The White Sox don’t look eager to tear up the infield plan for 2027. If anything, the shape of that group feels pretty familiar: a steady core, a few depth pieces, and not much reason to expect a wholesale shuffle.
Start on the left side, where Miguel Vargas looks firmly planted at third base. He was the team’s MVP this year with a 5.4 WAR, and that alone makes him feel like a fixture at the hot corner.
There are ways the alignment could change - Vargas could slide to first base if Munetaka Murakami ends up at DH, or if Caleb Bonemer pushes through and takes over at third instead. A free-agent addition such as Eugenio Suarez or Bo Bichette, who has an opt out, could also shake things up.
But unless the Sox land that kind of help, Vargas looks set.
At shortstop, Colson Montgomery is a different kind of conversation. He launched more than 30 homers this year, but he also set a MLB strikeout record for a hitter in a single season.
His glove is usually solid, though a few costly errors showed up late. Some fans want him moved, but that feels more like an ALDS hangover than a realistic roster plan.
The shortstop market doesn’t offer much help, either; the free agents with strong WAR numbers are all over 30. The better play is probably to keep Montgomery and get to work on the strikeouts.
Chase Meidroth is even less of a question mark. His 4.5 WAR ranked second among White Sox position players, and he hit over .300 in the playoffs.
He’s already established himself as one of the better second basemen in baseball, and there’s no real path that knocks him out of the lineup unless some wild trade offer lands on the table. That sort of scenario seems far-fetched.
First base belongs to Munetaka Murakami, at least for now. He played third base in Japan, but he looks like an obvious fit to move over to DH, especially with his defense sometimes coming and going.
In the postseason, though, the glove was sharp. The bigger question is the bat.
Murakami brings loud power, walks, and plenty of swing-and-miss, with high fastballs giving him trouble in particular. If he can clean that up - and if he’s fully back from the injury that sidelined him late in the first half - he can be a major weapon.
He still hasn’t had his two-year deal extended as of this writing, so the Sox also have a 2028 decision hanging out there. For 2027, though, he should be their first baseman.
Behind that core, the bench and prospect mix looks a lot more fluid. Sam Antonacci appears headed for left field, but he does have some second base experience and could see infield reps in 2027.
Luisangel Acuna is the kind of light-hitting roster piece who seems built for pinch-running and defensive work, and he likely fills that same role next year. Tanner Murray logged six unremarkable games at shortstop and third base, and he may or may not even stick on the roster.
Rikuu Nishida spent more time in the outfield than the infield in 2026, but he could still be in the bench picture.
Caleb Bonemer is more likely to be an outfielder if and when he reaches the big club in 2027, though third base remains part of the long-term conversation. Roch Cholowsky, the Sox’s top draft pick, could eventually challenge Montgomery, but the organization seems more inclined to let the 21-year-old marinate in the minors. He might get some big-league time next year, but 2028 or 2029 looks more like the real arrival window - especially if Montgomery trims the strikeouts.
The free-agent market doesn’t offer much relief. The better infield options are mostly older, and names like former Sox infielder Lenyn Sosa look more like utility types than difference-makers. So unless the front office goes outside the current group, this infield is probably staying put.
That’s the headline here: the Sox are likely to roll into 2027 with the same infield they had in 2026. Given the quality of the pieces already in place, that’s not a bad thing.
The strikeouts need attention, sure. But beyond that, there aren’t many obvious holes.
In Other News...
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Munetaka Murakami gave the White Sox plenty to feel good about in his rookie season, powering 35 home runs and posting an .825 OPS while quickly becoming a major part of the club's offensive mix. Now the bigger question around the first baseman is not what he can do on the field, but how long he will be around to do it, with the team and Murakami locked in extension discussions.
The talks got underway in late summer and have remained quiet since then, with the White Sox offering no official update on where things stand. For a player who already looks like a foundational piece after one strong season, the uncertainty adds another layer to an offseason that could shape the team's core for years to come. [Read more 🡒]