3 White Sox players who do not deserve to be back next season

The Chicago White Sox front office will head into this offseason knowing it has a young core that can turn the team into contenders down the road.

However, general manager Chris Getz still needs to shed some dead weight on the roster to get this team back to being competitive.

The offseason focus for Getz should be on making additions to further bolster a roster that has established a foundation of exciting young talent in 2025.

Rookies Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, and Shane Smith have emerged as players who could become All-Stars on the South Side. Youngsters such as Chase Meidroth, Mike Vasil, Grant Taylor, Miguel Vargas, Jordan Leasure, and Lenyn Sosa have also shown they can comprise a solid supporting cast.

The young core has also come together to play better baseball since the All-Star break. Chicago's second-half record is near .500 (25-28), and better than contenders such as the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets.

A strong finish to the 2025 season is providing the fanbase with hope that the team is one good winter away from being competitive.

It also helps that the White Sox are set to get pitching reinforcements from young hurlers Drew Thorpe, Ky Bush, and Prelander Berroa next season after missing 2025 with Tommy John surgery.

As important as it is for the White Sox to be active in free agency, sometimes "addition by subtraction" is a real thing. There are three players specifically who have shown why they should not be back with the White Sox in 2026.

Andrew Benintendi

Andrew Benintendi's current hot streak may make his inclusion on this list odd. While I appreciate a strong finish to the season, all Benintendi has done is get himself back to being an overpaid, replacement-level player.

His batting average is still down at .241 and his OPS+ is 101, just barely above league average. Benintendi's fWAR for the season is exactly 0.0.

If he were not tentatively set to be the team's highest-paid player next season (Luis Robert Jr. will claim that title if the team picks up his $20 million option), I could deal with Benintendi's mediocre production.

But alas, his lack of defensive value and first-half struggles (.233 average this year and .201 in 2024) has made his $17.1 million salary for 2026 an albatross.

Benintendi simply no longer provides value beyond hitting well toward the end of each season. It's the same song and dance every year.

As some have pointed out, Benintendi's inability to cover ground in left field has become a liability. At this point in his career, he is better suited to be a designated hitter, which he doesn't have the bat for.

The White Sox need to keep DH open for Teel, Quero, and Sosa to all get regular at-bats next season.

My hope is that Chris Getz can find a team willing to deal for Benintendi in the offseason, even if the White Sox need to eat a good chunk of his remaining salary.

Tyler Alexander

There was a brief stretch in July where Tyler Alexander was pitching well enough that I thought it might be worth bringing him back next season.

Alexander has proven me wrong with his recent performance. When called upon in August and September, Alexander has done nothing but give up runs.

The lefty had a 6.50 ERA in August and has an ERA of 7.50 so far in September. While he is often used in a multi-inning role, Alexander has allowed runs 20 earned runs over his last 14 outings. That is unacceptable.

I am honestly baffled Alexander is still on the roster. He is set to be a free agent this winter, and there are three other southpaws already in the bullpen. There is no need to carry a fourth left-hander that has been ineffective over the past two months.

Dominic Fletcher

Getz acknowledged last offseason that he was not happy with the way things went during Dominic Fletcher's first season in the organization. It showed when Fletcher did not make the roster out of Spring Training in 2025.

Fletcher struggled in 2024 with a .206 average and a .508 OPS. That production was not a good look for Getz, considering one of his first acts as GM was trading 21-year-old pitching prospect Christian Mena for Fletcher.

Fletcher then spent most of the 2025 season at Triple-A Charlotte, where he produced a solid .770 OPS. That finally earned him a call-up in September, but he has not recorded a hit in the last 10 days.

Little playing time in the big leagues and already getting DFA'd once by this franchise does not bode well for Fletcher's long-term future in Chicago.

I can see him getting DFA'd again in the offseason to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for any new additions.