On top of all that, the White Sox landed the first overall pick in this July’s draft. Not only will they have their pick of the litter, they also will be able to work with $17,090,000 in bonus pool money, which they can use to spread around the entire draft class.
If you add in the 5% overage every club is allowed, the White Sox will have $17,944,500 to use in July. While the White Sox have been one of the cheaper clubs in the sport in terms of payroll, spending the 5% overage is something they frequently do.
The early signs for the 2026 MLB Draft point to it being one of the better top end classes we’ve seen in a while, which is fantastic for the White Sox. With names like Roch Cholowsky, AJ Gracia, and Drew Burress on the college side, along with Grady Emerson and Jacob Lombard from the high school ranks, White Sox fans should be very pleased with the opportunity to insert one of them into the system.
This year should be about finding out which players are definitive parts of the next core, and making decisions from there. Can Chase Meidroth stave off the eventual arrival of Sam Antonacci? Which of Teel or Quero takes a step forward to be an every day catcher? Is Grant Taylor a closer going forward or can he handle longer outings? Time will tell.
Uncharted Territory
MIAMI, FL – MARCH 21: Munetaka Murakami #55 of Team Japan rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the second inning during the 2023 World Baseball Classic Championship game between Team USA and Team Japan at loanDepot Park on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
If you notice, there’s one player I didn’t mention in the previous section. Maybe he’s the player you’re most excited to see play for the White Sox this year, and his name is Munetaka Murakami.
Very simply put, the White Sox have ignored the Asian market for quite some time. Outside of signing MLB castoffs who went overseas and produced, like Erick Fedde and newly signed Anthony Kay, the White Sox weren’t involved. Signing Murakami shows willingness to tap into an incredible baseball market, and one that produces elite baseball players.
I’m not suggesting that Murakami will have the same impact that Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki had on the Dodgers influence in Japan, but this is a positive step forward. The club should see more eyes on their games from a foreign market, and making White Sox fans of those eyes is possible.
I love the Murakami deal for a few reasons: it shows that you can be involved in the foreign market, he’s got potentially the highest upside of any free agent signed this winter, and it’s a smart gamble to take given the trajectory of the team.