![\"White](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ctc-l-white-sox-dodgers-0614-32.jpg\")
White Sox manager Will Venable watches from the dugout during a game against the Dodgers on June 14, 2026, at Rate Field. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
Venable questioned himself over whether \u201cwe dropped Huddy in the right place or not,\u201d though he eventually concluded \u201cwe had the right guys\u201d in the right spots. There were no errors or glaring misplays to point to \u2014 it was just a very bad inning.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs someone that kind of likes to look for a reason why things don\u2019t go well, (Friday) night there wasn\u2019t anything that really stood out,\u201d he said. \u201cSo a little harder to turn the page.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sox returned Saturday with their most consistent starter on the mound in Sean Burke and a chance to even the series. They were still in first place in the American League Central, still one of the best stories in baseball and still playing well overall.<\/p>\n
But there are still concerns about the Sox\u2019s staying power with a young team full of players who haven\u2019t gone through a major-league pennant race before, a rotation that has only one dominant starter of late in Burke and two run-producers in Munetaka Murakami and Colson Montgomery who\u2019ve been struggling in July.<\/p>\n
Fangraphs\u2019 playoff projection<\/a> Saturday morning gave the Sox the third-best chance to win the AL Central, even as they were 1\u00bd games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians and 5 games ahead of the Detroit Tigers. After the Tigers lost to the Kansas City Royals, it was the Guardians on top with a 41.4% chance, the Sox second at 25.7% and the Tigers third at 21.1%.<\/p>\n General manager Chris Getz probably won\u2019t be taking Fangraphs\u2019 projections into consideration when he decides what direction he wants to take at the trading deadline. All indications are he\u2019s going to make additions, but there is a school of thought that Getz will avoid dealing any top prospects such as Caleb Bonemer, Billy Carlson or Hagen Smith for a quick fix in the rotation or bullpen, taking a big-picture approach instead.<\/p>\n It was only two years ago at this point of the season that the Sox were on their way to being the worst team in baseball history with a manager waiting to be fired in Pedro Grifol. After building a contender in less than two years, does it make sense to go all-in at the trade deadline and potentially lose some of your top prospects for a a long-shot bid for a long October run?<\/p>\n Getz might even be better off seeing what he can get for relievers Sean Newcomb and Jordan Hicks. When he signed Newcomb and acquired Hicks, the thought was both would likely be available at the trade deadline if they were succeeding and the Sox were well back in the standings, as expected.<\/p>\n No one could\u2019ve predicted the Sox would be in first place in late July or that the bullpen would be their biggest strength. Everyone will be looking for leverage guys in the next nine days, and both Newcomb and Hicks have pitched well enough of late to be valuable chips.<\/p>\n There\u2019s an obvious downside, of course, if the Sox bullpen couldn\u2019t pick up the slack after losing one or both veteran relievers and the team fell out of contention. Getz would be vilified by some, and it could spoil all the goodwill he has built up this season \u2014 he\u2019s seen as a front-runner for MLB Executive of the Year.<\/p>\n Losing a game that was seemingly in the bag \u2014 like Friday night \u2014 was tough on Venable but no doubt gut-wrenching for Getz as well. He\u2019s facing pressure at the deadline for the first time as GM after being a seller in 2024 and \u201925. Does he get a frontline starter to add to Burke and Davis Martin,\u00a0a catcher to fill the void of the injured Kyle Teel,<\/a> another outfielder or a right-handed-hitting DH?<\/p>\n When I asked Getz in spring training if Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf would shell out at the deadline,<\/a> he replied: \u201cOh, I don\u2019t doubt that. Let\u2019s put ourselves in that position first.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sox are in that position now, so let\u2019s see whether Reinsdorf will make his GM look prescient. History tells us the Sox have seldom made a huge splash at the deadline, except when they\u2019re dumping players, such as the infamous White Flag Trade of 1997. <\/a><\/p>\n![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785029783_706_CTC-L-sox-athletics029.jpg\")
White Sox reliever Sean Newcomb high-fives teammates in the dugout during a game against the Athletics on July 11, 2026, at Rate Field. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n