Just two years removed from a 93-win season, the Chicago White Sox struggled in 2022 due to injuries. Still, they entered the 2023 MLB season with the expectation of challenging for the AL Central title.

Instead, the Sox currently sit at 12-24—the third-worst record in baseball—with signs of discontent already beginning to show.

The White Sox built a strong contender over the last few seasons, signing the likes of Liam Hendriks, Dallas Keuchel and Yasmani Grandal to a home-grown core of Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson, Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez. On paper, that group seemed like a World Series contender. But Keuchel and Grandal never found their previous form, while Anderson, Robert Jimenez played just 504 of 972 possible games across the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

This year, the bottom dropped out for Chicago. The White Sox have the second-worst team ERA, trailing only the lowly Oakland Athletics. During their seven-game losing streak in April, the Sox’ average margin of defeat was 5.7 runs per game.

As if its labors were not bad enough, Chicago is also in the unenviable position of having the 26th-ranked farm system, leaving little hope for the next few seasons.

The month of May seems a bit early to throw in the proverbial towel, but at this point of the season, the White Sox have more ability to negotiate a trade on their terms without dealing with the frenzy of the trade deadline.