How the rebuild stalled: A play in 10 acts

Despite trading premium talent for star prospects back in 2016-17, Chicago’s contention window is closing mighty quickly. After two playoff appearances (and two early playoff losses) in 2020 and 2021, the South Siders were one of baseball’s most disappointing teams in 2022. Incredibly, they are far worse in 2023.

How did we get here? Let’s pinpoint 10 significant moments that have led the team to this position.

2018 season

After a respectable first season of the rebuild, the White Sox suffered a setback in 2018, when they went 62-100. Sure, the major league team’s record was not that important at that point, as nobody expected the White Sox to contend in 2018. However, there were some causes…