The Jays went 4-2 at home with a predictable sweep of the Stateless Athletics and a not so predictable 1-2 series loss to the Colorado Rockies, who I am told are still technically an MLB level team. It’s a strong start to the year but frankly the Jays don’t have that many games in their schedule against truly weak teams and need to capitalize on them.
So with that in mind, the Jays will start their first roadtrip in Chicago to face the White Sox. There they will face a team that actually showed improvement
last year while still managing to lose more than 100 games. The White Sox are hampered with geriatric and dithering ownership that doesn’t want to invest in the team but is only willing to sell on a bizarre slow divestment over the next decade or so.
I reached out to Brett Ballantini from South Side Sox, our sister site covering the White Sox to answer some questions about the team, the coming season, and what their fanbase is currently following.
The White Sox have had a tough start to their year, being swept by the Brewers in their opening series. Especially with old friend Seranthony Dominguez serving up a homer to clinch the comeback, is there still lots of optimism around the team or had the malaise already settled in?
It really depends on who you ask. Before 2026 even got rolling, our readers seem to be fated to an unprecedented fourth straight 100-loss season, which seems truly impossible. Even I, the resident cynic borne of 40 years of fandom, thought another improvement of nine wins (to 69 for the season) was on the negative side. Most of my writers seem to feel low-mid 70s is the right call. But a nine-inning game franchise record 20 Ks in the opener is not going to help fight malaise; and speaking of malaise, worse than any particular result last weekend (Milwaukee is a pretty boffo team, after all) was the fact that the White Sox didn’t seem terribly engaged at points over the weekend. Not a great sign during the first weekend of the season.
Overall, I’d say the attitude is still more optimistic than the past couple of seasons, but any sort of repeat of last year’s seven wins in the first 30 games and things are going to get ugly. (Wait, things are already VERY ugly.)
Chicago’s front office is looking pretty savvy as Murakami has homered in three straight games. How has he looked at the plate and in the field transitioning over from the NPB?
The worry was that Mune might not be able to catch up to MLB velocity because he was accustomed to fewer power arms in Japan, but that seems an overblown worry. He’s not afraid to take a walk, throws better leather than expected so far at first. His basement would seem to be an average starter, and he could surprise us as the best player on the team. The White Sox were way more lucky than savvy, but hey, at least they locked up a free agent for once.
Colson Montgomery looks like the real thing, picking up where he left off last year. What are the expectations for him and is his home likely SS or 3B when all is said and done?
My expectations of Colson are about as low as possible for a guy on like a 7 WAR pace in his half-year in 2025. I have no idea how he flipped a switch from flaming out on the development list last June to a homer machine in July. So naturally I’m distrusting of those fabulous three months in 2025. He looks to be a low-average, high-K power hitter. Not a typical shortstop, for sure. It does seem like he can hold his own well enough at short, but the White Sox drafting like 200 shortstops in the 2020s means that sooner or later he’ll move to third, or even first. The White Sox have adequate coverage at short even this year, but as soon as next it could be presumed No. 1 overall pick in 2026 Roch Cholowsky making a quick trip to the majors, or perhaps even the 2025 No. 1 Sox pick Billy Carlson.
Which prospect are White Sox fans most excited for that might debut this year?
The answer should be a southpaw starter, Noah Schultz or Hagen Smith. But they’ve been a little unsteady and there’s even some shine buffed off of them. So if we’re looking at pitchers, if not Noah or Hagen, it’s Tanner McDougal, who could well be the first starter up from Triple-A when injury hits the MLB rotation. But the excitement has swung to the bats. The White Sox don’t have many who will be ready, but Braden Montgomery (Red Sox 2024 No. 1 pick who came over in the Crochet deal) had a great spring and the White Sox are desperate for outfielders. To that end, Sam Antonacci also had a great spring and got some run with Italy in the WBC; the White Sox are pushing him out to LF from his natural middle infield spot in anticipation of having him in the majors in 2026.
Who is your favourite member of the team to watch right now?
Is none of the above an option? If not, well, it’s a crapshoot. I love Edgar Quero and Mune, but if I answer this as “fun to watch” it’s either Kyle Teel (injured at the moment but a bubbly youngster) or Chase Meidroth (overachieving Little Engine That Could, wears his heart on his sleeve and has a solid on-base game).
And just a fun little exercise, if you could make a guaranteed trade for one player from a division rival, who would it be and what would you consider a fair return to acquire them?
Guess it would have to be Tarik Skubal from Detroit or Bobby Witt Jr. from the Royals. I’ll go with Witt Jr. despite those 200 SSs in the system, and in this fantasy I’d guess Schultz and Smith would be the minimum arms to send to KC, along with one of the young catchers (Teel or Quero), Munetaka Murakami, and probably also No. 1 overall MLB Pipeline prospect Caleb Bonemer. Or if K.C. pleases, Colson Montgomery to slide right in at SS for Witt. And frankly that is probably not enough. Honestly, just for the damage he’s done to the White Sox over the years, Cleveland should just be forced to give us José Ramírez for nothing.
