As SoxFest returns, players excited to build off second-half momentum from 2025
SoxFest is back at the Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport, just a few blocks west of Rate Field. Depsite coming off a third straight 100-loss season, there is some excitement building for the White Sox, with a young core that helped them improve by 19 wins last year.
It's also been an active offseason for general manager Chris Getz and the front office, bringing in some key veterans, like reliever Seranthony Dominguez, Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, lefty pitcher Anthony Kay, and other players that Getz feel have upside.
"The players that we've acquired were targets, but it was a pool of targets. It was more our process led to those players, and we feel really good, because we've got players that have some real upside. It's going to be interesting to see how Anthony Kay comes over from Japan. It's going to be interesting to see how Murakami performs over here," Getz said. "We just see the upside in it, with limited risk and downside. Where we are as an organization, we felt like that was the best way to go about the offseason."
Kay, 30, spent the past two seasons pitching for the Yokohama Bay Stars in Japan, and he had a 1.74 ERA with 130 strikeouts and 41 walks over 155 innings in 2025.
Dominguez was one of the bigger offseason acquisitions, signed to a two-year $20 million dollar deal after the White Sox traded away center fielder Luis Robert. Dominguez was 4-4 with a 3.16 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 62.2 innings of relief last year for the Orioles and Blue Jays.
White Sox manager Will Venable wouldn't for sure if Dominguez will be the Sox closer, but did say he'll finish a lot of games.
Dominguez, besides his arm talent, brings playoff experience after pitching for the World Series runner-up Blue Jays last year.
Meantime, the returning core is hoping to build off their second-half momentum, in which they improved from a .337 winning percentage before the All-Star break to a .421 winning percentage after the break.
"It's extremely valuable. You know, especially for us to get a little bit of taste of success. You know, there's a point where we were playing the best ball in the big leagues. So it didn't satisfy us, it just made us a little more hungrier, and now we just want to be able to sustain it and keep doing it for a 162-game season," shortstop Colson Montgomery said.
Catcher Kyle Teel is ready to rock, and so is the rest of the Sox young core, which is taking its camaraderie and valuable experience into Spring Training next month.
"You felt it when you walked in the clubhouse every day, even before the games. Guys were excited to be there, and there's no reason it won't be like that this year," Teel said. "We've got a great group, a great culture, and we have a lot of talent."
Infielder Chase Meidroth said the whole team is excited to get back to Spring Training and get ready to start winning games in 2026.
Montgomery helped spark the Sox' strong second half last season, hitting 21 home runs in 71 games after making the jump from AAA in July. He's focused on having similar production through a full season.
Players attending SoxFest were excited to spend time with fans who have higher expectations for them during the two-day fan festival on Friday and Saturday.
As pitcher Davis Martin said, another 19-game improvement to get to 60 wins won't be enough, and there's still work to do.