The White Sox are already moving from celebration mode to roster-crunch mode.
After the 2026 run ended in Cleveland over the weekend, Chris Getz and the front office have turned quickly to the offseason, and one of the first calls on the board involves six arbitration-eligible players the team has to sort out for 2027, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
Some of those decisions are straightforward. Others are about squeezing value out of low-cost bets. And one is a no-brainer.
Miguel Vargas is the headliner here. At a projected $5.4 million, the 26-year-old is an easy tender after breaking out into an All-Star season.
He’s even in the mix for MVP ballots after becoming the first player in franchise history to post 30 home runs, 30 doubles, 100 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases in one season. The White Sox will absolutely bring him back, and the bigger question is whether they try to lock him up beyond that.
He still has three years of control left, but an extension offer would make sense if the organization wants him at the center of the roster for the long haul.
Brenton Doyle also looks ticketed for a return. Acquired from the Rockies at the deadline, he flashed enough to justify the projected $3.6 million price tag.
In 42 games with the White Sox, he hit five homers and put up a .720 OPS, which was only 2% worse than the league average hitter while wearing a White Sox uniform. The athletic tools are there too: he ranked in the 95th percentile in arm strength and the 93rd percentile in sprint speed, per Baseball Savant.
That kind of speed-defense-power mix is worth keeping around, whether he’s filling in as a platoon piece for Tristan Peters in center field or coming off the bench as a defensive replacement and pinch runner.
Huascar Brazobán is another deadline pickup who likely gets a longer look. The right-hander came over from the Mets, missed nearly a month with what was described as a left lat strain, and never really found his footing.
He logged just 14.1 regular-season innings for the White Sox and was left off the ALDS roster because he wasn’t effective enough. Still, the team could see enough to tender him at his projected $1.6 million salary.
He’s already 36, but he also has up to three more years of team control because he didn’t debut in the majors until he was 32. When his sinker-changeup mix is working, it has played at the big league level, and at that price, the bullpen depth is hard to ignore.
The picture gets murkier with the rest of the group.
Austin Barnes, acquired from the Braves at the deadline to fill in behind the plate while Kyle Teel recovered from a high ankle sprain, barely got rolling before his season was wiped out. He lasted only three games and nine plate appearances before being hit by a pitch from Erik Miller of the Red Sox and fracturing the fifth metacarpal in his left hand.
Once a highly regarded prospect as the second overall pick in 2018, Barnes is now a 30-year-old backup catcher who profiles as serviceable but limited. At a projected $2.9 million, the White Sox are expected to non-tender him, though a cheaper reunion on a spring training tryout type of deal isn’t impossible.
Edgar Quero could get another shot at the backup job even with his own struggles this year.
Chris Murphy appears headed for the same fate. The left-hander, acquired from the Red Sox last November, made the Opening Day roster but spent the year bouncing between Triple-A and the majors.
He posted a 4.81 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 33 appearances for Chicago, and several other lefties moved ahead of him on the depth chart as the season wore on. His projected $900,000 salary isn’t enough to save him if the club doesn’t believe in the role.
A non-tender would also free up a spot on the 40-man roster, giving the front office more room to maneuver.
Jordan Leasure’s situation is tougher, but the outcome looks similar. The longest-tenured White Sox player in this group has been in the organization for parts of three seasons since coming over from the Dodgers in the Lance Lynn trade in July 2023.
His 2026 season was derailed quickly: he made only 18 appearances, posted a 6.27 ERA, and then was shut down with a right flexor strain. He later underwent surgery at the end of August to repair a UCL tear in his elbow and will miss the entire 2027 season, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com.
Even with a modest projected arbitration number of $1 million, the White Sox probably won’t tender a pitcher who can’t pitch. A minor league deal for rehab purposes could still be on the table.
For Getz, this is the first offseason in his tenure where the decisions come with a different kind of pressure. The White Sox aren’t just sorting through a rebuild anymore. They’re trying to build a team that expects to compete, and these arbitration calls are the first real test of how they plan to shape the roster from here.
In Other News...
White Sox Have A Rotation Target Fans Should Take Seriously
The White Sox have turned the page to offseason planning after being knocked out of postseason contention by the Guardians, and the rotation is one of the first places the front office is likely to look for help. One name that is already worth keeping an eye on is Michael King, the Padres right-hander who fits the profile of a pitcher who could steady a staff that needs more certainty heading into next year.
King has drawn interest because of the way he pitched across both the regular season and October, giving him the kind of track record that can matter to a team looking for a dependable starter rather than a quick fix. He has also made it known he would like to stay in San Diego, but the market may still pull him into a broader sweep of free agency, which is why Chicago could have to move quickly if it wants to get seriously involved. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Have A Rotation Problem Three Arms Could Complicate
Pitching depth loomed large in the White Soxs AL Division Series collapse, and the issue is carrying straight into the offseason. After blowing a 2-0 lead, Chicagos rotation picture for 2027 already looks like a major talking point, with the front office expected to add arms while sorting through a group of in-house candidates who could help shape the staff.
Among the names to watch are Drew Thorpe, Mike Vasil and Hagen Smith, each bringing a different kind of uncertainty to the conversation. Thorpe has remained one of the more intriguing internal options, Vasil is working his way back, and Smith could get a longer look in a starters role, which gives the Sox a few possible paths but not much certainty yet. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Face A Huge Murakami Decision After His Big Season
Munetaka Murakami quickly became one of the biggest reasons the White Sox pushed all the way to the ALDS in 2026, even if the batting average never told the whole story. Signed to a two-year deal before the season, he delivered the kind of power production and run scoring that made him impossible to ignore, and by the end of the year he had done enough to put himself in position for something bigger than a short-term fit.
The next question now is how long that relationship lasts after his current contract runs out in 2027. ESPNs Jesse Rogers believes the White Sox and Murakami have a real interest in working toward a multi-year extension, which makes sense given how well the first chapter has gone, but there is no indication anything is close yet. For a team that just found a major middle-of-the-order force, the longer-term planning may be just as important as the breakout season itself. [Read more 🡒]