With the 2026 MLB offseason closing in, the White Sox don’t need to wait long to start attacking the pitching market. There’s one final series left before free agency opens, and while an impending lockout could muddy the waters, November is still shaping up to be a busy month across the league.
For Chicago, the mission is clear: add help to a rotation that faded badly down the stretch. And with a few possible targets on display in the World Series, the White Sox have a chance to do their scouting now.
Freddy Peralta looks like the biggest swing. He opened the 2026 season as one of the hottest names on the pitching market after the Brewers sent him to the Mets in the final year of his contract.
For four months, though, the move went sideways. Peralta struggled to a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts with New York, finished with -0.5 bWAR, and produced the worst stretch of his career.
Then the deadline sent him to the Tampa Bay Rays, and the story flipped fast. In his final ten starts with Tampa, he posted a 3.25 ERA with 43 strikeouts and 15 walks.
He’s carried that momentum into October, where he’s allowed only two runs in 16.2 innings and won ALCS MVP. That kind of finish should push him toward a major free agent payday, and he’d make a strong fit next to Sean Burke at the top of the White Sox rotation.
It would cost real money, but it would also be a worthwhile investment.
Drew Rasmussen is the name with the asterisk, but he might be the cleanest fit of the group if he reaches the market. The 31-year-old right-hander logged a career-high 172 innings in 2026 and was excellent with a 2.67 ERA.
That came after a 2025 season in which he posted a 2.76 ERA in 31 starts. Over more than 160 career appearances, Rasmussen owns a 2.83 ERA, and since becoming a starter with the Rays in 2022, he’s been consistently effective.
Health was an issue early in his Tampa Bay tenure, but back-to-back healthy seasons have put him firmly in the class of baseball’s better starters. He also has a $20 million club option for 2027, a $15 million jump in salary, which may matter for a Rays team that has to weigh every dollar.
If he becomes available, the White Sox should be ready to pay.
Dustin May isn’t quite as flashy, but he still belongs on the list. The right-hander turned in a solid 2026 season split between the Cardinals and Brewers, and there were some encouraging signs in the underlying numbers.
His fastball velocity climbed nearly 2 mph from 2025, and his 4.45 xERA was slightly better than his actual mark. He also leaned more on his cutter and moved away from his sweeper, with some positive results.
Chicago was reportedly interested in May last offseason as a reliever, and that interest could circle back now that he’s headed to the open market for a second straight offseason. He’s started plenty in his career, but he could also give the White Sox bullpen depth or work in a swingman role if needed.
At 29, he should still have productive years ahead.
In Other News...
White Sox Young Core Just Created A Tougher Roster Debate
Miguel Vargas changed the conversation in Chicago almost immediately. After a season in which the third baseman took a real step forward on both sides of the ball and made the All-Star Game, the White Sox suddenly have more than one young player forcing their way into the long-term picture. Pitcher Taylor also boosted his case by lowering his ERA and emerging as a key bullpen option, while Chase Meidroth added enough offense and defense to make the infield picture look a little less settled than it did a year ago.
The harder part for the front office is that the progress has not come evenly. Colson Montgomery brought strong defense but struggled at the plate, and catcher Teel saw his stock slip as injuries kept eating into his playing time. With several young pieces moving in different directions, the White Sox are left trying to sort out which performances were real breakthroughs and which ones leave the roster debate more complicated than it first appeared. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Could Be Facing Another Front Office Loss
Josh Barfield has become a familiar part of the White Sox front office since joining Chris Getz as his assistant general manager, but his name is now showing up in another big-league search. Houston is working through its list of general manager candidates, and Barfield is one of the executives being considered as the Astros look to fill the job before the World Series ends.
For Chicago, it is another reminder that front office continuity can be hard to hold onto even as the organization tries to build around Getz's leadership. Barfield has already been connected to other GM opportunities, and he previously passed on outside interest while choosing to stay focused on the White Sox, which makes this latest round of attention worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Sam Antonacci Gave The White Sox A Rookie Season Nobody Saw Coming
Sam Antonaccis rookie year gave the White Sox a little of everything, starting with a season that made his name impossible to ignore in the club record book. Working mostly in left field and at second base, he turned in strong offensive production for a first-year player and kept finding ways to matter in the biggest spots, especially off the bench and with runners in scoring position.
By the time the postseason arrived, Antonacci had already established himself as one of the more unusual stories on the roster, the kind of player who seemed to keep popping up in key moments no matter where he was stationed. He also added a couple of notable October firsts to his rsum, including becoming the youngest Sox player to bat leadoff in a postseason game, a reminder that his debut season was about more than just surprising production. [Read more 🡒]