Chicago White Sox

On February 19, the Chicago White Sox will officially begin preparations for the 2015 campaign with the start of spring training. It marks the beginning of what the fanbase hopes will be a season that ends with an American League Central title.

Unlike seasons past, however, there is legitimate optimism surrounding the White Sox. General manager Rick Hahn made an extraordinary amount of progress this offseason, acquiring multiple players to fill just about every hole on the roster.

With seven new high-profile additions, the Chicago White Sox will lift the lid on the 2015 season with a 25-man roster that is dramatically different than the one that opened last year’s campaign.

Because of the stark differences between the two rosters, expectations on the South Side are quite lofty. That leads to a natural question: Which players are the most important for success this season?

The Chicago White Sox may not have many big names on the farm beyond Carlos Rodon and Tim Anderson, the team’s first-round draft picks from the last two years, respectively, but they’ve quietly developed a deep system featuring a combination of high-probability and high-ceiling prospects.

Just four years after World War II ended and two years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, Minnie Minoso made his major league debut with the Cleveland Indians.

Batman and Robin, Han and Chewie, Butch and Sundance and...Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija. Do those last two names belong?

The Chicago White Sox certainly hope so.

After being acquired by the Oakland Athletics last July, Jeff Samardzija is once again on the move. Oakland has reportedly dealt the right-hander to the Chicago White Sox. The Athletics announced the move on Tuesday:

SAN DIEGO — You looked at the foundation pieces of the Chicago White Sox. You watched as ace Chris Sale finished third in American League Cy Young voting. You watched as Jose Abreu was chosen as the unanimous Rookie of the Year and finished fourth in AL MVP voting.

This is a team, you thought, that is not far away.

As Monday night bled into Tuesday morning, it became apparent the White Sox are thinking the exact same thing.

If it wasn't clear after the additions of Zach Duke and Adam LaRoche, it's definitely clear after the latest addition:

The Chicago White Sox are going for it in 2015.

If there were any doubt the Chicago White Sox intend to put a winning product on the field in 2015, the Adam LaRoche signing erased it.

Veteran left-handed pitcher Zach Duke has bounced around the majors over the last several seasons, but he has reportedly signed a multi-year deal with the Chicago White Sox, according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports: