A Look At The White Sox Timeline To Contention

Despite the White Sox having the worst record in the major leagues, they have given fans some hope with flashes of what the future could look like. But, at this point, it is very unclear as to when the competitive window for the White Sox will open.

Chris Getz has made a few trades in his short tenure, so that could give fans an idea as to what he believes the timeline for the White Sox could really be.

In the first trade, he traded Aaron Bummer to the Braves for five players. Three of the players are currently on the MLB roster, Jared Shuster, Nicky Lopez, and Mike Soroka. Braden Shewmake was on the roster for a bit, but has since been demoted. So, four of the five players have been in the major leagues at some point. The last player, Riley Gowens, is a 24 year old pitcher in High-A, who is pitching well and is due for a promotion to AA. Since he is 24, he could be in the major leagues within a year if things go right.

While none of those players are going to be consistent stars on the White Sox, a few of them have a chance to be solid players for the White Sox, especially Jared Shuster. The fact that most of them have been in the MLB for some time can give a glimpse into the timeline for the White Sox.

In the Dylan Cease trade, Getz acquired Drew Thorpe, who has already made his major league debut. He also acquired Jairo Iriarte, who could make his way to Chicago at the end of this year or early next year. The 3rd player he acquired was Samuel Zavala, who is only 19, so is a few years away from the major leagues.

In his last major offseason trade, he traded Gregory Santos to the Seattle Mariners, in exchange for Prelander Berroa, Zach DeLoach, and a pick in this year’s draft. Both DeLoach and Berrora have played in the majors this year, albeit for very limited time, but they are just about ready for major league action.

In these trades, Getz acquired 10 players. Seven of them have played in the majors at some point this year, one is a 24 year old minor league pitcher who could work his way quickly through the minors, another is likely to make his debut within a year, and the last is a high upside 19 year old who is a few years away.

This gives the sense that the White Sox are a bit closer to contention than we would think. There is a reason that Getz has acquired close to major league ready talent, as he doesn’t like the team as constructed, but he also could signal that the team might be a bit closer than many think.

As the state of the team is in shambles, that take might not make a lot of sense. But, when you look at some of the top White Sox prospects, it begins to make a bit more sense.

Colson Montgomery could make his way to Chicago this year, Edgar Quero is likely to make his debut at some point next year, along with other top prospect Jacob Gonzalez. Bryan Ramos will also likely get more playing time at the end of the year and will likely take up third base next season. That is a completely new infield that has an insane amount of upside.

This doesn’t count the insane amount of starting pitching and pitching that is close to debuting in Chicago, as Ky Bush, Jake Eder, Mason Adams, and a few others could be up after the deadline or at the beginning of next year.

This would be a complete overhaul of the roster and these players would join franchise cornerstones (if not traded), Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert. While some of these players might bust or might not be good right away, it still gives hope that help is on the way. It could still be two years down the line depending on a lot of factors, but it is clearly closer than a lot of people think.

The way Chris Getz approaches this draft and trade deadline will ultimately determine the timeline, as he has many decisions that could significantly alter the timeline. Whether he goes prep bat or college player in the draft and who he decides to trade and trade for will all be altering the timeline in some way.

The picture will be a lot clearer in a month, but as things stand right now, 2026 is not out of the question to push for the playoffs.