White Sox Biggest Flaw Has Been Exposed

It was no secret heading into this season that the bullpen would be a significant weakness for the 2025 White Sox. And if their performances thus far are any indication, the doubters were right. The collection of bullpen misfits blew another game in Detroit today, marking the second time in just nine games that the bullpen lost a game the team had a good chance of winning.

Another White Sox Bullpen Meltdown

Martín Perez pitched 6.1 strong innings ball this afternoon, allowing just one run. Several relievers followed him, and while it wasn't pretty, the White Sox kept the lead heading into the ninth. 

It went all downhill from there. Fraser Ellard was called upon to lock things down in the bottom of the ninth, but things quickly spiraled out of control. He allowed a hit and two walks while only recording one out before being pulled. Jordan Leasure replaced him but was not any better. He immediately walked the first batter he faced and then gave up the game-winning hit to Spencer Torkelson. Today's meltdown is coming off the heels of another bullpen earlier this week when Penn Murfee spiraled out of control, blowing a late-game lead while ruining Shane Smith's MLB debut in the process. It is a small sample, but the bullpen's flaws are already very evident.

Longstanding Problem

The White Sox bullpen issues are not new. They were also one of the worst units last season and a significant reason the team lost 121 games. Their collective 4.73 ERA ranked 28th in MLB, and their 21 saves and 36 save% were the worst in baseball by a wide margin. They also blew by far the most saves. It takes a wide variety of things to go wrong for a team to lose 121 games in a season, but the bullpen was one of the main culprits.

Minimal Offseason Improvements

This past offseason saw little action in meaningfully improving the relief corps. Instead of adding proven relievers with MLB track records, Vice President and General Manager Chris Getz brought in reclamation projects and unknowns to compete for bullpen spots in spring training. The result is a hodgepodge of relievers with minimal MLB experience and undefined roles in the late innings. Manager Will Venable said in spring training that he didn't envision declaring a full-time closer at any point during the season, an indictment of the construction of the current bullpen. 

Potential Bullpen Reinforcements

If there is one silver lining in this situation, some interesting relievers at the minor league levels could force their way into the equation soon. 26-year-old right-hander Adisyn Coffey has a 3.38 ERA in four AAA relief appearances, striking out 11 batters in 5.1 innings. 24-year-old right-hander Eric Adler also has two scoreless AAA appearances, and 30-year-old Steven Wilson has pitched three scoreless innings in AAA, striking out seven. At the AA level, 24-year-old right-handers Andrew Dalquist and Peyton Pallette have each thrown a scoreless outing to start the season and could debut in Chicago later this season.

The White Sox bullpen will be an issue all season long. Bobby Jenks or Liam Hendriks will not walk through the door to save them. Will Venable has a tough task trying to win games with a patchwork bullpen unit. He will have to mix and match to find solutions until viable relief options emerge or the organization spends on proven relievers from the outside.