The White Sox have a chance to turn a promising season into something sturdier, but the next step requires real spending, cleaner roster building and a sharper developmental plan. That’s the thread running through the whole offseason blueprint: keep the young core in place, stop forcing infielders into the outfield, and stop treating pitching development like a mystery the organization can simply work around.
One of the biggest asks is money. The median payroll in 2026 was over $170M, and this plan pushes for roughly $160M, with a bigger swing if the front office can get the budget up to $180M.
The argument is straightforward: a club that was within spitting distance of the ALCS with such a young core should not be sitting in the bottom half of payrolls. If the extensions are stripped out, the number drops under $130M.
The roster construction piece is just as pointed. Sam Antonacci is the example used to make the case against infielders in the outfield.
He was described as abysmal in left field, and that hurt both his own value and the White Sox in the standings. It also put the manager in a bind by forcing too many late-game substitutions, including the Cleveland walk-off in late September.
The pitching side comes with an even louder warning. The organization has to fix the ABS stuff, and the development pipeline for starting pitchers is now framed as a “now or never” issue.
Jodan Hicks got through with “Banny’ll fix ‘em,” but the White Sox’ top three MLB-ready starting pitching prospects all failed to stick as rotation pieces. Christian Oppor, once viewed as a potential 2027 starter, is now described as completely unable to throw strikes.
The takeaway is blunt: the team needs to figure out its starting-pitcher development plan for 2027.
In arbitration, Miguel Vargas is tendered, Brenton Doyle is tendered, Huascar Brazobán is tendered, while Joey Bart, Jordan Leasure and Chris Murphy are non-tendered. Vargas is also a candidate for a long-term deal, with a 5/100 extension floated if the extra money comes through. He’s described as the heartbeat of the team, and the longer the club waits, the more expensive he figures to get.
Among the impending free agents, Fedde and Grichuk are credited with doing the jobs they were signed to do, but the plan does not assume that will happen again. Sean Newcomb stands out as the one the staff does not want to lose, and he’s slotted for 2/15 in a fireman role.
The free-agent additions are more targeted than splashy. Taylor Ward at 2/$15M is presented as the best option in the outfield tier below Seiya Suzuki and Randy Arozarena, though the note is clear: if the payroll can get north of $180M, the Sox should go after one of them instead.
Ward’s fit is tied heavily to defense, with the idea that if he can post around 5 DRS in left field, that would amount to a 20-run improvement. Brandon Woodruff is another target, projected at 2/$30M with a player option after one year.
Because he’s on the Brewers’ World Series roster, the price could move if he pitches well, but the appeal is obvious: a healthy Woodruff gives the Sox a Game 1 starter, and if things go sideways, he could become a major trade chip. Newcomb is back in the picture at 2/$15M.
No trades are highlighted as meaningful, and the plan keeps the young core together for one more run while Bonemer, Carlson and Roch wait in the wings if anyone falters. The pitching prospects Schultz, Smith and Sandlin are also staying put, since dealing them now would feel like selling low.
There’s also one more extension on the table: Munetaka Murakami at 4/140 if the budget grows. Even with a late-season fade, the view is that he can adjust, and locking him up would send a message to the team, the league and the nation of Japan that the Sox are committed for the long haul.
Andrew Benintendi, meanwhile, is gone in this setup no matter what. The reasoning is simple: a league-average bat who needs a platoon partner and can’t really handle one position is too much to carry.
If he can be traded, fine. If not, the plan is still not to dump prospects just to move the contract.
From there, the roster takes shape. Sam Antonacci starts at DH as a placeholder but is expected to get plenty of work at second base while spelling Chase Meidroth, Colson Montgomery, Murakami or Vargas.
Kyle Teel handles catching. Murakami is the first baseman, Meidroth the second baseman, Vargas at third, and Montgomery at shortstop, though he has the shortest leash among the position players.
The message on Montgomery is clear: this is a huge winter, but there’s no rush to sell low because multiple shortstop options are on the way.
Taylor Ward is penciled in as the left fielder. Tristan Peters or Doyle is set for center depending on the platoon and who’s playing well.
Braden Montgomery is in right, but he also gets a warning label after underwhelming down the stretch last season. If he doesn’t show something in the first half, Bonemer may be the next man up.
The bench features Edgar Quero at catcher, with the season framed as do-or-die if his play doesn’t improve significantly. Doyle fills the CF/OF role, and Brooks Baldwin is the utility piece.
The bullpen is more fully mapped out than the rotation. Grant Taylor is the closer, Jordan Hicks the setup man, Bryan Hudson and Huascar Brazoban are in leverage roles, Sean Newcomb is the fireman, and David Sandlin, Noah Schultz and Anthony Kay are all listed as swingmen. The dead money includes Andrew Benintendi at $15M and Liam Hendriks at $1.5M.
It’s a roster built around the idea that the window is open enough to matter, but not so open that the Sox can afford to be careless. The challenge now is to spend like they mean it and build around the right pieces.
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