White Sox expected to be horrific again in 2025

The 2024 MLB season was a tough one for the Chicago White Sox. This is a club that has won three championships, mind you, but the White Sox were the lowest of low last season.

They went 41-121, which means they notched the most losses in MLB history. 

That's bad.

The good news for 2025 is that oddsmakers do expect the Sox to be better this season. The bad news? They're not expected to be much better.

The White Sox' over/under for regular season victories in 2025 is 53.5 via ESPN Bet. According to David Purdum of ESPN, that's the lowest win total set by a sportsbook in over 35 seasons, though notably, it is over 12 games better than Chicago was last season.

The reason for the improvement is simple. Can one team really be that bad two seasons in a row?

"It's really hard to have two historically bad seasons in a row," oddsmaker Randy Blum told ESPN. "Don't get me wrong, though, there's nothing to love about the White Sox this year."

The old saying in baseball is that "hope springs eternal" in the spring, but it seems as if the odds are suggesting that the White Sox are cooked before they even get started.

There is reason to expect that things won't be all that better, too. Starting pitcher Garrett Crochet was traded to the Boston Red Sox for prospects over the winter. He struck out 209 batters compared to just 33 walks in 146 innings last season for the woeful White Sox and was one of their only bright spots on the season. Now his socks will be red.

Andrew Vaughn is a solid player as is Andrew Benintendi and Luis Robert Jr., but three notable players do not a good team make. 

So yes, perhaps there will be improvement for the White Sox, but there won't be much unless there are several key surprises on the roster.

For comparison's sake, the team projected to win the second-fewest games in 2025 is the Colorado Rockies with an over/under of 59.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers have an over/under set at 103.5.