General manager Chris Getz believes the Chicago White Sox are positioned to “make a meaningful step forward.”.
“You look at what we were able to accomplish in the second half (of 2025) with the additions that we have,” Getz said Thursday. “(Manager) Will (Venable) and the staff and the process they have in place, we talk about his pathway to victory on a nightly basis. The environment that he creates within that clubhouse allows the players to go out there and just do what they have to do that day to win ballgames.
“We’ve added to the group of talent currently there. The process is only getting stronger. We do feel like we are going to take another step forward.”
The Sox went 60-102 last season. They had a .330 winning percentage in the first half (32-65) and a .431 winning percentage (28-37) after the All-Star breaks as rookies such as shortstop Colson Montgomery, second baseman Chase Meidroth and catchers Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero made an impact.
Getz said those strides have carried over during the offseason.
“We felt like we’ve been able to take that momentum into the offseason,” he said. “It’s being able to bring in some free agents, executing on some transactions, getting the No. 1 pick (in the draft), just to kind of add to what we are doing. Will has done a tremendous job building a support staff that’s really going to serve our players.
“You look at some of the acquisitions from this offseason, whether it be (pitcher) Anthony Kay, (pitcher Sean) Newcomb, (infielder/outfielder Luisangel) Acuña, (first baseman Munetaka) Murakami of course, but some of those free-agent adds, they are guys that not only we feel like are going to bring present value but real upside there too.”
Getz and Venable looked back at the offseason and ahead to spring training — which begins with pitchers and catchers reporting to Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 10 — as SoxFest Live takes place this weekend at the Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport. Here are three takeaways from the sessions.
1. More activity could be on the way.
Getz entered the offseason hopeful the Sox would be active.
“You are at the mercy of so many different things, the free-agent market, which can affect the willingness to work out trades with clubs,” Getz said. “The best way to kind of summarize it is the players we acquired were targets but it was a pool of targets. It was more our process led to those players.
“And we feel really good because we’ve got players that have some real upside. It’s going to be interesting to see how Anthony Kay comes over from Japan. It’s going to be interesting to see how Murakami performs over here. We see the upside of it, with limited risk and downside. Where we are as an organization, we felt that was the best way to go about the offseason.”
White Sox general manager Chris Getz, right, smiles before posing for a photo with manager Will Venable and kids during a community event Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, at the Bartlett J. McCartin Boys & Girls Club in Bridgeport. (Josh Boland/Chicago Tribune)
Getz said more moves could be on the way.
“I believe that there are going to be more adds,” he said. “To what level, unsure. We are continuing to have conversations with agents to bring in some more free agents. On top of that, we are having conversations with other teams with potentially trades as well. After we did the Luis (Robert Jr.) move and I said that we were going to be active, we’ve remained active.
“But we’ve had a lot of fruitful conversations with other clubs as well.”
2. The Sox see strong defense and offensive potential in possible Robert replacements.
Robert had been the team’s starting center fielder since 2020. They’ll go in a new direction after trading him to the New York Mets for Acuña and minor-league pitcher Truman Pauley.
Acuña has major-league experience starting at second base, shortstop and third. He has played shortstop and center field in winter ball.
“The more talent you bring in, guys that are versatile, just helps everyone be at their best,” Venable said.
Getz broke down some of the options for center field, including Acuña.
“(Acuña is) a very versatile defender,” Getz said. “He’s been very strong at shortstop and second base. He’s got instincts that’s going to make him a strong defender anywhere on the field. We’ve got Derek Hill, who has historically been a very good defender.
“We have Everson Pereira, who is a high level of prospect who hasn’t gotten a whole lot of runway at the major-league level who is a strong defender in center field and the wings. Those three guys right there we feel like we can cover plenty of ground and have some offensive potential. Brooks Baldwin has played center field and he’s getting more and more comfortable in the outfield. We’ll continue to look at availability on the market and trades as well.”
3. Who are the nonroster invitees to watch?
The Sox have 22 nonroster invitees, including seven coming in after signing minor-league deals this offseason. Getz said outfielder Jarred Kelenic and left-handed pitcher Ryan Borucki were among the standouts.
“(Kelenic is) a higher-profile player (first-round pick in 2018) that played in Seattle and Atlanta,” Getz said. “Hasn’t quite been able to tap into his potential, but we’re really excited to be able to work with him to be able to see what we can get out of Jarred and if he can help us out.”
Getz noted Borucki’s effectiveness against lefties.
In addition to Kelenic and Borucki, the nonroster invitees from outside of the organization include pitcher Tyson Miller, infielders Oliver Dunn, Tim Elko and LaMonte Wade Jr. and outfielder Dustin Harris.
“We know spring training will come and as we get to know these guys more, I’m sure there’s going to be other players that perhaps make a push for the opening-day roster,” Getz said.