Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

White Sox Rumors

American League Non-Tenders: 11/21/25

By | at

Every American League team has officially announced their non-tender decisions. It was a quiet evening in terms of subtractions, with only the Rangers parting with any marquee players. All players who were non-tendered are free agents without going on waivers. A few teams dropped pre-arbitration players from the back of the 40-man roster. It’s possible they preferred not to expose them to waivers and are hopeful of re-signing them to non-roster deals.

Here’s a full list of today’s activity in the AL, while the National League moves are available here. All projected salaries are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

  • The Angels announced they’ve non-tendered outfielder Gustavo Campero and catcher Sebastian Rivero. Campero is a depth outfielder who has hit .202/.272/.346 over the past two seasons. Rivero operated as the club’s third catcher for most of the season but spent the final few weeks on the active roster. Neither player had been eligible for arbitration. All their arb-eligible players were easy calls to retain.
  • The Astros technically made one non-tender, dropping infielder Ramón Urías after he was designated for assignment earlier in the week. He’d been projected at $4.4MM.
  • The Athletics officially non-tendered outfielder JJ Bleday, the club announced. He’d been designated for assignment on Tuesday, so this was inevitable unless they found a trade partner. Bleday had been projected at $2.2MM.
  • The only non-tenders for the Red Sox were first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and reliever Josh Winckowski, each of whom had been designated for assignment on Tuesday. Lowe was projected at $13.5MM, while Winckowski was at $800K.
  • The Guardians non-tendered outfielder Will Brennan and relievers Sam Hentges and Nic Enright. The latter had been designated for assignment on Tuesday. Hentges hasn’t pitched since undergoing shoulder surgery in September 2024. He underwent a right knee procedure a few months ago and will be delayed this offseason. Brennan only appeared in six MLB games this year and underwent Tommy John surgery while in the minors in June. He’d been projected at $900K.
  • The Mariners non-tendered reliever Gregory Santos, reports Francys Romero. He’d only been projected at $800K, narrowly above the MLB minimum, so the move was about dropping him from the 40-man roster. Seattle acquired the 26-year-old righty from the White Sox over the 2023-24 offseason. He has only made 16 MLB appearances with a 5.02 earned run average over the past two years because of lat and knee injuries. Seattle also non-tendered relievers Trent Thornton and Tayler Saucedo (the latter of whom was designated for assignment on Tuesday). Thornton had been projected at $2.5MM and is coming off a 4.68 ERA through 33 appearances. He suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in August.
  • The Orioles non-tendered swingman Albert Suárez, the team announced. Everyone else in their arbitration class was offered a contract, surprisingly including first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (as first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan). Suárez, 36, was a solid depth starter in 2024. He was limited to five MLB appearances this past season by a flexor strain but is not expected to require surgery.
  • The Rangers non-tendered each of Adolis García, Jonah Heim, Josh Sborz and Jacob Webb. MLBTR covered those moves in greater detail.
  • The Rays only non-tendered outfielders Christopher Morel and Jake Fraley, each of whom had been designated for assignment earlier in the week. Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reported last night that the Rays were open to bringing back Fraley at a lower price than his $3.6MM arbitration projection.
  • The Royals non-tendered outfielder MJ Melendez and reliever Taylor Clarke, per a club announcement. Melendez, who’d been projected at $2.65MM, was an obvious decision. The former top prospect never developed as hoped and is a career .215/.297/.388 hitter over parts of four seasons. Clarke isn’t as big a name but comes as the more surprising cut. He’d been projected at just $1.9MM and is coming off a 3.25 ERA with a 21.4% strikeout rate over 55 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.
  • The Tigers are non-tendering utility player Andy Ibáñez, according to Romero. He’d been projected at $1.8MM. The righty-hitting Ibáñez had been a solid short-side platoon bat for Detroit between 2023-24. His production against southpaws dropped this year (.258/.311/.403), limiting his value. The Tigers optioned the 32-year-old to Triple-A in early June and kept him in the minors until shortly before the trade deadline. Detroit also dropped the six pitchers they’d designated for assignment earlier in the week: Tanner Rainey, Dugan Darnell, Tyler Mattison, Jason Foley, Jack Little and Sean Guenther.
  • The only Twins non-tender was outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr., who’d been designated for assignment this morning to make room for the Alex Jackson trade. Everyone in the arbitration class was brought back.
  • The White Sox non-tendered outfielder Mike Tauchman, as first reported by Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. The lefty hitter turned in a solid .263/.356/.400 line in 93 games this past season. Tauchman has gotten on base at plus rates in three straight years but was also non-tendered by the Cubs a year ago. The 34-year-old (35 next month) had been projected for a $3.4MM salary. The Sox also announced they’ve dropped lefty reliever Cam Booser and first baseman Tim Elko. Neither had been eligible for arbitration. The former posted a 5.52 ERA in 39 appearances after being acquired from the Red Sox last winter, while the latter hit .134 in his first 23 MLB games despite a 26-homer season in Triple-A.
  • The Yankees announced five non-tenders. Relievers Mark Leiter Jr., Scott Effross, Jake Cousins and Ian Hamilton were all cut loose, as was pre-arbitration righty Michael Arias. Leiter, who’d been projected at $3MM, never clicked in the Bronx after being acquired at the 2024 deadline. He posted a 4.89 ERA in 70 innings as a Yankee. Hamilton, Effross and Cousins were all projected just above the MLB minimum but are cut to clear roster space. Hamilton was on and off the active roster and posted a 4.28 ERA in 40 big league frames this year. Effross was limited to 11 appearances and has been plagued by various injuries for the past three and a half years, while Cousins is working back from Tommy John surgery. Arias has never pitched in the big leagues and could be brought back on a minor league deal.

The Blue Jays tendered contracts to all unsigned players on the 40-man roster.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: 11/21/25

By and | at

The deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players is this afternoon at 4pm CT. Throughout the day, we’ll surely see a handful of arb-eligible players agree to terms with their clubs to avoid a hearing.

These so-called “pre-tender deals” usually, although not always, involve players who were borderline non-tender candidates. Rather than run the risk of being cut loose, they can look to sign in the lead-up to the deadline. Those salaries often come in a little below projections, since these players tend to have less leverage because of the uncertainty about whether they’ll be offered a contract at all.

Under the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement, players who sign to avoid an arbitration hearing are guaranteed full termination pay. That’s a change from prior CBAs, when teams could release an arb-eligible player before the season began and would only owe a prorated portion of the contract. This was done to incentivize teams and players to get deals done without going to a hearing.

All salary projections in this post come via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. This post will be updated throughout the day as deals are announced and/or reported. Salary figures are from The Associated Press unless otherwise noted.

Photo courtesy of William Liang, Imagn Images

Poll: Should The White Sox Trade A Young Catcher?

By | at

While they improved on their historically bad 2024 season this past year, the 2025 White Sox were still among the league’s bottom-feeders with little end in sight to the rebuild that GM Chris Getz is undertaking. The problem for Chicago is that they’re running out of notable pieces to dangle in trades if they hope to accelerate that rebuild. Andrew Benintendi has the capacity to be a decent corner bat, but he’s overpaid and could be difficult to move without eating almost all of his salary. Luis Robert Jr. has long been on the trade block, but the White Sox have never been able to extract the value they’re looking for.

That dearth of quality trade pieces could lead the Sox to look for more unorthodox trade candidates on their roster. For all of the team’s faults, Chicago does have one area of legitimate depth on its roster: young catching talent. Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel both turned in solid rookie seasons after entering the 2025 season as consensus top-100 prospects in the sport, and both players are controlled through the end of the 2031 season. Six full seasons of team control on a player who has already proved capable of hitting big league pitching from the toughest defensive position on the diamond is arguably one of the most attractive tradable assets in the entire game.

There’s also the current market conditions to consider. The free agent market is headlined by J.T. Realmuto but he’s expected to return to the Phillies. Even if he doesn’t, he’s about to turn 35 and some clubs would certainly prefer to find a younger franchise catcher like those currently on the White Sox. Apart from Realmuto, guys like Victor Caratini and Danny Jansen are the top guys available. Ryan Jeffers might be on the trade block but it’s not entirely confirmed that the Twins are going to continue the selloff they began at the deadline.

That could make it easy to dream on what sort of elite return the White Sox could get if they were willing to trade either Teel or Quero, both of whom they’ve received interest on. For a team with a need in the starting rotation, multiple holes in the lineup, and plenty of room to improve in the bullpen, a trade return with a number of players could help patch holes and quicken the team’s return to contention in an AL Central division that appeared a bit more vulnerable than expected by the end of the year. Teel or Quero would also not necessarily need to be replaced if traded given the presence of Korey Lee on the 40-man roster, though Lee’s track record in the majors is mixed at best.

An offer that included a controllable starter and help for the lineup could be hard to turn down, but Getz has indicated that he isn’t especially inclined to deal either Teel or Quero at this point. That’s understandable, given that the team has no reason to rush into a trade. Keeping both Teel and Quero in the fold would allow them to better evaluate which of the two is better suited to be a franchise cornerstone behind the plate and, if both players excel, wouldn’t substantially decrease their value on the market. Any loss in team control could be made up for or perhaps even exceeded by the value created by the youngster proving themselves more solidly at the big league level.

What’s more, waiting to trade could mean that the players acquired would be under control longer when the White Sox are earnestly trying to contend again. Acquiring a player with three years of team control in 2026 would likely only mean one or two years in the organization while its competitive, but acquiring a player with the same amount of control remaining a year or two from now could mean having that player’s services for a much larger portion of the team’s competitive window. Waiting would also allow the White Sox to better evaluate the rest of the talent in their system and more accurately identify which needs should be prioritized.

Of course, there’s risks in waiting as well. Injury or underperformance could diminish either player’s value. Given the inconsistencies that even high-end young catchers often face early in their time as big leaguers, the possibility of such a decline cannot be ignored. Perhaps future offseasons will have more catching talent available in free agency and/or trades.

Even if Teel and Quero both remain productive and command strong markets a year or two from now, there are drawbacks to waiting. For one, the clocks on the team’s existing young players are already ticking. Any time spent waiting out the market is time that acquired players and prospects won’t be able to spend alongside young up-and-comers like Shane Smith, Colson Montgomery, and whichever catcher does remain in Chicago long-term. Another concern would be that those players and prospects themselves may not yet be fully established at the big league level, and any additional development time necessary might be better done while the White Sox are still rebuilding rather than when they’re already trying to compete.

How do MLBTR readers think the White Sox should handle their catching surplus? Should the team be open to moving one of their top catching talents, or should they hold onto both players and continue evaluating them in 2026? Have your say in the poll below:

Rays, White Sox Complete Four-Player Trade

By | at

The Rays and White Sox announced a four-player trade sending middle reliever Steven Wilson and swingman Yoendrys Gómez to Tampa Bay for outfielder Everson Pereira and minor league infielder Tanner Murray.

Wilson is the most established of the group. The 31-year-old righty landed in Chicago as part of the Dylan Cease trade during the 2023-24 offseason. Wilson had posted a 3.48 ERA over his first two MLB seasons with the Padres. His numbers tanked during his first year with the Sox, leading them to run him through waivers last winter. Wilson pitched his way back to the big leagues by the middle of April and turned in a quietly solid year.

Over a career-high 55 1/3 innings, Wilson pitched to a 3.42 earned run average. He punched out 21.1% of opposing hitters against a personal-low 9.1% walk rate. Wilson leans heavily on his slider and sits in the 93-94 MPH range with his fastball. He came up just shy of four years of service and is under arbitration control for the next three seasons. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a $1.5MM salary. Wilson has a full slate of options, so the Rays could send him between Tampa Bay and Triple-A Durham for the foreseeable future.

Gómez, 26, got a late-season look in the Sox’s rotation. He started nine of 12 appearances overall and turned in a 4.84 ERA through 48 1/3 innings. A former Yankees prospect, Gómez has bounced around the league on waivers. He’s out of options, which spurred the roster shuffling. Gómez sits in the 93-94 MPH range and has a deep arsenal but has never had pristine control. He’ll compete for a rotation or long relief role and will either need to break camp or again be designated for assignment.

The Sox swap Gómez for one of his former teammates coming through the Yankees’ system. Pereira, a righty-hitting outfielder, was once a notable international signee and solid prospect. The 24-year-old native of Venezuela has a career .271/.362/.519 batting line over three Triple-A seasons. Pereira’s solid power-speed combination has been undercut by strikeout concerns, though. He punched out at a 29% clip in the minors this year and struck out 28 more times in 73 big league plate appearances after the Rays acquired him from the Yankees at the deadline for José Caballero.

Pereira is also out of options. He’ll need to crack Chicago’s Opening Day roster or be designated for assignment. The Sox parting with a useful middle reliever for him suggests they’re likely to carry him in the big leagues. Pereira would slot behind Luis Robert Jr., Mike Tauchman and Andrew Benintendi as a fourth outfielder if the Sox keep all three of those players over the winter.

Murray, a 26-year-old non-roster utility player, rounds out the return. A fourth-round pick in 2020, Murray has gone unselected in the Rule 5 draft a few times. He’ll be eligible again this offseason unless the White Sox put him on the 40-man roster. He hit 18 homers but struck out at a 24.1% clip this past season with Tampa Bay’s Triple-A affiliate. He hit a below-average .241/.299/.400 across 572 plate appearances overall. The Sox figure to have him open the year with their top farm team in Charlotte.

Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase first reported that Gómez was being traded to Tampa Bay in a deal sending Pereira to Chicago. James Fegan of Sox Machine had the two-for-two swap. Respective images courtesy of Gary Vasquez and Kim Klement, Imagn Images.

White Sox Select Duncan Davitt, Tanner McDougal

By | at

The White Sox announced that they have selected right-handed pitchers Duncan Davitt and Tanner McDougal to their 40-man roster. That protects both of them from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. The Sox also noted that left-hander Fraser Ellard has been placed on the voluntarily retired list.

Davitt, 26, was an 18th-round pick of the Rays in 2022. He came over to the White Sox at this year’s deadline, as part of the deal sending Adrian Houser to the Rays. Davitt has thrown 373 minor league innings with a 4.32 earned run average, 25.1% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate.

That includes 152 innings here in 2025, split between the two different clubs as well as between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. Put together, he had a 4.38 ERA, which doesn’t jump off the page. However, his 23.8% strikeout rate, 7.1% walk rate and 42.8% ground ball rate were all solid figures. He got an honorable mention from FanGraphs back in February on their list of top prospects in the Rays’ system. He can give the rebuilding White Sox some immediate rotation depth and should in line to make his big league debut at any point.

McDougal, 23 in April, is homegrown. The White Sox selected him in the fifth round of the 2021 draft. Baseball America ranked him in the teens of the Chicago system for the next few years but he fell off the map with a 6.04 ERA in 2024.

He bounced back this year. He made 28 starts between High-A and Double-A with a 3.26 ERA. His 10.2% walk rate was a bit high but he struck out 28.3% of batters faced and got grounders on 45.3% of balls in play. With those kinds of numbers, the Sox understandably didn’t want him to get away. He hasn’t yet reached Triple-A but he should be there in 2026 at some point.

Ellard, 28, was an eighth-round pick of the Sox in 2021. He climbed the ladder and was added to the 40-man roster in July of 2024. He tossed 24 innings for the Sox down the stretch last year, posting a 3.75 ERA.

2025 was a challenge for him. A strained right hamstring put him on the injured list a few weeks into the season. He was reinstated from the IL a couple of weeks later but then suffered a lat strain just a few days after that. That lat strain cost him about two months, from early May to early July. After he was reinstated from the IL, he was shuttled to Triple-A and back for the second half. He finished the season having tossed 17 innings. He walked 19 of the 74 batters he faced, a 25.7% clip. He also hit a batter and uncorked three wild pitches.

It seems Ellard has decided to hang up his spikes after that frustrating campaign. He retires with a 3.95 ERA in 41 innings. We at MLB Trade Rumors wish him all the best in his post-playing endeavors.

Photo courtesy of Joseph Cress, Imagn Images

White Sox Acquire Chris Murphy

By | at

The Red Sox have traded left-hander Chris Murphy to the White Sox, according to announcements from both clubs. Catching prospect Ronny Hernandez headed to the Red Sox in return. Bob Nightengale of USA Today first reported that Murphy was headed to Chicago. Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic reported it would be for a catcher. Alex Speier of The Boston Globe specified that Hernandez would be that catcher.

Murphy, 28 in June, made his big league debut as a long reliever with Boston in 2023. He logged 47 2/3 innings over 20 appearances, allowing 4.91 earned runs per nine. His 23.1% strikeout rate, 8% walk rate and 44.7% ground ball rate were all pretty close to league averages. He couldn’t carry that over in 2024, as he required Tommy John surgery in April of that year.

He was on the injured list until midway through the 2025 season. He logged another 34 2/3 innings in the big leagues this year with a 3.12 ERA. His 20.3% strikeout rate was down a bit and his 13.5% walk rate was a notable jump, though perhaps some post-surgery rust was at play. His ground ball rate climbed to 54.3%.

Boston had a bit of a roster crunch today and needed to make some cuts. Both Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Winckowski were designated for assignment today and flipping Murphy also opens up a spot. They also traded lefty Brennan Bernardino to the Rockies.

For the White Sox, they are rebuilding and have more ability to see if Murphy finds another gear in 2026 and moving forward. He still has an option, meaning they could keep him in the majors or minors or shuttle him back and forth throughout the next season. He came up as a starter, so it’s possible they could try stretching him back out, or they could keep him in a relief role. He has a bit more than two years of service time, meaning he hasn’t yet qualified for arbitration and can still be controlled for another four seasons, maybe even five if he spends a long time on optional assignment.

For Boston, they clear out a roster spot and add some non-roster catching depth. Hernandez, 21, was an international signing out of Venezuela. He hasn’t yet climbed higher than the Single-A level. In his 1,060 minor league plate appearances, he has a 13.9% walk rate, 17.9% strikeout rate, .275/.379/.379 line and 115 wRC+. FanGraphs gave him an honorable mention on their list of top White Sox prospects back in April. He’s a long-term flier for Boston.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

White Sox Receiving Trade Interest In Kyle Teel

By | at

White Sox catcher Kyle Teel has been drawing trade interest, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon.  This item comes a few days after another report indicating that Sox backstop Edgar Quero was also receiving trade inquiries.

It would take “a spectacular return” for Chicago to deal either catcher, in the words of Rosenthal and Sammon.  This aligns with recent comments made by White Sox GM Chris Getz, who told Sox Machine’s James Fegan that “I don’t think” it was time for the Sox to consider trading from their depth behind the plate.

The fact that rival clubs are even asking about Teel or Quero is a reminder that teams make all sorts of due-diligence inquiries about many players, no matter how seemingly unlikely a trade would seem.  Teel and Quero are top-100 prospects who just finished their rookie seasons, and are under team control through the 2031 season.  On paper, there is little reason why a rebuilding team like the White Sox would be open to dealing either catcher so early in their careers.

Even if the Sox might already have one of Teel or Quero specifically in mind as their proverbial catcher of the future, there’s no immediate reason for the club to move the other, especially when the duo can split time behind the plate in 2026 and also gain extra at-bats via the DH role.  Catching depth is such a rare commodity around the league that it isn’t surprising to see teams inquire about what is technically a surplus for Chicago at the position (Korey Lee is also on the 40-man roster), but for that same reason, the Sox are surely wary about trading from this surplus.

Teel is the higher-profile of the two catchers, as the Red Sox selected him 14th overall in the 2023 draft and Teel was perhaps the key piece of the trade package Chicago received for Garrett Crochet last offseason.  Called up to the Show in early June, Teel made a strong showing in his rookie year, hitting .273/.375/.411 with eight home runs in his first 297 plate appearances against big league pitching.  By comparison, Quero hit .268/.333/.356 with five homers in 403 PA, and neither catcher was particularly impressive from a defensive standpoint.

Edgar Quero Drawing Trade Interest From Multiple Teams

By | at

White Sox catcher Edgar Quero is drawing trade interest from multiple teams, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. Romero notes that the Sox would have a high asking price. That aligns with recent comments from White Sox general manager Chris Getz. Per James Fegan of Sox Machine, Getz pushed back on the idea that now was the time to trade a catcher. “Is that time now? I don’t think so. I don’t,” Getz said. “But down the road, you never know.”

The Sox came into 2025 with two notable catching prospects in Quero and Kyle Teel. Both were generally considered top 100 guys by prospect evaluators. Both debuted in 2025. Teel had a better season but he’s a year older.

Quero got into 111 games and stepped to the plate 403 times, producing a .268/.333/.356 line. That led to a 95 wRC+, which indicates he was 5% less productive than the average big league hitter. Catchers are usually about 10% worse than par, so Quero’s production was actually decent for the position. However, outlets like FanGraphs, Statcast and Baseball Prospectus all panned his glovework, particularly his framing.

Teel, meanwhile, got into 78 games with 297 plate appearances. He slashed .273/.375/.411 for a 125 wRC+. His defensive grades weren’t elite but he was often considered to be close to average, give or take.

The Sox also have Korey Lee on the roster. He wasn’t the same level of prospect as Teel or Quero but he was a 32nd overall pick of the Astros back in 2019. He hasn’t clicked in the majors yet, with a .193/.234/.321 batting line and poor defense to boot.

The Sox don’t have to make a trade now, though it does feel as though one is inevitable in the long term. Most clubs have two catchers sharing the catching duties these days. The Sox could certainly do that with Teel and Quero for the time being.

The designated hitter slot can also allow them to get both into the lineup fairly regularly, as they continue to develop as major leaguers. The Sox don’t have a full-time DH, though they might want to have their veteran outfielders in there from time to time. Luis Robert Jr., Andrew Benintendi and Mike Tauchman are all trade candidates and it would be good to keep them fresh and productive for trade possibilities, especially given Robert’s injury history. It’s also possible the roster is changed in the offseason via a trade of one of those three or perhaps even a non-tender of Tauchman.

At some point, a trade should be a real consideration, however. Even if Quero is the 1B catcher behind 1A Teel, other clubs might view him as a viable 1A option. The Sox could trade Quero to bolster another part of the roster, then use Lee or sign some veteran to back up Teel. It’s also theoretically possible that Quero surpasses Teel as the top option in Chicago and the inverse becomes a possibility, though as Fegan mentions, the Sox are probably committed to Teel since they made him such a key piece of the Garrett Crochet trade.

From the perspective of the Sox, there shouldn’t be urgency. The 2025 White Sox showed some progress relative to the 2024 squad, but that’s not saying much. Even the improved 2025 group still lost 102 games. The end of the rebuild is not imminent. This year’s free agent crop of catchers isn’t especially strong, which could tempt them to put Quero out there, but next year’s class doesn’t appear to be much better.

The Sox can continue using their big league playing time to focus on development. Unless they are bowled over by an offer, that can include Quero. As mentioned by Fegan, the Sox don’t feel Quero has reached his potential yet. Some signs of progress in the next year or two would only increase his trade value. By that time, the Sox might also have a better idea of which parts of the roster they need to target in the trade return, in order to best forge a path for future success.

Lee is out of options now, so he may have a hard time sticking around, though there is an argument for keeping him on the bench. As mentioned, the Sox may use the DH spot to have both Teel and Quero in the lineup regularly. If they indeed plan to do that, they could perhaps keep Lee around as a classic backup catcher who is ready to jump in if one of the other two suffers an injury.

Photo courtesy of Jesse Johnson, Imagn Images

Grant Taylor Expected To Stay In Relief Role

By | at

Right-hander Grant Taylor emerged as one of Chicago’s top bullpen arms last season. The current plan is for the former top prospect to reprise that role in 2026. White Sox general manager Chris Getz told reporters, including James Fegan of Sox Machine, that Taylor will not operate as a starter next season and will instead serve in a multi-inning relief role. “It’s important for him to pitch multiple innings, and that goes to many of our arms in the bullpen,” Getz said. “It’s more focused on the arsenal and ability to have deeper outings, rather than him grabbing starts next year.”

Taylor entered the season ranked sixth among White Sox prospects at FanGraphs. Baseball Prospectus and FanGraphs both had him inside the top 100 overall. The 23-year-old was called up in mid-June to operate out of the bullpen. Taylor posted a 4.91 ERA across 36 2/3 innings. He made 36 appearances, 34 of which came as a reliever. Taylor’s two “starts” were as an opener, tossing an inning in each outing. Taylor’s 2.34 xFIP and 2.65 SIERA suggest he was much more effective than his ERA would indicate. A .420 BABIP and a 61.5% LOB% were the main culprits for the inflated ERA.

Working in shorter stints, at least until he builds up a significant workload, could make sense for Taylor given his career trajectory. He had Tommy John surgery in 2023, wiping out his sophomore season at LSU. Chicago selected him in the second round of the draft that year. Taylor made his professional debut in 2024, but only logged 19 1/3 innings in the low minors before going down with a lat injury. Taylor opened the 2025 campaign at Double-A, making his first six appearances as a starter before moving into a relief role. He excelled with Birmingham, allowing just three earned runs over 26 2/3 innings with a 36.6% strikeout rate. Taylor didn’t cede a run in any of his nine outings as a reliever.

Taylor immediately stepped into a high-leverage role with the White Sox, earning a save or a hold in eight of his first 11 appearances. He finished his debut season with six saves and nine holds. Jordan Leasure edged Taylor for the team lead in saves with seven. Chicago didn’t have a dedicated closer for much of the season, and Getz’s mention of multiple innings for Taylor’s role might mean he won’t be the full-time stopper in 2026. The stuff seems to be there if the White Sox did want to hand Taylor the job. He notched a 34.4% strikeout rate with the help of a 98 mph fastball and elite extension. Taylor’s 50% hard-hit rate isn’t ideal, but a lot of that contact came on the ground. He had just a 17% fly ball rate and didn’t give up a single home run, which is a nice attribute for a closer.

Chicago had nine different relievers record a save in 2025. Leasure might have the upper hand on the closer role heading into next season, with Taylor and potentially Mike Vasil (four saves last year) factoring into the 9th inning strategy. The club hasn’t had a reliever reach double-digit saves since Liam Hendriks had 37 in 2022.

The commitment to keeping Taylor in the bullpen means he won’t factor into the rotation mix. With Martin Perez hitting the market, the staff currently includes Shane Smith, Davis Martin, Sean Burke, and Jonathan Cannon, though Getz said the latter two would need to earn their spots this spring. Yoendrys Gomez closed the season in the rotation and would likely push for a spot if the team doesn’t bring in another arm. Top prospects Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz are also looming as future options. It’s an inexperienced group, and Getz said the team is interested in adding pitching via free agency, but framed it in terms of safeguarding the younger arms from handling a heavy burden. “In terms of protecting some of these players and creating depth, tapping into the free agent market might be the right decision as well.”

Photo courtesy Brad Mills, Imagn Images

White Sox Notes: Free Agency, Hitting Coaches, Young Bats

By | at

The White Sox lost 100+ games for the third straight season in 2025. Their 60 wins were the fewest in the American League. The club has multiple areas for improvement, but is unlikely to address those needs via lengthy free agent deals, general manager Chris Getz told reporters this week, including Scott Merkin of MLB.com. “Free agency is an avenue to bring in players to help in the win total,” Getz said. “But to go beyond this upcoming season I think would be a little premature considering the state of our club right now and the development of these young players.”

Chicago wasn’t expected to be a major player in free agency, and Getz’s comments confirm the club will continue to get by with veterans on short deals around their young players. In two offseasons at the helm, Getz has only handed out one multi-year deal, inking Erick Fedde to a two-year, $15MM pact in 2024. Getz’s largest investment this past offseason was a one-year, $5M deal to Martin Perez. The contract included a $10MM mutual option for 2026, which Perez declined. Getz will need to replace Perez and fellow journeymen Adrian Houser and Aaron Civale, who all made double-digit starts with Chicago this past year. If Chicago goes the free agent route, reinforcements will likely be of the one-year variety.

“More than anything we want to strengthen our coaching staff, improve our processes within the front office and go out there and try to win as many games as we can next year,” Getz said. “That’s something we can control, and then in the future years, when we are approaching that ’27 season, we’ll adjust and put together the best club for the future that we can after the ’26 season.”

Getz has already made headway regarding the coaching staff. The White Sox announced this week that Derek Shomon will take over as hitting coach, and Sherman Johnson Jr. will join the organization as minor league hitting coordinator.

Chicago had the third-lowest OPS and the fourth-lowest wRC+ as a team last season, but did get promising contributions from some young hitters. Top prospect Colson Montgomery debuted in July and delivered strong power numbers, belting 21 home runs in just 71 games. The Garrett Crochet trade paid immediate dividends, as Kyle Teel posted a 125 wRC+ and Chase Meidroth offered decent production at the top of the order with a .329 OBP. The White Sox were even able to get a league-average season from Miguel Vargas. The former top prospect came over in 2024 as part of the Michael Kopech trade. He struggled to close that season, but bounced back with a respectable .234/.316/.401 in his first full year with the team.

Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top