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Chris Getz has just signed the biggest free agent for Chicago since Andrew Benintendi, with Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami.
The Chicago White Sox have been desperate for high-leverage relief arms. They just got one.
Chicago signed Seranthony Dominguez to a two-year, $20 million contract, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Dominguez is expected be the closer for Chicago, a team that has blown many games in the last few seasons.
Right-handed reliever Seranthony DomÃnguez and the Chicago White Sox are in agreement on a two-year, $20 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Dominguez, 31, is expected to close for the White Sox, who use the money saved in the Luis Robert Jr. deal to continue adding this winter.
General Manager Chris Getz promised after shipping off Luis Robert Jr.’s $20 million salary that the White Sox were not done spending this offseason. He just delivered on that promise.
While many free agent closers were already off the market by the New Year, Dominguez was quite possibly the best available at this juncture.
Dominguez’s Career Before the Chicago White Sox
Dominguez’s immediate impact should not be understated. The White Sox have not had a 10-save reliever since Liam Hendriks in 2022, mostly due to their low win totals.
It has been a de facto closer situation for Chicago since its rebuild began. Now, they have a bona fide closer for the next two seasons.
The Dominican reliever made his major league debut back in 2018 for the Philadelphia Phillies. In 53 games, he pitched to a 2.95 ERA and recorded 16 saves.
The next season, he was hampered by injury, pitching just 27 games and recording a 4.01 ERA.
Then, disaster struck. In 2020, Dominguez underwent Tommy John surgery, effectively wiping out two seasons of his career.
He would make his triumphant return in 2022, pitching to a 3.00 ERA in 54 games. While he was no longer the primary closer, he still had nine saves as a high-leverage reliever.
In the playoffs, he was unstoppable for the National League Champions. In nine games, Dominguez pitched to a 1.69 ERA with 18 strikeouts and just one walk in 10.2 innings.
He would pitch for the Phillies for two more seasons before Philadelphia traded him to the Baltimore Orioles in 2024.
He would pitch to a 3.50 ERA in parts of two seasons with the Orioles before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2025.
While no longer a closer, he would pitch to a 3.00 ERA in 24 games with Toronto. In the playoffs, he was just as effective.
In 12 playoff games for the American League champions, Dominguez posted a 3.18 ERA but struggled with control.
Now, once again, Dominguez will be the closer for the White Sox.
What Will Dominguez Bring to Chicago and What Does the Bullpen Look Like?
Dominguez brings a strong fastball that averages 97.7 mph. His offspeed pitches are how he will earn this contract.
According to Baseball Savant, Dominguez’s sweeper had an expected slugging percentage of .185 in 2025, the best among his pitches.
He also developed a splitter in 2025 to be used against left-handers that was effective.
If his sweeper and splitter can improve even further with Chicago’s director of pitching, Brian Bannister, Dominguez will be dangerous for Chicago.
Other expected arms in the back-end of Chicago’s bullpen are Grant Taylor, Jordan Leasure, Sean Newcomb and Mike Vasil.
Vasil and Newcomb both pitched to an under-2.75 ERA last year and should be high-leverage relievers.
Leasure and Taylor, while struggling last year, have elite stuff and should not be written off from the equation.
While many of these names are not known outside of Chicago, it seems that Getz is building something special in the White Sox bullpen and the entire team.
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Matthew Singer Matthew Singer is a sports reporter covering MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2025, and has two years of experience covering local professional, collegiate and high school sports, including writing for Cronkite News and Arizona PBS. More about Matthew Singer
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