The White Sox blueprint here starts with a simple idea: stop pretending the AL is going to be a mess forever and build like a team that actually wants to get better.
That means keeping Miguel Vargas, using Brenton Doyle as a useful fourth outfielder, and making a tough call on the catching situation. The plan is to move on from Edgar Quero after what’s described as his wretched 2026 campaign, while holding onto Joey Bart as a competent backup.
On the pitching side, Huascar Brazoban stays because the need is too great, even if neither Justin Leasure nor Michael Murphy comes close to justifying a roster spot at their price points. Leasure could still be worth a minor league deal while he comes back from Tommy John surgery, and Murphy’s curveball gives him something to work with, but neither is being treated like a serious 26-man option.
Erick Fedde is another name the club would keep around, and the proposal is a one-year, $8 million deal with a $10 million vesting option if he clears 120 innings. The logic is straightforward: he has been able to reach that workload even when he hasn’t been especially good, and the White Sox could use someone who can soak up innings and spare the higher-leverage arms.
Sean Newcomb is viewed as a player who will get overpaid, while Randal Grichuk is expected to regress. The rest of the free-agent pool, in this view, doesn’t move the needle.
The biggest swing is the kind of move that makes a roster plan feel equal parts ambitious and unhinged: Tarik Skubal on a nine-year, $400 million deal. The structure includes a $30 million signing bonus, $20 million in year one, $40 million annually for the next eight seasons, and $30 million deferred over 15 years.
There’s also an opt-out after three years, though the deferred money would still be owed even if he uses it. The White Sox are chasing a front-line starter because their internal options haven’t come through, and Skubal fits the bill despite entering his age-30 season and dealing with injury issues.
Even so, he still logged more than 150 innings with a sub-3.00 ERA, which is exactly the kind of production the team wants.
J.P. Crawford is the next addition, on a one-year, $10 million deal.
After a long stretch as a dependable shortstop for the Mariners, he hit a rough season at the wrong time. Now entering his age-32 year, his defense slipped and his bat settled in around league average.
The idea here is a make-good contract and a bridge in the middle infield, with the hope that there’s still something left in the tank.
Enyel De Los Santos rounds out the free-agent additions on a one-year, $3 million deal. He’s not flashy, but he’s cheap, he’s cleared 64-plus relief innings in each of the last four seasons, and he brings a usable three-pitch mix.
The trade market is where things get wild. First comes a blockbuster with the Angels: Colson Montgomery, Luis Castillo, and Noah Schultz for Mike Trout.
The thinking is that Castillo helps balance Trout’s money, while the Angels get out from under the remaining four years of an aging star’s contract and bring back two high-upside young players. George Wolkow is mentioned as an extra lottery-ticket type if needed.
The White Sox would be taking on major risk, since Trout remains an injury concern and is deep into the downturn of his Hall of Fame career, but the bat is still dangerous and he can still handle the outfield at an acceptable level.
Then comes a cleaner swap with the Mets: Andrew Benintendi for Devin Williams. Benintendi is described as roster clutter, and the Mets would be getting a better DH option after Jorge Polanco was beyond disastrous.
In return, the White Sox would take on the remaining two years of Williams’ contract after a rough first season. He still piles up strikeouts and doesn’t issue many walks, but he has badly underperformed his FIP for two straight years.
The hope is that Chicago can get him back on track while adding another high-upside arm.
The lineup built around all of that looks like this: Kyle Teel at catcher, Munetaka Murakami at first, Chase Meidroth at second, Crawford at short, Vargas at third, Sam Antonacci in left, Tristan Peters in center, Braden Montgomery in right, and Trout at DH. The concern with Montgomery in right is noted, but Trout and Doyle give the team fallback options if he needs more time in the minors.
Crawford is viewed as a placeholder while Caleb Bonemer and Roch Cholowsky, among others, work their way up. Meidroth was considered as a shortstop option, with Antonacci moving to second, but the plan keeps Meidroth at the keystone after his best-in-class campaign there.
The bench includes Bart, Doyle, Luisangel Acuna, and Rikuu Nishida. Acuna and Nishida are light bats at the back end, but both bring versatility, defense, and plus speed. There’s also room to add a cheap infielder if needed.
On the mound, Skubal leads a rotation that also includes Sean Burke, Davis Martin, Anthony Kay, and Shane Smith. The first four are treated as obvious choices, while Smith gets another shot to rediscover his 2025 All-Star form.
In the bullpen, Devin Williams closes, with Grant Taylor, Jordan Hicks, Hagen Smith, Bryan Hudson, De Los Santos, Brazoban, and Fedde filling out the relief corps. Taylor, Smith, and Fedde all offer multi-inning value and could even be stretched into rotation duty if necessary.
In the minors, David Sandlin and Mike MacDougal are also mentioned as possible similar options.
In Other News...
Will Venable Just Gave White Sox Fans A New Reason For Pride
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For a franchise that had spent the previous three seasons buried under 100-loss campaigns, the turnaround under Venable has been impossible to ignore. The White Sox are suddenly part of a much more encouraging national discussion, and the next checkpoint arrives Nov. 10, when MLB Network will reveal whether Venables work earns the award and adds another layer to a season that already gave Chicago plenty to feel good about. [Read more 🡒]
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The market should still have a place for him, though, because teams are always drawn to the upside of a player with his tools if they believe the fit is right. The Phillies, Rays and Astros have all been mentioned as possible landing spots, a list that says plenty about the kind of clubs willing to bet on a rebound. For now, Roberts next move is the one worth watching, especially with a few contenders weighing whether the reward is worth the patience. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Rotation Target Just Became A Much Tougher Decision
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Rogers has put together enough strong work in recent seasons to make him a real target, but he is not the kind of pitcher the White Sox can assume will come cheaply or easily. If Chicago stays in the mix, it may have to weigh the cost of chasing him against the possibility that Baltimore, or another club, pushes the bidding into a range where the fit becomes more complicated than the talent alone would suggest. [Read more 🡒]