow-Armstrong wasn’t just working on his swing and his setup this offseason, he was also building a friendship with one of Chicago’s other favorite young sports stars, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. The two have been spotted attending Bulls and Blackhawks games together.
“He’s my guy. It’s a nice relationship that we’re starting to build,” Crow-Armstrong said. “We both plan on and hope we’ll be in Chicago for a long time.”
He’s not the only Cubs player looking to rebound from a poor second half to 2025. Pitcher Shota Imanaga said, after getting “punched in the mouth” last season, he worked on a number of things this offseason in hopes of bouncing back, but was short on specifics.
Imanaga was an impressive 15-3 in 29 starts with a 2.91 ERA in his debut season with the Cubs in 2024, but went 9-8 in 25 starts with a 3.73 ERA last year, struggling mightily in the second half of the season with a 6.90 ERA in his last 13 starts.
Meantime, there’s excitement for the White Sox at Camelback Ranch, after some notable offseason additions that have them feeling like they’re closer to competing after three straight 100-loss seasons.
“I really think this clubhouse is really focused on winning. We know we can. We’ve got a lot of talent in this clubhouse, a lot of young guys. We’ve got some older guys mixed in as well that are very good, and we went out and acquired some guys this offseason, and I know we’re all super-excited to watch them play,” pitcher Jonathan Cannon said.
Cannon said his biggest focus this offseason was just a mental reset, after he struggled in his 2nd season as a starter, as he hopes to be a key part of their rotation this year.
He was 4-10 in 22 games – including 17 starts – with a 5.82 ERA in his second season with the White Sox, after going 5-10 with a 4.49 ERA in 23 games in his rookie season.
Competition for a spot in the rotation will include free agent Anthony Kay, who comes over after two years in Japan.
“I think all that competition is good. I think it brings out all the best in all of us. Obviously, we’re all friends. We all enjoy the competition. We all try and one-up each other on the mound. And so I think that kind of stuff just breeds a lot of success,” Cannon said.
Kay has pitched mostly in relief in his five seasons in the majors, with a 5.59 ERA over 85.1 innings pitched. In Japan, he was 17-15 with a 2.49 ERA in 303.1 innings pitched over two seasons in 2024 and 2025.
“You can’t be too comfortable out there. You know, you’ve got guys breathing down your neck, and I think it’ll only help these guys out to be able to compete every day, and work with them. It’s just a little fun competition for everyone,” Kay said.
Fellow pitcher Mike Vasil said it was “very, very exciting” to see the moves the team made to improve in the offseason.
In December, they signed slugging third baseman Munetaka Murakami – who owns the single-season HR record for a Japanese-born player in the NPB – to a 2-year, $34 million contract.
They’ve also added reliever Seranthony Dominguez to a 2-year, $20 million deal and signed lefty reliever Sean Newcomb to a 1-year, $4.5 million deal. Newcomb was 2-5 with 91 strikeouts in 92.1 innings over 48 games, including 11 starts, with a 2.73 ERA last year with the Red Sox and A’s. Dominguez was 4-4 with a 3.16 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 62.2 innings of relief last year for the Orioles and AL champion Blue Jays.
“There are certain guys now that have gone to that highest point, and adding those guys in this clubhouse is a big, big deal,” Vasil said.