Hindsight is always 20/20. It’s always very easy to look back on a move a team made or didn’t make and judge it based on the results. It’s much more difficult to predict results and make a correct analysis beforehand. Throughout their active offseason, the White Sox were tied to a number of free agents that ultimately signed elsewhere. Some, like Ryan O’Hearn, who signed with the Pirates, are off to a strong start and would’ve made a positive impact on the White Sox lineup. But others are looking like a bullet the White Sox dodged early in the season. Here are three players the White Sox were interested in and are likely glad they didn’t sign after early results.
OF Harrison Bader
The White Sox were primarily linked to Bader after the trade of Luis Robert Jr. to the Mets. With the team looking for a veteran presence in the outfield and Bader’s strong 2025 performance, the fit made some sense. Instead, the White Sox opted for Austin Hays and Bader took a deal with the Giants. In 17 games so far this season, Bader is just 8-for-59 (.136) with a .432 OPS and has already spent some time on the injured list. Despite strong traditional numbers, Bader’s underlying metrics were scary in 2025 and he seemed like a prime candidate for regression, part of the reason why I didn’t love the fit to begin with. So far, Bader’s underlying metrics are similar to his 2025 marks, and he seems to be coming back to the mean. Austin Hays has spent time on the IL and hasn’t been a huge difference-maker in his time with the White Sox so far, but he signed a shorter-term deal and has more offensive upside when healthy. Bader could still turn his season around, but it’s certainly looking like the White Sox were smart to pass on him this offseason.
RHP Tatsuya Imai
The White Sox made a splash in the Japanese free agent market for the first time in 20 years, inking star first baseman Munetaka Murakami to a two-year deal in December. With Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai’s posting window closing in early January, rumors swirled that the White Sox were making a late push for his services as well. Instead, Imai took a three-year deal with Houston, and the White Sox denied ever being close to a deal on that front. That seems like a great decision now. Despite strong stuff, Imai has struggled mightily in his first few big league starts. He holds a 9.24 ERA in four starts and missed time with an injury. His 21.5% walk rate is among the worst in baseball and he’s been rocked to a 53.1% hard-hit rate so far. None of his pitches seem to be working the way he wants them to in the early going. There’s often a transition period for players coming from Japan to the US, so there may not be many concerns about the long term for Imai yet, but he certainly wouldn’t have put the White Sox in a better position than they are now, and avoiding him seems like the right decision.
Tatsuya Imai allows a go-ahead grand slam in his first start back from the IL. His ERA is now at 10.03 on the season pic.twitter.com/uAbE4WGROh
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 13, 2026
RHP Pete Fairbanks
One of the priorities for the White Sox was to add stability to the back-end of their bullpen, and the club prioritized adding an established closer. MLB.com’s Scott Merkin reported at the Winter Meetings that former Rays closer Pete Fairbanks was among the names the White Sox were considering. Ultimately, Fairbanks landed a substantial one-year deal with the Marlins and the White Sox pivoted to Seranthony Dominguez to fill the role. While Dominguez hasn’t been perfect, it’s been a rough go for Fairbanks in Miami so far. The right-hander has appeared in ten games, allowing ten earned runs over nine innings, and he’s been hit to an unimpressive .257 opponent batting average. To make matters worse, Fairbanks has dealt with nerve irritation that landed him on the injured list for two weeks. Dominguez has gotten the job done for the White Sox so far, and Chris Getz looks smart for not dishing out an expensive one-year deal for Fairbanks despite the interest.
Add us as a preferred source on Google