What started as a surprise season has turned into something even bigger: a roster blueprint with real shape to it.
The biggest swing comes with Vargas, who is lined up for a 5-year, $65 million extension. That deal buys out two years of free agency and, at minimum, sets him up as the 1B of the future depending on Mune.
Doyle is next, on what is described as a slight overpay given his last two seasons, but the defense makes it work. Bart is viewed as a perfectly fine backup, while Brazoban lands as a low-cost bet on a pitcher who put up a 3.25 ERA over 130 innings.
Leasure and Murphy both fit the same larger message: “We are no longer rebuilding.”
There are also a few pending free-agent decisions that help lock in the present. Erick Fedde is projected at 1 year and $3.5 million, with a team option for 2028 at $4.5 million or a $500,000 buyout.
Randal Grichuk comes in at 1 year and $4 million, and the expectation is that he sticks around as part of the actual DH / 5th OF platoon. Newcomb gets another deal too, with the note that his stuff is not built on velocity and he is due for a modest raise.
Pham is described as a trivia answer waiting to happen, while Richards is another difficult call after what was probably his best season, even if it was only slightly above average.
The bullpen gets a major reshuffle in free agency. Adrian Morejon is projected for 4 years and $60 million, with a day-one closer role attached.
Jakob Junis is pegged for 2 years and $6 million as a steady back-end arm. Freddy Peralta is the big-ticket move at 4 years and $100 million, with a team option for a fifth year at $25 million or a $4 million buyout.
The hesitation is clear, but so is the appeal: he is durable, and if Tampa simply got him back to his Milwaukee version, he profiles as a #2-3 starter on a World Series contender.
Two trade ideas reshape the lineup and the rotation. In the first, the Reds send Colson Montgomery, Edgar Quero and Christian Oppor to the White Sox for Andrew Abbott.
Abbott is under contract for three more years and is coming off a down season, but the fit is framed as a straight need-for-need deal. Montgomery gets described as a 3 true outcomes hitter with less power and a little more speed, someone who could play third base with De La Cruz locked in elsewhere.
Quero still carries enough value to justify the gamble, and Oppor is the piece the writer likes least among the minor leaguers in the range.
The next move sends Luis Castillo and Jordan Hicks to the Angels for Rikku Nishida and Ryan Burrowes. The reasoning is simple: with Colson gone, a need opens up at shortstop.
Hicks is viewed as someone Anaheim could flip even if he only remains slightly above average, while Castillo is now their issue. The return is built around two minor leaguers who are redundant but intriguing.
A third trade sends Davis Martin to the Padres for P Ryan Lynch, San Diego’s No. 8 prospect, and OF Alex Conover, its No. 21 prospect. Martin’s season is described as wildly uneven, even after his IL stint, and the concern is that his value could disappear if he keeps going the way he was going. Lynch is seen as a live arm, Conover as athletic, and the general logic is to cash Martin in before the floor drops any further.
The overall read on the season is blunt: shocking, but disappointing. Still, there’s a sense that the disappointment won’t stick if Getz avoids the mistakes made by the people before him.
For the first time in a long time, this is more than hope. Some faith has been earned.
There’s also some housekeeping around the depth chart. Kay is treated as the fallback if Smith or Schultz force their way into the picture.
The same goes for Taylor, with Thorpe, Vasil and David Sandlin also mentioned as options if things break a certain way. Luisangel Acuna stays in the mix and could even start at shortstop if Colson is gone, though that would bring real pressure if he is replacement level again.
Tyler Davis is kept as the last guy, with Fedde effectively slotted as the No. 6 starter, though Kay could slide into the No. 5 spot and Kay could become the long man.
The projected lineup and staff then give the whole plan some structure:
C - Teel / 800k
1B - Murakami / 17mil
DH - Benintendi / 17mil
2B - Chase / 800k
SS - Peraza / 1.6 (arb estimate)
3B - Vargas / 13mil (flat per year salary thru all 5 years)
CF - Peters / 800k
LF - Antonacci / 800k
RF - Montgomery / 800k
C - Bart 2.9mil / OF - Doyle 3.6mil / UTIL - Acuna 800k / OF - Grichuk 4mil
SP1 - Burke / 800K
SP2 - Peralta / 25mil
SP3 - Abbott / 5.8mil (arb estimate)
SP4 - Taylor / 800k
SP5 - Kay / 5mil
RPs - Morejon / 15mil
Junis / 3mil
Fedde / 3mil
Vasil / 800k
Smith / 800k
Schultz / 800k
Sandlin / 800k
Davis / 800k
Total payroll: 126.3mil
In Other News...
White Sox Fans Finally Get Closure On A Polarizing Broadcast Era
The White Sox are moving on from a broadcast voice that drew plenty of reaction over the past three seasons, informing John Scriffen that his contract as the clubs lead play-by-play announcer will not be renewed. His run in the booth was a polarizing one with fans, who at times questioned both his baseball feel and his energy, even as he worked to build a connection with the audience.
Scriffens departure comes after a stretch that had already created tension behind the scenes, and the organization has clearly decided it wants a fresh start in that chair. For a fan base that follows every detail of the teams on-field and off-field identity, the change closes a noisy chapter and leaves one more opening for the White Sox to reset how their game broadcasts sound moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Fans Wont Agree On This Polarizing South Side Exit
John Schriffens run as the White Soxs lead play-by-play voice has come to an end after three seasons, closing a stretch that never really settled the fan base. From the start, his style drew a mixed reaction on the South Side, with some listeners appreciating the energy he brought and others questioning his baseball knowledge and how naturally he fit into the booth.
Schriffen did make clear efforts to connect with fans, but the criticism around his approach lingered throughout his tenure. The White Sox now move on from a broadcaster who was always going to be debated, and the discussion around his exit says as much about the mood around the team as it does about the man behind the microphone. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Face One Huge Question In Pursuit Of Freddy Peralta
Freddy Peraltas name is already floating into the White Sox discussion as the club looks for starting pitching help and considers how aggressively to spend this winter. The right-hander is coming off a turbulent 2026 season that saw him dealt from Milwaukee to the Mets and then to the Rays, a run that left him in free agency with more questions than certainty, even as his track record still makes him one of the more intriguing arms on the market.
Chicago has the need and, at least in theory, the financial room to make a real run at a pitcher of that caliber. The bigger question is whether the White Sox would be willing to go that far, or whether they decide their answers are more likely to come through a different free-agent arm or a trade market that could be just as crowded. [Read more 🡒]