The calendar has officially changed to 2026, meaning baseball season is rapidly approaching. The White Sox have had a fairly active offseason, surprisingly adding Japanese star Munetaka Murakami, LHP Anthony Kay, and LHP Sean Newcomb in free agency. The team has also added former top prospects Jarred Kelenic and Everson Pereira to compete for an outfield spot. While these moves have been substantial, the White Sox roster doesn’t appear to be a finished product. With a large group of impact talent still available, here are three more free agent signings that could make this a perfect offseason for the White Sox.
OF Austin Hays
The White Sox have no clear answer in right field right now, but Pereira and Kelenic are likely to get a substantial opportunity to earn playing time. Luis Robert Jr. still remains on the roster despite heavy trade rumors and he’s a lock to get the primary reps in center field. Andrew Benintendi’s bat is still somewhat productive, but he’s a liability at this stage of his career defensively, and the White Sox would benefit from being able to primarily play him at DH. In an ideal world, the team would add a left fielder and give themselves the flexibility to do so. Austin Hays is a former all-star and has a history with White Sox hitting director Ryan Fuller. He’s coming off a solid season in 2025, where he posted a .768 OPS with the Cincinnati Reds. He’d be the ideal candidate, but hasn’t been formally tied to the White Sox in rumors this offseason. I think this is a longshot, but I’d be thrilled if they got it done.
RHP Zack Littell
The White Sox could use another starting pitcher to join Shane Smith, Davis Martin, Anthony Kay, and Sean Burke in the rotation. Former Rays and Reds starter Zack Littell has ties to multiple members of the White Sox front office and is coming off a solid 2025 campaign. Littell first became a big league mainstay while in San Francisco with Brian Bannister, and first became a starter while in Tampa with Carlos Rodriguez. Featuring elite control and having thrown nearly 200 innings in 2025, Littell could stabilize a young rotation and serve as a veteran presence. ESPN’s Jeff Passan indicated earlier this offseason that the White Sox are aggressively pursuing mid-tier starting pitching, with Littell among the names in the category. The fit makes plenty of sense.
Zack Littell's 3Ks in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/IQiDjLONrY
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 6, 2025
RHP Tyler Kinley
With all the established closers off the board, the White Sox are likely to give RHP Jordan Leasure the first chance as the primary option. The team added Sean Newcomb to bolster their bullpen and provide late-inning support, but they could still use a right-handed veteran option for the late innings. Enter Tyler Kinley. The soon-to-be 35 year-old spent the past six seasons with the Colorado Rockies before a deadline deal sent him to Atlanta in 2025. Despite elevated ERAs in 2023 and 2024, Kinley made 73 appearances in relief in 2025 and his metrics indicated a significant amount of bad luck was involved. Removing him from Coors Field could make a big difference. Kinley features an elite slider, which he uses as his primary pitch over his fastball. While not a proven closer, Kinley saved 12 of 13 opportunities for the Rockies in 2024, showing that he’s capable of handling late-inning outings. He’d be a solid addition to a young White Sox bullpen and could provide extra support for Leasure.
With six weeks to go until Spring Training, Chris Getz has some work to do to round out the White Sox roster. Adding Hays, Littell, and Kinley to the already-established roster could finish off a perfect offseason for the White Sox and give them a real opportunity to take a step forward in 2026.