{"id":532365,"date":"2026-03-11T02:55:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T02:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/532365\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T02:55:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T02:55:12","slug":"will-white-sox-work-to-keep-prospects-who-make-it-or-sell-them-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/532365\/","title":{"rendered":"Will White Sox work to keep prospects who make it or sell them off?"},"content":{"rendered":"

MESA Ariz. \u2014 This has been a rebuilding period for the White Sox<\/a> and their 25th-ranked MLB player payroll of $105.2 million this season is a pretty good indicator of where they\u2019re at.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re building the team from the international level, player development, the draft, research and development and with a splash of major-league free agents.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing into my third year as the GM, my commitment from the beginning was to improve the infrastructure of the organization,\u201d Sox general manager Chris Getz told the Sun-Times in a wide-ranging interview Monday at the club\u2019s Camelback Ranch complex. \u201cKnowing that we\u2019ve got the right people running these departments and we have the financial resources, we think that\u2019s going to help us at the major league level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getz, manager Will Venable and staff are immersed in the present right now, which is the right place to be after disastrous 121- and 102-loss seasons. But with Jerry Reinsdorf about to begin his 46th season as team owner, the big question for loyal Sox fans is: Where is this all going long term?<\/p>\n

Reinsdorf, whose only World Series title as Sox owner came in 2005, declined to be interviewed for this piece.<\/p>\n

Are the Sox going to utilize the Tampa Bay and old Oakland models of dumping talented players as soon as they become arbitration or free-agent-eligible? Or as the young players start sorting themselves out, will the Sox sign them to projected under-market long-term contracts and build a base of talent as the Athletics are doing now?<\/p>\n

In the past year, the A\u2019s have signed DH Brent Rooker, right fielder Lawrence Butler, left-fielder Tyler Soderstrom and shortstop Jacob Wilson to long-term deals that are scheduled to pay out $43.7 million this season and $67.1 million in 2028, the year they\u2019re scheduled to move into a new Las Vegas ballpark. And they\u2019re trying to lock up other young players such as first baseman Nick Kurtz and catcher Shea Langeliers as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does the future hold? I can\u2019t answer that, obviously,\u201d Getz said. \u201cThere\u2019s collective bargaining on a new Basic Agreement this upcoming season. That usually brings adjustments to the system. But I do know we\u2019re in a very good spot to maneuver wherever those new rules and regulations would bring us. We\u2019re still open-minded. We\u2019re still accessing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sox would benefit from a salary cap and floor, but the players and their union are ardently against linking those two concepts, which could lead to a long lockout on Dec. 1 when the current agreement expires.<\/p>\n

A quick analysis of the Sox\u2019s 40-man roster reveals only eight players earning in excess of $1 million this season, with Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami leading the list at $17 million. They are $138.8 million below this year\u2019s luxury tax threshold of $244 million. In contrast, the two-time defending World Series-winning Dodgers lead the league with a $396 million payroll and are facing a $142.6 million dollar tax bill, higher than the total payrolls of the bottom 12 teams, including the Sox.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s largely because the remainder of Chicago\u2019s roster is under control and earning just above the major league minimum of $780,000 on one-year contracts.<\/p>\n

Noteworthy on that list is opening day starter Shane Smith at $820,000, and third baseman Miguel Vargas, who said no to their offer and was recently renewed by the club at the same $820,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo hard feelings at all. I let my agents handle that. I feel good here. I love here. And everything\u2019s good,\u201d Vargas said, explaining that decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a formula for zero to three-year players,\u201d Getz responded. \u201cThere are certain ingredients that go into that. It\u2019s fairly strict and we have conversations with the agents. We have a good relationship with Miguel and his agency. They wanted to renew at the end, and we decided to do that. That\u2019s just part of the process we\u2019ve established here.\u201d<\/p>\n

To be sure, there are monetary resources pending. Reinsdorf has been lobbying again for the city of Chicago to pony up $1 billion in public funding for a new ballpark. But the days of tax dollars being used to build baseball stadiums around the country seem to be over.<\/p>\n

In Vegas, for example, A\u2019s owner John Fisher is footing the bill privately for more than $1.5 billion to build a new 33,000-seat yard. The state of Nevada allocated $380 million.<\/p>\n

Reisdorf has already sold 35% of the Sox to the Ishbia brothers \u2014 Justin and Mat, the owner of the NBA Suns and WNBA Mercury. Reinsdorf, who just turned 90, still has a controlling interest. But that will change during the next eight years. And if what\u2019s happened under Ishbia in Phoenix is any indication, the coffers will open.<\/p>\n

Will there be money to spend?<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, or in the future?\u201d Getz responded with a question to a question. \u201cThere\u2019s going to be money that can be spent. We\u2019re just at a point right now where we don\u2019t know where to spend that money in particular on the early stages of a developing team.\u201d<\/p>\n

The White Sox have the No. 1 pick in the upcoming amateur draft. That will be a good place to start.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Athletics pounded him for five runs on five hits, two homers and four walks in a bifurcated 3 2\/3 innings. He threw 70 pitches and whiffed two.<\/p>\n

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Right-handers Wikelman Gonzalez and David Sandlin and infielder Tanner Murray were sent to Triple-A Charlotte.<\/p>\n

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And Hearn says the Sox have assembled \u201ca ton of talent\u201d on the pitching staff.<\/p>\n

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Chris Murphy was listed Saturday as the Sunday starter. When the clubhouse opened in the hours before the game, however, Jordan Hicks was listed as the starter, with Murphy coming on in relief.<\/p>\n

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