3 arbitration-eligible players who will probably be cut before White Sox pay them

The White Sox are one of the younger teams in Major League Baseball. Because of that, many of the players on the roster have not yet reached the arbitration point of their salaries, and are still signed to very team-friendly contracts. The team does have a handful of arbitration-eligible players that they’ll have to make decisions on this offseason, and among them are a few players the White Sox may choose to non-tender rather than pay. Here are three of the most likely non-tender candidates.

C Joey Bart

The White Sox acquired catcher Joey Bart in a deadline trade with the Braves in hopes he’d bring some stability to a position in flux. Bart, who’d posted a .691 OPS in 20 games with Atlanta prior to the trade, played just three games with the White Sox before an unfortunate broken hand on a hit by pitch put his season on hold. Bart, 29, is a former second-overall pick who bounced around with a few teams before finding his way to Chicago, but has shown above-average offensive ability at the big league level before. He will enter his final year of arbitration during 2027, and the White Sox will have a decision to make when it comes to their backup catcher situation. Jake Rogers will be a free agent, but the White Sox have both Edgar Quero and Drew Romo on the roster as options to back up Kyle Teel. They could also elect to go outside the organization to bring in a better defensive option. Regardless, three games may not have been enough time for the White Sox to see what they had in Joey Bart, and I think there’s a decent possibility they non-tender him. 

OF Brenton Doyle

Another deadline day acquisition for the White Sox, Doyle brought a history of stellar defensive play and seemingly untapped offensive upside to the lineup. Though Doyle hadn’t had an above-average offensive season in two years, the White Sox felt there was enough upside to give him a shot and make the move. In 33 games so far for the Sox, Doyle has hit two home-runs and posted a .600 OPS. He’s primarily been relegated to a platoon role, frequently starting against left-handed pitching and rarely getting at bats against righties. His numbers are slightly improved from his first 45 games of the year with Colorado, but not enough for Doyle to have truly made a big impact on the roster. He’ll enter his second year of arbitration this winter, giving the White Sox control through 2029. Doyle has minor league options, so the White Sox could choose to keep him around because of his flexibility, but they may elect to bring in a safer option for their fourth outfielder spot. 

RHP Huascar Brazoban

The third of four struggling trade deadline acquisitions, Huascar Brazoban looked every bit the part of an excellent relief option at the time of the trade. After a strong 2025 put him on the map, Brazoban was off to an even better start in 2026 with the Mets before the deal. After joining the White Sox, however, things changed. Brazoban struggled to a 6.30 ERA in ten appearances before being placed on the injured list with a lat strain. Now healthy, Brazoban remains with the White Sox on the team’s taxi squad, but has not been activated to the big league roster. With a number of relievers struggling, not adding Brazoban to the roster really speaks volumes about how the White Sox feel about him. Brazoban, like Doyle, will enter his second arbitration year following the season, but at age 37, the White Sox may not feel like he has much left in the tank. It would be a disappointing ending to what seemed like a promising trade, but it may be the necessary decision.

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