Two Former White Sox in the World Series Issue a Painful Reminder of Chicago's Mistakes

The Dodgers and Blue Jays will battle for the 2025 World Series crown. For White Sox fans, two familiar names will be there — both reminders of Chicago’s constant struggle to recognize its own talent before it’s too late.

It’s a surprise to nobody that the Los Angeles Dodgers are back in the World Series — their fifth appearance in the last nine years — and looking to go back-to-back as champions.

If they pull it off, they’d be the first repeat winner since the Yankees’ three-peat from 1998–2000. But standing in their way is a team few expected to still be playing baseball in late October: the Toronto Blue Jays.

At the start of the Division Series, Toronto had the longest odds of any playoff team to win it all. Yet here they are, AL champions for the first time since 1993 — the same year they ended the White Sox’s season in the ALCS.

Sox fans remember that heartbreak all too well. And still, most on the South Side will probably find themselves pulling for the Blue Jays this time around.

With the number of former White Sox players floating around October baseball, you’d think at least a few would have found their way into the Fall Classic.

Andrew Vaughn and José Quintana in Milwaukee. Carlos Rodón, Garrett Crochet, and Dylan Cease pitching big playoff innings. The Cubs even had a few ex-Sox names — Reese McGuire, Aaron Civale, Michael Soroka, and Brad Keller.

But with the Dodgers and Blue Jays meeting for the title, only two players with White Sox ties will take part. And one of them never even made it to the majors in Chicago — so does that really count?

Still, the presence of Chris Bassitt and Alex Call on World Series rosters represents years of internal scouting failure by the White Sox front office.

Chris Bassitt was a 16th-round pick by the White Sox in the 2011 MLB Draft out of the University of Akron. He rose quickly through the system, showing the makings of a steady rotation piece.

Bassitt made his big-league debut on August 30, 2014, at age 25, and pitched well — a 3.94 ERA across six appearances and 29.2 innings. Not a bad start to his career.

Then came a classic White Sox misfire. That offseason, Chicago shipped Bassitt, shortstop Marcus Semien, catcher Josh Phegley, and first baseman Rangel Ravelo to Oakland for Jeff Samardzija and Michael Ynoa.

It’s a deal that deserves more infamy than it gets. Everyone talks about the Fernando Tatís Jr. trade, but the 2015 “win-now” push that sent Semien and Bassitt to the A’s belongs in the same hall of shame.

Semien has since launched 250-plus homers, notched 1,600 hits, won a Gold Glove, made three All-Star teams, and finished top-three in AL MVP voting three times. He’s had three seasons with a WAR north of 7.0.

Bassitt, meanwhile, has quietly built a rock-solid career: more than 1,200 innings, over 200 starts, and a 3.58 ERA since 2018 while going 81–54.

The White Sox gave that up for one year of Jeff Samardzija.

Bassitt made two appearances for Toronto in the ALCS, both out of the bullpen, including a scoreless eighth inning in Game 7 against Seattle. He’ll likely stay in that emergency relief role during the World Series.

The other former Sox in this year’s Fall Classic is outfielder Alex Call — though you’d be forgiven if you barely remember the name.

Chicago drafted Call in the third round of the 2016 MLB Draft out of Ball State, and by 2017 he was the organization’s No. 14 prospect. After a down year, he bounced back in 2018 with a .760 OPS between Winston-Salem and Birmingham.

That offseason, the White Sox traded him to Cleveland for first baseman Yonder Alonso — another half-baked “win-now” move that fell apart almost immediately.

Call eventually worked his way to the majors, debuting for Cleveland in 2022 before being designated for assignment and landing in Washington. By 2025, he had become a reliable bench outfielder with solid defense and sneaky pop — a career 101 OPS+ and an .800 OPS over his last 140 games.

Desperate for outfield depth, the Dodgers traded for Call at this year’s deadline, and he quietly produced down the stretch. In limited postseason action, he’s been red-hot — three hits in four pinch-hit at-bats, two walks, and a staggering .857 on-base percentage. Expect him to be a weapon off the bench for Dave Roberts in the World Series.

Bassitt and Call don’t carry the name recognition of Rodón, Cease, or Vaughn, but seeing their success still stings.

They’re reminders of how the White Sox have whiffed for years on internal evaluation. Other clubs end up developing Chicago’s draft picks into productive big leaguers, while the Sox continue to chase shortcuts to mediocrity.

When the World Series starts, no matter who you’re rooting for, Sox fans will see traces of their team’s past on the field — and feel that familiar sting of what could’ve been.