ORLANDO, Fla. — Will Venable knew what he was getting into last October when he took over as the White Sox’ manager. The team had just finished the 2024 season 41-121, with the most losses in a season in the modern era and little to be encouraged about. Venable spent much of last offseason learning about his new organization, his players and what goes into being a skipper.
“It’s like endless, every single day, whether that was with pregame stuff, messaging, talking to [the reporters], in-game stuff,” he said Monday at the MLB winter meetings.
With his first season under his belt — a 60-102 campaign that failed to lift the Sox out of the American League Central basement — Venable now has more clarity on how he wants to operate, not to mention new pitching coach Zach Bove and new hitting coach Derek Shomon, both hired last month. And the road to improvement continues in Orlando this week as general manager Chris Getz speaks with agents, executives and players about possible additions to the roster.
Sox starting pitchers threw the fewest innings in the majors in 2025, forcing Venable to lean on the bullpen, which wore down toward the end of the season. How inefficient were the starters? Reliever Mike Vasil finished with the fifth-most innings on the team.
To help address that, the Sox last week signed left-hander Anthony Kay, who likely will slot in the middle of the rotation behind Davis Martin and Shane Smith. But the last two spots are up for grabs. The Sox hope Sean Burke, who finished with a 4.22 ERA in 2025, and Jonathan Cannon (5.82) can rebound from their struggles.
“I feel like we have a number of guys who could fill [a] starting role,” Venable said. “But we need guys to take steps forward. We need guys to take advantage of the opportunity and continue to progress and grab some of those spots.”
Seeking more outfield options
With Andrew Benintendi’s days of regularly manning left field nearing an end and Luis Robert Jr. having frequently been on the injured list, combined with an opening in right field, the Sox have more questions than answers. After Braden Montgomery, the outfield depth in their farm system is lacking.
In September, they added Derek Hill, a 2014 first-round pick by the Tigers who has experience at all three outfield spots, and last month they got former Yankees prospect Everson Pereira in a trade with the Rays. But those two are more dart throws than known quantities.
“We’re going to continue to find ways to add,” Getz said. “Corner outfield is an area that we feel . . . really can boost our overall production. I think primarily it’s really [about] finding a bat that can help things, and if that’s in the outfield, that’s the most obvious place to look to add that.”
