There were panels, pop-a-shots, and drinks via Mark Buehrle over the weekend during Soxfest Live at the Ramova Theatre.
Fans lined up for photos and autographs with Chicago White Sox players. He also asked front-office personnel about the direction of the organization after a modern major-league record 121 losses in 2024 during a lively “State of the Sox” segment on Saturday.
The event included a look at the 2005 World Series Championship club, an announcement about the Buehrle statue coming to Rhett Field later this year, and a look at the 2025 season. Pitchers and catchers will 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 focuses on spring opportunities.
Colson Montgomery showed he still has the shooting touch from his basketball days at Southridge High School in Indiana by outpointing pitcher Jonathan Cannon in the championship round of a Pop-A-Shot tournament on Saturday.
The shortstop aims to help the Sox in 2025 as he competes for a spot on the 26-man roster this spring.
“I’m really excited — I’ve always said, you always want the opportunity,” Montgomery said Friday. “So if you have an opportunity, all you have to do is go out there and get it.
“It’s really nice.”
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 RBI in 130 games for Triple-A Charlotte last season. He batted on a strong note for the Knights, hitting .264 with four home runs and 13 RBIs in 19 September games and then going 10-32 (.313) with three home runs, 11 RBIs and a 1.167 OPS in 11 games. Reached the score of. 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 physical changes to cover some pitches and get back to the player we saw in the minor leagues,” general manager Chris Getz said Thursday at Rhett Field. “He’s going to get his chance to break into the club.”
Gaetz noted that the Sox have several options at the situation.
“(Prospect) Chase Meadroth’s got a history at shortstop,” Gaetz said. “(Free-agent signing) Josh Rojas has got some history at shortstop. (Brooks) Baldwin is another one. We have a fair amount of versatility, for good reason. I think we’re all looking forward to seeing Colson in action here over the next few weeks.”
2. Pitcher Martin Perez is taking a leadership role.
Martin Pérez faced the Sox last September, limiting him to one run and two hits in 5 1/3 innings.
The left-hander earned the win for the San Diego Padres and the Sox’s 119th on the season.
The Sox lost that three-game weekend series at Petco Park, but Pérez saw the effort on display. He kept that in mind when signing with the Sox, a move finalized Tuesday.
“We can see how much talent he has,” Perez said in a video conference call Friday. “It was a tough season for him last year. Whatever happened is in the past, it’s a new year and I’m going to help 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 that includes a mutual option for 2026. Under the terms of the contract, he will receive $3.5 million in 2025, with a mutual option of $10 million or $1.5 million for 2026. buyout.
“He’s a guy who has such a strong reputation throughout our game as a professional guy who takes the ball,” Gaetz said. “And we have so many young arms in our organization at this time, it’s very comforting to bring in Martín Pérez for a number of different reasons, both to see the young players go to work and also to provide productive innings for us. Certainly, that’s the hope. That was the thought process behind signing Martin.”
Pérez, 33, 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), are accepting leadership opportunities.
“I have confidence in that team,” Perez said. “I know I have a job to do, as a veteran I love doing that, I love helping people, teaching them the process. Because I think everything in baseball 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 invitation to spring training.
The right-hander has a 3.10 ERA, 253 strikeouts and 98 walks in 174 career relief outings over the course of five seasons with Cleveland (2019-2023). The Guardians placed Karinchak on the 60-day injured list last March due to right shoulder inflammation and he has not participated 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 non-roster invitees to spring training camp, including top pitching prospects Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith.