The Chicago White Sox must be careful not to add too many veterans this offseason.
The clear priority amid Chicago’s rebuild should be the development of young talent, and GM Chris Getz will have to toe a difficult line in free agency. If Getz adds too many established MLB players, he’ll be blocking important developmental opportunities, but if he adds nothing of substance at all, the franchise’s overall progress will slow to a standstill.
Chicago’s pitching staff doesn’t have a world of room for additions, but adding a veteran arm or two would give some underlying sturdiness to the club’s youth movement.
Even better, the White Sox could seek out experienced arms who have pitched in Chicago before. Here are three potential ideas.
3 former White Sox who could reunite with the team this winter
José Quintana
José Quintana, 36, has been an underrated factor in the Milwaukee Brewers’ success this season. Entering Saturday, Quintana was 9-4 on the season with a 3.57 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP, and 66 strikeouts in 93 1/3 innings (17 starts) for Milwaukee.
In particular, Quintana (along with Freddy Peralta) stabilized the Brewers’ decimated rotation early in the campaign. Quintana went 4-0 in April with a 1.14 ERA.
Quintana signed a one-year, $4.25 million contract with Milwaukee just before the regular season. The deal has a mutual option for 2026, but no one would be surprised to see the Brewers move on. Milwaukee has a surplus of MLB-ready starting pitchers. Any of Chad Patrick, Logan Henderson, or Tobias Myers could ostensibly step into the fifth spot in the rotation in 2026, replacing Quintana.
A reunion with the White Sox would be fitting for Quintana. He had a career year with the Sox back in 2016, when he made his lone All-Star appearance and finished 10th in American League Cy Young voting.
Liam Hendriks
Liam Hendriks hasn't latched onto a role with the Boston Red Sox, and it’s unlikely that Boston will be interested in his 2026 mutual option. The Red Sox have their closer in Aroldis Chapman, as well as younger late-inning options.
Hendriks has a better chance of experiencing a late-career revival in Chicago, where not too long ago he won American League Reliever of the Year (2021), finished 8th in AL Cy Young voting (2021), and made two consecutive All-Star teams (2021, 2022).
Hendriks’ Red Sox stint isn’t any knock on his legacy. This is a guy who conquered cancer and Tommy John surgery in 2023 and was ready to go in Spring Training this year. As aforementioned, Boston simply doesn’t have a spot for Hendriks, but the White Sox would gladly take back an experienced bullpen arm for a year or two amid their rebuild that also brings clubhouse leadership.
Erick Fedde
Erick Fedde hasn’t had any sustained success on an MLB mound since leaving Chicago, where he excelled.
Traded to the St. Louis Cardinals before last season’s deadline, Fedde went 2-5 down the stretch for the Cardinals in 2024 and was much worse this season, going 3-10 with a 5.22 ERA in 20 starts for St. Louis. He was designated for assignment by the Cardinals on July 23 and traded four days later to the Atlanta Braves.
At this point, it seems like a lifetime ago that Fedde went 7-4 with a 3.11 ERA and 108 strikeouts for the White Sox in 21 starts in 2024 (resulting in All-Star buzz). The 32-year-old won’t demand any sort of real money on the market, making him a buy-low candidate for Chicago.
The White Sox know Fedde well, especially pitching coach Ethan Katz and pitching director Brian Bannister. They know what made him succesful on the South Side and may try to unlock it once again.