The Chicago White Sox are on track to have one of the worst seasons in modern MLB history. At least they’re showing some self-awareness along the way.
The embattled club announced on Wednesday that it will reduce season ticket prices for the 2025 campaign by an average of 10%, According to the Associated PressHere’s how Senior Vice President Brooks Boyer explained the perspective behind the decision:
“We understand where all the ticket prices are, whether it’s season ticket prices or secondary market prices,” said Boyer, the team’s chief revenue and marketing officer. “After looking at that and understanding where we are organizationally, we thought it was important that this is something we do for our season ticket holders, who have been very loyal to us.”
It’s rare for teams to cut ticket prices, but even rarer is the kind of performance the White Sox have shown this season. The team fell to a 29-93 record after Wednesday night’s home loss to the New York Yankees, which dropped their winning percentage to .238.
Not only is that the worst record in MLB, but it’s on pace to hit the worst winning percentage the league has seen in more than a century. Only the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics, with a 36-117 record (.235), have posted a worse winning percentage than Chicago’s in the modern era (since 1900). The worst record in any section of the history books remains the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, at 20-134 (.130).
The White Sox are also on pace to finish with a 39-123 record, which would break the 1962 New York Mets’ record for most losses in MLB history. The Mets finished with a 40-120 record in their inaugural season.
The White Sox have had no shortage of unpleasantries this season, from a record-tying 21-game losing streak to the firing of manager Pedro Grifol. Plus, the team is likely to be worse off down the stretch after selling at the trade deadline.
There is little reason to expect the 2025 season to be much better, barring a transformative offseason, so the team is hoping a price cut will help stimulate demand.