PREAMBLE
A $90M budget is not for contention, so if this is the constraint, will use 2026 to evaluate the system and play the young position players. Will be more conservative with the three key pitchers (stretching out Taylor, plus Smith and Schultz) not promoting them unless they are clearly dominating AAA with nothing left to prove.
COACHING STAFF
- Hitting coach: Donnie Ecker (assuming Venable guy)
- Pitching coach: Ethan Katz (He would've stayed if I was GM)
Not a big Sizemore Guy, glad he’s no longer in the dugout.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
- Mike Tauchman: Non-tender
- Steven Wilson: Tender
- Derek Hill: Non-tender
OK with $1M MiLB deal for Hill to permit flexibility.
CLUB OPTIONS
- Luis Robert Jr.: Exercise $10 million contract
- Martín Perez: Buy out for $1.5 million
Would like to keep Robert Jr. beyond 2027 if he can play well. Not looking to flip.
FREE AGENTS
Going with the $30M budget, with remaining Rule 5 / waiver pickups at or slightly above the MLB minimum.
$22M AAV Tatsuya Imai (Athletic contract estimate $154 million / 7 years) - He’s a young (27) durable RHP with good velocity. Sox make a splash into the Japanese market, hopefully pays off for a long time on the South Side both on field and recruiting future players. A projected #3 MLB starter.
$6M (Spotrac estimate $5.8M) Devin Williams (31 RHP) - Think he will sign higher or for 2 years or mutual option plus opt out) & higher to come here. Less pressure to close than NYC, gives him a chance to bounce back and establish closer bonafides, allows Taylor to stretch out in Charlotte to become the SP the Sox need him to be to extract max value.
$2M / 1yr Jose Siri (30 RHH) Solid defender coming off injury with offensive upside if healthy. Sox need due deligence in terms of medical and a physical, but this assumes healthy.
TRADES
I don’t follow other teams closely enough to know fair value or solid prospect returns. Would be for trading Grant Taylor for a good young OF if the Sox are dead set at him staying in the bullpen. Would keep both Teel and Quero.
SUMMARY
Keep and accumulate as much young talent as possible. Keep Robert Jr. if playing well into 2027 unless you get a really good offer.
Get Ramos (3B) and Baldwin (Corners) at bats and time in the corners, perhaps Teel too for at bats and future roster flexibility. 2026 is the year to experiment. Can Teel handle LF. Can Ramos and Baldwin handle grass and have a MLB bat?
Let the younger pitchers develop in Charlotte, promote if clearly ready, not to “win now” in another low payroll tanking season. No bunting or aggressive but dumb base running. Less platooning.
Hoping they get a solid SP, RP or OFer in Rule 5.
Catcher: Teel (82 Starts), Quero (80).
First Base: Sosa (100), Mead (40), Vargas (22).
Second Base: Meidroth (100), Mead (47), Sosa (15).
Shortstop: Montgomery (135), Meidroth (27).
Third Base: Vargas (110), Ramos (40), Mead (12).|
Left Field: Baldwin (80), Benintendi (55), Teel (27).
Center Field: Robert Jr. (120), FA Jose Siri (42).
Right Field: FA Lane Thomas (72), Siri (60), Ramos (27).
Designated Hitter: Benintendi Primary, Quero secondary, others periodic for test for load management.
White Sox Starters: 1. S. Smith, 2. FA Tatsuya Imai, 3. S. Burke, 4. D. Martin, 5. Y. Gomez.
Bullpen: They will probably grab a third lefty & keep only one swing pitcher, but less worried about platoon and more getting the staff through games without too many Charlotte Shuttles. Let the guys develop, work on things with the top pitching coaches.
Closer FA Devin Williams
Set up: J. Leasure & B. Eisert
Lower Leverage: B. Hudson, W. Gonzalez, S. Wilson
Bulk/Swing/SP fill ins: M. Vasil & J. Cannon.
Charlotte Starters: McDougal, Schultz, Schweitzer, Smith, Taylor. Second Half: Bush & Thorpe.
