CHICAGO -- The White Sox have done more than win back a fan base this season. They’ve given it something to carry into the winter.
That much was obvious in the little moments around Chicago. A man with a suitcase stopped Scott Merkin on the street near the Water Tower and said, “Go White Sox,” then offered a fist bump.
A week earlier, another person called out from a Toyota at a light and shouted about the team. It wasn’t about one writer being recognized.
It was about how far the White Sox have come in the eyes of their own city.
That shift matters because the White Sox had spent years giving fans plenty of reasons to pull back. General manager Chris Getz’s rebuild moved through three straight 100-loss seasons, including the 121-loss 2024 campaign.
But the 2026 club flipped the mood. The energy around the team was loud at Rate Field, loud on the road and loud enough to spill into everyday life around town.
The support showed up in the obvious places, too. White Sox hats and shirts have been everywhere.
Some stores that might not have featured that gear so prominently before now do. Fans have even been pushing for players to get postseason recognition, and some have already started wondering about SoxFest and when it might happen.
Even after the season ended, the enthusiasm held. The White Sox dropped three straight American League Division Series games to the Guardians, and Game 5 in Cleveland ended with a nine-inning record of 21 strikeouts. Still, the mood around the team never really collapsed.
“These fans all year, they've shown up, they have,” said Getz during his 45-minute season wrap Zoom. “And they were loud and they were out there supporting this club.
It was a very easy club to support, and that probably amplified them even further. It can be very intimidating for opposing teams.
“Now, for our own team, we perhaps went out there with a little too much adrenaline at times. But once again, what a great experience to feel that and go through that for future years. More than anything, I couldn't thank our fans enough for the way that they've shown up all year, but certainly the way that they did in the playoff games as well.”
Now comes the harder part: turning that surge into something lasting. Getz and AL Manager of the Year candidate Will Venable, along with their staffs, have to build on the momentum rather than treat 2026 like a one-year burst.
There’s work already underway before the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas on Monday. The White Sox aren’t trying to make one big splash and then fade back again. The point of the process was always bigger than that.
Starting pitching remains a priority, as it always does. An outfield bat could also be in play. The club has already built a close-knit group that shows up every day and plays for the name on the front of the jersey as much as the one on the back.
Jerry Reinsdorf said the organization’s groundwork is what made this possible. Speaking after the team’s two-game Wild Card Series sweep in Houston, the White Sox chairman said, “The first thing I realized with Chris was the organization he was putting in place,” said White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, speaking after the team’s two-game Wild Card Series sweep in Houston.
“When you build a building, the foundation comes first. He went about putting in place a terrific foundation -- the scouting and Minor League development.
“It was a process. I didn’t think it would come to fruition this fast.
I really thought 2027 was the year that we would contend. But nobody told the players they couldn’t do it.”
That’s the story now for the White Sox: a team that has the fans talking in the streets, the front office working ahead of the meetings and a foundation that has already produced more than expected.
In Other News...
White Sox Catching Prospect Reaches A Crucial Year For His Development
Jackson Appel entered the White Sox system with a reputation for polish behind the plate, and that has helped make him one of the more interesting catching prospects in the organization. A sixth-round pick in 2024, he brought a strong defensive profile from a college path that included stops at Penn and Texas A&M, where he picked up multiple accolades and showed the kind of receiving and game-management skills teams value in a catcher.
The next step, though, is less about proving the glove and more about simply staying on the field long enough to build momentum. Appel was limited last season and now faces a pivotal 2027, when a healthy stretch could go a long way toward determining how quickly he can keep climbing in a system that will be watching closely for signs of progress. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Offseason Plan Leaves One Huge Question Unanswered
The White Sox have spent the offseason trying to keep the parts of last years roster that worked while patching obvious holes through arbitration decisions and a series of roster moves. The front office has also added help in free agency, bringing in Seiya Suzuki and Adrian Morejon as part of an effort to raise the overall talent level without abandoning the young core it wants to keep developing.
Even with those additions, the biggest issue still hanging over the club is the starting rotation. Chicago plans to take a close look at its young pitchers before deciding whether more outside help is needed, which leaves the staff picture very much in flux as the winter continues. For a team trying to turn a promising foundation into something more reliable, that unanswered question may end up shaping the rest of the offseason. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Take Low-Risk Flier On Pitcher With Something To Prove
The White Sox added another arm to the mix by signing right-hander Alec Marsh to a minor-league contract with an invitation to major-league spring training. It is the kind of low-risk move teams make this time of year, especially when they are looking to stockpile options and see whether a pitcher can turn a quiet winter into a useful spring.
Marsh last pitched in the majors with the Royals in 2024, and Chicago is giving him a chance to work his way back into the picture after a difficult stretch. His place in the organization is still very much tied to how he looks once camp opens, with his health and performance helping determine what kind of role he can claim down the line. [Read more 🡒]