The Chicago White Sox rebuild in 2024 isn’t exactly going well. After losing 101 games last year, the White Sox have been even worse this year. They’ve easily been the worst team in baseball in 2024 and are on pace to be one of the worst MLB teams ever.
Clearly, there is a lot of rebuilding left to do, but what can the White Sox do in the immediate future to start turning things around?
Steps for Successful White Sox Rebuild
Needless to say, there is a lot of work to do. It could be multiple years until the White Sox are ready to compete in the AL Central. But since the early part of the 2024 season has clearly been rock bottom for the franchise, there is nowhere to go but up.
Let’s take a look at some of the steps the White Sox need to take to move forward with their rebuilding project.
Keep Trading Veterans
The most obvious part of the White Sox rebuild in 2024 is to continue to trade veteran players who can help Chicago restock its farm system. The White Sox started doing that in mid-March when they traded Dylan Cease. Chicago’s fire sale is likely to continue this summer with Michael Kopech and Mike Clevinger being the most likely candidates.
Meanwhile, other possible White Sox trades aren’t so obvious. For example, a Luis Robert trade could be on the table. While he’s under team control through the 2027 season, Robert could be more valuable as a trade chip if he brings back multiple high-level prospects. Eloy Jimenez could also be a viable trade chip if he can turn his season around.
Obviously, trading players like Robert and Jimenez would hurt the White Sox even more in the short term, but trading those players might be the best move in the long run.
Identify New Core
A big part of Chicago’s problems is the franchise not getting its money’s worth from players like Jimenez and Andrew Benintendi, two of the team’s highest-paid players. Meanwhile, Yoan Moncada, the team’s highest-paid player in 2024, is on the 60-day IL. To rebuild successfully, the White Sox need to avoid similar issues in the future.
That means doing a better job of identifying the young players and top prospects who are going to make up the core of the team in the years to come. Given Chicago’s record this season, not many current big leaguers are proving to be part of the solution. However, the White Sox still need to keep close tabs on their farm system to find players who will be a part of their future.
Draft Wisely
Other than trading for quality prospects, drafting is the best way to rebuild a franchise. Most of the team’s first-round picks over the past decade either didn’t work out or are no longer with the organization.
In fairness, starting pitcher Garrett Crochet and slugger Andrew Vaughn could still be part of Chicago’s future. There are also high hopes for Colson Montgomery, a shortstop taken in the first round in 2021. But the White Sox need to make smart draft picks, focusing particularly on pitchers and outfielders, which are two areas where Chicago’s farm system needs help.
Build Mental Toughness
While the White Sox are trying to rebuild, it’s critical to build mental toughness throughout the organization. Chicago’s struggles early in 2024 can be at least partially attributed to mental errors and a lack of competitive fire.
Those are things that the White Sox need to change from the bottom up. Young players joining the organization need to practice strong fundamentals while working their way through Chicago’s farm system. It doesn’t matter how much talent the White Sox can accumulate while rebuilding, if they are producing error-prone players who aren’t mentally tough, they’ll never emerge from this rebuilding process as a championship contender.
