White Sox fans can have a pretty simple rooting interest in this World Series: Andrew Vaughn.
The Sox aren’t about to circle back on Vaughn in free agency this offseason. At first base, they’re set with Munetaka Murakami. But Vaughn is in position to play in Milwaukee’s first World Series in 44 years, and that’s a twist nobody in Chicago had on the radar when he was dealt last season to the Brewers.
That trade has worked out for Vaughn in a big way. Since landing in Milwaukee, he’s hit .306/.384/.466. The power and run production haven’t fully matched what he showed in Chicago, but he’s giving the Brewers exactly what a lot of fans value most: getting on base.
That was the part that never really clicked with the Sox. Vaughn could leave the yard, sure, but there wasn’t enough of the rest of the package. He struck out at least 100 times in three of his four full seasons and carried a .248/.303/.407 line when Chicago moved him.
His final stretch with the Sox was even rougher. In 2025, he hit .189/.218/.314 and finished with the team’s worst bWAR at -1.8, even though the season ended with him in Milwaukee. For the Brewers, he posted a 1.3 bWAR that year, which ranked eighth on the club.
That’s why the story lands where it does: Vaughn wasn’t going to solve things in Chicago. He needed a reset, and the Sox needed the kind of organizational overhaul they were in the middle of when the deal went down. It also matters that most of his time with the team came before Chris Getz was named general manager.
So this isn’t really a case of the White Sox letting a star slip away. Vaughn was struggling when they traded him, even if the Brewers have helped unlock the version of him that was there all along. Chicago just couldn’t get it out of him.
That leaves room for a little perspective - and maybe even a little pride - if he ends the season with a ring. Vaughn has earned some good fortune after everything he’s gone through since reaching the majors, and both he and the Sox are in better spots now.
If he ends up spraying champagne one more time this year, it would be bittersweet. But it would also be deserved.
In Other News...
White Sox Once Brought Chicago To A Standstill After A Title
When the White Sox rolled back into Chicago on Oct. 17, 1917, the city was ready to celebrate. Fresh off their World Series title in New York, the club arrived by train to a raucous scene at LaSalle Street station, where bands, cheers and a surging crowd turned an ordinary homecoming into a civic event. Manager Clarence Rowland and his players were welcomed as champions, with thousands of supporters packing the station area to catch a glimpse of the team.
The scene was lively enough to cause real disruption around downtown, a reminder of how fully Chicago had embraced that championship run. For a franchise that was still building its place in the citys sports fabric, the reception spoke to the pull of a title and the size of the moment. Even now, more than a century later, it stands as one of those old-school baseball celebrations that feels bigger than the game itself. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Breakout Bats Are Suddenly In The Silver Slugger Spotlight
The White Sox suddenly have a few bats worth tracking in award season, which is a notable shift for a team that has spent too much recent time searching for reliable offense. Chase Meidroth, Miguel Vargas and Tristan Peters have all entered the conversation for 2026 Silver Slugger honors, giving Chicago an unexpected foothold in a race that tends to favor clubs with louder lineups and more established stars.
Meidroth looks like the best bet at second base thanks to a blend of offense and defense that has him positioned well among the candidates, while Vargas has put himself in the mix at third after a strong run of his own. Peters faces a tougher road in the outfield, where the competition is deeper, and the next checkpoint comes when finalists are announced on Nov. 2, a date that should give the White Sox a better sense of just how far this breakout wave can travel. [Read more 🡒]