FAQ: What to know about White Sox offseason

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CHICAGO -- The 121 losses for the 2024 White Sox -- which set a single-season record in the Modern Era (since 1901) -- are a painful memory. They also serve as a driving force for general manager Chris Getz and his staff to get things right.

That ongoing rebuild takes its next step this offseason. So here are important dates and questions in front of this team.

Who will be the next White Sox manager?
Finalists put forth by various sources/outlets include Grady Sizemore, Phil Nevin, Craig Albernaz and Will Venable. And of course, there’s always room for that mystery candidate so prevalent at this time of year.

Any of the four mentioned are good choices for Getz, who had talked about the last week of October into the first week of November as his target date to make the hire. Venable, who turned 42 on Tuesday, has vast experience as a player and as a coach, not to mention knowing the Chicago baseball landscape from his time in the Cubs' front office, and as their first-base coach and third-base coach from 2017-20.

Nevin posted a 119-149 record after taking over for Joe Maddon with the Angels in 2022 and running the team in ’23. Albernaz was Cleveland's bench coach this past season under manager Stephen Vogt.

And then there’s Sizemore, who took over when Pedro Grifol was dismissed on Aug. 8 -- two days after a 21-game losing streak ended. Sizemore was thought to be an interim choice, but the respect among the players and staff he earned as the White Sox manager only grew stronger during his 45 games in charge. Sizemore won 13, but he greatly improved the morale and changed the focus in a somewhat beaten down clubhouse.

What else is known about the managerial search?
Getz put together a comprehensive list of candidates -- which makes sense with the time he had to work through this process -- while stressing publicly there was no rush to make such an important decision. Getz once spoke of this hire coming from outside the organization, but there’s no magic elixir for success simply by bringing in someone not with the White Sox. As Getz also mentioned, he is looking for a managerial co-pilot possessing a similar mindset about the team and its direction in this growth process.

Which players are free agents?
Right-handers Michael Soroka, Mike Clevinger, Chris Flexen and Dominic Leone, and infielder Danny Mendick. None of them will receive qualifying offers, although Soroka and/or Flexen could be candidates to return.

Which players have options?
3B Yoán Moncada: $25 million club option with a $5 million buyout

C Max Stassi: $7 million club option with a $500,000 buyout.

Neither option will be picked up by the team.

So is this the end of Moncada’s run in Chicago?
It certainly appears that way. Moncada’s eight years with the White Sox are emblematic of the good and bad of this past rebuild, the excitement and the pain, resulting in two total playoff victories. The switch-hitter came to Chicago as part of the Chris Sale trade with the Red Sox in December 2016 as one of the top prospects in the game, and he had some top-notch moments with the White Sox -- check out the 2019 season as a prime example. But injuries and underperformance knocked him down.

Moncada’s 2024 season featured 12 games and 45 plate appearances after suffering a left adductor strain on April 9 during a contest in Cleveland. He played in just one game and had one at-bat after returning to the team on Sept. 16, with the White Sox getting more of a look at future third-base candidates such as Bryan Ramos and Miguel Vargas.

Will Garrett Crochet be traded?
Look within the American League Central at Detroit’s Tarik Skubal, and the immense value of an ace hurler becomes readily apparent. Crochet was a force during his first year as a starter, one of the game’s better stories, and should be only stronger behind that experience.

But the White Sox need vast offensive help, and moving Crochet and his two years of contractual control could be the best option to help fill that void. The White Sox had solid offers for the southpaw leading into last year’s Trade Deadline and should have a bigger offseason market.

Who else will they be willing to trade?
Almost anyone, including Luis Robert Jr. and his five-tool talent in center field. Their plethora of young pitching also might be an outside ask.

Who might be a non-tender candidate?
The White Sox have nine arbitration-eligible players; Crochet, infielders Gavin Sheets, Andrew Vaughn and Nicky Lopez; and right-handers Matt Foster, Enyel De Los Santos, Justin Anderson, Jimmy Lambert and Steven Wilson. All but Crochet, Vaughn and Sheets are non-tender candidates, although Lopez, who was a valuable clubhouse presence, could be brought back under different contractual terms.

Will they be active in free agency?
They aren’t likely to swim in the deep end. The 2025 season will be about young players’ development and seeing how they fit.

Who needs to be added to the 40-man roster to avoid the Rule 5 Draft?
Shortstop Colson Montgomery, the No. 3 White Sox prospect and No. 37 overall, per MLB Pipeline, is an easy decision on this list with the 22-year-old left-handed hitter moving toward the Major Leagues in 2025.

Right-handed pitchers Juan Carela (No. 26 White Sox prospect), Adisyn Coffey, and Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa are other candidates. The Rule 5 Draft takes place on Dec. 11 at the end of the Winter Meetings in Dallas. The deadline to add players to the 40-man roster is 5 p.m. CT on Nov. 19.