White Sox Bet Big on David Sandlin’s Upside, Not Just His Arm
PHOENIX - The White Sox didn’t just take on Jordan Hicks’ $16 million salary to bolster their bullpen. They did it to buy into potential - specifically, the kind of potential that comes with a 6-foot-4 right-hander who can touch 100 mph and spin multiple breaking balls.
David Sandlin may not be a household name yet, but inside the White Sox front office, he’s viewed as more than just a throw-in. He’s a project with a purpose.
“We feel like he’s got weapons for both sides,” said assistant GM Josh Barfield. “Big fastball, big velocity, multiple breaking balls - we see a starter package in there. We’re going to give him every opportunity to do that.”
That’s a telling quote in an era where teams often fast-track big arms to the bullpen. But the White Sox are taking the long view here.
Sandlin, who turns 25 soon, ended 2025 in the Triple-A bullpen for a Red Sox team chasing contention. The results weren’t great - a 7.61 ERA in 23⅔ innings with 21 strikeouts and 13 walks - but the White Sox aren’t just looking at box scores.
They’re looking at traits, tools, and untapped upside.
And Sandlin’s got plenty of that.
He was more effective earlier in the year as a Double-A starter, posting a 3.61 ERA with 86 strikeouts over 82⅓ innings. That stretch gave a glimpse of what he could be if everything clicks.
He’s tall, lean, throws hard, and his breaking stuff can be nasty. The raw material is there - it just needs refining.
Davis Martin, who trains with Sandlin at Pitching WRX in Oklahoma City during the offseason, knows that better than most.
“He’s one of the few guys where I watch their bullpen and just shake my head like, ‘Oh God, I hope I don’t have to go after him today,’” Martin said.
But as much as Sandlin looks the part, he’s not walking into a rotation spot this spring. The White Sox aren’t rushing him.
They’ve got innings to fill, sure, but they’re not throwing a high-upside arm like Sandlin into the fire just to patch a hole. They see mid-rotation potential, and they’re treating him accordingly.
That’s not to say there aren’t hurdles. Like a lot of pitchers with elite breaking stuff, Sandlin has struggled to develop a pitch that moves arm side.
His fastball and breaking balls all work glove side, which makes him tougher on righties (.649 OPS against last year) than lefties (.772 OPS). That platoon split has been a sticking point - and one he’s actively working to solve.
“As somebody who can make the ball move left well, it’s been difficult to make the ball move right,” Sandlin said.
Last year, he added a cutter to help him attack opposite-handed hitters. But the real breakthrough may have come this offseason with the “kick change” - a newer grip that’s gaining traction across the league. It’s designed to create more horizontal movement, helping pitchers like Sandlin develop a true arm-side weapon.
“Originally we were set on a splitter - that’s always what I’ve thrown,” Sandlin said. “I was good at killing the vert on it, but it was almost turning into another cutter.
We needed something with more horizontal and less downward break. That’s where the kick change came in, and I’d say we really started making strides with it about a month ago.”
The pitch has been a quiet revolution in the White Sox system. Grant Taylor is working on it this spring.
Martin was an early adopter back in 2024 and just wrapped up a solid season with 142⅔ innings of above-average production. Pitching WRX, where former White Sox reliever Lane Ramsey now works as COO - or as Martin calls him, “the pitch design guy” - has become a hub for refining it.
“[Ramsey] and I have talked at length about how I throw my kick change, my thought process and so forth,” Martin said. “He’s taken that information to guys who need that arm-side run.
Between Sandlin, [Mets prospect Ryan Lambert] - guys with that beautiful cut-ride heater - they’ve started adapting it. Yeah, there’s been some competitions about changeup depth at Pitching WRX on bullpen days.”
It’s all part of a broader strategy the White Sox are leaning into - identifying near-ready starters who might not be fully polished, but have the traits they believe they can develop. Sandlin fits that mold to a tee. He’s not a finished product, but the White Sox are betting they can help him get there.
That’s why they were willing to take on Hicks’ salary. It wasn’t just about adding a veteran arm to the bullpen. It was about buying into Sandlin’s ceiling.
“[Director of acquisitions] Matt Grabowski and [R&D] have done an awesome job,” said director of pitching Brian Bannister. “They actively scan the market, but they also know our capabilities on the coaching side. We’ve done a lot of back and forth on what attributes we prioritize - what’s undervalued by the market, what we can acquire more of at our current payroll level.”
And that payroll level is a key part of the story. For the third straight spring, the White Sox clubhouse is light on big contracts and heavy on opportunity.
It’s full of players trying to establish or re-establish themselves. Sandlin, for his part, will be surrounded by familiar faces - former Red Sox prospects like Wikelman González, Chase Meidroth, and his old Double-A catcher Kyle Teel are all in the fold.
But more than just a reunion, this is about fit - both in the clubhouse and in the organization’s long-term vision.
“It’s easy to just say, ‘Oh, this guy’s got good stuff, put him in the bullpen, he could help us right now,’” Barfield said. “But looking big picture, I think he could be a pivotal piece in a rotation going forward.”
That’s the bet the White Sox are making. Not just on Sandlin’s arm, but on their ability to mold it - and on a plan that’s starting to take shape.