The Sporting News handed out its Manager of the Year awards, and Will Venable came away with the American League honor while Pat Murphy won in the National League.
It’s not the trophy that gets the headlines on Nov. 10, but it still carries some weight. SN’s awards are voted on by peers, and the winner of this version usually ends up in the BBWAA spotlight as well. That said, the AL manager who won last year’s SN award was out of a job by the end of this season, so there’s at least one recent reminder that nothing in this lane is guaranteed.
For the White Sox, Venable’s selection puts him in pretty exclusive company. He’s now the sixth Chicago manager to earn SN’s Manager of the Year recognition, joining Ozzie Guillen in 2005, Jerry Manuel in 2000, Jeff Torborg in 1990, Tony La Russa in 1983, and Chuck Tanner in 1972.
Chicago also picked up a notable nod on the player side. Chase Meidroth was named to The Sporting News American League All-Star Team at second base, a neat recognition even though he didn’t make the actual All-Star team in July.
By season’s end, he had finished as the most valuable second baseman in the AL by either WAR estimate. He’s the first White Sox player to land on a year-end All-Star team since José Abreu in 2020.
Meidroth’s season still has one more award lane to run through. He’s also a finalist for the Gold Glove at second base.
There was also a bit of injury news tucked into Scott Merkin’s work on the White Sox infield picture. Roch Cholowsky, the top pick overall in the ‘26 Draft, was shut down after 46 plate appearances for High-A Winston-Salem because of right wrist tendinitis. The update from the White Sox is encouraging: he’s progressing well and should be cleared to fully swing in early November.
“He’s in a great spot. He’s just a little frustrated with not being able to play toward the end understandably,” White Sox director of player development Paul Janish told MLB.com. “I’m really excited to see how next year goes for him.
“One of the differences between us potentially and the college level in general is how much work we do on a daily basis outside of the game. Getting his body used to being able to do that and also play every day.”
Elsewhere, Ken Rosenthal offered a line that feels worth keeping close as the lockout conversation builds. He wrote:
I’ll say it again: Payroll disparity is a legitimate concern. The labor agreement should be adjusted to put small-market teams on a more level economic playing field. But this bears repeating, too: The coming labor Armageddon is much more about the owners’ desire to raise their franchise values than it is about competitive balance.
That fits with the broader concern that a real stoppage in 2027 could do damage that goes well beyond one winter. There’s too much at stake to lose a meaningful chunk of games, especially with the next national broadcast deals and expansion momentum hanging around the edges. But if owners decide the only way to push franchise values higher is through tougher payroll control, that’s the line they may choose to draw.
Andy McCullough also pointed out that the period right before the collective bargaining agreement expires could get busy. There’s roughly a month between the end of the World Series and the expiration date, and that may create a rush, whether because of what amounts to a Dec. 1 deadline or because this is a thin free-agent class that could move quickly even without a lockout hanging over everything.
And on the team-leadership front, the decisions by Arte Moreno appear to have landed where they were headed. Kurt Suzuki is out in Anaheim after one season as manager, and John Mozeliak will remain in charge of the Angels’ front office only through December, after which Stan Kronke’s team will presumably have a new general manager or team president in place.
In Other News...
White Sox Young Core Just Created A Tougher Roster Debate
Miguel Vargas changed the conversation in Chicago almost immediately. After a season in which the third baseman took a real step forward on both sides of the ball and made the All-Star Game, the White Sox suddenly have more than one young player forcing their way into the long-term picture. Pitcher Taylor also boosted his case by lowering his ERA and emerging as a key bullpen option, while Chase Meidroth added enough offense and defense to make the infield picture look a little less settled than it did a year ago.
The harder part for the front office is that the progress has not come evenly. Colson Montgomery brought strong defense but struggled at the plate, and catcher Teel saw his stock slip as injuries kept eating into his playing time. With several young pieces moving in different directions, the White Sox are left trying to sort out which performances were real breakthroughs and which ones leave the roster debate more complicated than it first appeared. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Winter Pitching Hunt Comes Down To One Costly Decision
The White Soxs winter pitching search is already pointing toward the 2026 offseason, and the target list is the kind that tells you how serious the club may need to be about fixing its rotation. Freddy Peralta, Drew Rasmussen and Dustin May all fit the broad need for help up top, with Peralta bringing high-end swing-and-miss upside, Rasmussen offering a steady track record when healthy, and May looking like a pitcher whose recent improvements could make him useful in more than one role.
What makes the hunt trickier is that not all of those names will be equally reachable, and the looming threat of an offseason lockout could complicate the timing even further. The White Sox are trying to plan around uncertainty while weighing how aggressively to attack the market, and the real question may be whether they can secure a rotation upgrade before the bidding gets expensive or the calendar gets jammed up. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Could Be Facing Another Front Office Loss
Josh Barfield has become a familiar part of the White Sox front office since joining Chris Getz as his assistant general manager, but his name is now showing up in another big-league search. Houston is working through its list of general manager candidates, and Barfield is one of the executives being considered as the Astros look to fill the job before the World Series ends.
For Chicago, it is another reminder that front office continuity can be hard to hold onto even as the organization tries to build around Getz's leadership. Barfield has already been connected to other GM opportunities, and he previously passed on outside interest while choosing to stay focused on the White Sox, which makes this latest round of attention worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]