MILWAUKEE — General manager Chris Getz anticipates the Chicago White Sox winning more games in 2026.
“We don’t focus on (the) wins and loss record, we focus on winning the game that’s right in front of you,” Getz said Wednesday at American Family Field. “That’s what (manager) Will (Venable) has established throughout this clubhouse and we expect them to take that same approach this season.”
The season gets underway Thursday when the Sox face the Brewers.
Getz stressed the importance of “taking another meaningful step forward.”
“Whether that be wins and losses, the consistency of our competitiveness throughout the year, the confidence that grows within a clubhouse and for individual players at this level,” he said.
The Sox finalized their 26-man roster on Wednesday, with Rule 5 draft selection Jedixson Páez among those earning a spot. The 22-year-old makes the jump from High A, which is where he pitched while in the Boston Red Sox organization last season.
“We identified him for a reason, the pitch-ability,” Getz said. “And you look at the Rule 5 success we had last year (with pitchers Shane Smith and Mike Vasil), to replicate that is not the easiest thing in the world. We were fortunate to be able to do it last year.
“But he’s going to get a chance, and he’s more than capable of doing that and we want to make sure to put him in a position to get comfortable in the big leagues and help us out.”
With the rosters set and the games nearing, here’s a look at some 2026 Sox storylines.
1. What’s in store for Year 2 under manager Will Venable?
The Sox made a 19-game improvement during Venable’s first season as the Sox manager, going from 41-121 in 2024 to 60-102 in 2025.
Venable said there are a number of areas the Sox are working on to take another step in the right direction.
“On the pitching side, we’ve got to throw strikes, we’ve got to control the running game and really just attack hitters,” Venable said. “On the offensive side, we know we’re going to try to do a lot of different things to score runs. It’s going to be a key for us to have different guys involved on a nightly basis, find different ways to score runs. Defensively, we’ve talked about the defensive versatility and we’re going to ask guys to do different things.
“We’ve got a lot of things on our list, but we’re excited to go out and do it.”
Venable added: “If you look at last year and the days that we didn’t have the results we wanted, there were plays in those games that we have to get better at. And when we really pin down the step forward we want to take, it’s executing those plays and knowing that if we’re able to do that on a more consistent basis, we’re going to get the results that we want.”
2. What are some realistic expectations for Munetaka Murakami?
No player in Nippon Professional Baseball had more home runs over the last eight seasons than Murakami, who hit 246. He had five seasons of at least 30 home runs while playing for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.
The slugger signed a two-year, $34 million contract with the Sox in the offseason.
“We’re not asking him to do anything beyond anything that he’s capable of doing,” Getz said. “We have other players here that are here to help support him, they’re getting comfortable at the major-league level just like he is.
“We just want him to go out there and play the game that he brings to the table.”
The Sox saw glimpses of Murakami’s power during spring training.
Most importantly, Getz said, the Sox saw “the work ethic and the desire to continue to get better and really prove that he can play at the major-league level.”
“Every day is about grinding and getting at-bats and coming up with everyday results,” Murakami said Wednesday through an interpreter.
3. What will the young position players do for an encore?
Colson Montgomery had a very productive 71 games with the Sox after being called up from Triple-A Charlotte last July, hitting 21 home runs.
As he begins his first full season in the big leagues, Getz said the Sox are looking for “the steadiness” the shortstop brings on the defensive side.
“And then his overall at-bats, finding a level of consistency to help us win games,” Getz said. “And through that approach, we feel like he’s got a chance to have a really productive year and take another step forward.”
Montgomery is part of a young group, along with second baseman Chase Meidroth and catchers Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel (who will begin the season on the 10-day injured list), looking to continue to grow after debuting in 2025.
4. Will the pitching deliver?
Right-hander Shane Smith received the opening-day starting assignment, and he’ll be facing his former organization.
“I always thought I would come here hopefully when I was with them, now it’s just in a different uniform,” Smith said Wednesday. “Ready to get going.”
Smith pitched for three seasons in the Brewers minor-league system before being selected by the Sox during the December 2024 Rule 5 draft.
He earned All-Star honors last season, and now headlines a rotation that also includes Sean Burke, Anthony Kay, Davis Martin and Erick Fedde.
The Sox added veteran bullpen arms like Seranthony Domínguez and Jordan Hicks during the offseason.
And now they’ll see how all the pieces — offensively, defensively and on the mound — fit.
“We’re excited to see how this season unfolds,” Getz said.
