CHICAGO WHITE SOX
2025 finish: 60-102 (5th in AL Central)
Manager: Will Venable (2nd season, 60-102)
Leading the front office: Chris Getz, executive vice president and general manager (3rd season)
DOLLARS AND SENSE
Largest luxury tax hit: 1B Munetaka Murakami ($17 million)
Top returning players: SS Colson Montgomery (2.7 fWAR), C Kyle Teel (1.9), INF Lenyn Sosa (1.4)
Top returning starting pitchers: RHP Shane Smith (2.2), RHP Davis Martín (1.3), RHP Sean Burke (0.7)
Top returning relievers: RHP Grant Taylor (1.7), RHP Jordan Leasure (0.5), RHP Mike Vasil (0.4)
ROSTER WATCH
Key additions: 1B Munetaka Murakami (free agent), OF Austin Hays (free agent), INF Luisangel Acuña (trade), LHP Anthony Kay (free agent), RHP Erick Fedde (free agent), RHP Seranthony Dominguez (free agent), LHP Sean Newcomb (free agent), RHP Jordan Hicks (free agent), OF Everson Pereira (trade), OF Jarred Kelenic (minors), 1B LaMonte Wade Jr. (minors), C Drew Romo (waivers).
Key losses: OF Luis Robert Jr. (trade), OF Mike Tauchman (free agent), LHP Tyler Alexander (free agent), LHP Martín Pérez (free agent), RHP Mike Clevinger (free agent), RHP Miguel Castro (free agent), RHP Dan Altavilla (free agent), RHP Bryse Wilson (free agent), INF Josh Rojas (free agent), 3B Bryan Ramos (trade), RHP Steven Wilson (trade), OF Michael A. Taylor (retired).
Baseball America top-100 prospect(s): LHP Noah Schultz (26), SS Caleb Bonemer (27), OF Braden Montgomery (73), 91. LHP Hagen Smith (91), SS Billy Carlson (92), RHP Tanner McDougal (100).
Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable is introduced during SoxFest at the Ramova Theatre in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
KEEP AN EYE ON
The White Sox have 324 losses over the last three years, including a record 121 in 2025. But they’ve been active in free agency heading into former Padre Will Venable’s second season as the manager, with the two-year, $34 million deal for Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami leading the additions. The hope is balancing out the roster will be a step toward returning to .500, last achieved in 2022.
The rebuild is still centered around a youth movement and SS Colson Montgomery hit 21 homers (.840 OPS) and finished fifth in AL Rookie of the Year voting in his Age 23 season. Toward that end, the White Sox finally moved OF Luis Robert Jr. to the Mets, fetching INF Luisangel Acuña and minor league pitcher Truman Pauley to add to a growing stable of prospects pushing their way to Chicago.
The White Sox rotation ranked 10th in ERA (4.39). RHP Erick Fedde is returning on a one-year deal. He had a 5.49 ERA with three teams last year but pitched for the White Sox and Cardinals in 2024 (3.30 ERA) after a year in Korea. He’s expected to push the likes of Shane Smith, Davis Martin, Anthony Kay, Sean Burke and Sean Newcomb.
Fangraphs projection: 67.7 wins