As the offseason gets underway and MLB teams start building their rosters for 2026, pitching will become a priority for nearly every club. Even teams like the Rangers, Brewers, and Padres, who were among the league leaders in ERA in 2025 will be on the hunt for upgrades to their pitching staff. The White Sox are no exception. With several rotation spots up for grabs, the White Sox will likely turn to outside additions to fill out their Major League pitching staff. Earlier this week, I made a dream 2026 lineup for the White Sox, and today, let’s focus on a dream pitching staff. We’ll keep any outside additions within the realm of realism.
SP1- RHP Shane Smith
From the Rule 5 draft to the all-star game, Shane Smith’s 2025 season was truly remarkable. The right-hander impressed in Spring Training thanks to a nasty new change-up and earned his spot in the White Sox rotation. The 25 year-old finished the season with a 3.81 ERA and 145 strikeouts in 29 starts, putting together one of the more impressive rookie seasons for a pitcher in White Sox history. A full offseason to train as a starter should help Smith take an even bigger step forward in 2026 as he looks to emerge as a frontline starter in Major League Baseball.
SP2- RHP Zach Eflin
31 year-old Zach Eflin spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Phillies before landing with Tampa Bay in free agency in 2023. Despite his career 4.28 ERA, two of his better season came in 2023 and 2024, where he posted ERAs of 3.50 and 3.59, respectively. A deadline trade in 2024 landed Eflin in Baltimore, where he dealt with back injuries that shortened his 2025 season to 14 starts. He relies primarily on excellent control and changing speeds to get outs. Eflin’s injuries and inconsistency in 2025 may be enough to drive down his price into the White Sox range, and the team could consider a pursuit on a short-term deal. When healthy, Eflin provides a solid presence in a big league rotation and could bounce-back in a big way in 2026.
SP3- RHP Davis Martin
Originally a 14th round pick in 2018, Martin rose quickly through the Sox system to make his big league debut in 2022. An elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery knocked out his entire 2023 season, and he made his return in July of 2024 with a new change-up in tow. Martin made the Opening Day rotation in 2025 and became a reliable presence for the White Sox, posting a 4.10 ERA across 26 outings. Martin figures to get another opportunity in his age 29 season and will slot here in the #3 spot. The White Sox hope continued development of his change-up will allow for even greater production in 2026.
SP4- RHP Dustin May
A former top 100 prospect with the Dodgers, May showed a lot of potential in his early seasons. He posted ERAs of 3.63, 2.57, and 2.74 across short big league stints from 2019-2021. Injuries to his elbow and throat limited May to just 48 innings in 2023 and wiped out his entire 2024 season, but May returned to the Dodgers healthy to begin 2025. It wasn’t smooth sailing in his return, however, and he struggled to a 4.85 ERA before a midseason trade to the Red Sox. Still, May reached a career-high 132.1 innings and will look for a new team in 2026 where he’s fully healthy and given an opportunity to start. The White Sox could take a shot on the upside here and put him toward the back of their rotation.
Welcome back, Dustin May 🥹
— MLB (@MLB) April 2, 2025
He strikes out the first batter he faces! pic.twitter.com/USboOat1Cl
SP5- LHP Shane Murphy
The White Sox elected not to protect Shane Murphy from the Rule 5 draft, so he is eligible to be selected by another team in December. Let’s say for the sake of this exercise that he is not selected. Murphy's tremendous 2025 campaign puts him on the radar for the White Sox rotation in 2026. While the stuff isn’t overwhelming, Murphy’s excellent control and location allowed him to thrive on soft contact. The White Sox have a pair of top prospects who are left-handed in Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, but neither are likely to be on the Opening Day roster. They could elect to add a veteran lefty, but I don’t believe they should limit themselves in free agency by handedness. Instead, they can give Murphy a shot to be a left-handed presence.
Others within the organization who may start games in 2026 include: Sean Burke, Jonathan Cannon, Noah Schultz, Hagen Smith, Duncan Davitt, Tanner McDougal, Ky Bush, Mason Adams, and Drew Thorpe.
The White Sox offseason is just beginning and the board is open for Chris Getz and the White Sox to strike. There are several good options who remain free agents. The caliber of player the team brings in remains to be seen, but the White Sox will almost certainly add a veteran starting pitcher or two to round out a young rotation. In a perfect world, money wouldn’t be an issue, but this is Jerry Reinsdorf’s world. It’s reasonable to expect moves to be made to improve, but don’t expect to break the bank.