The Chicago White Sox Are Baseball's Strangest Enigma

The Chicago White Sox are the least interesting team in baseball. On the field.

The White Sox are having a dreadful season, with their 20-54 record being the worst in the major leagues. They are on pace to finish 44-118, which would barely avoid matching the MLB record for losses in a season of 120 set by the New York Mets.

A player from a team who recently faced the White Sox said the team is “demoralized and disorganized. and said the state of the franchise is “a bad situation.”

A scout who watched the White Sox within the last month described the situation as “a general mishmash of players on that roster” and pointed out that the team has “no rhythm or reason."

White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf promoted farm director Chris Getz to oversee baseball operations last August when he fired president of baseball operations Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn.

Reinsdorf is an extremely loyal person and he stuck with Williams and Hahn far longer than most owners. He promoted Getz when the White Sox seemingly needed a refresh and someone from outside the organization.

Yet it is unfair to place all the blame on Getz. He inherited a mess that includes manager Pedro Grifol, who seems generally overmatched and almost will certainly be fired at the end of the season – or sooner.

However, Getz will get a chance to show if he is the man for the job over the next five weeks with the June 30th trade deadline getting closer. Executives from multiple clubs say that the White Sox are making everyone available for potential trades.

So that is why the White Sox are the most interesting team in baseball. Off the field.

The White Sox have four players coveted by many contending teams and have the type of talent that could net a strong prospect haul.

Almost every team is looking to add a quality starting pitcher, and the White Sox have two good ones in left-hander Garrett Crochet and right-hander Erick Fedde.

Crochet might be the most desirable player of anyone on the market. He is 24, having an outstanding season, and is not eligible for free agency until 2027. On the surface, it would seem Crochet would be a player the White Sox would keep, but Getz knows they won’t be contenders anytime soon and wants to maximize his return.

Fedde turned his career around by being a 20-game winner in South Korea last season after six so-so or worse seasons with the Washington Nationals. The White Sox signed him to a two-year, $15-million contract as a free agent, a price point low enough for the small-market teams to have interest.

Right-handed reliever Michael Kopech has never lived up to the great hype generated in the minor leagues. However, many believe the 28-year-old could greatly benefit from a change of scenery and develop into a dominant late-inning reliever with another team.

Then there is the multi-talented Luis Robert Jr, who had a breakout performance last year with 38 home runs and 90 RBIs. The 26-year-old is young and relatively affordable.

Robert is scheduled to make $15 million next season in the last guaranteed year of his six-year, $50-million contract. However, there are also club options in the deal for $20 million in both 2026 and 2027.

The White Sox have two of the top prospects in baseball in Triple-A Charlotte shortstop Colson Montgomery and Double-A Birmingham left-hander Noah Schultz. They also got coveted young right-hander Drew Thorpe in the spring training trade that sent ace Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres.

That’s a good start but the White Sox could build one of the best farm systems if Getz navigates the trade deadline adeptly. That’s why they are so interesting despite being almost unwatchable on the field.