The White Sox reached a point this year that looked impossible not long ago: they made the postseason after three straight 100-loss seasons. That kind of jump changes everything, even if the ending left a sting.
They came up short of an ALCS berth, but the bigger picture still pointed up. Now Chris Getz and Will Venable are staring at an offseason that feels a lot trickier than the one before it.
The challenge is that the White Sox are no longer just trying to build. They’re trying to keep going without slipping back.
That’s a much tougher job, especially with a lockout looming and questions already hanging over when the 2027 season will even begin. And because this roster took such a meaningful step forward, the pressure now is about the next one.
One of the biggest decisions is how hard to push on roster upgrades. Last offseason was active, but most of the additions were modest ones.
This time, the picture is different. Sean Newcomb and Randal Grichuk are the only major contributors set for free agency, so most of the group that got Chicago into the postseason should still be around.
At the same time, the club clearly has places it can strengthen. The lineup led the American League in runs scored, yet it sputtered in the ALDS, and the team leaned heavily on platoons throughout the year.
That leaves the front office with a real choice: add outside help and go after more offense, or keep handing key at-bats to the young players already here and bet on internal growth.
Pitching brings an even messier version of that same dilemma. The White Sox could use multiple impact starters, but making those kinds of additions would squeeze out chances for Hagen Smith, Noah Schultz, and David Sandlin to settle into starting roles.
Chris Getz has to find the balance between reinforcing a team that just made the playoffs and continuing to develop the arms that are supposed to matter long term. What made sense when the priority was growth is harder to apply now that expectations have changed.
After reaching the postseason, anything less than the same level of performance in 2027 would count as a step backward.
That leads straight into the next question: where do the White Sox put all these prospects? Even after plenty of big-league debuts over the last two years, more are coming.
Caleb Bonemer and Roch Cholowky are both trending toward 2027 debuts, but both are infielders, and Chicago’s infield already looks lined up for years. Bonemer finished the season in the outfield at Double-A Birmingham and has been playing there in the Arizona Fall League too, so that may be his path.
He’s athletic enough to handle it, and that could be the club’s plan for its second-ranked prospect. Cholowky raises a different issue, since he also plays the infield and could be on a similar timetable to the majors.
If there isn’t room, the White Sox may have to get creative. A trade could open space, or Murakami could move into a primary DH role, Miguel Vargas could shift to first, and third base could clear up.
All of that ties back to the final and maybe most important question: who exactly is starting, and who is relieving? Sean Burke is firmly part of the picture, and Davis Martin gave the club steady work for much of the season.
After that, though, the rotation is hard to map. Hagen Smith, Noah Schultz, and Tanner McDougal all finished the season in the bullpen, and each one showed a different level of success there.
The White Sox now have to decide which of them, if any, should be stretched back out as starters. On top of that, Anthony Kay, Luis Castillo, David Sandlin, and Shane Smith will all be part of the mix next year, and there’s been discussion about whether Grant Taylor should also be developed as a starter.
So yes, the White Sox need more pitching. That much is obvious. But before they can figure out how much more they need, they have to figure out what they already have.
In Other News...
White Sox 2027 Outfield Picture Hinges On Two Big Decisions
The White Sox are already looking ahead to 2027 in the outfield, and the shape of that group may end up looking more familiar than radical. Sam Antonacci, Tristan Peters and Braden Montgomery are part of the internal discussion, while veterans like Randal Grichuk, Andrew Benintendi and Brenton Doyle help define how the next few seasons could line up. Chicagos front office has some flexibility, but it also has to balance near-term stability with the kind of roster churn that usually comes when a club is sorting out its longer-term core.
What makes the picture interesting is that the biggest questions are not about the young names so much as the established ones. The White Sox have to decide how much they want to commit to the current mix, how much room they want to leave for the younger outfielders to emerge, and whether a late-stage roster tweak could be used to address a different need. Even with some changes likely, the sense right now is that the group may stay closer to intact than a full reset would suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Two Former White Sox Are Making October Look Even Worse
The White Sox corner of October looks a little more painful with two familiar faces helping other clubs chase a playoff run. Andrew Vaughn, once expected to be a middle-of-the-order answer in Chicago, is now part of Milwaukees postseason push after a trade in 2025, while Cam Booser has gone from a tough fit on the South Side to a useful bullpen arm for Tampa Bay.
Both have found better footing since leaving Chicago, and both are contributing in the kind of games the White Sox are watching from afar. Vaughns bat has ticked up with the Brewers, and Booser has settled in as a dominant reliever for the Rays, a reminder that sometimes the cleanest change of scenery comes after the messiest stretch at home. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Roster Crunch Could Force A Tough Rotation Decision
After a 2026 season that left the White Sox still searching for more reliable starting pitching, the front office is expected to spend the winter sorting through a roster that suddenly looks a little crowded in a few key places. Chicago has already been linked to the idea of using its depth to address the rotation, and that puts a few familiar names into the conversation as the team weighs how aggressively to pursue upgrades.
Andrew Benintendis place on the roster is one of the more obvious questions, especially with the club considering ways to reshape the payroll and create room for a controllable starter. Billy Carlson could also come up in those talks, even with the No. 81 prospect tag attached to him, because the White Sox have enough infield traffic to at least listen. Brenton Doyles future is less settled than it might seem, too, which is what makes this roster crunch worth watching as the offseason takes shape. [Read more 🡒]