There were panels, pop-a-shot and a round of drinks via Mark Buehrle over the weekend during SoxFest Live at Ramova Theatre.
Fans lined up for photos and autographs with Chicago White Sox players. They also asked front-office personnel about the direction of the organization in the aftermath of a modern-day major-league record 121 losses in 2024 during a lively “State of the Sox” segment Saturday.
The event included a look back to the 2005 World Series championship club, an announcement about a Buehrle statue coming to Rate Field later this year and a look ahead to the 2025 season. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training camp in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 12, with the first full-squad workout on Feb. 17.
Here are three more takeaways from the weekend.
1. Colson Montgomery is focused on spring opportunities.
Colson Montgomery showed that he still had the shooting touch from his basketball days at Southridge High School in Indiana, topping pitcher Jonathan Cannon in the championship round of a pop-a-shot tournament on Saturday.
The shortstop aims to assist the Sox in 2025 as he competes this spring for a spot on the 26-man roster.
“I’m really excited — I’ve always said, you always want opportunities,” Montgomery said Friday. “So if you have some opportunity, the only thing you’ve got to do is go out there and take it.
“It’s really cool.”
Montgomery, 22, is rated the No. 4 prospect in the Sox system according to MLB.com. The 2021 first-round draft pick slashed .214/.329/.381 with 18 home runs and 63 RBIs in 130 games for Triple-A Charlotte last season. He finished on a strong note, batting .264 with four home runs and 13 RBIs in 19 September games for the Knights and then went 10-for-32 (.313) with three home runs, 11 RBIs and a 1.167 OPS in 11 games with the Glendale Desert Dogs during the Arizona Fall League.
The Sox added him to the 40-man roster in November.
“What he did in August and September (with Charlotte) and (in) the (Arizona) Fall League, he made some real material changes to cover certain pitches and getting back to the player that we had seen throughout the minor leagues,” general manager Chris Getz said on Thursday at Rate Field. “He’s going to get a shot to make the club.”
Getz noted that the Sox have several options at the position.
“(Prospect) Chase Meidroth has got a history at shortstop,” Getz said. “(Free-agent signing) Josh Rojas has got some history at shortstop. (Brooks) Baldwin is another one. We’ve got a fair amount of versatility for good reason. I think we’re all looking forward to watching Colson get to work here in a couple weeks.”
2. Pitcher Martín Pérez is embracing a leadership role.
Martín Pérez faced the Sox last September, limiting them to one run and two hits in 5 1/3 innings.
The left-hander earned the victory for the San Diego Padres while handing the Sox loss No. 119 on the season.
The Sox were swept in that three-game weekend series at Petco Park, but Pérez noticed the effort on display. He kept that in mind when signing with the Sox, a move that was finalized Tuesday.
“We can see the talent they have,” Pérez said in a video conference call on Friday. “It was a rough season for them last year. What happened is in the past, it’s a new year and I’m going to help the guys in spring training and I’m going to do my job, too.”
Pérez and the Sox agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal, which includes a mutual option for 2026. Under the terms of the contract, he will receive $3.5 million in 2025, with a $10 million mutual option for 2026 or a $1.5 million buyout.
“He’s a guy that has such a strong reputation throughout our game of someone that’s professional, takes the ball,” Getz said. “And with so many young arms that are in our organization right now, it’s just comforting to bring in a Martín Pérez for a lot of different reasons both for younger players to watch him go to work but also provide productive innings for us. Certainly, that’s the hope. That was the thought process behind signing Martín.”
The 33-year-old Pérez, who has a 90-87 career record with a 4.44 ERA and 1,109 strikeouts in 314 games (269 starts) over 13 seasons in the major leagues with the Texas Rangers (2012-18, ’22-23), Minnesota Twins (2019), Boston Red Sox (2020-21), Pittsburgh Pirates (2024) and Padres (2024), is embracing the leadership opportunity.
“I believe in that team,” Pérez said. “I know I have a job to do, I like to do that as a veteran, I like to help guys, teach them the process. Because I think in baseball, everything is a process.”
3. Roster moves continued for the club.
The Sox agreed to terms with pitcher James Karinchak on a minor-league contract on Saturday, which includes a non-roster invite to spring training.
The right-hander has a 3.10 ERA, 253 strikeouts and 98 walks in 174 career relief outings during five seasons with Cleveland (2019-2023). The Guardians placed Karinchak on the 60-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation last March and he did not pitch in the majors in 2024. Karinchak, 29, had a 2.70 ERA in seven September appearances for Triple-A Columbus during a rehab assignment.
The Sox will have 25 nonroster invitees at spring training camp, including top pitching prospects Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith.
