Anticipation grows for new Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami: \u2018He\u2019s going to fit right in\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The only thing that remains the same is Sox fans, whose resiliency in the face of another long rebuild is something to behold.<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s opening day of Soxfest Live \u2014 which also goes by its unofficial title, \u201cSoxFest Lite\u201d \u2014 was a chance for fans to get excited about the offseason moves that should help the Sox avoid a fourth straight 100-or-more-loss season. Unfortunately, only one of the newly signed players, starter Anthony Kay, was at the event.<\/p>\n But the up-and-coming core of Colson Montgomery, Shane Smith and Kyle Teel were on hand, and the biggest Sox free agent in years, Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami<\/a>, sent a video saying in Japanese that he\u2019d see them in spring training.<\/p>\n \u201cGo White Sox,\u201d he said in English to a big cheer.<\/p>\n The narration in the video referred to him as \u201cthe Japanese Babe Ruth.\u201d One fan standing in the back of the theater cracked: \u201cAs long as he\u2019s not the Japanese Adam Dunn.\u201d<\/p>\n No one asked Getz how he convinced Reinsdorf to shell out $34 million over two years for Murekami,<\/a> which is splurging in the current era of Sox spending. But it was seemingly a bargain for a player who should single-handedly double the fireworks budget at White Sox Park, and gives fans something to look forward to besides the food and giveaways.<\/p>\n One fan did manage to congratulate Getz on getting the top pick in the 2026 draft and asked him when he could buy a Roch Cholowsky jersey, referring to the UCLA shortstop considered the consensus No. 1 pick in July. Getz followed with a long-winded answer about how exciting it was to win the top pick in the draft lottery<\/a>\u00a0but didn\u2019t say anything about drafting Cholowsky.<\/p>\n When SoxFest host Connor McKnight of the Chicago Sports Network politely reminded Getz he didn\u2019t answer the question, Getz blushed and said it was awkward. Of course the Sox don\u2019t want to give away their plans, even as it\u2019s as obvious as it was when Conner Bedard or Cooper Flagg became the top picks of the NHL and NBA drafts, respectively.<\/p>\n Getz and Venable answered questions for a while on the theater stage, but it was difficult to hear them over the din of Sox fans talking among themselves on subjects near and dear to them, like when the Sox would build their stadium in the South Loop, when Justin Ishbia would take control of the team, and when they would announce the giveaways. That announcement came later in the evening, so get ready for Los White Sox poncho night, Irish Quarter Zip Day and an A.J. Pierzynski-Bobby Jenks bobblehead commemorating the final out of the 2005 World Series.<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s event was exclusively reserved for season ticket holders, and the beer was free. It was the least Reinsdorf could do for die-hard fans who renewed their season tickets after the disastrous end of the Tony La Russa era, followed by the Pedro Grifol nightmare,\u00a0which included the losingest season in major-league history in 2024.<\/a><\/p>\n Getz\u2019s mantra in 2026 is that the Sox will take \u201ca meaningful step forward.\u201d But everyone has a different definition of \u201cmeaningful,\u201d and he has stopped short of saying whether they could actually contend for an American League wild-card spot.<\/p>\n It\u2019s still a young team and coming off an American League-worst 102-loss season, but the players feel as though the momentum of the second half will carry over.<\/p>\n \u201cI think guys are excited,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI think we might downplay it a little here because it\u2019s hard to put that into a feeling or words. But once we get out to spring training, once we start winning games, that\u2019s when that feeling of momentum might start coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n Spring training begins Feb. 10 in Glendale, Ariz., and opening day is March 26 in Milwaukee. The Sox normally don\u2019t start drawing much until the weather warms, and last year drew a little more than 1.4 million fans, the fourth-worst in baseball and ahead of only the Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays and Athletics. The Rays and Athletics both played in minor-league stadiums.<\/p>\n This team is full of likeable players who don\u2019t give off an aura of entitlement, unlike recent Sox players like Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly and Yasmani Grandal. With the trade of Luis Robert Jr.<\/a> to the New York Mets, there is no \u201cface of the franchise\u201d type of player, though Montgomery and Murekami will get an opportunity to fill the void.<\/p>\n Marketing the 2026 White Sox won\u2019t be easy, but if they start winning the marketing should happen organically.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest, White Sox fans, I don\u2019t think they like marketing anyways,\u201d starter Davis Martin told me. \u201cI think they just want us to go out there and be gritty, be a baseball team that plays all nine innings for 162 games.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what we want to be. We\u2019re not marketing ourselves as anybody. We\u2019re going to be ourselves and try to win games and play nine innings as hard as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith agreed, saying Sox fans don\u2019t need to be told to get excited about the coming season.<\/p>\n \u201cNot from the people I\u2019ve spoken to,\u201d he said. \u201cThey feel it\u2019s coming as much as we do, so I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to take much convincing. People love to see wins. There\u2019s only so many things you can say without wins. That\u2019s what we want.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"White](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/CTC-L-soxfest028.jpg\")
White Sox general manager Chris Getz, left, and manager Will Venable have a laugh on stage during SoxFest Live at the Ramova Theatre on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Bridgeport. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"White](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/CTC-L-soxfest022.jpg\")
White Sox fans have some fun in the crowd during SoxFest Live at the Ramova Theatre on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Bridgeport. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n