The White Sox have plenty of arbitration questions coming this offseason, but a few names already feel like they’re on shaky ground.
Because Chicago is still built around a young roster, most of its players are either pre-arbitration or sitting on team-friendly deals. That leaves a smaller group of arbitration-eligible players for the front office to sort through, and among them are three who could be non-tendered instead of paid.
Joey Bart is one of the more interesting calls. Chicago picked up the catcher in a deadline trade with the Braves, hoping he could steady a position that had been in flux.
Bart had posted a .691 OPS in 20 games with Atlanta before the move, then got into just three games with the White Sox before a hit-by-pitch left him with a broken hand and shut him down. He’s 29, was once the second-overall pick, and has shown above-average offense in the majors before.
Even so, the White Sox may not have seen enough to commit. Bart is heading into his final year of arbitration during 2027, and Chicago has other options behind Kyle Teel, including Edgar Quero and Drew Romo, while Jake Rogers is set to be a free agent.
The club could also look outside the organization for a stronger defensive backup. With so little time to evaluate him, Bart looks like a real non-tender possibility.
Brenton Doyle is in a different spot, but the concern is similar. Another deadline addition, Doyle arrived with a reputation for elite defense and the idea that there might still be more offense to unlock.
The White Sox rolled the dice despite the fact that he hadn’t produced an above-average offensive season in two years. Since joining Chicago, he’s played 33 games, hit two home runs, and posted a .600 OPS.
Most of his work has come in a platoon role, with starts against lefties and very few chances versus right-handed pitching. His numbers are a little better than what he put up in his first 45 games with Colorado this season, but not enough to make a huge impression.
Doyle is entering his second year of arbitration this winter, and the White Sox control him through 2029. He also has minor league options, which gives the team some flexibility.
Still, Chicago could decide a safer fourth-outfielder type is the better bet.
Huascar Brazoban rounds out the group, and his situation may be the most discouraging of all. He came over as one of four struggling trade deadline acquisitions, but at the time of the deal he looked like exactly the kind of reliever a contender would want.
Brazoban had followed a strong 2025 with an even better start to 2026 for the Mets before the trade. Once he got to Chicago, though, the results fell apart.
He posted a 6.30 ERA in ten appearances, then landed on the injured list with a lat strain. He’s healthy now and still on the White Sox taxi squad, but he hasn’t been activated back to the big league roster.
Given how many relievers have struggled, that lack of movement says plenty about where the team stands. Brazoban will also enter his second arbitration year after the season, but at 37, the White Sox may decide there isn’t much left to justify the cost.
It would be a rough end to what looked like a promising addition, but it may be the call they have to make.
In Other News...
White Sox Future At Rate Field Just Got More Complicated
The questions around Rate Fields long-term future only grew more pointed at a public meeting there this week, where the Illinois Sports Facility Authority tried to address two fronts at once: the White Soxs lease situation and Amtraks plans for a maintenance facility that would require part of Lot G. Chair Leslie Darling and CEO Frank Bilecki both stressed the authoritys priority remains keeping the White Sox in the community, even as the ballparks surrounding footprint becomes more complicated to manage.
ISFA also laid out broader thinking for Rate Field and its parking lots, including the possibility of redevelopment and other events, but the looming lease issue still shapes every conversation. The authority acknowledged it needs an anchor tenant to make any long-range plan work, while also recognizing Amtraks need for access and parking tied to the new facility. That leaves the Soxs home situation in a more uncertain place than before, with the calendar and the land around the ballpark both starting to matter more. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Already Have A Deadline Problem They Can't Ignore
The White Sox brought Luis Castillo in at the deadline to help shore up a rotation that needed answers, but for now the plan is shifting in a different direction. Manager Will Venable said Castillo will be used out of the bullpen, a sign that Chicago is trying to find any workable path while the rookie David Sandlin is lined up to start the next game against Detroit.
It is a revealing turn for a move that was supposed to stabilize the staff, especially after Castillo arrived from Seattle with the expectation he could help cover innings at the back end of the season. Instead, the early returns in Chicago have been bumpy, with performance issues and a dip in velocity forcing the White Sox to rethink how they can get the most out of him in the short term. [Read more 🡒]
Miguel Vargas Just Saved A Huge White Sox Win In Detroit
Miguel Vargas has spent this season doing plenty of damage at the plate, but on this night in Detroit it was his glove that helped the White Sox walk away with a 3-1 win. Chicago needed every bit of it to get past the Tigers and move back into first place in the American League Central, with Vargas turning in two crucial defensive plays that swung the game in the late innings.
He helped the White Sox survive a tight moment at third base with a successful challenge on a close tag, then finished the job with a game-ending double play. For a player who has already piled up 31 home runs, 84 RBIs and an .827 OPS, it was another reminder that Vargas can shape a game in more than one way when the stakes are highest. [Read more 🡒]