PREAMBLE
The overall goals are similar to the goals for the Sox last year. Protect the farm system with some sort of major league team, so you do not rush any prospects, and field a professional team that can compete even if they are not winning a lot of games. I have ramped up the compete factor a little, and I sincerely believe this team would have an outside shot in this division. The Twins are taking a step back, and the Tigers, Guardians, and Royals were never actually that great. Let's see if we can bring some more fun to the Southside even if we all know winning the division is still a long shot.
COACHING STAFF
- Hitting coach: Whoever Ryan Fuller wants
- Pitching coach: Jim Henderson seems fine
I liked Katz, but am fine moving on too. Sometimes it is better to turn over a new leaf even if you have to remove some decent coaches.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
- Mike Tauchman: Tender
- Steven Wilson: Non-tender
- Derek Hill: Non-tender
Tauchman played great last year -- professional at bat and played hard in the field even with his legs going. He is worth every penny. Brooks Baldwin looked decent the last two months of 2025. My team will have some options to keep Tauchman rested.
CLUB OPTIONS
- Luis Robert Jr.: Exercise $20 million option
- Martín Perez: Buy out for $1.5 million
The Sox are picking up Robert Jr.'s option, and they should. He can still carry a team if he finds his swing and is a very good centerfielder. If anything close to 2023 Robert Jr. shows up in the first half of 2026, the Sox are going to have some big offers for him a the trade deadline too.
FREE AGENTS
No. 1: Mike Yastrzemski (2 years, $24 million). He has been a metronome of decent bat, fielding, and baserunning since 2019. Yaz was a late bloomer, and is just reaching free agency now at age 35, but I am willing to bet against huge regression and go for the two year deal. He controls the strike zone, does not strike out much, does not chase, and had decent exit velo in 2025. His swing decisions are what this organization seems to be looking for. Even with Braden Montgomery arriving probably sometime in 2026 or 2027, they will need competent outfielders. Yaz and Tauchman in the corners are nothing sexy, but they are competent on both sides of the ball. He does need a caddy for lefties so...
No. 2: Lane Thomas (1 years, $2.25 million). Thomas has a .500 slugging percentage against lefties for his career. The bottom seems to have fallen out with injuries and production last year, but if he proves he can be a platoon bat, which he should be able to, he will stay in MLB. The defense is nothing to write home about, but he is fine in a corner.
No. 3: Tyler Mahle (1 year, $7.5 million). I was surprised this was his salary range on Spotrac. He had some great years with the Reds and is still relatively young at 31. With health and some tinkering in the Bannister lab, he could be a valuable piece at the deadline.
No. 4: Dustin May (1 year, $5 million). Same for May. I think Bannister may even have more success here. Fedde has a similar sinker/sweeper/cutter pitch usage, and Bannister and Katz in 2024 helped Fedde not get too horizontal with his pitches. I think May is the type of player Bannister can unlock.
No. 5: Paul Sewald (1 year, $4 million). Sewald has closer experience. I know Venable is a closer by committee guy. Sewald would give him another arm in the bullpen who can close in addition to Grant Taylor and Jordan Leasure. He is a veteran presence. I would hope he can be a reliable arm in any role, and his reliability would help the rest of the bullpen sort itself out.
TRADES
No. 1: Trade Lenyn Sosa and Korey Lee to the Padres for Wandy Peralta, Tirso Ornelas, and Garrett Hawkins.
My commitment to Lenyn Sosa-ism has waned as I've aged. This might be a bad trade, and I don't even really know if I would want to do it. Sosa seems on the outs, however. I think Getz actually likes Mead and Ramos, and the infield is kind of crowded with those two on the team. So, I look around the league and see a Padres team that needs another infielder and a backup catcher, and they need them cheap. Sosa and Lee are both some sort of major league players, and both making league minimum next year. It gives them surplus value as a trade piece even if they do not have a ton of value. It also has a lot of value to the Padres, who will want to compete next year and need cheap patches at some areas to spend money elsewhere. Peralta gives them some salary relief too. I think Peralta is basically par value for a decent lefty reliever. So Ornelas and Hawkins are prospects I like to balance the trade out. I kind of thought of including one of the Padres many teenage prospects too. Let me know in the comments if you all think this is a fair trade or Padres or White Sox winner.
SUMMARY
The spreadsheet says the teams total payroll is $90,110,000.00, so I am basically on budget. Like I said, I think it protects the farm system and keeps the team decent for 2026. A couple good bounces, Teel and Colson looking as good as last year, and there are some meaningful games on the Southside.
Catcher: Teel/Quero
First base: Vargas/Mead
Second base: Chase Meidroth
Shortstop: Colson Montgomery
Third base: Vargas/Mead
Left field: Mike Tauchman
Center field: Luis Robert Jr.
Right field: Mike Yastrzemski
DH: Andrew Benintendi
Bench: Brooks Baldwin, Lane Thomas, Bryan Ramos, catcher
Starting Pitchers:
Shane Smith
Davis Martin
Tyler Mahle
Dustin May
Whoever of Gomez/Burke/Cannon looks best
Bullpen
Grant Taylor
Jordan Leasure
Wandy Peralta
Paul Sewald
Mike Vasil
Choose three of Booser, Eisert, Gilbert, Ellard, MacDougal, Pallette, Berroa, or spring training invites.
