National MLB Reporter Thinks Chicago White Sox Are Heading In Right Direction

Up close, it's been interesting to track the rookie seasons of several players who the rebuilding White Sox hope can be a big part of their future.

Rookie shortstop Colson Montgomery has broken through a big way, slugging 14 home runs in his last 29 games. On the mound, Shane Smith became the first White Sox rookie pitcher to make the All-Star team. Others rookies and young players like Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, Chase Meidroth, Miguel Vargas and Lenyn Sosa, to name a few, have had productive seasons.

At the same time, a 48-85 record –– second-worst in MLB –– shows that in the big picture there's still a long way to go in becoming a competitive team. But are the White Sox at least on the right track under first-year manager Will Venable and in the second full season with general manager Chris Getz?

To answer that question and several more about the White Sox, ESPN national baseball insider Jeff Passon appeared on the "Waddle and Silvy" show on ESPN 1000 Chicago on Tuesday to share his thoughts.

"I think they are definitely headed in the right direction," Passan told ESPN 1000. "I was one of those guys, too, I was incredibly high on Colson Montgomery, and then just hearing from scouts over the last couple years, I had softened a little bit and was wondering –– is he gonna be a first baseman? That was the question that I thought, like, are they gonna have to move him over? And if they do, is he gonna hit enough? The power is very clearly there. The swing decisions, you know, they need to do some work on that, but when you have a young player that's the kind of thing you can improve on."

The 2025 White Sox season was always going to be about the progress of the team's young players, in addition to the win-loss record. To that effect, Passan raised an important question and gave some thoughts on who the White Sox could build around moving forward.

"I just think that looking at the White Sox right now, my question for them coming into this season was how many guys by the end of the year are gonna be playing who you could reasonably think will be in the starting lineup three years down the road, right?"

"I think the answer to that right now is Kyle Teel, definitely. He's good. He is having a better year, I think, than most people realize," Passan said on ESPN 1000. "Miguel Vargas? You know, 50/50. He has been better, but is the bat gonna be enough? Lenyn Sosa, he's been good this year too. I don't know if he's gonna be around in three years, but he's been solid. Chase Meidroth, yep. I think he can be a guy. I think he can be a shortstop or second baseman."

"Colson Montgomery, absolutely. In the outfield, nothing right now, like, they need to go out and sign a couple of outfielders. And I don't know if that's for next season or a couple seasons beyond, but if they're gonna compete they need better production from their outfield and of course DH as well, they've got an open spot there. But that's at least four guys, and honestly that's as more as I thought there would be."

Fellow ESPN baseball reporter Jesse Rogers chimed in during the conversation and said he'd add Edgar Quero to the mix. Passan agreed, but said at the end of they day, he thinks they'll trade one of the catchers.

On the pitching side, Passan listed Davis Martin, Shane Smith and Drew Thorpe as potential pieces on the future starting rotation. Though he's not sure if any are better than No. 4 or No. 5 starters, so developing or acquiring a frontline starter or two should be a priority in the coming season.

This year's team had a low bar to pass when being compared to the 2024 White Sox –– the worst team in the modern era with a 41-121 record –– and did so with their 42nd win of the season on Aug. 2. More important than being better than that team is the idea that the White Sox are making progress in their rebuild, and Passan agrees they've done so.

"Last year, they looked like the worst team ever and were. This year they do not look like the worst team ever," Passan said on ESPN 1000. "And I actually think they're playing a little bit above what their record is."

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