The White Sox are heading toward a problem most teams would love to have: too many good infielders and not enough obvious places to put them.
That wasn’t the story a few years ago. From 2023 through 2025, Chicago was scraping to find MLB-caliber answers around the diamond.
Now, after a season that ended with a return to the Postseason for the first time since 2021, the picture has flipped. The 2026-2027 offseason could force the front office to get creative, because the infield already looks crowded and more help may be on the way.
Miguel Vargas sits at the center of it. The 26-year-old made a huge leap in 2026 and emerged as the team’s most valuable player.
He hit 33 home runs and put up 5.3 fWAR, and while his defense at third base still needs work, he became the most complete hitter in the White Sox lineup. That kind of breakout makes him a real extension candidate this offseason.
On the other side of the infield, Munetaka Murakami wasted no time making his presence felt. In his rookie season, he led the White Sox with 35 home runs even though a hamstring injury cost him six weeks. The contact issues and strikeout questions are still there, but the power is loud enough that Chicago is going to keep making room for him.
MUNETAKA MURAKAMI! @WHITESOX LEAD! pic.twitter.com/0FgVkJKpgo
- MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2026
Then there’s the middle infield, where Colson Montgomery and Chase Meidroth give the White Sox even more reasons to rethink the layout. Montgomery followed his headline-grabbing 2025 rookie season with a more uneven 2026, but he still launched 31 homers.
The finish was rough and his batting average slipped below .200, yet his defense and power profile make him hard to leave out of the lineup. Meidroth, meanwhile, took a big step on both sides of the ball and locked himself in as a major part of the club’s future.
And that’s before the next wave arrives.
Caleb Bonemer and Roch Cholowsky, the White Sox’s top two prospects, are both infielders. Bonemer spent time in the outfield late in 2026, which could be part of the answer.
Cholowsky, the first overall pick, could be in the majors as soon as 2027. That gives Chicago multiple possible directions, but also creates real pressure to sort out the depth chart.
One path would be moving on from Andrew Benintendi, sliding Murakami into a larger DH role and shifting Vargas to first base. That would clear third base for Bonemer, Cholowsky, or even Montgomery, and it would open another spot in the infield mix. Sam Antonacci could also remain in left field if his defense improves this offseason, though his long-term role may wind up being more utility than everyday regular.
The other route is more aggressive: trade from the infield surplus to bring back a young, controllable starting pitcher. Montgomery’s name has come up in that kind of speculation, and while that’s not a move to rush into, the logic is easy to follow. When a team is loaded in one area, it can use that strength to address another.
However it plays out, this is the kind of offseason challenge Chicago hasn’t had in a while. Chris Getz may need to be inventive, because the White Sox are no longer short on infield talent. They’re short on room.
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The talks got underway in late summer and have remained quiet since then, with the White Sox offering no official update on where things stand. For a player who already looks like a foundational piece after one strong season, the uncertainty adds another layer to an offseason that could shape the team's core for years to come. [Read more 🡒]