The Chicago White Sox Are Officially on Breakout Watch
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Few teams have had a better winter than the Chicago White Sox.
*collective gasp*
The franchise first threw its hat in the ring by inking highly-coveted free agent slugger Munetaka Murakami to a two-year, $34.0 million deal. The Japanese standout set a home run record in Nippon Professional Baseball and drew interest from multiple big league squads.
Then, GM Chris Getz shocked the baseball world again by moving fan-favorite Luis Robert Jr. to the Mets for a young infielder and pitching prospect. He proceeded to use the newfound financial flexibility to add immediate veteran upgrades, including respected closer Seranthony Dominguez and former All-Star outfielder Austin Hays.
The Sox also decided to acquire both Jordan Hicks and David Sandlin from the Red Sox in recent days. Easily one of their most aggressive moves yet, the team is taking on Hicks' hefty contract in hopes that his flamethrowing arm can find some consistency. Their willingness to eat some of the money also earned them Sandlin, who continues to move up the ranks and is due for a big league stint on the mound. The 24-year-old is another max velocity pitcher who the Sox surely hope can become a rotational staple for years to come.
Add in the Sox deep arsenal of high-upside talent, and there is no denying that things are looking up on the South Side of Chicago. Whether it be Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth, or even top prospect Braden Montgomery, the Sox are overflowing with youngsters who could take the next step as soon as this season.
But don't take my word for it!
White Sox Listed Among ESPN's Top Breakout Teams
ESPN's Bradford Doolittle put together a list of the Top 5 breakout teams for the upcoming 2026 season, and the White Sox made the cut.
Ranking fourth ahead of their crosstown rival, Doolittle labels "prospect ascension" as the team's recipe for success. He even goes as far as comparing the current team to the 2022 Orioles, who turned a previous 52-win season into a competitive 83-win campaign.
"The White Sox are similar in several key ways. They've dropped more than 100 games three years running, so by Baltimore's standard we might expect another year of that," Doolittle wrote. "But Chicago has already pushed a number of its key building-block players to the majors, and more are on the way. I don't know that the White Sox can leap over .500 like those Orioles did, but if there is a club from baseball's bottom rung most likely to do it, it's Chicago."
One could certainly argue that an 83-win season isn't worthy of the "breakout" title. After all, this would still mean the Sox are on the outside looking in of the postseason picture. But we're also talking about a team that just won 60 games and finished as the second-worst team in all of baseball. Heck, they are only two years removed from the worst season any team has had in modern history (41-121).
When we factor in that context, there is no question that almost anything in the 80+ range would feel like a true breakout for this franchise as a whole. Particularly when we consider all the young, cost-controlled talent they have both in the majors and in the waiting, this kind of performance would instantly have the league taking them seriously as an up-and-coming contender.
*Another collective gasp*
Obviously, we are talking in ideals. But the simple fact that the White Sox can even be included in a conversation like this speaks volumes about the strides they have taken this offseason. Expectations have undoubtedly risen, and they will have a chance to start meeting those in a matter of weeks under the Arizona sun.
