The Chicago White Sox don’t have much time to enjoy their return to relevance. With the offseason nearing, the real work starts now, and general manager Chris Getz has already pointed to starting pitching and the outfield as the key areas to address.
Free agency looks like the most obvious path forward, and there are a few names that fit the bill.
One of the most interesting outfield possibilities is Seiya Suzuki, who could end up leaving the White Sox’s crosstown rivals after finishing out a five-year, $85 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. Suzuki is coming off the best statistical season of his career, putting together a 5.1 bWAR while hitting .270/.368/.473 with 26 home runs and 86 runs driven in.
Just as important for Chicago, his glove took a real step forward. After years as a negative defender, Suzuki posted a +5 Outs Above Average this season, according to Baseball Savant.
That matters for a White Sox team that struck out 21 times in its elimination game against Cleveland and could use more contact and more patience in the lineup. Suzuki’s bat, his arm, and his on-base ability all fit.
He has mostly played right field, but the White Sox could slide him to left with Braden Montgomery locked into right. That would create a squeeze for Sam Antonacci, whose defense has been rough, with a -9 OAA.
There’s another path, too. Against left-handers, Suzuki could play left field with Antonacci on the bench.
Against right-handers, Suzuki could handle DH duties, with Randal Grichuk and possibly Andrew Benintendi on the outs. However it’s arranged, the goal would be the same: keep Suzuki in the lineup every day.
On the pitching side, Chicago probably isn’t landing the headliners. Tarik Skubal and Freddy Peralta are not coming to the South Side. But there are still rotation options worth considering, and Tyler Mahle is one of them.
Mahle will be a free agent after a one-year, $10 million deal with the San Francisco Giants. His Giants stint wasn’t smooth, as he posted a 5.13 ERA in 18 starts.
But the Braves saw enough in the underlying numbers to trade for him at the deadline, sending Anthony Molina back in return. Once he got to Atlanta, Mahle’s year flipped.
He logged a 1.99 ERA in nine regular-season games and then delivered in his first postseason, allowing just two earned runs over 13.1 innings.
That kind of rebound matters, especially if the White Sox are looking for a pitcher who can help near the top of the staff without breaking the bank. Mahle will be entering his age-33 season, and the expectation is a modest payday. He could fit as a front-of-the-rotation arm.
Trevor Rogers is another name who could make sense. The former All-Star is reaching free agency at a strong point after his season with the Baltimore Orioles.
In 30 starts, Rogers finished with a 4.03 ERA, 157 strikeouts, and only 39 walks across 169.2 innings. His 3.60 xERA suggests the performance had more beneath the surface, and he also put up a 1.81 ERA in 18 starts the year before.
That’s the version of Rogers that would appeal to the White Sox, and he, too, profiles as a front-end starter.
The offseason may be shaped by the presumed lockout, but once the World Series ends, teams are still expected to move and sign free agents. For the White Sox, standing still wouldn’t make much sense after finally clawing their way back into relevance.
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White Sox Surprising Finish Created An Offseason Question Fans Can't Ignore
For White Sox fans, the latest debate is less about what happened on the field than what it means for the months ahead. The season and playoff run left the fan base split on how to judge the year, and the conversation has only gotten louder because some of the wilder claims floating around about Dodgers ownership and playoff manipulation for salary-cap leverage do not hold up. What does remain is a familiar winter storyline for Chicago, where the real questions now turn to how aggressively the front office should push the roster forward.
The bigger issue is the path to improvement, and it does not sound like the kind that starts with a splashy free-agent bidding war for pitching. The White Sox are more likely to look for upgrades through trades, with the club also sorting through its own internal options as it weighs possible roster moves. Caleb Bonemer is getting a look in the outfield in Arizona, and his versatility could end up mattering if the Sox decide to reshuffle the infield mix, which is the sort of detail that can quietly shape a lot of the offseason even before the bigger moves arrive. [Read more 🡒]