PREAMBLE
Premature end to the rebuild or a year of overachievement? With highs and lows spattered around a roller-coaster of a season, the Sox go into the 2026 off-season with one of the most optimistic foresight's since 2021. How can the Sox build on this momentum? Turning the weaknesses into strengths and letting the kids continue to play. Here's how.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
- Miguel Vargas: Tender
- Brenton Doyle: Tender
- Joey Bart: Non-tender
- Huascar Brazobán: Non-tender
- Jordan Leasure: Non-tender
- Chris Murphy: Non-tender
Pretty simple with Vargas, a budding superstar. Doyle's defense is the selling point in a Doyle-Grichuk debate. If he cleans up his plate discipline, he'll be well worth the $3.6M as a 4th-5th OF.
OTHER IMPENDING FREE AGENTS
- Sean Newcomb
If we weren't on the hook for Castillo's contract, then I would have kept Trevor Richards as well as a low-leverage innings eater. Newcomb was excellent and I'd have no issue offering up a 2-year, $15mil deal. Grichuk was admirable in his veteran role and Fedde showed he still has some left in the tank to belong in a MLB bullpen, just not ours. Tommy Pham's elevator story and subsequent 3-run homer in the ALDS were memorable, but he and his fantasy football team can probably ride off into the sunset.
FREE AGENTS
No. 1: SP - Trevor Rogers - 3-years, $75 million. A much needed lefty starter that can slide right in-between Burke and Martin at the top of the rotation. He's shown great control the past 2 years, his career K-rate sits right at 9 per 9 innings, and can keep the ball in the ballpark. He does come with injury concerns but that seems to be the norm with starting pitchers nowadays. Worth the price and will only be 29 when the season starts.
No. 2: RP - Evan Phillips - 2-years, $20 million. One of the more under-appreciated set-up men in this sport. His career numbers show that he pitches better the higher leverage of situation. Phillips and his 47 career saves would bring stability at the back-end of the bullpen with Newcomb to set-up Taylor. Will he leave LA though? We'll see.
No. 3: C - Gary Sanchez - 1-year, $7.5 million. Right handed hitting catcher with pop who still throws out 25% of runners. A perfectly fine veteran option behind the dish.
No. 4: INF - Isiah Kiner-Falefa - 1 year, $3.5 million. A stop-gap until Roch is ready. "Wait, what about Colson?" You'll see.
TRADES
No. 1: Trade Colson Montgomery to Atlanta for SP - Didier Fuentes and Atlanta's #14 prospect OF - Carter Beck. The Braves have a SS problem and a SP surplus. The White Sox have a SP problem and a SS surplus. Problem solved with this trade. "Why are you giving up on Colson so quickly?" Again, the Sox have an embarrassment of riches at the SS position with Cholowsky and Carlson (Bonemer too but he's already playing other positions) and I think they strike while the iron is hot with Colson as even though he has glaring plate discipline issues, the power and natural talent is there, glove included. Fuentes is only 21 years old and an exceptional 1st year (13 innings last year isn't enough to call it a year) while mostly in the bullpen due to the logjam of Braves starting pitchers. He's a natural starter though and the Sox have the space to get him re-acclimated to that role as the #4 or #5 starter next year. He's a Colombian Grant Taylor and I think Taylor has proved his value in the bullpen to keep him there. The sky is the limit with Fuentes. Carter Beck projects a corner outfielder who has above-average base-running speed and top notch patience at the plate. A project worth the acquisition.
No. 2: Trade Edgar Quero and Anthony Kay to San Francisco for #8 prospect OF - Bo Davidson. Quero needs a change of scenery and the Giants present the best opportunity for playing time. With the emergence of Hagen Smith and flashes of Noah Schultz, coupled with the mock off-season acquisitions of Trevor Rogers and Didier Fuentes, Anthony Kay becomes expendable now. Bo Davidson had a cup of coffee with the Giants this year and hit 30 homers with 20 steals in 125 minor league games last year. A projected corner outfielder who could become the future at LF once its said and done.
SUMMARY
With the starting pitching and bullpen help paired with the loss of Colson, here is the 26-man roster heading into 2027...
LF - Antonacci - LH
C - Teel - LH
3B - Vargas - RH
1B - Mune - LH
2B - Meidroth - RH
DH - Beni - LH
RF - Montgomery - S
C - Teel - LH
SS - IKF - RH
C - Sanchez - RH
INF - Acuna - S (er, I mean RH)
INF/OF - Baldwin - S
OF - Doyle - RH
SP - Burke - RH
SP - Rogers - LH
SP - Martin - RH
SP - Hagen Smith - LH
SP - Fuentes - RH
Long/Spot Starter - Castillo - RH
Long/Spot Starter - Schultz - LH
Mid - Hicks - RH
Mid - Hudson - LH
Mid - Vasil - RH
SU - Newcomb - LH
SU - Phillips - RH
CL - Taylor - RH
The Sox add roughly $40 million with the additions and subtractions which puts them right at $130 million if my Illinois edumacation is correct. The power is lacking, especially from the right handers, but if the Sox are a playoff team by the deadline (in which the pitching additions suggest that's the case), expect them to be aggressive for some RH pop.
