GM Getz, manager Venable see White
Sox building on progress they made last season
[January 30, 2026]
By ANDREW SELIGMAN
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox were reeling at this time last
year, coming off a season in which they set a modern major league
record for losses.
General manager Chris Getz and manager Will Venable see a team
that's in a much better place today. With spring training
approaching, they believe they have a group poised to build on the
progress it showed last season.
“I think we're going to make a meaningful step forward,” Getz said.
Venable also feels momentum building around the franchise.
“It’s significant,” Venable said. “And the way that we feel about it
and the way that people talk about it, it’s real and it’s something
that I think we’re excited about.”
Getz and Venable spoke Thursday ahead of this weekend's fan
festival. They were at a Boys & Girls Club a few blocks from Rate
Field where the White Sox donated $125,000 for a visual and
performing arts space. They'll soon be in Glendale, Arizona, for the
start of spring training, with pitchers and catchers holding their
first workout on Feb. 10.
The White Sox have three straight 100-loss seasons since finishing
81-81 in 2022. They went 60-102 and finished last in the AL Central
in Venable's first season. But that was a 19-game improvement from
2024, when they were 41-121 and shattered the franchise record for
losses.
With a promising group of young players that includes shortstop
Colson Montgomery, catcher Kyle Teel and infielder Chase Meidroth,
they think they are ready to take another step forward.
“They’ve kind of gone through it now, and that added experience is
only going to give us a bit of a head start going into the season,
get a little bit more confidence, and then, of course, we’re going
to welcome some new players in the organization come spring training
on the field there,” Getz said. “What we can provide is opportunity
and a runway, and some of these players that we’ve acquired just
haven’t gotten that runway in other places for various reasons, and
we’re gonna take advantage of that.”
Venable said the White Sox need to “embrace” higher expectations.
“Every single manager in the big leagues is looking for their club
to get to that level, and that certainly makes my job easier if they
already believe," he said. "My job is to say, ‘This is what we have
to do to get there.’”
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Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable stands before a baseball game
against the Washington Nationals, Sept. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP
Photo/Nick Wass, File)
The White Sox made a series of moves in the
offseason that they hope will help them get to another level, most
notably signing Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami in December and
trading center fielder Luis Robert Jr. to the New York Mets last
week. They got speedy infielder Luisangel Acuña and minor league
pitcher Truman Pauley in that deal.
Chicago used some of the payroll flexibility it
gained in the Robert trade to sign right-hander Seranthony Domínguez
to a $20-million, two-year contract. That deal was finalized
Thursday.
Domínguez, 31, debuted with Philadelphia in 2018. He has 40 saves
and a 3.50 ERA in 322 games with the Phillies, Baltimore and
Toronto. He figures to close for the White Sox.
Domínguez played for the Orioles and Blue Jays last year, going 4-4
with a 3.16 ERA and two saves in 67 games. He was traded to Toronto
on July 29.
Domínguez has pitched in the playoffs the past four years. He
appeared in 12 postseason games for Toronto, helping the Blue Jays
win the AL pennant before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the
World Series. He also pitched in the World Series for Philadelphia
in 2022, when the Phillies lost to Houston.
“He’s hungry to get back in the playoffs and I don’t think he knows
anything else but the playoffs,” Venable said. “I think in the last
five years he's pitched in the playoffs, he's pitched in two World
Series. He's got a ton of experience, not just as an average guy but
in big games. I think that’s gonna help our group of young guys as
they continue to find their way and the routines that they need to
put in place.”
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