This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin's White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- White Sox fans are not going to agree with or particularly like my eight words of advice to follow.

Patience is a virtue and almost a necessity.

I’m not talking about the team’s overall hope for a bounceback in 2023 after one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history in ‘22. My focus is more upon offseason moves.

Although numerous major signings requiring major money and year commitments took place at the Winter Meetings, which wrapped up last Wednesday in San Diego, it's not as if player movement has now been locked. It’s not an excuse for White Sox general manager Rick Hahn, the front office or anyone else associated with the team, but a statement of fact.

“I’m biased because I freaking loved these meetings when I was a kid and loved the excitement,” said Hahn in San Diego. “The excitement and buzz that’s created and the anticipation in wanting a deal to be done. So maybe now I’m paying the price for all that youthful enthusiasm and need to show a little bit of patience here over the next few weeks.

“As we talked about from the start, and back at the GM meetings, if it was going to be more of a trade path, which was my instinct, some of the free agent things were going to have to resolve themselves before the trade opportunities really presented themselves. We’ll remain patient. And diligent.”

A clamor for improvement from last year’s 81-81 showing is highly understandable coming from White Sox fans, who sat through a prolonged rebuild and have witnessed just two playoff victories once that competitive window opened in 2020. The team needs a left fielder, and potentially help at second base and catcher. Aside from the addition of free-agent starter Mike Clevinger, nothing else of note has happened for the White Sox this offseason.

There’s certainly an abundance of talent already on this team, the same basic group that won 93 games and the American League Central title in 2021. But as it sits now, Chicago is counting on around eight or nine combinations of injury turnarounds, underperformance rebounds or young players taking the next step from ’22 to succeed in ’23. It’s a tall order for even the best of teams.

So, look for Hahn and company to make changes. Those changes probably will come via trade, as Hahn mentioned. But wait until at least the start of Spring Training to pass full judgment. At that point, displeasure would almost be expected if things don’t look a little different.