For the fourth straight year, the Chicago White Sox finished another regular season with an under-.500 record. Should the team start to rebuild or attempt to retool and make another run at the postseason?
In the first big development of their offseason, the Chicago White Sox have switched managers from Robin Ventura to bench coach Rick Renteria. Ventura had managed the team for the past five years, but often faced criticism of fans and media alike as he never reached the postseason and had led the White Sox to only one winning season during his tenure.
Perhaps fans are unsure about the switch because President Kenny Williams and General Manager Rick Hahn have decided to stay in-house instead of bringing a fresh set of eyes into the organization.
However, this move doesn’t overtly signal how the White Sox are going to approach this offseason. The front office could certainly feel that a couple of moves may make them a contender again. But there is also a feeling that a rebuild is needed to replenish the organization’s farm system that sat near the bottom of Baseball America’s organizational talent rankings.
It’s already been a few seasons since the White Sox played competitive baseball in September so choosing to tear everything down may not sit well with fans looking to get back to the postseason in short order. The White Sox aren’t completely barren in terms of talent, but team management is going to have to make a concerted effort to get better this offseason if they hope to make the playoffs next season.