Although spring training for Major League Baseball has just begun, the Chicago White Sox have already been officially eliminated from the 2025 American League playoff race.

While spring training is a time of hope and renewal for teams looking ahead to the start of the regular season, there is little hope for the White Sox, who finished with a record of 41-121 in 2024.   

“Quite honestly, there is no hope,” said new manager Will Venable.  “On the bright side, the team won the last two games of the regular season last year.  On the downside, we aren’t any better.  While most teams are optimistic about the upcoming season, we aren’t.  Our goal is to not be awful for the entire season.  And we certainly don’t want to give our fans, both of them, any hope that we’ll be any good.  If we do that they will soon realize we’re terrible and they’ll just get mad at us.”

It is rare that a team is mathematically eliminated from playoff contention a few weeks before the regular season even gets underway.  Baseball historians have been unable to find any other instance of that.

Baseball writer Jeek Formica said, “Even the ’62 Mets weren’t officially eliminated from the pennant race until the third week of the season.  But, at least they weren’t on TV every day.  We are in uncharted territory here with this lousy White Sox team.  The good news is that many baseball experts predict the White Sox would finish as high as fifth place if they played in the Pacific Coast League.”

Team officials confirmed they lobbied to be moved to the PCL for the 2025 season but were turned down as the league wanted a higher caliber of team.