CHICAGO (670 The Score) — First-year White Sox manager Will Venable stepped between the lines for 967 games over nine MLB seasons as a player. He has also spent seven years as a coach on a big league bench.
Venable understands the grueling nature of a 162-game season, which is why he'll cherish the significance of Thursday at Rate Field. The 42-year-old Venable will step out to the third-base line and salute the South Side crowd for the first time as a big league skipper.
“There are certain times throughout the season where you get so caught up in the grind, you lose focus or sight on how special being part of a major league team is,” Venable said Wednesday. “But Opening Day, it’s fresh, it’s new, it’s exciting, and it’s the one time you’re really uninhibited in your focus on how special this opportunity is.”
There’s a prevailing feeling of hope for most teams on Opening Day, but for the 2025 White Sox, there’s also a grip on reality.
The White Sox are coming off a miserable 2024 campaign in which they went 41-121 to set a record for the most losses in a single season in baseball’s modern era. It was the type of infamy that seemed impossible to fathom. What’s more startling to consider is the White Sox’s roster has taken a step back since their historic 121st loss of last season.
The White Sox traded All-Star left-hander Garrett Crochet to the Red Sox in December for a package of prospects who haven't yet reached the big leagues. Veteran right-hander Erick Fedde, who posted a 3.11 ERA in 21 starts with the White Sox in 2024, was dealt away late last July.
The White Sox’s most notable additions this offseason were outfielder Austin Slater, outfielder Michael A. Taylor, outfielder Mike Tauchman, infielder Josh Rojas and left-hander Martin Perez. They’re each nice depth pieces but aren't the type of additions that inspire hope for a turnaround.
With all that in mind, White Sox general manager Chris Getz isn’t selling false hope following a season of historic futility.
“We’re going to see a lot of positives come out,” Getz said Wednesday of his hopes for this season. “And it’s not just focused on wins and losses. Obviously, that’s very important. But we also understand where we are as an organization. So many of these guys are getting experience for the first time in the major leagues to really help us not only now but in the future as well.”
The White Sox’s top player remains former All-Star and Gold Glove center fielder Luis Robert Jr., who admitted that he was surprised to still be on the South Side for Opening Day. The 27-year-old Robert was a trade target this past offseason and could be dealt before the trade deadline on July 31.
Getz felt that trading his best players to create a younger talent pool and more depth was the logical path forward for the White Sox. The White Sox landed four prospects from the Red Sox in exchange for Crochet, including catcher Kyle Teel and outfielder Braden Montgomery, who each rank in the top 60 of MLB Pipeline's prospect rankings.
What the White Sox also need for an on-ramp toward success are a few surprises along the way. They hope to have one in 25-year-old right-hander Sean Burke, their unexpected Opening Day starter against the Angels on Thursday afternoon.
A third-round pick in 2021, Burke posted a 5.05 ERA in 62 minor league appearances, but the White Sox believe they have a promising young starter. He certainly isn’t lacking confidence.
“I tell myself, ‘I’m here for a reason. I’m doing this for a reason. I’m in the company I should be,’” Burke said. “So, it’s cool and it’s super gratifying to see the names I’m up there with, but I’d like to consider myself part of that company.”
Even the most confident White Sox fan would struggle to find a path toward any sort of playoff contention this season. Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA algorithm predicts 62.2 victories for the White Sox in 2025. That would represent a 21-win improvement from 2024 but still leave them among MLB's worst teams. PECOTA also set the White Sox’s playoff chances at 0.0%.
FanGraphs’ projections are slightly more generous at 62.7 wins and 0.1% playoff odds. Then again, stranger things have happened in baseball – like a 121-loss season.
Come Thursday afternoon on the South Side, the White Sox will appreciate the moment of Opening Day and work with their future in mind.
“Listen, we’re all competitive,” Getz said. “I’m certainly competitive. Will’s competitive. All these players are. Our fans, we’ve got tremendous fans here in Chicago, and they want to see a winner.
“This roster will certainly shape in a fashion where we’re very confident in the future.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.