The White Sox are treating 2026 like a launch point, and the plan is aggressive where it matters most: the rotation. After a season that ended at 84-78 with an AL-leading 776 runs and a plus-56 run differential, the roster is being built around buying innings, protecting payroll flexibility, and locking up the core before the price climbs.
That starts with the pitching staff. The current issue is simple enough: the rotation threw the fewest innings in MLB and averaged about 4.3 innings per start, well below the MLB average of 5.3.
The answer in this blueprint is to pour nearly every available dollar into starters, including one front-line arm on a back-loaded contract and a second veteran starter on another back-loaded deal. The other big move is a trade of Jordan Hicks for a cost-controlled pitcher, which opens up $12 million in budget room.
With Murakami, Vargas and Burke extended, the 2028 commitments are described as near zero, and projected Opening Day payroll lands around $129.5 million.
On the arbitration side, Miguel Vargas is an easy keep at a projected $5.4 million, described as a bargain for the club’s best player. Brenton Doyle is also tendered at $3.6 million; he’s a two-time Gold Glove center fielder, under control for 2027 and 2028, and has a clear role as a center-field option against lefties, a late-inning defender and Peters’ backup.
Joey Bart, projected at $2.9 million, is tendered too, though that one is the closest call because Kyle Teel missed most of 2026 with three separate injuries. The cheaper alternative would be Edgar Quero at about $0.8 million, but he hit .541 OPS and is 23, and the thinking here is that he develops better by catching every day at Triple-A than sitting on the bench.
The non-tender decisions are more ruthless. Huascar Brazobán, projected at $1.6 million, is viewed as replaceable on a minor-league deal after posting a 4.39 ERA and seven strikeouts in 14.1 innings with the Sox.
Chris Murphy, projected at $0.9 million, is also cut loose because the roster spot matters more than the salary; his 4.81 ERA makes him less valuable than a spot for protecting a prospect from the Rule 5 draft. Jordan Leasure, projected at $1 million, is another non-tender candidate because he’s rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and most of 2027 would be a rehab year.
The preferred move is to non-tender him and bring him back on a two-year minor-league deal, even if that carries the risk another club could offer him a major-league contract. Given his 6.27 ERA in 18.2 innings in 2026, the plan would take that chance.
Sean Newcomb is the lone impending free agent specifically targeted for a new deal, at two years and $11 million. The pitch is straightforward: a raise from his last contract, a deal informed by Fangraphs data, and payment for volume - 90 innings - plus familiarity.
The free-agent shopping list is built around pitching first. Freddy Peralta is the headline target at four years and $100 million, with the money back-loaded at $15 million, $28 million, $28 million and $29 million.
The case for him is durability and quality: four straight seasons of 30-plus starts and strong Stuff+. His 2026 season dipped with the Mets, where he posted a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts, but he finished stronger after joining Tampa, putting up a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts there.
Michael Soroka is the mid-tier starter target at two years and $36 million, with $14 million in 2027 and $22 million in 2028. The appeal is the blend of bat-missing, control and age, though health remains the question after 116 innings, his most since 2019.
Casey Mize is listed as the backup plan if Soroka isn’t the fit. Evan Phillips is the bullpen target at two years and $21 million, with $9 million in 2027 and $12 million in 2028.
ZiPS only projects 55 innings and 0.6 WAR for 2027 because he returned from Tommy John in July, but the appeal is a 126 Stuff+ arm and his track record before surgery. Jonathan Loáisiga is the fallback.
The position-player addition is Miguel Andujar, signed for one year and $3 million to replace Randal Grichuk. He can handle both corner outfield spots and both corner infield spots, has hit lefties well in his career, and is first in line to lose playing time when Caleb Bonemer arrives.
The trade piece sends Jordan Hicks to the Tigers in a deal that brings back Ty Madden, a right-hander who will be 27 in 2027 and is pre-arbitration. Madden’s 2026 line: 47 innings, 3.26 ERA, 46 strikeouts and 14 walks, mostly in multi-inning relief.
The Sox also pick up $12 million of 2027 payroll space. Detroit gets Hicks on a one-year, $12 million deal, plus Shane Smith, a pre-arb right-hander and 2025 All-Star who had a rough 2026 with a 10.80 ERA in three MLB starts and a 5.57 ERA with a 16 percent walk rate at Triple-A.
The Tigers are getting a closer option after blowing 32 saves, along with a buy-low starter who still carries past All-Star upside. If Smith doesn’t go, William Bergolla Jr. is the alternate piece offered to replace Torres.
The extension plan is where the long-term structure gets locked in. Munetaka Murakami is signed to five years and $135 million, covering 2028 through 2032 with an opt-out after 2030.
He’s already under contract through 2027 for $17 million, and the new deal is framed around his 2026 production: 35 homers, 92 walks and an .825 OPS in 127 games at age 26. The price is pegged below the top of the market because he has only one MLB season and a strikeout rate that kept him from landing a bigger deal last winter.
Miguel Vargas gets five years and $64 million, plus a $20 million club option for 2032 with a $2 million buyout. That buys out three arbitration years and two free-agent years, with the deal laid out at $5 million, $10 million, $13 million, $18 million and $18 million.
Sean Burke is extended for five years and $40 million from 2027 through 2031, with two club options before arbitration. The comparison set includes Hunter Greene and Spencer Strider, and the reasoning is simple: Burke was the Sox’s best pitcher in 2026 and is viewed as a rotation foundation who can handle innings.
The lineup construction reflects the same idea: keep the core young, flexible and productive. Against right-handers, the order runs Sam Antonacci, Chase Meidroth, Miguel Vargas, Munetaka Murakami, Tristan Peters, Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Andrew Benintendi and Braden Montgomery.
Against left-handers, Chase Meidroth leads off, followed by Vargas, Murakami, Miguel Andujar, Montgomery, Antonacci, Teel, Braden Montgomery and Brenton Doyle. The bench includes Joey Bart, Doyle, Andujar and Luisangel Acuña, giving the club catching depth, late-inning defense, platoon flexibility and speed.
The whole plan points in one direction: spend on innings, keep the core intact, and leave enough room to keep building after 2027.
In Other News...
White Sox Young Core Just Earned Another Chance To Prove It
The White Sox got another reminder that their young core is starting to draw real leaguewide notice, with four players landing among the American League finalists for the Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Awards. Chase Meidroth, Miguel Vargas, Tristan Peters and Sam Antonacci all earned nominations at their respective spots, a nice snapshot of how much of Chicagos 2026 offense was driven by emerging talent rather than established names.
For a club still trying to turn promise into something more durable, the groups presence on the finalist list matters as much for what it says about the season as for the hardware itself. Meidroth, Vargas, Peters and Antonacci all put together enough production to get into the conversation at second base, third base, in the outfield and as a utility option, and now they get one more chance to turn strong years into an award when the winners are revealed on November 17. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Take A Chance On Pitching Depth With Big Uncertainty
The White Sox have added another arm to the mix, signing right-hander Alec Marsh to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. It is the kind of low-risk move teams make when they are trying to build out pitching depth without tying up much in the way of resources, and Marsh brings at least some recent big-league experience after last pitching for the Royals in 2024.
Marsh also gives Chicago a familiar name for its pitching staff to evaluate up close once camp opens. The real question is how much he can offer right away as he works his way back, but the White Sox are clearly willing to take a look and see whether there is something worth uncovering before the season begins. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Prospects Are Forcing A Bigger Timeline Question
The White Sox keep finding reasons to look a little farther down the road, and the Arizona Fall League is giving them more of them. Caleb Bonemar, the organizations No. 2 prospect, has put together strong offensive numbers this fall, while right-hander Jonathan Clark has been effective out of the bullpen, adding to a growing list of Chicago prospects who have earned notice in the showcase circuit.
For a club still sorting out its long-term picture, those kinds of honors matter because they hint at depth beyond the current roster. Bonemars bat has already made him one of the systems more closely watched names, and Clarks work in relief has only strengthened the sense that the White Sox have some legitimate pitching talent on the way. The bigger question now is how soon that next wave can start to influence the major-league conversation. [Read more 🡒]