How White Sox can maintain shocking status as a playoff team in second half

CHICAGO – If your preseason predictions had the White Sox tied for the American League Central lead at the 2026 All-Star break, please step forward.

Is nobody moving? Just as I expected.

It looks as if only the White Sox front office, manager Will Venable, his coaches and, most importantly, the White Sox players truly can move out of line. Coming off three straight 100-plus-loss seasons, in the midst of a rebuild, it’s not surprising or unexpected that more people didn’t back the South Siders in February or March.

But the unexpected has smoothly morphed into lofty expectations. The White Sox are a playoff team, standing as the only group not to have a losing streak greater than three games and holding the AL’s No. 2 seed if the playoffs were to start Friday. So, how does Chris Getz enhance this talented young crew?

The White Sox general manager was asked for his thoughts going into the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline upon meeting with the media after Day 1 of the MLB Draft. Getz was enjoying one of the better weekends for the organization since this latest rebuild began, maybe since they last made the playoffs in 2021, but still took a brief look forward.

“We've never really wanted to get ahead of ourselves,” Getz said. “We feel really good about where we're at, and candidly, it's one series at a time. We'll prepare for all different scenarios and we're going to look for opportunities to help [with] this now and for the future, whether that be now or further along.”

• Record at the break: 50-45 (tied for first in the AL Central, with the Guardians, who are at 51-46)
• Record at the break last year: 32-65 (Fifth in AL Central, 27 games out of first)
• Playoff odds: 40.8%, 23.8% to win the division
• Remaining Strength of Schedule: .493 (10th easiest in MLB)

On the Friday before the Draft, the White Sox added the Competitive Balance Round A selection (No. 34 overall) in the Draft and acquired left-handed pitcher Jaden Woods from Pittsburgh in exchange for left-handed pitcher Brandon Eisert and infielder Jacob Gonzalez. They used that pick to select infielder Landon Thome, the son of Hall of Famer Jim Thome. Jim is also a special assistant to Getz, with the younger Thome considered one of the better high school bats in the Draft.

Gonzalez filled in admirably at first base during Munetaka Murakami’s 35-game absence caused by a Grade 2 right hamstring strain and apparently stood at the demarcation line of young players Getz was willing to deal. But Getz showed that multi-view trade outlook in explaining the overall move, reinforcing how trusting the process and the people within the process has become a staple of what Getz and his staff have built.

“Naturally, you're going to think, ‘OK, how does this factor in the future here,’ whether it be at a future deadline or in the offseason?” Getz said. “But there's another angle to look at it, is that it gives you more prospect capital in the Minor Leagues to make future moves as well.

“That's part of the calculus, it is. We made the decision to insert more talent in the Draft to set up for future decisions.”

Miguel Vargas, Murakami and Tristan Peters will represent the White Sox at Tuesday’s All-Star Game presented by Mastercard in Philadelphia, with Caleb Bonemer, the No. 1 White Sox prospect and No. 16 overall, per MLB Pipeline, finishing 0-for-2 in the Futures Game. The rest of the team received a well-earned respite from an entertaining pre-All-Star Game showing.

They embark on the next step of this journey with a six-game road trip to Toronto and Texas, re-starting action Friday, followed by a seven-game homestand against the Astros and Yankees. It was a 6-1 record after the All-Star break getting the White Sox going in ’25, outscoring the opposition 61-28, with the first six on the road. They have a 78-82 record overall since that point.

“You look [at] last year, how we came out of the break, I feel like that’s kind of how we are going to come out [this week],” said shortstop Colson Montgomery, who leads the team with 23 home runs. “You don’t want to get hot too early or anything like that.

“We’ve been doing everything right. I feel like we’ve been playing how we should be playing at this point. There are times when we are all going to be gassed. We are in a good spot, and I think we are going to come out of the break hot.”

Biggest need: Pitching
Help is available in their system with right-hander Tanner McDougal out of the bullpen, right-hander Shane Smith as a rotation option after starting on Opening Day and left-hander Hagen Smith in a role somewhere in between. But with some of the younger big-league hurlers approaching new inning-highs, bringing quality depth will be more important than one major arm. Everyone wants pitching, from contenders to pretenders, so the acquisition ask could be steep for Getz. 

Biggest chip: Prospects, with a catch
Getz has meticulously rebuilt this organization, from the players to the infrastructure, and certainly won’t tear things apart to jump at a one-year possibility. Don’t look for Bonemer or right fielder Braden Montgomery to be on the move, for example. But to get something of value, Getz will have to give up something of future value.

Key player for second half: Murakami
Simply put, the slugging first baseman from Japan has changed the franchise in so many positive ways. That point has been made countless times, but it still rings true. The White Sox posted a 17-18 record in his absence, and he went 1-for-11 with seven strikeouts during his return this past weekend. The White Sox also comfortably won all three games over the Athletics, as his mere presence helps the lineup and gives a greater overall feeling for victory.

Determining Factor: The AL
Let’s be honest: The AL is not presently overwhelming beyond the Rays. So, the White Sox should stay in playoff contention, at the very least for an AL Wild Card, barring a complete collapse. People waited for that tailspin to arrive, and it just hasn’t been there. The White Sox have absolutely earned the right to be called a contender and earned the ensuing moves for an upgrade to follow.