The Hot Stove is buzzing, and while the headlines have been dominated by blockbuster moves-Kyle Tucker reportedly heading to the Dodgers and Bo Bichette landing with the Mets-there’s something brewing on the South Side of Chicago that’s worth keeping an eye on. According to reports, the White Sox are showing interest in veteran outfielder Michael Conforto.
Now, Conforto isn’t the kind of name that’s going to light up the marquee like Tucker or Bichette, but there’s real intrigue here. He’s 32 now (turning 33 by Opening Day), and while 2025 wasn’t his best showing, there’s still a lot to like beneath the surface.
Let’s start with the numbers. Last season, Conforto hit just .199 with a .305 OBP and a .333 slugging percentage.
He added 12 home runs and 36 RBIs across the campaign, finishing with a -0.7 WAR, according to Baseball Reference. Not exactly eye-popping production, but the power hasn’t completely disappeared-he’s sitting at 179 career home runs, and it wasn’t long ago that he was putting up more typical Conforto numbers.
In fact, rewind to 2024, and you’ll see a player who hit .237 with 20 homers and 66 RBIs for the Giants. That’s much closer to his career norms: a .245 lifetime average, around 20-25 homers per year, and roughly 70 RBIs. He’s a streaky hitter, sure, but when he’s locked in, he can still do damage-especially against right-handed pitching, where he’s historically done his best work.
So why does this matter for the White Sox? Well, their right field depth is razor thin right now.
Between Tristan Peters, Everson Pereira, Derek Hill, and Brooks Baldwin, there’s a combined 408 games of MLB experience in that corner of the outfield. Conforto alone has over 1,100 games under his belt.
That kind of veteran presence could be invaluable to a young and rebuilding roster.
From a financial standpoint, this also makes a lot of sense. Spotrac estimates Conforto’s market value around $6.6 million.
Even if a one-year deal ends up closer to $10 million, that’s still a reasonable price for a team looking for stability and upside without committing long-term dollars. For the White Sox, who have been cautious with spending this offseason, Conforto fits the mold of a buy-low, potentially high-reward addition.
And don’t overlook the ballpark factor here. Guaranteed Rate Field is one of the more hitter-friendly parks in the league, particularly for left-handed power.
If Conforto can stay healthy and tap into that pull-side pop, 20+ homers isn’t out of the question. Baseball Reference projects a .220 average with 16 home runs and 53 RBIs for 2026-modest, but in the context of this roster, that’s a solid boost.
There’s also the option to use him in a platoon role, maximizing his strengths against right-handers while limiting exposure to lefties. That kind of strategic deployment could help him stay productive over the course of a long season.
Bottom line: the White Sox are wise to be kicking the tires on Conforto. He’s not the flashiest name on the market, but he checks a lot of boxes-veteran leadership, left-handed power, positional need, and a price tag that won’t break the budget. If they do bring him aboard, it could quietly wrap up their offseason on the offensive side with a smart, calculated move.