GLENDALE, Ariz. — The word ‘‘momentum’’ has been used frequently at the White Sox’ spring-training camp.
It’s why new assistant general manager Carlos Rodriguez chose to join the Sox in December after spending 16 seasons in the Rays’ organization.
‘‘I had a bunch of conversations with [GM] Chris [Getz] over time,’’ Rodriguez said of the lead-up to his hiring, which the Sox announced Dec. 19. ‘‘Just felt we are really aligned — aligned on his vision for the organization, the people, the process in place. Kind of got caught up in just thinking about the possibilities, the upside.’’
As an outsider looking in, Rodriguez saw the Sox’ abysmal last few years — three consecutive seasons of 100-plus losses in 2023-25 — as a fresh start for them to build up their player-development system.
Many trades and a couple of seemingly productive drafts later, the Sox might be trending in the right direction. They are one of seven major-league teams with five players listed among MLB.com’s top 100 prospects.
Rodriguez spent the last six seasons as the Rays’ vice president/assistant GM. Before that, he oversaw the strapped-for-cash team’s player-development and international-scouting department.
The Rays were contenders for part of his time with them, making eight playoff appearances and one World Series appearance (2020) and hovering around .500 the other years.
Perhaps the Sox brought him in in an effort to emulate the Rays’ blueprint for success: winning without doling out too much cash and without signing players to long-term deals.
The Sox have had similarly small payrolls but haven’t found the same kind of success. For example, in 2018, the Sox’ and Rays’ payrolls were both around $75 million, but the Rays finished 90-72, while the Sox, who were going through a rebuild at the time, went 62-100.
‘‘I just think it was a very collaborative process,’’ Rodriguez said of what worked well with the Rays. ‘‘And just the relentless pursuit of trying to find different ways to get better.
‘‘We were a higher-transaction team, but it does require the old cliché: great scouting, great player development and the ability to get the most out of those players. Whenever you are transacting, making sure that you nail some of those traits.’’
Under Getz’s tenure, the Sox have shown some similarities to the Rays by making many low-risk, high-reward acquisitions. But several big trades also have helped to replenish their farm system, mainly the Garrett Crochet deal with the Red Sox that brought in second baseman Chase Meidroth, catcher Kyle Teel, outfield prospect Braden Montgomery and reliever Wikelman Gonzalez.
The Sox will need to continue building through the draft (three of their five top-100 prospects were selected in the last two years) and eventually build up their international system. That carries on this year with their No. 1 overall pick, which is projected to be UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky.
Nine players made their MLB debuts with the Sox in 2025, with most of them showing some promise to stick in the big leagues.
‘‘I just feel like the younger guys on the team, you get to see the confidence that they have going into this year,’’ Teel said. ‘‘You can see how we’re rolling on from last year. I feel like we’re continuing that momentum, and it’s a really great thing to see.’’
The Sox’ heightened expectations were amplified when they added Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami and bolstered the back of their bullpen by signing closer Seranthony Dominguez.
‘‘Coming into this year, they know what it’s like to be in the big leagues,’’ veteran outfielder/designated hitter Andrew Benintendi said. ‘‘Obviously, your confidence will go up. And there’s a lot of great players in here, the guys who were here last year and some new faces that are going to help us a lot. Definitely an exciting time.’’
