White Sox plan next off-season step after 2026 surge under Chris Getz

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

The Chicago White Sox are looking to carry forward the momentum from their 2026 season, with general manager Chris Getz, AL Manager of the Year candidate Will Venable and their staff framing the next step as building on what the club experienced while fans stayed energized through the postseason. The comments and outlook were provided in connection with the team’s season wrap and leadership meetings heading into the next off-season cycle, with Getz and the organization set to travel to Las Vegas on Monday for the General Managers Meetings.

In discussing what the organization learned from 2026, Getz pointed directly to the support coming from the stands and on the road, saying the fan base was loud and consistent throughout the year and that the atmosphere was intimidating for opponents. He also said the team at times played with “a little too much adrenaline,” while still calling the experience valuable as the White Sox plan for future seasons, and he credited supporters for how they showed up during both the regular season and playoff games.

The broader context around the fan reaction is tied to the team’s recent rebuilding phase, which included three straight seasons with 100-plus losses and a 121-loss campaign in 2024. Against that backdrop, the source describes how White Sox pride became a visible theme in Chicago, including in the clothing and in-game support around Rate Field and travel, as well as fans pushing for postseason recognition for players.

The 2026 season’s conclusion was still framed through the lens of the postseason results the club experienced earlier in the month, including three straight American League Division Series losses to the Guardians and a deciding Game 5 setback in Cleveland that featured a nine-inning record of 21 strikeouts. Even with those outcomes, the source describes the fan base as keeping spirits high through the postseason run.

Alongside the on-field performance, the White Sox’s internal next step is described as continuing work that has already started before the club arrives in Las Vegas. The organization’s stated goal is not to make a single-season splash and then fade, but instead to keep progressing through the next few years as leadership reviews priorities such as player development, roster construction and key areas of need.

Starting pitching is identified as a focus for the White Sox as they look ahead, consistent with how the team has approached off-season planning historically in the source. The club also could be looking for an outfield bat, with the organization portrayed as having built a group it believes is ready to play daily, emphasizing effort tied to the name on the front of the jersey as much as the name on the back.

The foundation-building message was reinforced by chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, who spoke after the White Sox’s two-game Wild Card Series sweep in Houston. Reinsdorf tied the organization’s direction to the idea of constructing the “foundation” first, saying that leadership put in place a process that included scouting and Minor League development, and that the club’s progress arrived faster than expected.

Reinsdorf also described expectations about when the team would contend, saying he believed the process might take shape in 2027 rather than sooner, while adding that the organization did not tell the players they could not achieve results quickly. He credited the approach as a multi-year effort already underway, with the organization continuing to build what it sees as the right base for sustained improvement.

With Getz and the broader leadership group preparing for the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas, the White Sox’s stated objective is to translate the 2026 groundswell—supporters’ engagement, postseason experience and the overall success described in the source—into concrete off-season enhancements. The team’s outlook also reflects a league-wide picture in which the American League included struggles from predicted contenders such as Toronto, Seattle, Detroit and Kansas City, but the White Sox’s own progress is described as a “massive success” that still requires further enhancement to take the “next major step.”