PREAMBLE
Despite some wishful thinking (ex: Ishbian cash infusions), the White Sox are probably at least a year away from contention and will spend accordingly. With that being said, this team should be looking to improve aggressively and quickly this offseason. With a lottery pick coming in the 2026 draft, the Sox won't be able to tank for a pick again next season, and will be looking to recapture interest both in the forms of attendance and CHSN viewership. The Sox should prioritize promoting not only a vision of a return to the playoffs in 2027, but an enjoyable on-field product they can market today. With that being said, the owner is still the owner, and I will adhere to my $90M budget.
COACHING STAFF
- Hitting coach: n/a
- Pitching coach: n/a
I'm not going to pretend to know enough about the coaching market to make informed guesses here, but what I would prioritize is philosophies.
On the offensive side of the ball, the team must continue to prioritize OBP and pull side power. Guaranteed Rate Field is theoretically a hitters park, and it's been a while since this team took advantage of that. For those who may lack the necessary power to do so (Chase Meidroth, for example), taking more walks will be crucial to maximizing this team's offensive potential.
On the flip side, it's difficult to evaluate the pitching due to the complete lack of talent the Sox have had there the last couple years, with any success stories over the age of 30 being immediately flipped for prospects. With that being said, this team needs a significant bump in velo, particularly in the bullpen. Prioritizing some more power arms to compliment the "pitchability" guys would go a long way to dragging this staff up to league average.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
- Mike Tauchman: Tender
- Steven Wilson: Tender
- Derek Hill: Non-tender
This team is in no position to be letting professional relievers walk for free, so Wilson at 1.5 is a yes. Tauchman's health remains a concern, but he offers a strong lefty half of a platoon in a position of need and was generally enjoyable to watch last year.
CLUB OPTIONS
- Luis Robert Jr.: Exercise $20 million option
- Martín Perez: Buy out for $1.5 million
Not bring back Luis this season would make the failure to flip him the last two years a complete disaster. Many have pointed out the return would have been light this summer, but I would still rather have 2/3 lottery tickets than no players and an additional $2M dollars for him to play elsewhere. I hope he bounces back and makes $20M look like a bargain, but if he doesn't I DEFINITELY have the financial flexibility to overpay this season.
Perez would be a good fit for this roster, but $10M is too steep given his injuries.
FREE AGENTS
1) OF Rob Refsnyder (1 year, $5 million). A lefty masher and platoon partner with Tauchman. Hopefully this is the last year of needing to do this, but combining these two could produce a pretty respectable product in Right Field.
2) OF Mike Yastrzemski (1 year, $15 million). Probably an overpay, but a 2 WAR season in 2025 would represent a 2 WAR Upgrade over Benintendi and can also fill in at CF.
3) SP Jose Quintana (1 year, $5 million). The sox desperately need a left handed starter this season, and veteran innings eater and old friend Q could fill the void nicely.
4) RP Caleb Ferguson (2 years, $9 million). While I'm hoping some young arms establish themselves as high leverage relievers, this group needs some level of major league track record without spending at the top of the market for closers or elite setup men.
5) 1B/DH/OF Ryan O'Hearn (3 years, $30 million). I acknowledge this is slightly below his projected AAV but my hope is that I can cancel that out by going longer on the years, maybe even adding some kind of option after the third year. You can never have enough lefty pop
TRADES
1) Trade 3b Brayan Ramos and C Korey Lee for Pitching or Outfield lottery tickets. While I don't have any specific issues with Lee or Ramos, I just think they're odd men out as the new Sox core takes shape. Lee specifically I see as a serviceable MLB backup catcher, which should fetch an interesting OF project or a young(er) arm that can compete for a bullpen spot.
2) Salary dump Andrew Benintendi. Enough is enough for the $75 million man. For the sake of the exercise, I'm eating $10M in 2026 and $8M in 2027, leaving his new team to cover $7m each year, which feels more in line with his production as a bench/platoon player. Any living prospect we get back is gravy
SUMMARY
1) Figure out what you have with Meidroth, Vargas, Mead, and Sosa and Montgomery. I have no idea how to project this position group, and the next contending South Side team will probably only roster 3 at most. Get them all a decent amount of run and decide who you're investing in and who you're shipping out.
2) Flip as many of the 1 year contracts as possible, including Robert at the deadline. Continue to supplement the farm system, as we can't repeat the Hahn/Williams mistake of depending on every prospect to hit to be successful. This will also clear the way for hopefully exciting mid-season call ups like Noah Schultz and Braden Montgomery.
3) Stretch out Grant Taylor. If he's following the Crochet playbook, let's get him some length. He won't be able to handle a full starter's workload, but this is a perfect season to give him 2-4 inning appearances at varying points in games.
4) Time for the Bannister Lab (trademark pending) to cook. I'm leaving SP5 and the last spot in the bullpen open for someone from the minors to come in and impress. I have no idea who that will be, but I hope the new Pitching Coach has some ideas.
Lineup:
1) RF Tauchman/Refsnyder
2) C Teel/Quero
3) CF Luis Robert Jr.
4) 1B Ryan O'Hearn
5) DH Lenyn Sosa/Teel/Quero
6) SS Colson Montgomery
7) 3B Miguel Vargas
8) LF Mike Yastrzemski
9) 2B Chase Meidroth
Bench
C Teel/Quero
UTIL Brooks Baldwin
OF Tauchman/Refsnyder
IF Curtis Mead
SP1: Shane Smith
SP2: Davis Martin
SP3: Jose Quintana
SP4: Sean Burke
SP5: Spring Training Competition
RP: Steven Wilson
RP: Grant Taylor
RP: Mike Vasil
RP: Jordan Leasure
RP: Wikleman Gonzales
RP: Tyler Gilbert
RP: Caleb Ferguson
RP: Spring Training Competition
