White Sox Notes: Free Agency, Hitting Coaches, Young Bats
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
Sherman Johnson, Tommy Joseph Won’t Return To Orioles’ Coaching Staff
Orioles assistant hitting coach Sherman Johnson is moving to the White Sox as a minor league hitting coordinator, reports Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner. Kostka also reports that Tommy Joseph, another assistant hitting coach, won’t be returning to the O’s next year. Those may not be the only changes for the Baltimore coaching staff, as Andy Martino of SNY reports that first base coach Anthony Sanders has been given permission to talk to other clubs.
The Orioles will have a new manager in 2026. Brandon Hyde was fired during the 2025 season. Third base coach Tony Mansolino took over as interim manager for the remainder of the campaign. It was announced yesterday that Craig Albernaz will now skipper the club. It’s common for managerial hirings to lead to coaching staff shake-ups, as the new bench boss will sometimes bring in his own guys or simply just have different ideas about the best way to move forward.
Johnson, 35, was just hired in November of last year. The 2025 season was his first on a big league staff. He had a brief playing career, with ten big league games for the Angels back in 2018. He played in the minors and independent ball through 2022 before transitioning into coaching. The O’s hired him to work as hitting coach for Double-A Bowie in 2023. He was a minor league hitting coordinator in 2024 before getting bumped up to the big leagues. He’ll now return to the minors in a role with the White Sox.
Joseph, 34, played for the Phillies in 2016 and 2017. He then transitioned to coaching, working in the minors with the Mets and Giants. He got a big league job with the Mariners in 2024, getting hired as an assistant hitting coach. He was hired away by the Orioles for the 2025 season but will be moving on after just one season in Baltimore.
Sanders, 51, played in the majors from 1999 to 2001. He later transitioned to coaching, working with the Rockies in the minor leagues. He worked his way up to the majors and then jumped to the Orioles as first base coach for the 2020 season. It’s not a foregone conclusion that he’ll be leaving the O’s but it seems he is at least exploring the possibility.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
Orioles To Add Sherman Johnson To MLB Coaching Staff
The Orioles are promoting Sherman Johnson to the major league coaching staff, writes Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner. The 34-year-old will work alongside hitting coach Cody Asche and assistant hitting coach Tommy Joseph on the offensive side. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com suggested this morning that a promotion for Johnson could be in the cards.
It’ll be Johnson’s first work on an MLB staff. He has moved very quickly up the coaching ranks. He was playing professionally in the independent American Association as recently as 2022. A Florida State product, he had a nine-year minor league career. Johnson briefly reached the big leagues as a member of the Angels in 2018. He went hitless in 10 at-bats. A lefty batter, he showed good plate discipline with minimal power in the minors.
Johnson didn’t move into coaching until 2023. Baltimore hired him as a hitting instructor with their Double-A team in Bowie. He spent this past season as a minor league hitting coordinator. It seems he built a quick rapport with a number of the O’s prospects. Johnson coached Jackson Holliday, Heston Kjerstad and Coby Mayo with Bowie and should get to work with them again at Camden Yards.
Baltimore has opted for a fairly inexperienced group of hitting instructors. Asche, also 34, is a lead hitting coach for the first time after two years as an assistant on Brandon Hyde’s staff. Joseph, 33, is going into his second season as an MLB coach. He spent this year with the Mariners in an assistant role.
Minor MLB Transactions: 5/12/21
The latest minor moves from around baseball:
- The Twins signed infielder Sherman Johnson to a minor-league contract and assigned him to Double-A Wichita, per an announcement from the Kane County Cougars of the independent American Association. Johnson had signed with the indy ball team in March but will now return to the affiliated ranks. The 30-year-old got to the majors with the 2018 Angels, going hitless over eleven plate appearances. Johnson has played most of his pro career in the Los Angeles system, although he’s also spent time in the Reds’ and Pirates’ organizations over the past couple years. He has a .232/.348/.359 line in parts of four seasons at Double-A and a very similar .241/.347/.364 mark at Triple-A.
Charlie Tilson, Jake Elmore, Luis Escobar Among Pirates’ Minor League Releases
The Pirates released 39 minor league players this week, as first reported by John Dreker of PiratesProspects.com. Outfielder Charlie Tilson, utilityman Jake Elmore, right-hander Luis Escobar and infielder Sherman Johnson stand out as players with prior big league experience.
Tilson, 27, joined the Bucs on a minor league deal this winter after spending the past four seasons in the White Sox organization. Acquired by Chicago in the 2016 swap that sent lefty Zach Duke to the Cardinals, Tilson made his MLB debut shortly after that trade. However, a torn hamstring suffered in his debut game required surgery, and he’s been plagued by a series of leg and ankle injuries ever since. In 280 Major League plate appearances, the former second-round pick carries just a .246/.310/.290 batting line. Tilson was known for his speed early in his career, but the 46 stolen bases he recorded in 134 games back in 2015 dwarf the eight bags he swiped in a combined 115 games between Triple-A and the Majors last year.
The 32-year-old Elmore has the most MLB experience of the group, having appeared in 217 games and logged 527 plate appearances. Elmore is just a .215/.292/.275 hitter in that time, but he’s demonstrated substantial versatility; in 2013, the Astros used him at every position on the diamond — including catcher and pitcher. Elmore has at least 106 innings at all four infield spots, 234 innings in the outfield (including 14 in center) and has also caught 4 1/3 innings and pitched two frames (one run allowed) in the Majors.
Escobar, 24, made his big league debut last year and received 60 grades on his fastball while coming up through the minors. He averaged 95.1 mph on that heater in his 5 2/3-inning cup of coffee last year, although he also walked four batters, hit another and threw a wild pitch in that short time. Escobar’s 2019 results in Triple-A were solid, particularly considering how hitter-friendly that league was last year: 4.09 ERA, 9.3 K/9, 5.2 BB/9, 1.15 HR/9 and a 46.6 percent grounder rate. That said, it’s not exactly a huge surprise that he was cut loose; Escobar did go unclaimed on waivers back in November.
As for the 29-year-old Johnson, he’s an eight-year minor league veteran who received the briefest of looks with the Angels back in 2018, appearing in 10 games but going hitless in 11 plate appearances. He has at least 450 innings at all four infield positions and, while he’s never shown much power, has been a consistent on-base threat with fairly low strikeout rates in his minor league career.
Minor MLB Transactions: 3/1/20
- The Pirates have signed infielder Sherman Johnson to a minor-league contract with an invitation to MLB spring training (h/t to Andersen Pickard). The 29-year-old tallied 11 MLB plate appearances with the 2018 Angels but has otherwise spent his entire pro career in the minors. In parts of four Triple-A seasons, Johnson has compiled a .241/.347/.364 slash while mostly lining up at second and third base. The Florida State product entered pro ball as a 12th-round pick in 2012.
Angels Outright John Lamb, Sherman Johnson
The Angels announced today that they have outrighted lefty John Lamb and infielder Sherman Johnson. Both players were assigned to Triple-A after clearing waivers.
Lamb, 28, landed in the Halos organization after injuries (and a 2017 suspension for a drug of abuse) wiped out much of his former promise. He threw well for the club’s top affiliate, working to a 3.44 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 over 49 2/3 innings across 13 starts, but was bombed in his ten MLB frames.
As for Johnson, who is also 28 years of age, he received a brief major league promotion after spending the past four years in the upper minors. Over 979 career plate appearances at Triple-A, he carries a .241/.345/.367 slash with 15 home runs as well as 128 walks against 198 strikeouts.
Angels Select Contract Of Sherman Johnson
The Angels announced that they’ve selected the contract of infielder Sherman Johnson and transferred right-hander Nick Tropeano to the 60-day DL in order to clear a roster spot. The Halos also activated left-hander Tyler Skaggs from the disabled list.
Johnson, 28, will be making his big league debut the first time he takes the field. A 14th-round pick back in 2012, he’s spent his entire career in the Angels’ minor league ranks to this point. Johnson hit poorly in 20 games of Double-A duty this season but was quite productive in 46 games of Triple-A work, hitting at a .277/.359/.459 clip with four homers, seven doubles and four triples in 171 trips to the plate. He’s a career .251/.363/.389 hitter in parts of seven minor league campaigns and has walked nearly as often as he’s struck out to this point of his career (14.3 percent walk rate, 18.1 percent strikeout rate).
Johnson’s promotion is likely in part due to hamstring strain for 24-year-old David Fletcher — an injury that could prove to be a season-ender for the promising young infielder. Johnson can fill in virtually anywhere on the diamond, as he’s appeared at every position except catcher and center field this season (including three innings on the mound in Triple-A).