The 2025-26 Sox Machine Offseason Plan Project came to a close on Nov. 15, right as Josh Naylor came off the board as the winter's first major signing, and right as the White Sox were set to conduct their obligatory offseason contract decisions.
When the dust settled, 51 Sox Machine members contributed plans, up from 40 the year before. Both the total count and the sentiments expressed therein mirrored the on-field fortunes. There's a sense of progress, a little more to get excited about. But at least with the $90 million payroll cap I established, nobody is particularly charged up about the prospects of doing more than grunting the ball forward a few more yards in 2026.
Thanks to everybody who submitted a plan, and thanks to Deja Vu for his years of manually tabulating the results. He got a break this year as we switched to Google Form input, which gives us a big head start in counting up the most popular ideas, and the most creative ones.
We'll start with the mandatory decisions Chris Getz faced, which included filling out a coaching staff before figuring out contract options and the non-tender deadline.
Hitting Coach
- Most popular: [Left blank]
- Also named:
- Donnie Ecker (3)
- Lou Iannotti (2)
- Cody Atkinson (2)
- Matt Borgschulte (1)
- Dustin Lind (1)
- Chase Headley (1)
- Yermín Mercedes (1)
Derek Shomon was named four times, but all came after the White Sox hired him. The concept of hiring the assistant hitting coach of an ascendant organization was represented by Iannotti (Blue Jays), and a different former Twins hitting coach who was made to wear it for larger failures above him was suggested in Borgschulte. A plurality tabbed former Rangers offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker, but Will Venable has yet to show that past experience working together is a helpful credential for assistants, and Ecker landed a slightly less ‘hired to be fired’ role as the Orioles bench coach.
Most OPP architects did not have a specific name, which is fine, because there's a lot of value in saying "I don't know." Perhaps the most noteworthy development is that no internal candidates were suggested. Yermín Mercedes has to settle for a new Cybertruck as the latest chapter in his ongoing midlife crisis.
Pitching Coach
- Most popular: [Left blank]
- Also named:
- Casey Jacobsen (2)
- J.P. Martinez (2)
- Dylan Axelrod (1)
- Jim Henderson (1)
- Jeff Bajenaru (1)
- Ethan Katz (1)
- Jake Peavy (1)
- Trent Blank (1)
- Frank Anderson (1)
- Matt Hobbs (1)
- Donn Pall (1)
- Ben Brewster (1)
- Mike Maddux (1)
While the majority also left this field blank or deferred to the choice of Zach Bove, it was a slimmer one, as more planners had opinions on pitching coaches. That tracks, as hierarchies of successful organizations are a little easier to grasp on that side of the ball. There was also one internal/incumbent candidate named, and a wider selection of (qualified) old friends.
Sox pitchers spent the last five years being led by Lucas Giolito’s high school pitching coach, so it stands to reason that the college pitching coaches for Garrett Crochet (Anderson) and Hagen Smith (Hobbs) would get mentioned.
Arbitration-eligible players
Out of 51 plans, the following players were tendered in the corresponding number of them:
- Mike Tauchman: 38
- Steven Wilson: 33
- Derek Hill: 4
The White Sox tendered Hill, non-tendered Tauchman and traded Wilson before it came time to decide. No planner chose that permutation, as Hill was offered a contract under a philosophy that echoed Raisin Cane's menu: all tenders.
That said, partial credit goes to South Side Hit Men, who non-tendered Hill but said, "OK with $1M MiLB deal for Hill to permit flexibility." While Hill was tendered, it was on a split contract that pays him $900,000 if he makes the majors, but only $450,000 if he ends up playing in the minors, which I feel is spiritually adjacent.
Contract options
Out of 51 plans, the following players had their options exercised in the corresponding number of them:
- Luis Robert Jr.: 43
- Martín Pérez: 2
Offseason Plan Projects are supposed to reflect what a GM would do, not what the White Sox are likely to do. Here, Getz was so steadfast in insisting the White Sox would exercise Robert's option that he already felt like a fixed cost, even though every planner theoretically had the ability to buy him out for $2 million. It would've been nice if Getz left a little more mystery, if only to reduce the chances of leading the witnesses.
Pérez's $10 million option was only picked up twice, but he was re-signed to a lesser contract in six plans, with a consensus value of $5 million for 2026.
