The White Sox offseason plan starts with a simple idea: spend more, but not recklessly, and build a roster that can support what 2025 already proved.
In this blueprint, the budget gets pushed from $130 million to about $155 million, including the cost of eating Andrew Benintendi’s contract. The thinking is straightforward: a little extra cash can cover the holes that showed up last September, keep the farm from being blocked, and still leave room for young players like David Sandlin, Tanner McDougal, Caleb Bonemer and others to work their way into the picture when they’re ready.
The arbitration calls are mostly clean. Miguel Vargas, Brenton Doyle, Joey Bart and Huascar Brazobán all get tendered.
Jordan Leasure and Chris Murphy do not. Bart, as the plan puts it, is worth keeping around if he can stay healthy, while Brazobán gets another look after showing enough with the Mets to justify the gamble, even if the finish to his season wasn’t pretty.
There aren’t any impending free agents in this setup, though Newcomb is expected to get a raise somewhere else. Erick Fedde, Trevor Richards, Randal Grichuk and Jake Rogers are all floated as possible non-roster invitees if their winters don’t heat up, with the sense that Grichuk could land a guaranteed deal based on last year’s production.
The biggest moves come on the free-agent market.
Kaima Taira is the first target, signed for three years and $42 million. The selling point is his delivery and the amount of extension he creates, with the added bonus that he can cover two or three innings and maybe even start if needed.
Luis Arráez comes next on a one-year, $10 million deal. The idea is that he could stabilize the DH spot, especially after the White Sox struck out 21 times in their final game. If Caleb Bonemer is ready before September, he can start taking at-bats from Arráez, with the defensive alignment shifting depending on how the left-field picture shakes out.
Clay Holmes is listed at No. 3 on a three-year, $60 million contract. The note here is that if it helps make the case with Jerry, you can sell him as a reliever, even though he has also shown he can handle the rotation.
Raisel Iglesias is next on a two-year, $36 million pact. The goal is to use him in high-leverage spots, ease the burden on Grant Taylor and Hagen Smith, and keep the bullpen steady enough that both young arms could finish the season in the rotation. The hope is that Iglesias looks more like Liam Hendriks than Seranthony Domínguez.
The final move is less about adding than subtracting: Benintendi is released with $15 million still on his contract. The plan says Will Venable did a strong job masking the flaws, but the postseason exposed the bat, and the roster spot is better used on Arráez.
No trades are made here. Chase Meidroth and Sam Antonacci are mentioned as possible chips for a bigger return, but the conclusion is that the White Sox would simply be better off spending more money than dealing away useful young players. Without a drastic ownership change, that section stays empty.
The projected Opening Day lineup reflects the new shape of the roster:
Sam Antonacci in left, Munetaka Murakami at first, Miguel Vargas at third, Arráez at DH, Kyle Teel behind the plate, Colson Montgomery at short, Chase Meidroth at second, Braden Montgomery in right and Tristan Peters in center.
The bench would include Joey Bart, Brooks Baldwin, Luisangel Acuna and Brenton Doyle.
The rotation would be Sean Burke, Clay Holmes, Davis Martin, Luis Castillo and Anthony Kay.
The bullpen would feature Grant Taylor, Hagen Smith, Noah Schultz, Kaima Taira, Bryan Hudson, Jordan Hicks, Huascar Brazobán and Raisel Iglesias.
The whole group lands about $25 million over the proposed budget, but the plan is clear that this wouldn’t be a fixed 26-man roster for long. The 40-man would also include Sandlin, Drew Thorpe, Tyler Davis, Tyler Schweitzer, McDougal, Shane Smith, Prelander Berroa, Edgar Quero, Bonemer and Samuel Zavala, with the expectation that all of them could see time with the big club. More pitchers would be brought in on non-roster deals and parked at Charlotte.
At its core, this is a roster built to reward what the White Sox accomplished in 2025 while trying to patch the weak spots that still linger. It leaves enough breathing room for the next wave of talent without forcing the kids to carry the whole operation on Opening Day. Whether it’s enough to win the AL Central is left open, but the plan is willing to take that shot.
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