The Chicago White Sox had a wildly successful season, even if it didn't end that way. General manager Chris Getz has built a great young roster with the potential to be a World Series contender in the very near future.
However, their series loss in the divisional round to the Cleveland Guardians showed a few weaknesses that need to be addressed in the offseason.
The Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers have been run extremely well for years. Now, one of them will get the opportunity to win its first championship. During their respective runs, baseball fans can see how well-built these two organizations are from the bottom to the top.
Despite all that Getz has done for this organization, there are still some lessons the young GM can learn from the Brewers and Rays.
Pitching Depth is Paramount
The Brewers and Rays have two of the best pitching staffs in baseball. And it's not just their starting staffs! The two teams have elite bullpens as well.
To be sure, the White Sox have a solid bullpen and a good ace in Sean Burke. However, they lack starting rotation depth. This is what many expect to be the main focus in the offseason.
The Brewers had a 3.22 bullpen ERA, the second-best in 2026. This was no accident. Despite trading pitchers like Josh Hader, Devin Williams, and Freddy Peralta over the years, the Brewers have gotten the best out of their young arms. Their rotation, led by Jacob Misiorowski, Logan Henderson, and others, along with their bullpen, was the main reason they were able to sweep the juggernaut Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.
As for Tampa Bay, they assembled an elite rotation featuring Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez, Freddy Peralta, and others. Bryan Baker led the American League in saves to bolster a bullpen that has a lot of breakout names.
You can't win in the playoffs without starting rotation depth, and Chicago showed that. Add a couple of impact starters, however, and this team will be in a different stratosphere than it was in 2026.
Contact Hitting is a Must
The White Sox led the American League in runs during the regular season, but it didn't carry over into the postseason. The White Sox relied heavily on their power bats (Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery, etc.) to carry the load. In the playoffs, you can't rely on the long ball to score runs. This was apparent when the White Sox struck out 75 times in a five-game series against the Cleveland Guardians. The White Sox need to figure out a way to scratch runs across by contact.
They already have a solid foundation with Sam Antonacci, Chase Meidroth, and Tristan Peters. However, they need some of their hitters to be more selfless with runners on base.
The Rays and Brewers exemplify this trait. Both teams were near the bottom in home runs during the regular season. However, both teams were near the top in runs scored. While the Rays' third baseman Junior Caminero hit 42 home runs, the next closest total was 22 (Jonathan Aranda and Yandy Díaz). As for Milwaukee, Jake Bauers led the team with 26 home runs. Only two of his teammates had more than 20 home runs.
How do teams like that make the World Series? You take the sacrifice flies and RBI groundouts, you get more aggressive on the basepaths and strike out less. This isn't to say that the White Sox need to abandon the home run, but they also need to be much better with runners in scoring position. If they can do this, Chicago's offense will be unstoppable.
Either way, this should be a great World Series to watch between two of the most fundamentally sound teams in baseball. The White Sox can get there, but they need to abide by these lessons.
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